ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how educators who experience work-related stress feel about prayer as a means of coping with that stress. Existing literature shows that teachers experience significant levels of stress as a result of the ever-growing demands and pressures placed upon them. The severe stress that teachers often experience contributes to a loss of idealism and enthusiasm toward the profession. Other literature associates spiritual practices such as prayer with improved mental health and overall well-being. The study reported in this chapter explored the relationship between work-related stress and the practice of prayer in a sample of 916 Christian educators. Specifically, participants were asked to respond to questions about work-related stress, prayer, and job satisfaction to identify whether prayer helped participants cope with perceived stress and contributed to their job satisfaction. Participants in this study who indicated that they prayed frequently also reported greater satisfaction with their job and valued prayer as a necessary component of their overall well-being.
