Worksite Interventions Reduce Stress Among Teachers and Staff: 2-Group Longitudinal Test of EAP Onsite Trainings

Abstract

This brief report describes an original applied research study testing the impact of onsite employee training provided by an employee assistance program for teachers. Self-reported data on employee stress levels was collected at three points during the school year at two schools: one school (n = 105 at T1; 60 at T2; and 40 at T3) that received the interventions from EAP (four training programs) and another school in same area that was a control site (n = 103 at T1; 56 at T2; and 42 at T3). At baseline, the finding revealed that the majority of teachers were stressed, with more than a third experiencing a high level of stress. The program featured multiple interventions that were of short duration and that focused largely on an individual employee’s ability to understand and cope with stress factors. The delivery of multiple, brief, educational interventions had a small but positive impact on reducing stress.