The Relationship between Irrational Belief and Mental Health in Junior High-school Teachers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop an "Irrational Belief" scale for junior high-school teachers, to determine its structure, and to establish the clinical applicability of such a scale. Factor analysis of responses gathered from 300 junior high-school teachers who participated in the study established the following 5 categories. (1) Sense of incompetence, (2) Fear of failure, (3) Unconditional obedience, (3) Negative ideas about others, and (4) Ideal expectations. Factors 1, 2 and 3 showed gender differences in scaled total scores, indicating the need for gender specific analysis. The results indicated that irrational beliefs were correlated with anxiety-insomnia and depression. Furthermore, there were relative correlation between (1) sense of incompetence and negative ideas about others, (2) depression and sense of failure and (3) fear of failure and anxiety-insomnia. It is expected that the findings of this study will lead to a better understanding of teachers' irrational beliefs, resulting in better mental and physical health of teachers.