Social Support and Occupational Stress in Special Education

Abstract

This article presents the results of a study examining the presence or absence of peer and administrative support in terms of the frequency and strength of stress reported by three state-wide samples of special education teachers (Ns = 365, 371, and 371). One ANOVA was conducted for each stress variable to determine significant differences, if any, between administrative and peer support recipients versus nonrecipients. Stress variables included the strength and frequency of Personal/Professional Stressors, Professional Distress, Discipline and Motivation, Emotional Manifestations, Biobehavioral Manifestations, Physiological-Fatigue Manifestations, and Total Stress. A majority of the group comparisons indicated stronger and more frequent stress levels for nonrecipients of supervisory support than for recipients. Also, a smaller number of group comparisons indicated stronger and more frequent stress levels for nonrecipients than for the recipients of peer support. Findings were generally consistent across all three samples.