Spiritual intelligence as a strategy for dealing constructively with teaching work stress

Abstract

Teachers activity is frequently threatened by the precarious conditions in which this practice is carried out. Teachers are exposed to different psychosocial risks that affect their performance and well-being. The present pre-test post-test study with a control group aims to examine the incidence of a intervention program based on the development of spiritual intelligence (SI) about the levels of stress reported by a group of 115 teachers from official educational institutions in Sincelejo (Sucre, Colombia). Within this intervention program, SI is understood as the ability to build a healthy (or adaptive) system of spiritual values or beliefs and adopt it as a lifestyle. SI encompasses three fundamental dimensions: Cognitive (spiritual knowledge), affective (spiritual experience) and behavioral (contingency). Descriptive and inferential analysis were performed (intragroup and intergroup) and the variations of each institution were compared with their relationship to the teachers perception of the levels of stress before and after the intervention (measurements carried out on 2018 - 2019). The results show that teachers' perception of the levels of stress changed significantly from a high to a low risk factor.