“I never thought it would be that bad” – Increasing teachers’ awareness of psychological well-being through recovery-stress monitoring and individualised feedback

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The demanding working conditions of teachers make them susceptible to stress. Monitoring temporal changes in recovery and stress may provide a valuable approach for maintaining well-being. OBJECTIVE: This exploratory study followed a two-stage approach aimed at: a) collecting data about the potential effects of holidays on stress in teachers, and b) utilizing these findings to provide tangible feedback to teachers. METHODS: Thirty-seven German teachers completed online questionnaires over six months (eight measurements) which included two holiday periods (Easter break, Summer break). Sociodemographic data regarding recovery and stress were gathered using the Recovery-Stress Questionnaire Work. Interested teachers received individual feedback sessions. RESULTS: The results, inter alia, indicated significant time effects for the dimensions Overall Stress (F(7,119) = 5.31, p < 0.001) and Overall Recovery (F(3.7,67.7) = 4.33, p = 0.004). Significant positive changes were identified over the Summer, but not the Easter break. In the feedback sessions, group-based findings were connected with the individual recovery-stress values. Notable scores were highlighted in a matrix. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates an approach to monitoring and providing group and personalised feedback to raise teachers’ awareness and sensitivity of psychological health status in relation to their working environment.