Can evolutionary insights into the brain’s response to threat suggest different group interventions for perceived stress and burnout of teachers in high-risk schools?

Abstract

Evolutionary brain responses to threat suggested three psychoeducational group interventions for perceived stress and burnout reduction. The interventions were based on trauma release exercises for primal brain response, transpersonal psychology for paleomammalian emotional brain functions, and transactional analysis for neomammalian cognitive brain insights. In total, 43 teachers in high-risk schools on the Cape Flats, Western Cape, South Africa, participated in one of the three different interventions, which were conducted in group sessions for 15 hr over 10 weeks. Twenty teachers were part of the control group. This pilot study, with a before-after control research design, utilised the Perceived Stress Scale for perception of stress and the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory for personal, work, and learner burnout. Multivariate comparison of trauma release exercises, transpersonal psychology, and transactional analysis intervention groups with the control group yielded significant effects for interventions within and between groups. The findings suggested that evolutionary insights into the brain’s response to threat can provide a basis from which to design stress and burnout interventions.

Teacher stress interventions: A systematic review

“…The curriculum varied widely in etiology, including five studies grounded in cognitive‐behavioral therapy (CBT), two studies grounded in Stress Inoculation Training and one study grounded in the ACT. Treatment lengths varied from 2 days (Zolnierczyk‐Zreda, ) to 15 weeks (Johnson & Naidoo, ). Outcome measures included assessments such as the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire, the Job Stress Scale, the DASS, the MBI, and the OSI‐R at posttest.…”

Cultural influences on burnout: a Swedish–American comparison

“…Prior research points to chronic, problematic stresswhether occurring in work contexts or other domainsas a likely antecedent to burnout (Chrousos, 2009;Johnson and Naidoo, 2017;Nordin and Nordin, 2013;Weber and Jaekel-Reinhard, 2000). Lazarus and Folkman (1984) noted that psychological stress emerges in transactions between individuals and their environment, as they appraise if a particular situation represents a threat and, if so, what psychological and social resources are available to neutralize it.…”

“…Perceived stress, role conflict and role ambiguity emerge from the literature as important contributing factors that explain how individuals develop burnout ( Ahlin et al, 2012;Arman et al, 2011;Bianchi et al, 2014;Johnson and Naidoo, 2017;L€ ove et al, 2011;Perrew e et al, 2002;Semmer et al, 2015;Shyman, 2010;Thompson et al, 2014). However, it is not yet clear how culture-specific values, behavioral norms and beliefs about self in relation to society influence the process of developing burnout in different contexts.…”

“…Cross-cultural differences were theorized based on a view of culture as a socially shared framework that is maintained and reinforced in all societal domains and institutions (Berry, 2009;Clausen, 2007;Hofstede, 1991;Navas et al, 2007) and that enables people to orient themselves in relation to one another and to experience and interpret the world in similar ways (Barker, 2015;Benet-Mart ınez et al, 2002). Cross-cultural differences in the burnout process were expected because although neurobiological responses to threat are viewed as universal (Johnson and Naidoo, 2017), perceptions of threat are culturally conditioned (Bracken, 2002). Such threats may pertain to one's professional identity and selfimage; one's adequacy, ability and significance; or available resources to meet demands (Chrousos, 2009;Pines and Keinan, 2005;Semmer et al, 2015;Stoeber and Rennert, 2008;Weber and Jaekel-Reinhard, 2000).…”

“…Leone et al (2011) argued the reason for this paucity is largely cultural: "This raises the important issue of the role society and culture play in shaping and forming illnesses. That is, the same set of symptoms may attract different labels in different eras, countries and cultures" (p. 456) The need for cross-cultural research is further highlighted by recent studies that suggest the chief cause of burnout may be chronic stress resulting from perceptions of threat (Johnson and Naidoo, 2017). While neurobiological responses to threat are universal, perceptions of threat are largely culturally conditioned (Bracken, 2002).…”