Assessing Stress in Teachers: Depressive Symptoms Scales and Neutral Self-Reports of the Work Environment

The focal interest of this chapter on teacher stress is methodologic. The chapter enumerates a number of defects in existing measures of job stress in teachers and, concomitantly, other helping professionals. Alternative ways of measuring stress in teachers are suggested and evaluated. The use of depressive symptom scales in concert with more \u27objective\u27 measures of the work environment is discussed. An application of the proposed alternative measurement strategy is described. The wider utility of the measurement strategy is briefly described

Psychology and City College

Five 1988 winners of APA Awards attended City College and one award winner taught chiefly at City College. Morton Deutsch, who won one of the Awards for Distinguished Scientific Contributions, and Robert Glaser, who won the Distinguished Scientific Award for the Applications of Psychology, are City College alumni. Three of the winners of the Awards for Distinguished Professional Contributions were students at City College. Lenore Walker earned her master\u27s degree at City College, although she did her undergraduate work at City\u27s sister institution, Hunter College. Alfred Wellner was a City College alumnus. Hans Strupp attended City College before moving to Washington, DC. Kenneth Clark, a Distinguished Professor of Psychology Emeritus of City College and alumnus of Howard University, won the Gold Medal Award for a distinguished career in promoting the public interest

Distress in a sample of teachers

Examined the links between job-related stressors and depressive and psychophysiologic symptoms and morale in 67 New York City teachers. The teachers\u27 mean score on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) was higher than might be expected from average community residents. The CES-D and a psychophysiologic symptom scale were correlated as highly as their reliabilities would permit, indicating that they measure the same construct, nonspecific psychological distress. The level of job strain (frequency of ongoing stressors) was more closely related to psychological distress and low morale than episodic stressors, including crimes in which the teacher was victim. Colleague support was related to lower symptom levels and higher morale

A longitudinal study of occupational stressors and depressive symptoms in first-year teachers

Administered the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and episodic stressor and strain scales to 255 female newly appointed teachers. Job conditions were related to postemployment depressive symptoms independently of pre-employment symptoms and other risk factors. Ss who worked in the most adverse school environments showed the most depressive symptoms; Ss in schools with the best conditions tended to show the fewest symptoms. The effects of working conditions on symptoms were relatively immediate. There may be positive mental health effects, in relation to preemployment levels, associated with teaching in benign school environments. Suggestions for future progress in teacher-stress research include the use of neutral self-reports to assess school conditions and a greater reliance on standardized instruments to measure independent and dependent variables

Coping with job-related stress: The case of teachers

Investigated the relationship between coping measures, psychological distress, and job-related morale among 67 teachers. Five occupational coping scales were constructed: advice seeking (ASK), positive comparisons (PCs), selective ignoring (SEL), discipline, and direct action (DIR). Multiple regression analyses with controls for social-demographic factors and adversity in the job environment indicated that ASK and DIR were most consistently related to lower (depressive and psychophysiologic) symptom levels and that PCs and DIR were most consistently related to higher morale (job satisfaction and motivation to continue in the profession). SEL appeared to buffer the impact of adverse work environments on symptoms. Findings suggest that teachers who employ identifiable occupational coping behaviors are less likely to experience psychological symptoms and low morale

A developmental perspective and antisocial behavior: Cognitive functioning

G. R. Patterson et al (see record 1989-26278-001) failed to sufficiently address the idea that cognitive functioning is a factor which is related to both school failure and antisocial conduct. Findings consistent with the acculturation learning view are noted