Frustrated Teachers: An REBT Intervention to Reduce Frustration Discomfort in Middle School Teachers—A Quasi-Experimental Study

TL;DR

This study tested an REBT-based program to reduce frustration in middle school teachers, finding it effective and long-lasting.

Contribution

A novel REBT intervention tailored for middle school teachers to reduce frustration discomfort and irrational beliefs.

Findings

The REBT intervention significantly reduced teachers' frustration discomfort.

Positive effects were maintained during follow-up assessments three and seven months later.

The program also targeted and improved low frustration tolerance and pupil control ideology.

Abstract

Teaching requires sustained emotional effort from educators, and the gap between reality and teachers’ expectations regarding student engagement can negatively affect their psychological well-being. The current research implemented a program to reduce their frustration discomfort. The main objective was to investigate the effectiveness of an intervention program based on the Rational-Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) framework, specifically designed for middle school teachers. A sample of 54 teachers was gathered and conveniently divided into two equal groups: intervention and control. Participants in the intervention group participated in a weekly REBT group intervention program for six weeks, while the control group did not receive any intervention. Evaluations were conducted at four points: pretest, post-test, and follow-up assessments three and seven months after the intervention. Frustration discomfort was the primary dependent variable, while low frustration tolerance as an irrational belief, and pupil control ideology were treated as secondary dependent variables. The results indicated that the intervention effectively reduced frustration discomfort, and this positive effect was maintained during the follow-up assessments.

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