Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T05:46:50.809Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Improving Chinese Teachers’ Stress Coping Ability through Group Sandplay

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2018

Ping Sun ,
Yunxia Qu ,
Jun Wu ,
Jing Yu ,
Weike Liu  and
Haidong Zhao
Ping Sun
Affiliation:
Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University (China)
Yunxia Qu
Affiliation:
Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University (China)
Jun Wu
Affiliation:
Metropolitan State University of Denver (USA)
Jing Yu
Affiliation:
Liaoning Normal University (China)
Weike Liu
Affiliation:
Affiliated Zhongshan Hospital of Dalian University (China)
Haidong Zhao*
Affiliation:
Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University (China)
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Haidong Zhao. Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University. Department of Breast Surgery. 467 Zhongshan Road, Dalian, 116027, Liaoning Province (China). E-mail: dayi2y@126.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Teachers are burdened by high work pressure, suggesting the need for an effective stress coping system to support them. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of coping strategies currently utilized by teachers and explored the potential contribution of group sandplay to coping. The study was led by a group of experienced therapists and sandplay practitioners. Two hundred teachers served as participants, equally divided into two groups: An experimental sandplay group (EG) and control group. Both groups received a 3-hour tutorial on the psychological pressure at work, reactions to it, and physical/mental symptoms resulting from overwhelming pressure, and were introduced to the working principles and process of sandplay. EG participants then engaged in group sandplay for three consecutive days. The Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire was used as an objective measure of participants’ coping styles. Therapists’ and practitioners’ observations were used as subjective information, including the scenes and themes created by participants, individual performance during sandplay activities, and feedback regarding changes to stress coping strategies. We compared participants’ pre-and post-test stress coping strategies. The results revealed a significant improvement in the EG sample at the shift from passive coping (pre-test M = 1.94, 95% CI [1.83–2.05]; post-test M = 0.96, 95% CI [0.92–1.00]) to active coping (pre-test M = 1.76, 95% CI [1.69–1.83]; post-test M = 2.41, 95% CI [2.29–2.53]). Overall, our findings support the conclusion that group sandplay effectively improved Chinese teachers’ overall stress coping abilities.

Keywords

copinggroup sandplaystresstherapywork pressure
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 21 , 2018 , E65
Copyright
Copyright © Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

This research work was supported by the Hall of Liaoning Province Science and Technology Plan Project, Grant no. 2011225013 and the Dalian City Medical Science Research Plan Project, Grant Nos. 201626 and 2015F11GH097. The funding agency had no role in the study design, analysis and interpretation of data, report writing, or decision to publish this manuscript.

How to cite this article:

Sun, P., Qu, Y., Wu, J., Yu, J., Liu, W., & Zhao, H. (2018). Improving Chinese teachers’ stress coping ability through group sandplay. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 21. e65. Doi:10.1017/sjp.2018.69

References

Aazami, S., Shamsuddin, K., & Akmal, S. (2015). Examining behavioral coping strategies as mediators between work-family conflict and psychological distress. The Scientific World Journal, 2015, ID 343075. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/343075CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ahmed, S. M., Hershberger, P. J., & Lemkau, J. P. (2016). Psychosocial influences on health. In Rakel, R. & Rakel, D. (Eds.), Textbook of family medicine (9th Ed., pp. 25–33, e1). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Elsevier.Google Scholar
Albert, S. C. (2015). Sandplay therapy with couples within the framework of analytical psychology. Journal of Analytical Psychology, 60, 32–53. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5922.12128CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Antoniou, A.-S., Ploumpi, A., & Ntalla, M. (2013). Occupational stress and professional burnout in teachers of primary and secondary education: The role of coping strategies. Psychology, 4, 349–355. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2013.43A051CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Austin, V., Shah, S., & Muncer, S. (2005). Teacher stress and coping strategies used to reduce stress. Occupational Therapy International, 12, 63–80. https://doi.org/10.1002/oti.16CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brahnam, S., & Brooks, A. L. (2014). Two innovative healthcare technologies at the intersection of serious games, alternative realities, and play therapy. In Graña, M., Toro, C., Howlett, R. J., & Jain, L. C. (Eds.), Innovation in medicine and healthcare 2014 (pp. 153–162). Amsterdam, the Netherlands: IOS Press BV.Google Scholar
Clark, K. K., Bormann, C. A., Cropanzano, R. S., & James, K. (1995). Validation evidence for three coping measures. Journal of Personality Assessment, 65, 434–455. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa6503_5CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Doménech Betoret, F., & Gómez Artiga, A. (2010). Barriers perceived by teachers at work, coping strategies, self-efficacy and burnout. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 13, 637–654. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1138741600002316CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Donald, B. (2008). Knowing as holistic experience: A challenge to Plato from Jungian sandplay. Paideusis, 17(2), 75–80.Google Scholar
Donald, J. N., Atkins, P. W., Parker, P. D., Christie, A. M., & Guo, J. (2017). Cognitive defusion predicts more approach and less avoidance coping with stress, independent of threat and self-efficacy appraisals. Journal of Personality, 85(5), 716–729. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12279CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Draper, K., Ritter, K. B, & Willingham, E. U. (2003). Sand tray group counseling with adolescents. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 28(3), 244–260. https://doi.org/10.1177/0193392203252030CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Feuerhahn, N., Bellingrath, S., & Kudielka, B. M. (2013). The interplay of matching and non-matching job demands and resources on emotional exhaustion among teachers. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 5, 171–192. https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12002Google ScholarPubMed
Frambati, L., Pluchart, K., Weber, K., & Canuto, A. (2014). Quand les mains parlent: Le jeu de sable [When hands are speaking: Sandplay therapy]. Revue Médicale Suisse, 10, 385–388.Google Scholar
Gunther, K. C., Cohen, L. H., & Armelis, S. (1999). The role of neuroticism in daily stress and coping. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 77(5), 1087–1100. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.77.5.1087CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Griffith, J., Steptoe, A., & Cropley, M. (1999). An investigation of coping strategies associated with job stress in teachers. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 69, 517–531. https://doi.org/10.1348/000709999157879CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hajiamini, Z., Mohamadi, A., Ebadi, A., Fathi-Ashtiani, A., Tavousi, M., & Montazeri, A. (2012). The School Anxiety Scale-Teacher Report (SAS-TR): Translation and psychometric properties of the Iranian version. BMC Psychiatry, 12, article 82. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-12-82CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hargreaves, A. (2000). Mixed emotions: Teachers’ perceptions of their interactions with students. Teaching and Teacher Education, 16, 811–826. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0742-051X(00)00028-7CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hung, C-L. (2011). Coping strategies of primary school teachers in Taiwan experiencing stress because of teacher surplus. Social Behavior and Personality, 39, 1161–1173. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2011.39.9.1161CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jang, M., & Kim, Y.-H. (2012). The effect of group sandplay therapy on the social anxiety, loneliness and self-expression of migrant women in international marriages in South Korea. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 39, 38–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2011.11.008CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kourmousi, N., & Alexopoulos, E. C. (2016). Stress sources and manifestations in a nationwide sample of pre-primary, primary, and secondary educators in Greece. Frontiers in Public Health, 4, 73. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2016.00073CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lagutina, L., Sperlinger, D., & Esterhuyzen, A. (2013). Addressing psychological aspects of physical problems through sandplay: A grounded theory study of therapists’ views. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 86, 105–124. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8341.2011.02042.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping . New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company, LLC.Google Scholar
Liurong, G. (2004). Pressure on teachers of primary and secondary school and their somatic symptoms and emotions. Chinese Mental Health Journal, 18, 730–731.Google Scholar
Mark, G., & Smith, A. P. (2012). Occupational stress, job characteristics, coping, and the mental health of nurses. British Journal of Health Psychology, 17, 505–521. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8287.2011.02051.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nan, J. K. M., & Ho, R. T. H. (2017). Effects of clay art therapy on adults outpatients with major depressive disorder: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Affective Disorders, 217, 237–245. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.04.013CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pierce, C. M., & Molloy, G. N. (1992). A modified Regressive Coping Checklist: Some Australian data. Psychological Reports, 70, 1007–1009. https://doi.org/10.2466/PR0.70.3.1007-1009CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pithers, R. T., & Soden, R. (1999). Person-environment fit and teacher stress. Educational Research, 41, 51–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/0013188990410105CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raspopow, K., Matheson, K., Abizaid, A., &Anisman, H. (2013). Unsupportive social interactions influence emotional eating behaviors: The role of coping styles as mediators. Appetite, 62, 143–149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2012.11.031CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schulz, L. (2018). The Sandplay and the Written of Itself: revealing the eco-formative journey of a teacher. Alteridad—Revista de Educación, 13(1), 126–138. https://doi.org/10.17163/alt.v13n1.2018.10Google Scholar
Ullrich, A., Lambert, R. G., & McCarthy, C. J. (2012). Relationship of German elementary teachers’ occupational experience, stress, and coping resources to burnout symptoms. International Journal of Stress Management, 19, 333–342. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0030121CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ullsperger, M., Danielmeier, C., & Jocham, G. (2014). Neurophysiology of performance monitoring and adaptive behavior. Physiological Review, 94, 35–79. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00041.2012CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van Liew, C., Santoro, M. S., Edwards, L., Kang, J., & Cronan, T. A. (2016). Assessing the structure of the ways of Coping Questionnaire in fibromyalgia patients using common factor analytic approaches. Pain Research and Management, 2016, ID 7297826. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/7297826CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wang, D, Nan, J. K. M., & Zhang, R. S. (2017). Structured group sandplay to improve the resilience of college students: A pilot study. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 55, 186–194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2017.04.006CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Xie, Y. (1998). Reliability questionnaire and validity of the simplified coping style. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology, 6, 114–115.Google Scholar
Zhao, X., Li, J., Huang, Y., Jin, Q., Ma, H., Wang, Y. … & Zhu, G. (2013). Genetic variation of FYN contributes to the molecular mechanisms of coping styles in healthy Chinese-Han participants. Psychiatric Genetics, 23, 214–216. https://doi.org/10.1097/YPG.0b013e328364365dCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed