Paper
Friday, July 23, 2004
Anger, Stress, Coping, and Blood Pressure in Elementary School Teachers
Carol Howell, PhD, School of Nursing, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA, Marti Rice, RN, PhD, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL, USA, Marion E. Broome, RN, PhD, FAAN, School of Nursing, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA, Duck-Hee Kang, RN, PhD, School of Nursing, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA, and Loucretia Collins, EdD, School of Education, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL, USA.
| Learning Objective #1: Describe levels of blood pressure, stress and coping, anger, and anger expression in elementary school teachers |
| Learning Objective #2: Identify how blood pressure, stress/coping, and anger in elementary school teachers differ at home and at school |
Objective: Few studies have examined anger, anger expression, or coping strategies in teachers. The aim was to document levels of anger, stress, coping, and methods of anger expression, blood pressure and cortisol in teachers, both in the home and in the school environment. Design: Descriptive cross sectional Sample, Setting, Years: Eighty-six elementary teachers from eight schools in the southeastern United States were enrolled in the study in December, 2002. Variables: anger, stress, cortisol levels, coping, blood pressure, anger expression. Methods: Teachers completed the Stress Inventory for Teachers, The Hassles Scale, The Uplifts scale, the CRIS, STAXI-2, Ways of Coping, and provided saliva for cortisol, and had blood pressure measured. Findings: Six teachers had systolic blood pressures (SBP) of 140 or greater and 44 were prehypertensive (SBP 120-139). Eight had diastolic blood pressure readings (DBP) of 90 or greater, and 12 (14.4%) had prehypertensive DBP of 80-89. Higher than norms home use of anger expression-out, anger expression-in, anger expression index and lower than norms for home use of anger control-out, anger control-in were noted. In the school environment, teachers had higher use of anger-control-in, anger control-out and lower use of anger expression-out, anger expression-in, and anger expression index. Teachers identified more hassles than norms but also more uplifts. On eight scales of the Ways of Coping teachers scored higher than norms for both the home and school environment. For thirteen scales of the CRIS, teachers perceived lower available resources than norms. Conclusions: A majority of teachers were either prehypertensive or hypertensive, Teachers identified more hassles and uplifts, had differential use of methods of anger expression between home and school, used more coping strategies, and perceived fewer resources for coping. Implications: Need for blood pressure screenings and consideration of stress and anger in teachers both at home and in school environment.
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