Assessment Of Work-related Stress Research Articles

Assessment of work-related stress utilizing the Find My Stress mobile application among university students and adult workers amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

ObjectivesThis cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate work-related stress and the efficacy associated with the newly developed Find My Stress mobile application. The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly influenced the quality of life, transcending geographical boundaries and inducing stress that has detrimentally affected health and work efficiency. MethodsA total of 440 male and female participants, comprising university students and adult workers, were enrolled in the study. Participants completed an assessment in the application that consisted of three components: 1) perceived work stress, 2) environmental stress factors, and 3) application efficiency. ResultsUniversity students exhibited higher perceived stress levels compared to adult workers (p = 0.031). The predominant physical factors contributing to musculoskeletal disorders in university students were identified as movement and posture factors, particularly related to vibration and organization. Conversely, environmental factors took precedence in adult workers, followed by posture and movement. The reliability of the perceived work stress questionnaire was evaluated by Cronbach's alpha coefficient and yielded a value of 0.96. The Find My Stress application demonstrated high efficiency. ConclusionsElevated levels of work stress were observed in both university students and adult workers. Initial signs of musculoskeletal disorders in university students primarily manifested in the neck and upper back, arms, and hands, while adult workers predominantly reported complaints related to the arms and hands. The Find My Stress application emerges as a valuable tool for screening occupational stressors.

Assessment of work-related stress and burnout among clinical research occupations

Background: Burnout syndrome is included by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the International Classification of Diseases, and it has a direct impact on the health of workers and also on the performance of companies. In this work, we propose a comprehensive methodology for evaluating work stress and burnout in various occupations within a healthcare organization. Methods: The work stress questionnaire and the Maslach Burnout Inventory were administered to employees of 7 different occupations within a company. The effect of the stressors is established using Cohen's d test, as well as the relationship between the main stressors, burnout and occupation. Results: The results of the study indicated that medical service personnel had the highest levels of stress and burnout syndrome, but significant stress levels and burnout scores were also identified among finance, clinical operations, and marketing professionals. Conclusions: Stress and burnout can vary by department, team, or individual in a company. Based on the study, it was concluded that a single approach to assessing stress and burnout may not provide a complete understanding, in fact, a better alternative is to assess each occupation specifically.

Teacher stress among public primary and secondary schoolteachers in Datong, a city of Shanxi Province, China: association between teacher stress and standardized workload.

The policy of the standardized workload has been implemented among primary and secondary schoolteachers in Shanxi Province. The aim of this cross-sectional cohort study is to assess teacher stress among primary and secondary schoolteachers in Datong, a city of Shanxi Province and the association between teacher stress and the quantified workload. Three hundred and fifty schoolteachers in 10 public primary schools, 187 schoolteachers in 6 secondary schools and 268 non-teachers in 21 education institutes were recruited. A single-item rating assessment of work-related stress was completed by using the Exposure to Job Stress measure with modification. The quantified workload included class size, teaching hours, and subjects. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were carried out. In 805 participants, the pro- portion of primary and secondary schoolteachers with moderate stress was significantly greater. The results of Spearman's correlation and logistic regression analyses showed that the occupations of the primary and secondary schoolteachers had higher stress risk. Further, the stratified results showed that among the primary schoolteachers, the independent stress risk factor was larger class size; while among the secondary schoolteachers, the stress associated factor was more weekly teaching hours. After standardization of the workload, there remain higher levels of work stress among primary and secondary schoolteachers. Notwithstanding, the stress state in teachers is manageable and they may be faced with controllable stressors. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2023;36(2):161-76.

Unobtrusive Stress Assessment Using Smartphones

Stress assessment is a complex issue and numerous studies have examined factors that influence stress in working environments. Research studies have shown that monitoring individuals' behaviour parameters during daily life can also help assess stress levels. In this study, we examine assessment of work-related stress using features derived from sensors in smartphones. In particular, we use information from physical activity levels, location, social-interactions, social-activity, and application usage during working days. Our study included 30 employees chosen from two different private companies, monitored over a period of 8 weeks in real work environments. The findings suggest that information from phone sensors shows important correlation with employees perceived stress level. Second, we used machine learning methods to classify perceived stress levels based on the analysis of information provided by smartphones. We used decision trees obtaining 67.57 percent accuracy and 71.73 percent after applying a semi-supervised method. Our results show that stress levels can be monitored in unobtrusive manner, through analysis of smartphone data.

Work-related stress assessment in an emergency department in French Guiana.

In emergency departments (EDs), the staff continually face stressful situations requiring staff to adopt various coping strategies. The study aimed to assess work-related stress in ED during the COVID-19 outbreak. The study was a monocentric investigation based on a questionnaire survey that elicits general information and uses the Karasek model to analyse the data. A total of 117 forms were collected for analysis. The score for decision latitude (or autonomy and skills at work) was 70 (IQR: 64-74) and the score for psychological demand was 25 (IQR: 23-27). The score for social support by the management team was 11 (IQR: 9-12) and the score for social support by colleagues 12 (IQR: 10-12). Of the total number of respondents, job strain was assessed as affecting 24.8%. The study shows high levels of stress among the ED workforce. The findings indicate that it is imperative to develop simple management tools that are capable of measuring the internal causes of stress in order to develop an adapted wellness programme in ED.

Analysis of a New Work-Related Stress Assessment Tool

Background:Work-related stress is a relevant phenomenon in terms of health and safety at work, as occupational distress has a negative impact on individual and organisational well-being. It is a complex and multifactorial phenomenon, whose evaluation must be carried out through a specific and adequate methodology.Objective:This work aims to identify versatile tools that can quickly provide reliable measures of work distress. It analyzes the proposal elaborated by the “Comitato Unico di Garanzia per le Pari Opportunità, la Valorizzazione del Benessere di chi lavora e contro le Discriminazioni” of Rome,i.e. the tool “Valutazione è prevenzione, Sicurezza è partecipazione”.Methods:A study was carried out on a sample of 474 employees of the Neapolitan Judicial Offices, who were given a standardized questionnaire to investigate the stress, associated with the proposal of the Comitato Unico di Garanzia.Results:From the elaboration of the results, it emerges that the conditions of working wellbeing are linked to two main factors related to the perception of workers both of physical-environmental and organisational-relational aspects. In particular, it emerged that the new assessment tool, consisting of a small number of items, contributes to the detection of work stress, so it is necessary to deepen through future research the contribution that this tool can offer to the survey on work-related stress.Conclusion:Having highlighted two factors that significantly saturate the presence of a working discomfort, through an agile tool, allows us to plan a new research path, which can approach the complexity of the phenomenon through the methods of deep learning.

Assessment of Work-related Stress in Brunei Public and Private Sector Employees

The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of stress in work situations for 860 randomly selected Brunei public and private sector employees of both genders. A quantitative field survey was used to probe the problem. This strategy’s main difference and advantage compared to postal, telephone and online survey procedures was that it enabled an immediate collection of data onsite. Work-related stress was prevalent in Brunei public and private sector employees. Employees with low and middle level education were the most affected by work stress. In addition, workers who lived with parents and the chief income earners in the households were also distressed. Incorporation of an interview component would have helped in triangulation and interpretation of the survey findings. Prolonged and untreated work-related stress poses a high likelihood risk of lowering the quantity and quality of productivity in any work environment. Appropriate individual and group interventions (educational, counseling and psychotherapy) for vulnerable employees at risk of developing work-related stress problems were recommended. In addition, further research with interview probes was also desired to address the problem. To promote holistic employee mental health well-being, the labor force needs to operate in none-stressful work-places and live in stress-free contexts.

Prevalence of low back pain and associated factors among young workers in traditional weaving of the informal sectors, Central and Southern Ethiopia

ABSTRACTA cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the prevalence and the factors associated with low back pain (LBP) among 814 young workers ranging from 14 to 17 years of age engaged in the informal sector of traditional weaving in Central and Southern Ethiopia. Standard modified data collection tools such as Nordic, Quick Exposure Check, Thermal comfort assessment question and Health and Safety Executives Management Standard questions for work-related stress assessment were used. Data were entered in Epi-Info version 3.5 and exported to STATA version 12 for analysis and descriptive statistics; bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the associated factors. The prevalence of LBP among young workers was 48.9%, and 14.0% of it responded to severe LBP. Working seat without backrest (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.6; 95% CI 1.5‒4.3), working 7 days in a week (AOR = 2.5; 95% CI 1.2‒5.0), workplace thermal level as warm (AOR = 1.7; 95% CI 1.1‒2.6), work at night (AOR = 1.7; 95% CI 1.1‒2.5) and awareness on workplace safety as a protective effect (AOR = 0.4; 95% CI 0.2‒0.8) were statistically significant with LBP at p < 0.05. LBP was highly prevalent among young workers in the informal sector of traditional weaving. Thus, intervention should be focused on work condition improvement, strengthening labor inspection service and enforcement of legal standards.

Assessment of work-related stress by using salivary cortisol level examination among early morning shift workers.

Early morning shifts have a negative effect on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. The aim of this study was to comprehensively assess the extent of occupational stress in early shift workers of the car industry by using salivary cortisol as an objective marker during a workday and on a day off. For this cross-sectional epidemiological type of study, a survey included 55 suitable volunteers from the car industry. Five saliva samples were collected according to the following schedule: during one work day in the morning, during the morning shift from 6 a.m. - 2 p.m., then after the shift was completed, 3 hours after work and in the evening before going to sleep. Control samples were taken from the same participants on a day off. Radioimmunoanalysis was used as the main analytical method, and the effect of factors and between-factor interactions on the levels of salivary cortisol during the workday were assessed using an ANOVA model. The cortisol diurnal rhythm was as expected, with the highest values in the morning and declining to the lowest values in the evening hours. Concentrations of salivary cortisol showed higher values during the workday, especially higher concentrations of evening cortisol and attenuated cortisol slope. Based on the results, irregular shift work has a greater increase in cortisol excretion after waking in the morning and a slower progressive recovery of the organism during the workday. In addition, cortisol levels were significantly higher in older women than in older men but did not differ in younger subjects. Salivary cortisol levels are a suitable objective marker of stress and can be used as a good predictor of occupational stress by public health services for the purposes of primary prevention.

Stress at work: development of the Stress Perception Questionnaire of Rome (SPQR), an ad hoc questionnaire for multidimensional assessment of work related stress.

Stress is an emotional condition, mostly experienced as negative, initially identified and defined by Selye in the mid-thirties of the last Century. Since the first definition, stress concerns the adaptation pro- cess mostly related to environmental changes. An application of stress focuses on the evaluation of its interference on work conditions, and the scientific evidence on work related stress is very ample and rich. We are proposing a new ad hoc questionnaire for the multidimensional assessment of work related stress, called Stress Perception Question- naire of Rome (SPQR) composed of 50 items. The development of this questionnaire is based on a multi-step process: a) Identification of all the relevant topics to work related stress and areas in the scientific evidence and their transformation on specific contents of 60 tentative items; b) Exploratory factor analysis aimed to identify the best items (50) which could guarantee the maximum convergence on single scales (8), and the minimum redundancy between scales; c) Validation of the 8 scales' structure by a confirmatory factor analysis (fully achieved); d) Factor analysis for a second level factor resulting in a single factor identified as the questionnaire total score (Stress Score); d) Reliability analysis of the questionnaire total score and the single scale scores (at optimum level); e) Validation by external criteria of work related stress identified in the presence of personal violence episodes experienced by a group of health workers with different professional profiles and from two different hospitals in Rome. Our results show that the SPQR is a useful and sensitive tool for assessing the presence of emotional stress related problems identifiable in a work environment. The advantage of this questionnaire is that it allows for a multidimensional description of the different components of this problematic area besides its ability to quantify the overall stress level of those who have been administered the SPQR.

Work-related stress assessment among a garment factory employees in Bangalore suburban locality

Background: India's Garment Industry has been rapidly growing in last few years. The Garment Industry is of major importance to the Indian economy as it contributes substantially to India's export earnings. Thus employees working in the above sociological context of working life are expected to be affected by the general acceleration of the pace of life, contributing to work intensification and constant time pressure. Managers play a key role in reducing the significant sources of stress and shaping the future of employees. Thus the above study was undertaken among managers and supervisory level staff. The objectives of the study were to estimate the magnitude and level of work-related stress and to find the association of socio-demographic factors with work-related stress in garment manufacturing factory. Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken for 4 months, from October 2015 to January 2016, in a selected garment factory, located in the periphery of Bangalore city. A total of 167 supervisors and 41 managers, were included in the study. Stress was assessed by using ‘Tool to assess and classify work stress and associated symptoms’, developed by Centre for public health, NIMHANS. Results: Prevalence of work-related stress was 26% (95% CI; 18.04-26.36). Managers had higher prevalence of stress (29.3%) when compared to supervisors (25.1%). Majority of managers were perceived to have moderate stress level (58.4%) when compared to supervisors (26.10%). Among all the socio-demographic factors; age, total monthly income, travel time and mode of transport were significantly associated with work-related stress (p&lt;0.05). Conclusions: Organization changes viz., effort-reward imbalances, needs to be corrected and appropriate transport facilities meeting the employee requirements have to be provided, to cope up stress associated with travelling.

Work-related stress risk factors and health outcomes in public sector employees

IntroductionWork-related stress is one of the major concerns for occupational safety and health. Indeed, workplace stress may affect workers’ well-being and lead to health issues, and it has been estimated that about half of all work absence is due to work-related stress disorders. The objective of this study is to investigate associations between work-related stress risk factors and a set of health outcomes, in a sample of public sector employees. Material and methodsEmployees (N=779) filled in a self-report questionnaire on work-related stress, musculoskeletal pain and stressrelated disorders. Logistic regressions were conducted, with pain and disorders as outcome variables and the Health and Safety Executive Management Standards Indicator Tool (HSE-MS IT) scales as predictors. ResultsExcessive workload was associated with neck pain, shoulder pain and anxiety-depression symptoms. Employees exposed to risk on the role dimension reported higher neck pain and more gastrointestinal disorders. Hostile working relationships were associated with shoulder pain and gastrointestinal disorders, and lack of managers’ support turned out to be a risk factor for insomnia. ConclusionsWorkplace stress plays a role in the incidence of specific health outcomes. Through the use of validated work-related stress assessment instruments, such as the HSE-MS IT, management can identify the critical intervention targets in work design domains for improving workers’ health and well-being.

HSE management standards indicator tool and positive work-related outcomes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate if the Management Standards (MS) Indicator Tool developed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for the assessment of work-related stress is associated with positive work-related outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 326 employees of an Italian firm filled in a questionnaire including the HSE Indicator Tool (measuring MS) and validated scales investigating personal development, job performance and Organizational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB). Regression analyses were run to evaluate the explained variance of the outcomes and the demands/control interaction effect hypothesized by Karasek’s active learning hypothesis. Findings – The MS explained variance of all the outcomes analysed and the active learning hypothesis was confirmed for personal development. Contrary to previous studies on negative stress-related outcomes, “job content” MS were the most important predictors. However, higher job demands were unexpectedly positively associated with the outcomes. Practical implications – Taking into account positive work-related outcomes could provide organizations with additional information for the development of interventions with greater emphasis on preventive orientation (improvement of health, well-being and motivation, rather than only work stress reduction). Originality/value – The study provides new insight into the relationship between MS and positive work-related outcomes, thus expanding the nomological network of the Indicator Tool questionnaire and giving empirical evidence to the notion of the “business case” for work stress prevention. Firms performing well on MS could expect greater worker development and higher performance.

Work-related stress assessment in a population of Italian workers. The Stress Questionnaire

The present study shows detailed information about the reliability and validity of the psychosocial risk scale included in the Stress Questionnaire (SQ) developed by our research group. The primary purpose of this work is to test the factor structure of the psychosocial risk scale through a first-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using a large pooled dataset obtained from a population of 2026 employees of 15 Italian medium–large companies.Data were collected by a team of researchers who examined demographic variables, work-related stress, workplace bullying, mental health and other constructs. In addition to these substantive issues, the survey was designed to better understand response bias.After the evaluation of the results we conclude that the psychosocial risk scale reported a satisfactory reliability and validity. In addition, it allowed a careful measurement of work related stress, considering both leader's and follower's perspectives.

Work-related Stress Management by Finnish Enterprises

Work-related stress has become one of the major problems in working societies and it increases employees’ risk of disease. Its importance has been emphasized also due to its’ great socio-economic consequences. Different stress management and worksite interventions have been implemented, however, the actual practices in companies have been assessed little. The purpose of this study was to examine how enterprises in Finland manage work-related stress. An assessment of work-related stress methods was conducted in 40 enterprises acting in the metropolitan area of Finland in May 2010 by a questionnaire. The concept of work-related stress was well known by participants. Enterprises rarely had their own work-related stress management protocol even though all of the workplaces had experienced work-related stress at some point. The collaboration between the workplace and occupational health services varied. Companies easily placed the responsibility for work-related stress assessment and handling on occupational health services. Workplaces have to pay more attention to work-related stress and related issues. The easiest way to do this is to collaborate with occupational health services. Protocols for collaboration should be developed jointly using the available models which have been established as cost-effective.

Assessment of work related stress among female public service workers in Kaunas

Abstract

Work-Related Stress Risk Assessment in Italy: A Methodological Proposal Adapted to Regulatory Guidelines

BackgroundWork-related stress is one of the major causes of occupational ill health. In line with the regulatory framework on occupational health and safety (OSH), adequate models for assessing and managing risk need to be identified so as to minimize the impact of this stress not only on workers' health, but also on productivity.MethodsAfter close analysis of the Italian and European reference regulatory framework and work-related stress assessment and management models used in some European countries, we adopted the UK Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Management Standards (MS) approach, adapting it to the Italian context in order to provide a suitable methodological proposal for Italy.ResultsWe have developed a work-related stress risk assessment strategy, meeting regulatory requirements, now available on a specific web platform that includes software, tutorials, and other tools to assist companies in their assessments.ConclusionThis methodological proposal is new on the Italian work-related stress risk assessment scene. Besides providing an evaluation approach using scientifically validated instruments, it ensures the active participation of occupational health professionals in each company. The assessment tools provided enable companies not only to comply with the law, but also to contribute to a database for monitoring and assessment and give access to a reserved area for data analysis and comparisons.

Influence of lifestyle, coping, and job stress on blood pressure in men and women.

We designed this study to clarify the role of work stress on long-term blood pressure control and in particular to investigate whether perceived work stress directly affected resting blood pressure levels or whether there were indirect effects mediated by coping mechanisms and lifestyle. Men (n = 337) and women (n = 317) working in a government tax office completed questionnaires for assessment of work-related stress, coping strategies, and lifestyle. Seven resting blood pressure measurements were recorded serially on each of two occasions a week apart. Men had higher blood pressures (119.6/68.6 versus 110.9/65.6 mm Hg) than women; they used more "maladaptive" coping strategies, drank more alcohol, and ate less healthily but exercised more than women. There were no direct associations between measures of work stress and blood pressure. In univariate and regression analyses, both body mass index and lifestyle factors in the form of alcohol consumption, exercise, and diet were related to blood pressure in men and women. Various "adaptive" or "maladaptive" coping mechanisms were identified and independently related to both job stress and blood pressure levels. Women were more likely to use "healthier" or adaptive coping mechanisms than men. Thus, work stress per se had no direct effect on blood pressure, but the ways that individuals reported coping with stress were significantly related to blood pressure, with blood pressure elevation effects appearing to be mediated largely by dietary and drinking habits and physical inactivity. The results point to the need to target individual coping strategies and lifestyle as much as the working environment in workplace cardiovascular health promotion programs.