Background/objective:This study examined the effectiveness of rational emotive behavior coaching (REBC) on occupational stress and work ability in a sample of electronics workshop instructors in Nigeria.Methods:A pretest–posttest control group design was used. The participants were 108 electronics workshop instructors in technical colleges in the south-east of Nigeria who met the study inclusion criteria. Data were collected using 3 questionnaires and analyzed using a repeated measure analysis of variance and Mann–Whitney U test.Results:REBC led to a significant reduction in occupational stress experienced by the electronics workshop instructors in the REBC group compared to their counterparts in the waitlist control group. Furthermore, the scores for occupation-related irrational beliefs of the instructors in the REBC group were significantly lower than those in the waitlist control group at the end of the coaching intervention. The work ability of the REBC group was significantly better than that of the waitlist control group. Finally, the effects in the REBC group were significantly sustained at 3-month follow-up.Conclusion:REBC is a time-efficient and solution-focused therapeutic modality for assisting occupationally stressed employees in a Nigerian setting. REBC can be used for improving and maintaining work ability of workers. The researchers hope that occupational health professionals and health counselors would extend this approach to tackle psychological issues limiting employees’ effectiveness and performance in the Nigerian work environment and in other countries.

Background:Improving employees’ perception of organizational climate, and coaching them to remain steadfast when managing occupational risks associated with their job, might have an important effect on their psychosocial wellbeing and occupational health. This study examined the effects of a rational emotive occupational health therapy intervention program on the perceptions of organizational climate and occupational risk management practices.Methods:The participants were 77 electronics technology employees in the south-east of Nigeria. The study used a pretest–posttest control group design.Results:The rational emotive occupational health therapy intervention program significantly improved perceptions of the organizational climate for the people in the treatment group compared to those in the waitlist control group at post-intervention and follow-up assessments. Occupational risk management practices of the employees in the treatment group were also significantly better than those in the waitlist control group at the same 2 assessments.Conclusions:Corporate application of a rational emotive behavior therapy as an occupational health therapy intervention program is essential for improving the perceptions of organizational climate and promoting the adoption of feasible occupational risk management strategies in the workplace.

Background:Stress is the product of how an individual reacts and adapts to the specific demands and threats they encounter while carrying out given tasks. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a rational-emotive health education intervention (REHEI) on stress management, and irrational beliefs in a sample of technical college teachers in Southeast Nigeria.Method:The study design was a pretest–posttest control group. Repeated measures analysis of variance, paired t test and Mann–Whitney U tests were used to analyze the data collected.Results:The REHEI significantly reduced teacher stress in those teaching staff exposed to the treatment intervention, relative to a waitlist control group. Furthermore, the REHEI program significantly decreased irrational beliefs about teaching in those teaching staff exposed to the treatment intervention compared to a waitlist control group.Conclusion:The REHEI program can be used to coach teachers on how to manage and cope with stress and overcome irrational beliefs in teaching.

Background:Job-related burnout and distress are adverse stress responses which affect individuals in their occupational environment. This study aimed at investigating the effect of a rational-emotive stress management program on job burnout and dysfunctional distress among special education teachers in Nigeria.Methods:A pretest–posttest randomized control group design was used. The participants in the study were 54 special education teachers. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires. Participants were allocated to either the treatment group (n = 28 [59.1%]) or the waitlist control group (n = 26 [48.1%]), respectively. A rational-emotive stress management manual was used to deliver the intervention. We statistically analyzed the data collected at three-time points with repeated-measures analysis of variance.Results:At baseline, the job-related burnout symptoms and distress scores of participants were high. However, an intention-to-treat analysis showed that the rational-emotive stress management intervention program was efficacious in reducing the levels of job-related burnout symptoms and dysfunctional distress among participants assigned to the treatment group, compared to a waitlisted group at post-treatment and follow-up meetings.Conclusion:Our study demonstrates the effectiveness of a rational-emotive stress management intervention in reducing the level of job-related burnout and distress in a sample of special education teachers in Nigeria. Occupational health counsellors and other clinicians with sufficient knowledge of rational-emotive behavior therapy framework are urged to employ this approach in assisting other employees in managing job burnout symptoms, and distress.

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