The teaching profession is widely regarded as being very stressful (Klassen, Usher &
Bong, 2010; Otero, Castro, Santiago & Villardefrancosl, 2010). South African teachers,
especially Black teachers working in previously disadvantaged areas, have to cope with serious
stressors such as overcrowded classrooms and limited resources on a daily basis (Ngidi &
Sibaya, 2002; Moloi, 2010). Occupational stress of this nature is known to have significant
negative implications for well-being, and chronic stress has been linked to mood and anxiety
disorders, and other forms of psychopathology (Bellingrath, Weigl & Kudielka, 2009; Brock &
Buckley, 2012; Mundai, 2010). However, psychological buffers could enable individuals to
sustain normal development and even experience well-being, despite the presence of long-term
stress (Friborg, Hjemdal, Rosenvinge & Martinussen, 2003; Ryff & Singer, 2003). Noted among
these so-called protective factors, the process of self-regulation has been found to be predictive
of positive outcomes with regard to physiological and psychological well-being (Hofer, Busch &
Kärtner, 2011; Peterson & Seligman, 2004). Self-regulation has, however, been found to
represent a resource susceptible to depletion with repeated use, and there have been contradictory
reports regarding the long-term sustainability of self-regulation capacity (Converse & DeShon,
2009; Ryan & Deci, 2008). No longitudinal studies could be found that explore the natural
progression of self-regulation in a highly stressful context, and how changes in self-regulation
are associated with changes in stress and well-being levels. This thesis consists of three sub-studies that are reported in three manuscripts. In the first
of these sub-studies the levels of occupational stress and mental well-being in a cohort of Black
South African teachers were investigated, including how these two variables are related to each
other. The second sub-study aimed firstly to investigate the association between self-regulation
and Black South African teachers’ self-reported levels of mental well-being. Secondly, it aimed
to determine the role of the sub-constructs of the self-regulation process in the teachers’ selfreported
levels of mental well-being. The aim of the third article was also two-fold. It first aimed
to determine the natural progression of self-regulation within a highly stressful work context
over a period of three years. It then aimed to determine how long-term changes in the selfregulation
of individuals finding themselves in high-stress working conditions are associated
with changes in their self-reported levels of stress and mental well-being. Black South African
teachers (N=200, 101 men, 99 women) of ages ranging from 25 to 65 years from the North-West
province of South Africa participated in the baseline phase of the SABPA project in 2008. Of the
original 200 participants, a total of 173 teachers (88 men, 85 women) took part in data collection
for the follow-up study in 2011. Data were collected by making use of quantitative measures
(Teacher Stress Inventory (Boyle, Borg, Falzon & Baglion, 1995); General Health
Questionnaire-28 (Goldberg & Hillier, 1979); Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (Keyes,
2006); Short Self-Regulation Questionnaire (Carey, Neal & Collins, 2004)) that have been
validated for use in the South African context.
The findings indicate that this group of teachers experienced high levels of stress, and
symptoms indicative of mental illness to an extent that warrants psychiatric intervention.
However, participants also reported higher than expected levels of mental health. The findings
further indicated that self-regulation contributed positively to the participants’ mental health levels. The longitudinal findings also indicated improvements in this group of teachers’ selfregulation
levels over time, and that these long-term changes in self-regulation were positively
associated with changes in participants’ mental health. Recommendations for future
investigations on the role of self-regulation in well-being that flowed from this research include
extending research to other cultural groups and general populations; use of multiple or mixedmethod
approaches to provide more insight into the participants’ short- and long-term experience
of their working environment, their levels of stress and well-being and their self-regulation
levels; investigating the psychological perspective on stress and exploring the concept of optimal
self-regulation and the maintenance thereof. The study provided a holistic insight into the
importance of self-regulation as protective factor in a highly stressed context, especially with
regards to the promotion of mental well-being on a short term and long term basis. / PhD (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NWUBOLOKA1/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/14796 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Boshoff, Nelmarie |
| Source Sets | North-West University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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