A pilot study of acceptance and commitment therapy to improve teachers’ psychological well-being

ABSTRACT

Objective:

This study evaluated a three-session self-guided, online Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) treatment program aimed at improving teachers’ psychological well-being (PWB) with diverse occupational attributes.

Method:

A total of 80 participants were screened with the Ryff’s Scales of Psychological Well-being to understand individual differences among teachers in terms of experienced PWB. Based on specific eligibility criteria, 40 teachers were randomised to intervention (n = 20) or waitlist control condition (n = 20) group. Additionally, intervention group participants’ attitudes regarding the effects of the program were recorded online during interviews and analyzed through content analysis.

Results:

The results of the primary phase indicated significant differences in teachers’ PWB based on their professional experience, teaching context, and education level. These occupational variables, as well as teachers’ income, significantly contributed to the variances in teachers’ PWB. Regarding the effects of the program, we found improvements in teachers’ PWB at post-assessment with a moderate effect size (η² = .60). In the end, the interview results indicated that teacher participants had positive attitudes toward the program and its implementation method by emphasising its practicality and feasibility.

Discussion:

Given the small number of participants, the results provide tentative support for the efficacy of a self-guided, online ACT-based treatment program for improving PWB in teachers. The results also present implications for school counsellors and teacher educators to use the program in an educational system with poor infrastructure during times of crisis.

KEYWORDS:

• Acceptance and commitment therapy
• psychological well-being
• self-guided intervention
• English language teachers
• COVID-19 pandemic

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).