AEA RCT Registry

Trial Information

General Information

Title

Stress management among University Lecturers: Effects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Yoga

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0005532

Initial registration date

March 04, 2020

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published

March 06, 2020, 3:06 PM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Country

South Africa

Region

Aukland Park

Primary Investigator

Name

Charity Onyishi

Affiliation

University of Johannesburg

Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status

Completed

Start date

2019-01-28

End date

2019-12-18

Keywords

Education, Welfare

Additional Keywords

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Yoga, job-stress, University teachers, health, and well-being.

JEL code(s)

Secondary IDs

Abstract

Job-related stress is associated with employees’ physical and mental health conditions that threaten organizational outcomes. This study investigated the effectiveness of Yoga-based cognitive behavioral therapy reducing occupational stress among University teachers in Anambra and Enugu states, Nigeria. Participants included 93 academic staff members from two Federal Universities in two States in Nigeria. Participants were randomly assigned to Y-CBT (N=46) and waitlist control (N=47) groups. The Y-CBT group participated in a 2 hours Y-CBT program weekly for a period of 12 weeks. Two instruments- Single Item Stress Questionnaire (SISQ) and Teachers’ Stress Inventory (TSI) were used to collect data. Data were collected at baseline; post-test and follow-up evaluations. Means, standard deviations, t-test statistics, repeated measures ANOVA and bar charts were used to analyze data for the study. Results revealed that the perception of stressors and stress symptoms reduced significantly at post-test and follow up assessments among the Y-CBT group, compared to the waitlisted group. It was concluded that Y-CBT modalities could help to minimize the perception of stressors and stress manifestation among university teachers.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Onyishi, Charity. 2020. "Stress management among University Lecturers: Effects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Yoga." AEA RCT Registry. March 06. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.5532-1.0

Sponsors & Partners

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

A Yoga-Cognitive behavioural therapy program manual was developed by two of the researchers in collaboration with two experts (one in CBT and the other in Yoga). In developing the manual, CBT strategies were blended with after-session Yoga exercises. The CBT sessions were based on using the “ABCDE” model (Antecedent/Activating event, Beliefs, Consequences, Disputing, and Effective new philosophy) to identify, assess, revalidate and change unhelpful absolutistic and irrational beliefs associated with work experiences. The major aims of Y-CBT were to 1) use ABCDE group therapeutic model (CBT) in “disputing” – challenging and questioning lecturers’ work-related irrational and dysfunctional beliefs and to replace them with rather helpful and functional beliefs(DiGiuseppe, Doyle, Dryden, & Backx, 2014; Ogbuanya, Eseadi, Orji, Ede, Ohanu, & Bakare, 2017) 2); use yoga to reduce the physiological symptoms of stress and helping the participants out of the vicious circle of negative thoughts through Yoga “Victory Meditation,” affirmations and physical exercises (Khalsa, et al., 2015). This framework helped provide a targeted mind/body approach to stress perceptions, reactions, and symptoms.

Intervention Start Date

2019-03-19

Intervention End Date

2019-07-09

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

Results revealed that the perception of stressors and stress symptoms reduced significantly at post-test and follow up assessments among the Y-CBT group, compared to the waitlisted group.

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Results revealed that the perception of stressors and stress symptoms reduced significantly at post-test and follow up assessments among the Y-CBT group, compared to the waitlisted group.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

The current study adopted a group-randomized waitlist control trial design with pretest, post-test and follow-up assessments. The ABCDE was formed the basis of explaining the relationships links between activating (A) events associated with lecturing job and promotion, dysfunctional thoughts, beliefs or cognitions arising from those events (B); the emotional and behavioral consequences of the beliefs (C) (DiGiuseppe, Doyle, Dryden, & Backx, 2014). Activating event (A) in lecturing in the university could include handling students’ behavioral problems, extra work-load, publication challenges, personal experiences; the belief (B) is the interpretation and cognitive imagery formed due to “A”. Such cognition about the event (B) elicits a consequence/effect (C) for the teacher, which may be adaptive or maladaptive.

Experimental Design Details

The current study adopted a group-randomized waitlist control trial design with pretest, post-test and follow-up assessments. The ABCDE was formed the basis of explaining the relationships links between activating (A) events associated with lecturing job and promotion, dysfunctional thoughts, beliefs or cognitions arising from those events (B); the emotional and behavioral consequences of the beliefs (C) (DiGiuseppe, Doyle, Dryden, & Backx, 2014). Activating event (A) in lecturing in the university could include handling students’ behavioral problems, extra work-load, publication challenges, personal experiences; the belief (B) is the interpretation and cognitive imagery formed due to “A”. Such cognition about the event (B) elicits a consequence/effect (C) for the teacher, which may be adaptive or maladaptive.

Randomization Method

The 93 potential participants who met all the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to Y-CBT group (46 participants) and wait-list control group (47 participants) (see Figure 2) using a sequence allocation software (participants were asked to pick 1 envelope containing pressure-sensitive paper labeled with either Y-CBT or WLG-Waitlist Group) from a container. Information about randomization was concealed from the participants until the intervention was assigned.

Randomization Unit

The 93 potential participants who met all the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to Y-CBT group (46 participants) and wait-list control group (47 participants) (see Figure 2) using a sequence allocation software (participants were asked to pick 1 envelope containing pressure-sensitive paper labeled with either Y-CBT or WLG-Waitlist Group) from a container. Information about randomization was concealed from the participants until the intervention was assigned.

Was the treatment clustered?

No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

93 university teachers

Sample size: planned number of observations

93 university teachers

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

46 university teachers, 47 control group

Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name

Faculty of Education ethical committee

IRB Approval Date

2019-01-13

IRB Approval Number

FUNAI/REC/ED/18/00012

Analysis Plan

Stress management among University Lecturers: Effects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Yoga

Pre-Trial

General Information

Locations

Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Registration Citation

Interventions

Primary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes

Experimental Design

Experiment Characteristics

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

Post-Trial

Study Withdrawal

Intervention

Data Publication

Program Files

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials