Impact Of Self-Affirmation Technique On Work Stress And Lifestyle Among School Teachers: A Community-Based Empowerment - A Pilot Study

Introduction: Teachers are crucial in the teaching- learning process. Teachers' positive attitudes and cheerfulness have a direct influence on students. Our schools need mentally healthy teachers who can manage work stress and adapt to the school environment. Research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the Self-affirmation approach on job stress and lifestyle among teachers from higher secondary schools. Methods A time series design was used, with measurements taken immediately after intervention, two weeks after intervention, and six weeks after intervention. This research involved Higher secondary school teachers working in the Thrissur district. Result: Socio-demographic data have been analysed using percentages and frequencies. A paired samples T-test compared work stress and lifestyle values before and after the intervention, with P ≤0.05 indicating significance. All information analysis was performed using SPSS software. Outcomes showed that, in the experimental group, the mean pre-test lifestyle score of teachers was 72.17 ± 1 and the immediate post-test score was 91.33 ± 4.17. The lifestyle scores two weeks after intervention and six weeks after intervention were 91.50 ± 4.79 and 94.17 ± 3.49, respectively, reflecting a significant increase in lifestyle scores from pre-test to post- test immediately and between the two follow-ups. The teachers' mean pre-test work stress score was 2.83 ± 0.12, dropping to 2.49 ± 0.17 immediately after the intervention. The scores after two and six weeks were 2.07 ± 0.18 and 2.33 ± 0.08, respectively. Discussion: This demonstrates a significant reduction in stress from pre-test to post-test immediately and 2 weeks after intervention, with a slight increase in six weeks after intervention compared to the previous measurements. Thus, the self-affirmation technique effectively reduced work stress and improved lifestyle among higher secondary school teachers. Further research is needed, and incorporation of this technique into work stress management strategies should be considered to help address mental health issues among teachers.