High stress and burnout are common for early childhood special educators,
contributing to high rates of attrition, diminished educational effectiveness,
and high turnover. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a promising
approach for the prevention and treatment of a wide variety of problems. Using a
randomized wait-list control design, this pilot study evaluated whether ACT
workshops delivered to preschool teachers who serve children with developmental
disabilities would improve stress-related problems of teachers (i.e., stress,
depression, and burnout) and increase collegial support. At pretest, measures of
experiential avoidance (EA) and mindful
awareness (MA) showed significant relationships to reports of
depression, stress, and burnout. The intervention reduced staff members' EA,
increased teachers' MA and valued living (VL), and improved
teachers' sense of efficacy. This suggests that ACT workshops can help influence
factors affecting depression, stress, and burnout in an early childhood special
education setting.
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