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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
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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 

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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

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