An investigation of coping strategies associated with job stress in teachers

Abstract

Background: School teaching is regarded as a stressful occupation, but the perception of the job as stressful may be influenced by coping responses and social support.

Aims: To assess the associations between teacher stress, psychological coping responses and social support, taking into account the plaintive set engendered by negative affectivity.

Method: Questionnaire survey of 780 primary and secondary school teachers (53.5% response rate).

Results: In stepwise multiple regression, social support at work and the coping responses behavioural disengagement and suppression of competing activities predicted job stress independently of age, gender, class size, occupational grade and negative affectivity. High job stress was associated with low social support at work and greater use of coping by disengagement and suppression of competing activities.

Conclusions: It is suggested that behavioural disengagement and suppression of competing activities are maladaptive responses in a teaching environment and may actually contribute to job stress. Coping and social support not only moderate the impact of stressors on well-being but influence the appraisal of environmental demands as stressful.