Investigation of coping strategy for occupational stress among workers in thirteen enterprises

Abstract

To investigate the influential factors for the coping strategy for occupational stress among workers in thirteen enterprises. An anonymous survey was conducted in 6711 workers in 13 enterprises selected by cluster sampling from November 2008 to June 2009. Coping strategy, occupational stressors, stress response, and social support were measured using occupational stress instruments, job content questionnaire, and effort-reward imbalance questionnaire. The data from 5338 workers were statistically analyzed; the overall response rate was 79.6%. The median coping strategy score was 26 (23-30) (P25∼P75). The coping strategy score of male workers (26.56±5.30) was significantly higher than that of female workers (26.07±5.37) (Z = 10.02, P < 0.01). Coping strategy score was the highest in managers (27.41±4.86) and the lowest in front-line workers (26.28±5.36), with a significant difference between the two groups (χ(2) = 5.38, P < 0.01). The coping strategy scores of workers with weekly job times of ≤40 h, 41-50 h, 51-59 h, and ≥ 60 h were 26.93±5.36, 26.72±5.11, 25.74±5.30, and 25.09±5.83, respectively (χ(2) = 22.12, P < 0.01). Correlation analysis revealed that coping strategy score was positively correlated with decision level (r = 0.183, P < 0.01), reward (r = 0.207, P < 0.01), positive emotion (r = 0.244, P < 0.01), superior support (r = 0.176, P < 0.01), coworker support (r = 0.176, P < 0.01), and job satisfaction (r = 0.171, P < 0.01), but negatively correlated with psychological demands (r = -0.157, P < 0.01), physical demands (r = -0.099, P < 0.01), negative emotion (r = -0.093, P < 0.01), and depressive symptoms scores (r = -0.208, P < 0.01). Compared with those with middle or low coping strategy scores, workers with high coping strategy scores reported higher decision level, reward, social support, job satisfaction, and positive emotion scores (P < 0.01) but lower depressive symptom and negative emotion scores (P < 0.01). Enterprise type, individual factors, health status, and work time, have effects on the coping strategy for occupational stress of occupational stress.