The research was conducted by Ikke Herliya Ayu Pitaloka, IGAA Noviekayati, and Anrilia E.M. Ningdyah from Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 Surabaya and published in the 2026 edition of the Formosa Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (FJMR). The study examined how Big Five personality traits relate to psychological well-being among teachers supporting children with special needs, while also analyzing whether emotion-focused coping acts as a mediating factor.
The findings are increasingly relevant as inclusive education programs continue expanding across Indonesia. More schools are opening access for children with disabilities and special educational needs, creating growing demand for teachers who can provide specialized assistance inside inclusive classrooms.
At the same time, teachers supporting children with special needs often work under intense emotional and professional pressure. They must manage students with varying behavioral and developmental conditions, maintain classroom stability, and respond to parents’ expectations while dealing with limited institutional support and facilities.
According to the researchers, these challenges place teachers at higher risk of chronic stress, emotional exhaustion, and burnout, all of which can reduce psychological well-being and negatively affect the quality of education delivered to students.
The study involved 103 teachers working in inclusive schools. Researchers collected data using three main instruments: a psychological well-being scale based on Carol Ryff’s theory of well-being, the Big Five Inventory (BFI), and the BRIEF-COPE scale to measure emotion-focused coping strategies. The data were analyzed using path analysis to identify both direct and indirect relationships between personality traits, coping mechanisms, and psychological well-being.
The results revealed that two personality dimensions—agreeableness and conscientiousness—had the strongest positive relationship with psychological well-being.
Teachers with high levels of agreeableness were more likely to demonstrate empathy, cooperation, and positive interpersonal relationships. These traits helped them build stronger emotional connections with students, colleagues, and parents while managing stressful classroom situations more effectively.
Meanwhile, teachers with strong conscientiousness tended to be more disciplined, organized, responsible, and emotionally resilient. These characteristics helped them adapt better to demanding work environments and maintain a stronger sense of life purpose and professional satisfaction.
The researchers found that these two personality traits significantly contributed to higher psychological well-being among teachers supporting children with special needs.
In contrast, other personality dimensions such as extraversion, neuroticism, and openness to experience did not show a direct significant influence on psychological well-being.
The findings suggest that being socially active or highly open to new experiences alone is not enough to protect teachers from emotional fatigue in inclusive education settings. Instead, emotional stability, empathy, discipline, and resilience appear to play a more central role in sustaining mental well-being.
The study also explored whether emotion-focused coping could mediate the relationship between personality and psychological well-being.
Emotion-focused coping refers to strategies used to regulate emotional reactions to stress, including calming oneself, emotional acceptance, distraction, or emotional release. However, the study found that emotion-focused coping did not significantly mediate the relationship between personality traits and psychological well-being.
Although some personality dimensions influenced how frequently teachers used emotion-focused coping strategies, those strategies alone did not significantly improve overall psychological well-being.
The researchers reported that teachers with high neuroticism and openness to experience were more likely to rely on emotion-focused coping. Teachers with higher neuroticism levels, for example, were more prone to anxiety and emotional stress, leading them to use emotional coping mechanisms more frequently.
Even so, the study suggests that emotional coping alone is insufficient to address the complex pressures faced by teachers in inclusive education. More adaptive approaches, including problem-focused coping, emotional regulation training, and stronger institutional support systems, may be more effective for improving long-term well-being.
The findings also carry important implications for educational institutions and policymakers.
Schools implementing inclusive education programs may benefit from paying closer attention to personality characteristics during teacher recruitment, professional development, and mental health support initiatives. Teachers who possess empathy, responsibility, emotional resilience, and strong self-regulation skills may be better equipped to thrive in inclusive learning environments.
The researchers recommend that schools provide regular stress management programs, emotional regulation workshops, and organizational skill training to help teachers manage demanding workloads more effectively.
In an ethical paraphrase of the study’s conclusions, Ikke Herliya Ayu Pitaloka and colleagues from Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 Surabaya emphasized that strengthening positive personality characteristics and adaptive coping skills is essential for improving the mental well-being of teachers supporting children with special needs.
The study also reinforces a broader message about inclusive education: successful inclusion is not determined solely by curriculum design or school infrastructure, but also by the mental health and emotional resilience of the teachers working directly with students every day.
As inclusive education continues expanding in Indonesia and globally, teacher well-being is increasingly becoming a critical factor in ensuring sustainable, high-quality educational support for children with special needs.
Author Profile
Ikke Herliya Ayu Pitaloka is a researcher from Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 Surabaya specializing in educational psychology and psychological well-being. This research was conducted in collaboration with IGAA Noviekayati and Anrilia E.M. Ningdyah, academics from the same university whose expertise includes psychology, inclusive education, emotional resilience, and mental health development.
Source
Pitaloka, Ikke Herliya Ayu., Noviekayati, IGAA., & Ningdyah, Anrilia E.M. (2026). “The Relationship between the Big Five Personality Traits and Psychological Well-Being among Teachers Supporting Children with Special Needs, with Emotion-Focused Coping as a Mediator.” Formosa Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (FJMR), Vol. 5 No. 5, 1483–1502.
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