Session Information
16 SES 02 JS, The Role of ICT in the Context of School Improvement and Professional Development in an Era of Risk
Joint Symposium NW 01 and NW 16
Contribution
Background: Although limited, available evidence show that school principals are often affected by physical and mental health complaints that exceed those of other occupational groups (Philipps et al., 2008). With a view to positive health indicators, psychological wellbeing can be fundamentally described as a multidimensional concept that consists of a cognitive component (e.g. satisfaction with one's own life) and an affective component (e.g. experienced positive as well as negative moods and emotions). Study findings indicate low levels of wellbeing for 36% of the German school principals (n=4.326; Dadaczynski & Paulus, 2016). However, given the worrisome study findings no mental health interventions are available that focus specifically on this occupational group Methods: This presentation introduces an adaptation of the of the Wellbeing Game, a digital intervention originally developed by the Mental Health Foundation New Zealand. Based on the concept “Five ways” (Aked et al., 2008), users are supported to document their daily activities in an online diary and assign them to one of five dimensions that demonstrated to positively affect wellbeing and mental health outcomes. Its effectiveness will be investigated in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with German school principals in autumn 2019. The study will be realized as a two-factor design, with a group factor (intervention group [IG] versus control/waiting group [CG]) and a three-way repeated measures factor (t1=pre-intervention, t2=post-intervention, t3=follow up). Expected results: It is hypothesized that the adapted application entitled ONYA increases the level of wellbeing and decreases the prevalence of negative mental health outcomes such as depression (Horstmann et al., 2018). Based on a Meta-Analysis of randomized controlled trials to promote psychological wellbeing we expect a moderate effect size (Cohen´s d=0.4, see Weiss, Westerhof & Bohlmeijer, 2016). As elementary school teachers are more likely to be affected by health problems, it is likely that this group will benefit more from the intervention. Conclusion: Although ONYA is a generic well-being intervention, school principals could benefit from this digital application. Hence, the targeted intervention trial can be seen as a first contribution to evidence-based promotion of mental health of school principals. However, it needs to be emphasized that the intervention focus is on individual behavior and its change. Stressful working conditions which also contribute to low wellbeing and health complaints should also be considered in a holistic concept of health promotion.
References
Aked, J., Marks, N., Cordon, C. & Thompson, S. (2008). Five ways to well-being. A report presented to the Foresight Project on communicating the evidence base for improving people’s well-being. London: New Economics Foundation. Dadaczynski, K. & Paulus, P. (2016). Wohlbefinden von Schulleitungen in Deutschland: Ausprägungen und Zusammenhänge mit Arbeit und Gesundheit. Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung, 11, 171-176. Horstmann, D., Tolks, D., Dadaczynski, K. & Paulus, P. (2018). Förderung des Wohlbefindens durch „Gamification“. Ein Projekt zur Anpassung und Evaluation des „Wellbeing Games“ für den deutschsprachigen Kontext. Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung, 13, 305-3111. Phillips, S. J., Sen, D., & McNamee, R. (2008). Risk factors for work-related stress and health in head teachers. Occupational Medicine, 58, 584–586. Weiss, L.A., Westerhof, G.J. & Bohlmeijer, E.T. (2016). Can We Increase Psychological Well-Being? The Effects of Interventions on Psychological Well-Being: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. PLoS ONE 11(6): e0158092.
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