Efficacy of a Web-Based Stress Management Intervention for Beginning Teachers on Reducing Stress and Mechanisms of Change: Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: Teaching is often characterized as a stressful profession, with a substantial proportion of teachers experiencing chronic stress and burnout. Research indicates that teachers often experience stress upon entering the workforce, leading to detrimental effects on their health, occupational well-being, and work performance and adversely impacting student outcomes. While meta-analyses have demonstrated the efficacy of internet-based stress management interventions (iSMIs) for both experienced professionals and university students, there remains a gap in research on the efficacy of iSMIs tailored to teachers and career starters.

Objective: We tailored an iSMI to beginning teachers and added a newly developed web-based classroom management skill training. This study examined the effectiveness of the tailored iSMI in reducing perceived stress and improving further secondary outcomes. In addition, this study was the first to explore problem-solving ability and emotion regulation skills as potential mechanisms of change within an iSMI grounded in transactional stress theory.

Methods: Participants were 200 highly stressed beginning teachers (Perceived Stress Scale score of >21) undergoing German teacher induction randomized to either an intervention group (IG) with guidance or a waitlist control group. Outcomes were assessed online at baseline, 8 weeks after randomization (postintervention time point; T2), and at both the 3-month (T3) and extended 6-month follow-up. At T2, data were collected from 84% (84/100) of the participants in the IG and 90% (90/100) of the participants in the waitlist control group.

Results: The IG reported significant, practically meaningful, and sustained improvements in both perceived stress (T2: d=0.52, 95% CI 0.24-0.80, and P<.001; T3: d=0.49, 95% CI 0.21-0.77, and P<.001) and most secondary outcomes in the intention-to-treat analysis using analyses of covariance. Postintervention (T2) effects on mental health indicators, including depression, work-related rumination, anxiety, and insomnia, were substantial (d≥0.60), whereas no significant effects were observed for absenteeism (P=.22) and presenteeism (P=.80). The investigated mediators, problem-solving ability (d=0.57) and emotion regulation skills (d=0.69), improved. Moreover, parallel mediation analysis revealed that the iSMI exerted its effect on perceived stress through improved problem-solving ability (indirect path a₂b₂=-0.77, 95% CI -1.50 to -0.04) and emotion regulation skills (indirect path a₁b₁=-0.97, 95% CI -1.73 to -0.22).

Conclusions: This study contributes to the growing body of evidence on iSMIs for beginning teachers during a highly demanding transition phase and supports the integration of these interventions into teacher training programs. Findings from the mediation analysis suggest that both problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies should be equally considered in stress management interventions. This strengthens the program theory based on the transactional stress model. Finally, these findings encourage further research on iSMIs for other groups of career starters to support their transition into the workforce.

Trial registration: German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS) DRKS00013880; https://tinyurl.com/3mpsyvw5.

Keywords: RCT; beginning teachers; career starters; indicated prevention; internet-based intervention; mechanisms of change; randomized controlled trial; stress; transactional stress theory.

Figure 1

Flow of participants. The 6-month follow-up was only assessed in the intervention group.

Figure 2

Means with 95% CIs on the primary outcome measure of perceived stress (intention to treat; N=200) measured at baseline, the postintervention time point, the 3-month follow-up (3-MFU), and the 6-month follow-up (6-MFU) in the intervention group (IG) and waitlist control group (WLG).

Figure 3

Parallel multiple mediation model with 3-month follow-up (3-MFU) perceived stress scores as the outcome variable, change in emotion regulation skills (Emotion Regulation Skills Questionnaire [ERSQ]) and problem-solving ability (Social Problem-Solving Inventory–Revised [SPSI-R]) as mediators, and baseline values of perceived stress as covariates. Treatment is coded as 0=waitlist control group (WLG) and 1=intervention group (IG). Path diagrams represent statistically significant mediation effects. Unstandardized β coefficients are shown with 95% CIs. a1: path from the independent variable to the first mediator (ERSQ); a2: path from the independent variable to the second mediator (SPSI-R); b1: path from the first mediator (ERSQ) to the dependent variable (perceived stress); b2: path from the second mediator (SPSI-R) to the dependent variable (perceived stress); M: mediator; PSS: Perceived Stress Scale; T1: baseline; T2: postintervention time point; X: independent variable; Y: dependent variable (perceived stress).