Management of job stress among higher education academics: a randomised controlled trial evaluation of rational emotive behaviour therapy

Abstract

Researchers’ observations as academics in higher institutions have shown that the university environment in the Nigerian context has a lot of stressors and such have the potential of impeding the work effectiveness of university staff. In the ideal situation, academics’ target is to discharge their duties diligently, devoid of any limiting factor. However, when the environment is not conducive to achieving such a target, the expected result will be hampered. Studies on the management of stressful conditions abound, but few studies have specifically focused on these academic disciplines in Nigeria. In other words, there is a dearth of research with respect to the effectiveness of REBT on stress management among academics in higher education. Thus, this research explored the effect of rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) on stress management among higher education lecturers using a randomized controlled trial group experimental design. A randomised controlled trial evaluation lasted for 12 weeks, and data were analysed using Quade's analysis of covariance test. The study involved 183 eligible volunteers from federal universities in Southeast Nigeria who were conveniently recruited and then randomly allocated to the intervention and non-intervention groups. Out of the 183 participants, 92 were assigned to the REBT group, while 91 were assigned to the non-intervention group. Their perceptions of stress were measured using an adopted perceived stress scale (α = .87). Academics in the fields of Agriculture, Science, and Vocational Education who participated in an 8-week REBT intervention showed significantly lower mean stress scores than those in the non-intervention group, F (1, 181) = 254.215, p < .001, $$\mathop \eta \nolimits_{p}^{2}$$ = .584. It is interesting to note that following a 3-month follow-up, the REBT group members were still able to maintain their reduced levels of work-related stress, F (1, 181) = 258.815, p < .001, $$\mathop \eta \nolimits_{p}^{2}$$ = .588. Therefore, this finding is indicative of the effectiveness of REBT on the management of work stress among academics in the fields of agriculture, science, and vocational education. For university academics, REBT may be a useful tool for managing work-related stress. Therefore, it is advised that the management of the university in southeast Nigeria make the necessary preparations to guarantee that the REBT intervention is applied to the university's faculty. University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR). Trial Number: UMIN000061069. Date of registration: 12/01/2026 (Retrospectively registered).