Emotional Regulation and Colombian Primary Teachers' Coping Skills

Teachers' emotional regulation and coping skills influence students' welfare and psychological balance. This study identified the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics, emotional regulation, and coping skills of 112 primary teachers intentionally selected from four Colombian regions. The authors carried out empirical-analytical research and a descriptive, correlational, and transactional design. In addition, they used the sociodemographic file, the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI), and a modified coping skills scale. The descriptive and associative analysis evidence that the population has anger-state and anger-trait low levels, which avoid aggressive answers. Older and more experienced teachers show anger-state lower levels while more experienced teachers have a better external anger control. Those teachers who work in urban zones with more than 30 students evidence anger-trait low scores and female teachers show more internal anger control. Teachers who have a partner avoid the negation coping skill; teachers who work in an urban zone and have more experience and higher qualifications make use of conflict resolution. Besides, female teachers use religion and autonomy. The study concludes that the participants use positive coping skills although they suppress anger that is determined by the context and the learning background. The results point out that emotional regulation trainings and teachers' coping skills favor students' socio-emotional stability.