Perceived Job Stress Research Articles

Social support in the workplace: Tests of six theoretical models

Six theoretical models of social support in relation to perceived job stress, burnout, and health were tested both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Participants at Time 1 were state correctional officers (N = 262) who completed questionnaires in which multiple indicators of each construct were assessed. Time 2 participants (N = 177) were those officers from the Time 1 sample who completed the questionnaire again three months later. Structural equation analyses revealed that only one of the six models was supported by cross-sectional results. In this model a direct negative relationship between the WORKPLACE SOCIAL SUPPORT and BURNOUT latent variables was specified, along with direct, positive relationships between the JOB STRESS and BURNOUT latent variables and the BURNOUT and POOR HEALTH latent variables. However, none of the six models was supported by the longitudinal results. Thus, cross-sectional results were consistent with a model in which social support on the job influences positive health only through its direct and negative effect on burnout symptoms, but such causal connections were not validated longitudinally.

WORKPLACE STRESS AND INDICATORS OF CORONARY-DISEASE RISK.

The article focuses on a study which evaluates the effects of perceived job stressors, job satisfaction and stressful life events on biochemical indicators of stress and a composite index of stress...

Work Stress, Hardiness, and Burnout Among Hospital Staff Nurses

The question of whether personality hardiness moderates the impact of job stressors on burnout was studied in 107 registered staff nurses from an urban, community hospital who responded to a self-administered questionnaire. Consistent with previous research, burnout was significantly associated with higher levels of perceived job stress and lower levels of personality hardiness. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses further indicated that work stressors (particularly stress due to workload) and hardiness were significant additive rather than interactive predictors of burnout. That is, hardiness had beneficial main effects in reducing burnout, but did not appear to prevent high levels of job stress from leading to high levels of burnout.

The Socio-Genesis of Psychological Distress in Developing Countries: Industrial Workers in Nigeria

This paper develops a basic causal model describing the effects of factors such as socialisation, rural-urban background, current occupation, perceived job stressors and locus of control as determinants of psychological distress in a sample of Nigerian factory workers. The analysis builds upon major results and theories of causation of psychological distress in African populations experiencing high rates of social change. Findings regarding perceived job stressors are similar to results found in Western samples, but the findings concerning the effects of cognitive attribution tendencies contrast with what is usually found in Western samples The ensuing discussion of the reasons for such differences emphasises basic themes in the sociogenesis of psycho logical distress in an African context.

Job stress and health: the role of social support at work.

Data are presented on the use of social resources to reduce the negative effects of perceived job stress on the health of 26 psychiatric technicians who cared for severely and profoundly retarded residents of a state institution. Data were collected by participant observation, semistructured interviews, and the self-administered Cornell Medical Index. Sources of job stress were found to stem not from problems associated with the care of the retarded but rather from staff members' inability to control other critical aspects of their work. Staff with supportive work-based social networks reported significantly better health (as measured by the Cornell Medical Index) than those without such networks.

Relationship between perceived job stress and physical and psychological strain among university administrators.

The relations between eight job stresses and symptoms of physical and psychological strain were examined among 56 university administrators. Only three of the 16 stressor-strain correlations were significant, suggesting that stress is weakly related to individual strain in this sample.

Perceived job stress, job satisfaction, and psychological symptoms in critical care nursing.

This study tested the relationships among perceived job stress, job satisfaction, and psychological symptoms of critical care nurses. A self-administered questionnaire was sent to a sample of 180 critical care nurses from eight hospitals. The results supported the hypotheses that higher levels of perceived job stress are related to lower levels of job satisfaction (r = -.24, p = .001) and to higher levels of psychological symptoms (r = .33, p = .000). These effects remained even when years of experience in nursing and shift were controlled. Item analysis, however, showed that four of the five top-ranking stressors were not related to the outcome measures. A distinction between positive and negative stressors is proposed to explain the pattern of results.

Types and Sources of Social Support for Managing Job Stress In Critical Care Nursing

The theoretical model of occupational stress developed by LaRocco, House, and French, (1980) was tested in relation to job stress in critical care nursing. A sample of 164 female critical care nurses was obtained from eight hospitals. The variables of perceived social support, perceived job stress, job dissatisfaction, and psychological symptoms were measured, and specific types and sources of support were examined. Findings from the full sample supported all the main effects in the model but none of the buffering effects. For the married group, a specific type of support (work support) explained 24% of the variance of perceived job stress, nearly double that of the overall social support measure for this group. For the unmarried group, a specific source of support (from relatives) explained 10% of the variance in perceived job stress and 16% of the variance in psychological symptoms--double or triple the effect of the total network support score for the full sample.

A person–environment analysis of job stress: A contingency model explanation.

The contingency model of leadership was applied in a field study of job stress. Fifty-one university administrators completed a series of questionnaires that assessed their leadership style, degree of situational control within their work setting, perceived job stress, physical health, and psychological well-being. Multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs) showed that administrators whose leadership style and level of situational control were "in match" reported significantly less job stress, fewer health problems, and fewer days missed from work than administrators who were "out of match." The results are discussed as supporting the person-environment fit model of job stress.

A person-environment analysis of job stress: a contingency model explanation.

The contingency model of leadership was applied in a field study of job stress. Fifty-one university administrators completed a series of questionnaires that assessed their leadership style, degree of situational control within their work setting, perceived job stress, physical health, and psychological well-being. Multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs) showed that administrators whose leadership style and level of situational control were "in match" reported significantly less job stress, fewer health problems, and fewer days missed from work than administrators who were "out of match." The results are discussed as supporting the person-environment fit model of job stress.

The effects of emotional support on perceived job stress and strain.

This article uses a national sample of social workers to examine the relationship between work stress, strain, and emotional support. These results indicate negative associations between support and perceived stress and strain. The authors, however, found no evidence for the buffering effects of emotional support. The authors discuss the implications of these findings.

Type A Behavior, Perceived Stress, and Illness

Fifty-one university administrators (categorized as Type A or Type B by the Jenkins Activity Survey) completed a series of questionnaires that assessed their degree of perceived job stress, extent of recent life changes, physical health, and psychological well-being. Multivariate analyses of variance showed that work stress and life change interacted with the Type A behavior pattern in predicting symptomatology. Type A administrators under high stress reported more psychological impairment and cardiovascular-related health problems than high stress Type Bs or low stress As and Bs. The results attest to the importance of situational factors when studying Type As and lend support to a diathesis-stress model of Type A and heart disease.

Developmental Stages of Preschool Teachers

Stage 1: Survival During Stage 1, which may last throughout the first full year of teaching, the teacher's main concern is whether she can survive. This preoccupation with survival may be expressed in questions the teacher asks: "Can I get through the day in one piece? Without losing a child? Can I make it until the end of the week? Until the next vacation? Can I really do this kind of work day after day? Will I be accepted by my colleagues?" Such questions are well expressed in Ryan's enlightening collection of accounts of first-year teaching experiences (3).