探討短期動態身心覺察課程對國小教師內感覺覺察、心理韌性與壓力知覺的介入成效

Abstract

新近的研究發現內感覺覺察（一種身體覺察能力）與情緒調節能力有關，也有研究者認為靜觀或正念等練習可能透過身體覺察的提升而改善練習者壓力與情緒調控能力。然而仍少有研究直接測量靜觀練習對內感覺覺察的影響，以及該能力提升與壓力及情緒調控改善的關係。因此本研究以國小教師為對象，探討以動作為基礎的靜觀練習--身心中軸覺察課程（Body-Mind Axial Awareness, BMAA）對內感覺與調節壓力能力（在此論文中關注在心理韌性與主觀壓力知覺）的提升成效，並探討兩者間的關係。BMAA乃根據華人禮樂傳統中雅樂身心動態原則所發展而成，強調身心合一。本研究根據前人設計，修改成適合國小教師的短期課程（六週共18小時）。此外，以睡眠品質、與情緒狀態作為壓力感改變的輔佐指標。 本研究採無控制組前後測設計。三十九名現任及退休國小教師（分別為三十二與五名）與相關教育人員（兩名）透過網路與紙本傳單招募參與此研究。前測結果顯示不管是客觀作業（偵測心跳作業）或主觀自陳量表（多向度內感覺量表）分數，個體內感覺覺察傾向或能力愈好，所知覺到的壓力愈小。心理韌性則僅與主觀自陳內感覺傾向中的「自我調節」這個向度有正相關。 課程成效以其中完成所有測驗與至少2/3的課程的現任國小教師進行分析（Ｎ=25, 女性23人，平均年齡46.48歲，平均任教年資18.32年）。如所預期，參與教師在後測時自陳的內感覺覺察傾向與心理韌性顯著提升，而壓力覺知顯著降低。壓力睡眠品質顯著改善與負面情緒降低也支持練習者的壓力程度下降。進步幅度的相關分析顯示內感覺覺察的進步幅度與主觀壓力覺知與心理韌性的下降幅度有關。除了心理韌性，其餘變項進步幅度與課後練習時數皆有顯著相關，進一步支持成效來自練習。 本研究為內感覺覺察與調節壓力能力的關係提供初步的證據，並提供了一般正念或靜坐課程以外另一種可行且有效的選擇來協助國小教師提升身心素質因應不斷增加的工作挑戰。

Interoceptive awareness (a type of body awareness) has been thought to play a crucial role in emotional regulation and to be enhanced through meditation or mindfulness-based interventions. However, few studies have directly investigated the relationship between interoceptive awareness and stress regulation such as mental resilience or perceived stress. In this thesis, I explore this issue by examining the effects of short-term movement-based contemplation training, named Body–Mind Axial Awareness (BMAA), on interoceptive awareness, resilience, and perceived stress. Two stress-related variables, sleep quality and mood states, were also measured before and after the intervention to indicate the influence of stress reduction on daily life. BMAA emphasizes body–mind unity and integration and was developed on the basis of the principle of Yayue dance, which can be traced back 3000 years to the heavenly worship ceremony in ancient China. In this study, 39 educators were recruited through the internetand flyers; they comprised 32 in-service and 5 retired elementary school teachers, a kindergarten teacher, and a parent educator (28 women; average age = 44.47 years). The educators participated in 18-hour BMAA over 6 weeks. A pretest and posttest were administered 1 week before and after the course. The results revealed that both the objective and subjective indices of interoceptive awareness, respectively measured using a heart detection task and the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness Scale (MAIA) in the pretest, were negatively associated with perceived stress. Resilience was only predicted by the “self-regulation” subscore in the MAIA. The interventive effects of BMAA were analyzed using the data of 25 in-service teachers (23 women; average age = 46.48 years; mean job tenure = 18.32 years) who had completed all the tests and attended at least two thirds of the course. As predicted, the BMAA intervention improved the teachers’ interoceptive awareness (as measured using the MAIA), resilience, and sleep quality and also reduced the teachers’ perceived stress and negative affect. The magnitudes of improvement for most of the variables could be predicted by the duration of home practice. Furthermore, the gain scorce of most of the index on interoceptive awareness could predict those of resilience and perceived stress. This study provides new evidence for the relationship between interoceptive awareness and emotional regulation. Furthermore, it demonstrates a feasible and effective short-term body–mind practice that can help elementary school teachers cope with challenges.