Stress and irrational beliefs are omnipresent phenomena that cannot be avoided in the teaching profession. A potential stressor – disruptive student behavior – can trigger varying
levels of stress depending on teacher's beliefs. More flexible (rational) beliefs tend to promote goal-directed behavior, while more rigid (irrational) beliefs hinder it. My study examining the relationship between stress and irrational beliefs included 243 primary and secondary school teachers. They provided sociodemographic data and completed the Teacher Stress Scale, the Teacher irrational beliefs scale (TIBS), and assessed their levels of distress and eustress. The results showed that the reported stress levels were lower compared to other studies, while the degree of irrational beliefs was comparable. Male teachers reported lower levels of overall stress and stress across factors than female teachers while secondary school teachers reported lower levels of stressthan primary school teachers.
Older participants hold less irrational beliefs than younger participants. No statistically significant differences were found among other groups. The main sources of stress reported by teachers were: workload, student motivation and the school system. Analyses revealed a positive correlation between irrational beliefs and both overall stress and distress, while no such correlation was found with eustress. The confirmation of the link between irrational beliefs and stress, along with the comparison of the significance of different stress factors, provides a solid foundation for developing intervention programs aimed at reducing teacher stress. The inclusion of the concept of eustress offers an additional insight into this
relationship and highlights the importance of reaching a consensus on distinguishing between distress and eustress.
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