Effect of a religious coping intervention of rational emotive behavior therapy on mental health of adult learners with type II diabetes

BACKGROUND

Some previous studies have highlighted the high rate of mental health problems associated with type II diabetes (T2DM). The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a religious coping intervention of rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) on the mental health of adult learners with T2DM.

METHODS

This study utilized a randomized controlled trial to select 146 adult learners with T2DM and mental health-related problems. The treatment group was made up of 73 adult learners, while the control group was also made up of 73 adult learners. The experimental group received 8 sessions of a religious coping intervention of REBT, while the control group received usual care. Data were collected using the patient health questionnaire, Warwick-Edinburgh mental well-being scale, and Kessler psychological distress scale. Repeated ANOVA and univariate analysis of covariance were used for data analyses.

RESULTS

The religious coping intervention of REBT substantially enhanced the mental health of adult learners with T2DM as measured by Warwick-Edinburgh mental well-being scale (P < .000) and patient health questionnaire (P < .000). The religious coping intervention of REBT significantly alleviated the psychological distress of adult learners with T2DM as measured by Kessler psychological distress scale (P < .000).

CONCLUSION

In this study, it has been demonstrated that a religious coping intervention of REBT effectively improves the mental health of adult learners with T2DM. The study concludes that the religious coping intervention of REBT is a practical alternative medicine approach to enhancing the mental health of adult learners with T2DM.

Effect of a randomized group intervention for depression among Nigerian pre-service adult education teachers

OBJECTIVE

Studies show that depression undermines the mental health of pre-service teachers. The objective of this research was to determine whether a rational emotive behavior intervention will be effective in treating depression among Nigerian pre-service adult education teachers.

METHODS

The study participants comprise 70 pre-service adult education teachers with moderate to severe depression. The treatment arm consist 35 pre-service adult education teachers, while the control arm consist 35 pre-service adult education teachers. With randomized control group design, an 8-week rational emotive behavior intervention was delivered to the treatment arm while the control arm participants were waitlisted. Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and Goldberg Depression Scale (GDS) were used for data collection. We utilized repeated ANOVA to analyze the study data collected at 3 time points (pretest, post-test, and follow-up).

RESULTS

The rational-emotive behavior intervention was significantly effective in reducing the mean depression scores of pre-service adult education teachers in the treatment arm when compared to those in the control arm (HDRS: P < .001, ηp2 = 0.869; GDS: P < .001, ηp2 = 0.827). The treatment intervention consistently reduced mean depression scores of the pre-service adult education teachers at follow-up compared to the control arm (HDRS: P < .000, 95% confidence interval: -24.049, -19.837, ηp2 = 0.864; GDS: P < .001, 95% confidence interval: -37.587 to 31.213, ηp2 = 0.872). The results also showed significant effects of Time as well as significant interaction effects of Time and Group on HDRS and GDS scores of pre-service adult education teachers.

CONCLUSION

The study concludes that among pre-service adult education teachers, a rational emotive behavior therapy treatment model was significantly effective and consistent in depression treatment. It is crucial to apply this rational-emotive behavior treatment approach in depression treatment among Nigerian pre-service adult education teachers. Compliance to the REBT treatment plans and timing is very crucial in achieving desired results.

A blended rational emotive occupational health coaching for job-stress among teachers of children with special education needs

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Heightened stress tends to undermine both teachers' efficacy and students' outcomes. Managing job stress in teachers of children with special education needs is continually recommended due to the increased demands for the teachers to adapt curriculum content, learning materials and learning environments for learning. This study investigated the efficacy of blended Rational Emotive Occupational Health Coaching in reducing occupational stress among teachers of children with special needs in Abia State, Nigeria.

METHOD

The current study adopted a group-randomized waitlist control trial design with pretest, post-test and follow-up assessments. Participants (N = 83) included teachers of children with special education needs in inclusive and specialized schools. The bREOHC group was exposed to intersession face-to-face and online REOC program weekly for twelve (12) weeks. Data were collected using Single Item Stress Questionnaire (SISQ), Teachers' Stress Inventory and Participants' Satisfaction questionnaire (PSQ). Data collected at baseline; post-test as well as follow-up 1 and 2 evaluations were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, t-test statistics, repeated measures ANOVA and bar charts.

RESULTS

Results revealed that the mean perceived stress, stress symptoms and the total teachers' stress score of the bREOHC group at post-test and follow up assessments reduced significantly, compared to the waitlisted group. Participants also reported high level of satisfaction with the therapy and procedures.

CONCLUSION

From the findings of this study, we conclude that blended REOHC is efficacious in occupational stress management among teachers of children with special education needs.