Analysis of Stress Management Strategies among Principals of Secondary Schools in Oyo State, Nigeria

Secondary school principals are increasingly experiencing work-related stress; a trend which is having negative effects on their health status and successful execution of their duties and responsibilities as well as the overall performance of the secondary school system in Nigeria. This, therefore, raises the concern among stakeholders for the need to assist the principals to manage stress-related issues affecting them; consequently
this also raises the need to have a better insight into the existing strategies adopted by these school principals in managing their stress. Previous studies on managing work related stress in Nigerian schools have focused more on the general stress management
techniques with little emphasis on the three principal strategies highlighted in stress
management extant literature namely, the primary, secondary and tertiary strategies of
stress management. This study, therefore, explores the various stress management
strategies among public secondary school principals in Ibadan metropolis, Oyo State,
Nigeria.
The study adopts the descriptive survey research design. Ninety-one public secondary school principals from two purposively selected zones of All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) in Ibadan metropolis were totally enumerated and used as participants. Stress Management Strategy Scale (r=0.74) was the main instrument used for data collection. Data were subjected to descriptive statistics.
The secondary school principals mostly adopted the self-management and selfcare strategies, the secondary stress management technique in extant literature, which
seem to be common in stress management in managing their work-related stress,
neglecting both the primary and tertiary strategies. Therefore, government should provide a conducive and friendly work environment that can better promote the effective
use of the various self-management techniques among all secondary school principals in
reducing stressful work situations associated with school leadership.