Browsing by Author "Salavirta, Essi"

Objectives. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between attention to mood, mood clarity, mood repair and class teachers' job strain. There is a lot of evidence of the harmful effects of work stress on health and well-being. Previous research has specifically noted the psychological strain teachers experience in their working life and has called for more efforts to manage teachers' work well-being. Also, teaching has been described as highly emotional work, but there is very little research done on the associations of mood and emotion and school teachers' job strain. This study aims to examine whether attention to mood, mood clarity, and mood repair are associated with class teachers' job strain. Methods. The data were from a pilot study, which was collected from primary school class teachers in the metropolitan area of Finland during the spring 2013. The participants (n=55) were 44 years old on average and 89 percent of them were women. Job strain was measured using Karasek's Demand/Control model. Job demands and job control were measured with Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) and job strain was calculated by subtracting decision authority from demands. Attention to mood, mood clarity, and mood repair were measured using a self-report questionnaire Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS). Two separate linear regression models were used. In the first model age and number of years of education were controlled and in the second one, also the other mood traits were controlled. Results and conclusions. The results showed that mood clarity and mood repair predicted lower job stain among class teachers. In addition, mood clarity and mood repair predicted higher job control. The results of this study suggest that mood clarity and mood repair are associated with class teachers' job strain especially through job control. Mood clarity and mood repair can be viewed as a resource that can be enhanced and learned in order to decrease job strain. It may be that mood clarity and mood repair decrease negative feelings, increase self-reflection, and increase adaptive actions and predictability of situations. Further, these positive changes may increase feelings of control and reduce job strain.