NEA | HIN – Mental Health and Wellness

Stress
is a normal part of life at home or on the job. And workplace stress
occurs across all types and levels of employment. In fact, many
people believe that workplace stress in our society is increasing
as workers are being asked to do more and more with less and less.

Those working
in schools, however, experience some unique types of stress. In
addition to the impact of widespread economic and social problems
that impinge on today’s families, specific factors contribute to
the work-related stress experienced by teachers and other school
personnel. These factors include:

• • The introduction
    of mandatory high-stakes testing associated with educational
    reform movements, particularly where tests are not aligned with
    mandated curriculum;

• • Challenges
    posed by the demographics of increasing student enrollments
    and larger class sizes;

• • A nationwide
    shortage of qualified teachers;

• • Budgets
    that fail to meet existing needs, such as the need to restore
    or replace deteriorating school buildings and facilities;

• • Multiple,
    and sometimes conflicting, demands posed by the mix of federal
    and state requirements, local school boards, school administration,
    and concerned parents;

• • Rapid advances
    in technology with insufficient resources for training or implementation;

• • Growing
    diversity in our schools with the concomitant need to function
    as culturally competent educators.

The challenges
that many students face at home and in the community have a significant
impact on their lives and well being. These challenges contribute
to the stress felt not only by students and their families, but
by school staff as well. Consider the following statistics on America’s
children, from the Children’s Defense Fund’s State of America’s
Children: Yearbook 2000:

• • One in
    four lives with only one parent.
  • One in
    24 lives with neither parent.
  • One in
    60 will see their parents divorce in any year.
  • One in
    five lives in poverty.
  • One in
    six has no health insurance.
  • One in
    twelve has a disability.
  • One in
    910 will be killed by guns before age 20.

Working
with children on a daily basis, school staff may, at some level,
already be aware of the prevalence of mental and addictive disorders
among children. According to the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on
Mental Health [1], an estimated
one in five children, between the ages 9 to 17, has a diagnosable
mental or addictive disorder associated with at least minimum impairment
in their functioning at school, home or with peers. This suggests
that among the students in any classroom, there are likely to be
several who have serious emotional or behavioral problems. When
mental health problems interfere with a child’s ability to learn
and succeed in school, school staff can face challenges that go
beyond the scope of their education and training.

Why
Should We Concern Ourselves about Employee Stress in Schools?

Making
any job more satisfying and less stressful should always be a goal
of management. Not only is it the humane thing to do, but it also
makes sound business sense. Just like other employers, school systems
need to pay attention to staff stress because to not do so can be
costly. High levels of stress contribute to absenteeism, higher
health care costs, lost productivity, burnout, and attrition. For
example, it has been reported that health care expenditures are
nearly 50% greater for workers who report high levels of stress.
[2]

What
is Stress?

When most people
talk about stress at home or stress on the job, they are talking
about mental and/or physical strain and tension. A more accurate
definition of the term incorporates the concept that stress has
a profound physiological affect on the body.

Stress is not
always negative. As illustrated in the following chart, at an optimum
level, stress actually can make a positive contribution to performance.
However, too much or too little stress can negatively impact performance:

Relationship
Between Stress and Performance

In addition
to its negative affect on performance, high levels of stress, particularly
when experienced over a prolonged period of time, can lead to burnout
and can contribute to a variety of physical health problems.

What
are the Symptoms of Stress?

When
under stress, the cardiovascular and neuroendocrine responses of
the body can make it more difficult to unwind, even after the source
of stress has disappeared. It has been pointed out that some people
show an absent or inadequate relaxation response, a phenomenon that
can significantly contribute to heart disease and high blood pressure.
[4] Stress can increase a
person’s risk for developing ulcers and muscular/skeletal disorders,
such as back problems. Some studies suggest that stress may be related
to an increased risk of cancer and impaired immune functioning.
[5]

The
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has
identified a number of job conditions that commonly lead to stress
[8], as shown in the chart
below:

Post-traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Acute Stress Disorder