The Workplace Stress and its Related Factors among Indonesian Academic Staff

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Work stress has severe implications for employee health and the economy. It not only increases anxiety and depression but it also leads to an estimated 50% increase in the risk of heart disease, significant economic consequences, partly through the costs to employers of sickness, absence, and the costs to wider society of treating the health illness. It is essential for the nurse to identify the risk factors related to work stress and to make possible ways of reducing it. AIM: This study aims to determine the factors associated with work stress in academic staff. The samples were 76 academic staffs at Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta. METHODS: The samples were taken by simple random sampling technique. The instrument used was a work stress questionnaire from National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health that had been modified and a stress factor questionnaire. The analysis statistic was used Spearman rank. RESULTS: This study showed that most respondents had a moderate work stress level (72.4%). The factors affecting work stress were the length of work (p = 0.002), the role of individuals in the organization (p = 0.026), career development (p = 0.027), and relations in the organization (p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: There was no relationship between working hours with the work stress level (p = 0.148). It needs more reliable monitoring of stress levels and improvements in work organization to reduce stress risks as far as possible, by improvements in job design, forms of support, and higher levels of employee involvement.