Determinants of Teachers’ Choice of CopingStrategies to Witchcraft Belief in Rural PublicPrimary Schools in Nzega Districts, Tanzania

Abstract

This study examined the determinants infl uencing public primary school teachers’ choice of copingstrategies in response to witchcraft beliefs in rural Tanzania, with empirical evidence from NzegaDistrict. A cross-sectional research design was employed, drawing on survey data collected from 330public primary school teachers selected through random sampling across fi ve rural wards. A MultivariateProbit (MVP) model was applied to analyse the simultaneous adoption of multiple coping strategies. Thefi ndings reveal that teachers’ demographic and contextual characteristics signifi cantly infl uencedstrategy selection. Specifi cally, spiritual and religious coping was shaped by household size, maritalstatus, distance to school, residence with villagers, and teaching experience; traditional ritualistic copingby age of household head, residence with villagers, and teaching experience; symbolic marking by sex ofhousehold head, witnessing witchcraft incidences, and residence with villagers; animal-based protectionby years living in the community and residence with villagers; and seeking social support by householdsize, years living in the community, and religious affi liation. The results highlight that witchcraft beliefscontinue to exert a meaningful infl uence on teachers’ well-being and decision-making in rural contexts.The study underscores the need for targeted psychosocial support, culturally sensitive communityengagement, and strengthened institutional strategies to promote constructive coping and enhanceteachers’ resilience. By applying a multivariate analytical approach within a culturally embedded ruralsetting, this study extends empirical and theoretical understanding of occupational stress and coping ineducation, offering context-specifi c insights relevant to policy and practice in the context of developingcountries.