TTLV: Mental Health Self-Care Behaviors of Special Education Teachers in Hanoi

INFORMATION ABOUT THE MASTER'S THESIS

1. Student's full name: Dam Khanh Ninh 2. Gender: Male

3. Date of birth: November 3, 2001

4. Place of birth: Ninh Binh

5. Decision on student admission No. 5915/QD-XHNV dated October 28, 2024, by the Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

6. Changes in the training process: None

7. Thesis Title: Mental Health Self-Care Behaviors of Special Education Teachers in Hanoi

8. Major: Social Work; Code: 8760101

9. Scientific Advisor: Dr. Nguyen Thu Trang, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities – Vietnam National University, Hanoi

10. Summary of the thesis results:

Based on an overview of previous studies, this research identified self-care strategies for mental health, including strategies such as physical care, mental care, emotional care, relationship care, and seeking professional help.

The research results collected from questionnaire surveys and in-depth interviews show that:

Regarding the self-assessment of health status among special education teachers in the study sample, the subjects rated their health from poor to good. The majority of teachers rated their health as average. For mental health self-assessment, the average score was 7.01/10. The results of the in-depth interviews suggest that fatigue, exhaustion, and stress were notable characteristics in the study sample.

Regarding the self-care needs of special education teachers, most teachers have a moderate level of self-care needs. They tend to prioritize highly personalized forms of support. To promote self-care behaviors, teachers have indicated needs related to policy arrangements, changes in working hours, and attention from the head of the institution.

Regarding mental health self-care behaviors and predictors of these behaviors, special education teachers more frequently implemented psychological self-care strategies. Several predictors of mental health self-care behavior in the tested group were statistically significant, including: perception of the benefits of mental health self-care, perception of barriers to mental health self-care, religious affiliation, and poor health status.

11. Practical applications:

The research findings contribute to providing an overview of the self-assessed health status of special education teachers, their self-care practices, and predictive factors for this behavior. Based on this, education managers and interdisciplinary teams can design training programs for special education professionals that ensure both professional knowledge and self-care skills to meet job requirements appropriate to the Vietnamese context. Furthermore, owners of special education facilities and schools can review working arrangements for their teachers to improve the quality of intervention for children with special needs.

12. Future research directions:

Based on the limitations identified in the study, further research should focus on the self-care behaviors of middle-generation female special education teachers.

13. Published works related to the thesis: None

INFORMATION ON MASTER'S THESIS

1. Full name: Ninh Khanh Dam 2. Sex: Male

3. Date of birth: November 3, 2001 4. Place of birth: Ninh Binh

5. Admission decision number: No. 5915/ QD-XHNV, dated October 28, 2024, issued by the Rector of the VNU University of Social Sciences and Humanities

6. Changes in academic process: None

7. Official thesis title: Mental Health Self-Care Behaviors among Special Education Teachers in Hanoi

8. Major: Social Work Code: 8760101

9. Supervisors: Trang Thu Nguyen, PhD, VNU University of Social Sciences and Humanities

10. Summary of the findings of the thesis:

Based on a review of previous studies, this research identifies mental health self-care strategies, including physical self-care, psychological self-care, spiritual self-care, relationship care, and seeking professional support.

The findings collected from questionnaire surveys and in-depth interviews indicate that:

Regarding the self-rated health status of special education teachers in the research sample, health conditions ranged from poor to good, with the majority of teachers rating their health as average. In terms of self-rated mental health, the mean score was 7.01/10. Findings from the in-depth interviews suggest that fatigue, burnout, and stress were notable characteristics within the research sample.

Regarding the need for mental health self-care among special education teachers, most teachers reported a moderate level of need for self-care. They concentrated to prioritize highly individualized forms of support. To promote self-care behaviors, teachers identified needs related to institutional policies, adjustments to working hours, and greater attention and support from organizational leaders.

With respect to mental health self-care behaviors and their predictive factors, special education teachers more frequently engaged in psychological self-care strategies. Several predictors of mental health self-care behaviors among the participants were found to be significant, including perceived benefits of mental health self-care, perceived barriers to mental health self-care, religious affiliation, and health status.

11. Practical applicability, if any:

The findings contribute to providing empirical evidence on the self-rated health status of special education teachers, their current mental health self-care practices, and the factors predicting such behaviors. On this basis, educational administrators and interdisciplinary teams may use the findings to design training programs for special education personnel that not only strengthen professional competencies but also equip teachers with self-care skills appropriate to the Vietnamese context. In addition, school administrators and specialized educational institutions may use these findings to review working conditions for teachers in order to enhance the quality of interventions for children with special needs.

12. Further research directions, if any:

Based on the limitations identified in this study, future research should focus on the self-care behaviors of female special education teachers belonging to the “sandwich generation.”

13. Thesis-related publications: None