Wettstein Alexander, Krähling Sonja, Jenni Gabriel, Schneider Ida, Kühne Fabienne, Grosse Holtforth Martin, La Marca Roberto
Department of Research and Development, University of Teacher Education Bern, Fabrikstrasse 8, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Fabrikstrasse 8, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
Eur J Investig Health Psychol Educ. 2024 Aug 3;14(8):2230-2247. doi: 10.3390/ejihpe14080149.
Aggressive student behavior is considered one of the main risk factors for teacher stress. The present study investigated teachers' physiological and behavioral reactions when facing aggressive student behavior and examined which resources favor adaptive teacher reactions. The sample included 42 teachers. We assessed (a) teacher self-reports (i.e., resources, risk factors, and vital exhaustion) (b) classroom observations, (c) ambulatory assessments of teachers' heart rate and heart rate variability, and (d) teachers' progesterone concentrations in the hair. The present study focused on a subsample of ten teachers (9 females, age = 34.70, = 11.32) managing classes which were potentially very stressful as they had a high density of aggressive behavior. High levels of work satisfaction, hair progesterone, and a low level of work overload fostered social integrative teacher responses. Moreover, in 75% of the cases, teachers succeeded in downregulating their physiological reaction. Our results support the notion that teachers evaluate stressors in light of their resources. When they perceive their resources as insufficient for coping with a challenging situation, stress arises, and subsequently, they react inefficiently to aggressive behavior. Thus, teacher education could benefit from strengthening teacher resources and strategies for coping with aggressive student behavior.
学生的攻击性行为被认为是教师压力的主要风险因素之一。本研究调查了教师面对学生攻击性行为时的生理和行为反应，并探讨了哪些资源有助于教师做出适应性反应。样本包括42名教师。我们评估了：（a）教师的自我报告（即资源、风险因素和职业倦怠）；（b）课堂观察；（c）对教师心率和心率变异性的动态评估；以及（d）教师头发中的孕酮浓度。本研究聚焦于10名教师（9名女性，年龄 = 34.70，标准差 = 11.32）的子样本，他们所管理的班级因攻击性行为密集而潜在压力极大。高水平的工作满意度、头发中的孕酮以及低水平的工作负担促进了教师的社会整合反应。此外，在75%的情况下，教师成功下调了他们的生理反应。我们的研究结果支持这样一种观点，即教师会根据自身资源来评估压力源。当他们认为自己的资源不足以应对具有挑战性的情况时，压力就会产生，随后，他们对攻击性行为的反应就会低效。因此，教师教育可以通过加强教师资源和应对学生攻击性行为的策略而受益。
