EFFECT OF RATIONAL-EMOTIVE DISTRESS MANAGEMENT PROGAM ON OCCUPATIONAL-INDUCED EMOTIONAL DISTRESS AMONG TEACHERS OF SPECIAL NEED CHILDREN IN NIGERIA

<em>Globally, workers are vulnerable to occupational-induced emotional distress in workplaces. This study investigated the effect of rational-emotive distress management program (REDMP) on occupational-induced emotional distress (OIED) among teachers of special need children (TSNC) in Nigeria. An experimental research design was adopted. A purposive sampling was used in recruiting 236 TSNC from special need nursery and primary schools between July and October, 2019. The assignment of participants was done on both experimental (n=118) and control (n=118) groups accordingly. The TSNC in experimental group received REDMP manual while both groups responded to the profile of emotional distress–PED (internal consistency=0.94). All results were computed using IBM SPSS version 22. Statistical significance was set at p≥0.05. The findings showed that TSNC in experimental group scored lower in the posttest (18.99±0.071) and follow-up (17.05±0.042) measures when compared to pre-treatment scores (27.85±0.090) indicating reduced emotional distress. No significant difference existed between TSNC in the experimental (27.85±0.090) and control groups (26.11±1.018) on PEM pretest (p-0.944&gt;0.05); and experimental (17.05±0.042) and control groups (26.33±0.008) on PEM follow-up, (p-0.110&gt;0.05) while difference existed between TSNC in experimental (18.99±0.071) and control groups (25.37±0.182) on PED posttest scores (p-0.008&lt;0.05). Within variables, no significant difference was found on gender (p-0.610), age (p-0.914) and location (p-0.102) while differences existed on years of service delivery (p-0.041) and marital status (p-0.038). The REDMP has significant effect on OIED of TSNC. The adoption of reliable programs (such as REDMP) by professionals in managing emotional and psychological health problems is crucial in occupational environment.</em>