Stressful Work Situations Research Articles

Working with the symptom—a new perspective on dealing with low well-being in organisations

The changes in the modern working world bring increasing health burdens for employees. Indeed, stress counts for 44% of all work-related diseases across all industries and professions in the United Kingdom and accounts for 54% of all working days lost due to ill health (Health & Safety Executive, 2019). For many employees, but also for executives, diseases might prove to be the last lifeline in permanently stressful work situations. This article describes how psychoanalytic thought on health in the workplace can help coaches and executives understand how stress and mental health problems provide the starting point for an examination of the organisation's culture and ultimately can help on the journey of developing healthy and productive workplaces.

Job satisfaction of rural medical interns: A qualitative study.

To study reasons for job satisfaction and dissatisfaction among interns. Using a qualitative methodology, one-to-one interviews were conducted with interns. The study was based at a Victorian Rural Intern Training program. Twelve interns from the program were interviewed during their final rotation. Reasons for job satisfaction and dissatisfaction among rural interns. Reasons for job satisfaction included feeling supported in the workplace as well as getting quality supervision, teaching and clinical exposure. Reasons for job dissatisfaction included poor access to administration, unduly stressful working situations, lack of support for mental health and well-being, and poorly organised teaching sessions. The internship experience, together with the people they are influenced by, can determine a doctor's future career pathway. It is therefore vital for internship coordinators and hospital managers to facilitate a positive internship experience. The findings have implications for human resource management policy and practice in rural hospitals.

Experiences of Nursing and Allied Health Students Undertaking a Rural Placement: Barriers and Enablers to Satisfaction and Wellbeing

Australia's rural health services commonly face serious and protracted workforce shortages. To help address such shortages in rural and remote areas, a range of programs exist to support university students to undertake placements in a rural setting. In particular, University Departments of Rural Health (UDRHs) are funded to support nursing and allied health students to undertake a rural placement. As UDRHs encourage students to 'go rural' and as they coordinate and facilitate placements in rural settings, a range of enablers and barriers emerge. This study investigates the lived experiences of nursing and allied health students on placement in public health services in rural and regional Victoria. Its purpose was to identify the enablers and barriers most strongly affecting placement satisfaction and personal wellbeing. The intended outcome was to identify modifiable factors that could potentially improve the rural placement experience. Eighteen students were interviewed by a student undertaking her placement. Interviews were 45-60 minutes in length and all face-to-face. The 18 participants were from five universities and were undertaking their placement at one of seven public hospitals operating in northeast Victoria. The researcher recruited participants by attending scheduled debrief meetings at their placement organisation, briefly discussing the research and inviting students to participate. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis approach. The study found that most participants were positive and enthusiastic about their rural placement, both professionally and personally. Three key enablers were identified: 1) enjoyment of the rural environment and community; 2) working in a positive, friendly and supportive workplace; and 3) exposure to broad practice and enhanced learning opportunities. Simultaneously many had also experienced significant barriers before, during or as a consequence of undertaking their placement, and these negatively affected placement satisfaction and personal wellbeing. Identified barriers were: 1) increased financial stress; 2) travel and accommodation challenges and concerns; 3) study-work-life balance and isolation issues; 4) encountering stressful work situations and/or personal events while on placement; and 5) communication issues with universities. The findings are strongly consistent with those identified in the extant literature. The findings add to previous research by deepening understanding about the financial burden and barriers experienced by nursing and allied health students as a result of undertaking rural placements. Disruption to students' lives socially, psychologically, financially and in terms of employment were significant. The study identified some important aspects of the placement experience, suggesting that nursing and allied health students can be dissatisfied with increased financial stress, isolation and inflexibility from universities.

Validation of the Nepalese version of Recovery Experience Questionnaire

People with stressful situations tend to experience lower psychological well-being highlighting the importance of involvement in activities or strategies that have the potential to promote recovery after stressful work situations. This study aimed to validate the Nepalese version of the Recovery Experience Questionnaire (REQ-N), which evaluates how individuals unwind and recuperate from work in their leisure time. Registered nurses of three university hospitals (N = 438) in Nepal were asked to complete the REQ-N voluntarily and the data was analyzed using SPSS-20 and AMOS. Reliability was examined by using the Cronbach alpha coefficient. Factorial validity was examined by using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Convergent validity was examined by examining the relationships with psychological distress, overall health, happiness, job performance and job satisfaction. Cronbach's alpha coefficients for four subscales ranged from 0.67 to 0.70. A hypothesized four-factor model fitted better to the data. As expected, mastery and control subscales correlated with psychological distress, overall health, happiness, job performance, and job satisfaction. However, psychological detachment subscale correlated with poor health and relaxation subscale correlated with low job satisfaction. The REQ-N displayed an acceptable level of internal-consistency reliability. The theory-based four-factor structure and the association with psychological distress, overall health, happiness, job performance and job satisfaction for mastery and control experience subscales supported the construct validity (including factor-based validity). However, some of the model fit statistics could not meet the minimum recommendations suggesting a need of a large study involving a heterogeneous population. Also, unexpected findings for psychological detachment and relaxation may reflect the culture and values of Nepalese people and need further research.

Nursing Student Experiences of Caring for Burned Patient: From Fearfulness to Normalization.

Objective. To describe the care experiences of students in burn units. Methods. Qualitative research of the phenomenological descriptive type which was conducted with the participation of eight senior nursing students in Shiraz College of Nursing and Midwifery, Iran. The method used for gathering data about Student experiences in Care Services for Burn Cases was the individual semi-structured interview. The Colaizzi method was used for analysing and interpreting the data. Results. Three main themes emerged: the attractive but stressful experience, trying to adjust and metamorphosis in attitude. Taking care of burned patients led to metamorphosis and adaptation to the requirements of burn care due to the students’ improved attitudes, awareness and potentials. This finally turned the stressful nature of taking care of a burn patient into an attractive experience for them. Conclusion. Students with little clinical experience of stressful working situations in burn units faced different challenges. Due to the specific nature of taking care of burned patients, the clinical experiences of nursing students who offer these services are unique.

Resilience and spirituality: a mixed methods exploration of executive stress

Purpose The purpose of this mixed methods research study was to explore the relationships between spirituality, leader resiliency and life satisfaction/well-being. Design/methodology/approach Using an explanatory sequential design, the authors tested three research hypotheses to explore the relationships between the participants’ spiritual practices and level of resiliency, life satisfaction and sense of well-being. Data were collected from 101 executive MBA alumni of a US-based university. Following the quantitative analysis of the survey results, interviews were conducted with 25 executives who scored high in the frequency of spiritual practice to further explore how they applied their spirituality in stressful work situations. Findings The results found positive relationships between spirituality, resilience and overall life satisfaction. Participants who engaged in meditative practices had a significantly higher overall resilience score than non-meditators. Research limitations/implications Key limitations are sample size and the risk of common method variance. Though numerous procedural steps were taken to control for these issues, future research with a larger and more diverse sample is needed. Practical implications Organizational stress is pervasive and executive burnout is a risk factor for leaders and their organizations. This research offers practical suggestions for ways that human resource managers and organization development practitioners can provide prevention resources to their executives. Originality/value This research contributes to the literature by providing support for mindfulness/meditation training for executives. It also demonstrates the value of mixed methods research for a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of the participants.

Appreciation by supervisors buffers the impact of work interruptions on well-being longitudinally.

This study analyzed the effects of work interruptions as a stressor and appreciation of employees by supervisors as a resource with regard to four parameters of well-being, postulating main effects and interactions. Using latent moderated structural equation modeling, we analyzed longitudinal data on 208 employees at seven different companies who completed an online questionnaire twice. There were no main effects; however, the interactions between work interruptions and appreciation by supervisors were significant, and in the expected direction. Appreciation by supervisors moderated the effects of interruptions on the four parameters of employees’ well-being: job satisfaction, self-efficacy, job-related depressive mood, and sleep problems. These results held after accounting for conceptually relevant control variables, namely, time pressure, job control, and social support by supervisors. There were no indications for reversed effects. The findings underscore the importance of contextual factors like appreciative leader behavior for handling difficult situations such as work interruptions and thus confirm the potential of feeling appreciated at work as a protective resource in stressful work situations.

Effects of mixed traffic and elderly passengers on city bus drivers’ work-related fatigue

City bus drivers are facing increasingly stressful work situations. In urban areas, bus drivers are competing for limited road space with various vehicles in mixed traffic conditions. This mixed traffic flow condition may not only cause traffic congestion problems but also increase the driving fatigue of a city bus driver. In addition, the average number of elderly passengers are increasing. Constrained by their physical conditions, elderly passengers usually take more time to get on or off a bus and require a city bus driver’s special attention or help. An increase in elderly passengers using city buses may increase the bus driver’s stress and/or fatigue levels. This study developed a structural equation model to investigate the causal relationships between a vector of stress factors and city bus drivers’ fatigue levels from a risk management perspective. The empirical study results based on a questionnaire survey indicated that mixed traffic flow conditions and the characteristics of elderly passengers are positively correlated with the levels of driving fatigue in city bus drivers. An increase in the number of motor scooters in a traffic stream and/or elderly passengers on a bus will lead to higher levels of mental fatigue for a city bus driver. This study discussed the effects of several stressors on a city bus driver’s fatigue and provided suggestions for changes in policies to ensure the fatigue mitigation of city bus drivers.

The role of mindfulness in response to abusive supervision

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore whether trait and state mindfulness alters the relationship between abusive supervision and interactional justice perceptions, which then predicts supervisor-directed retaliation.Design/methodology/approachStudy 1 examined these relationships among 230 employees using a cross-sectional survey design. Study 2 further examined these relationships among 263 undergraduate students using a scenario-based, experimental laboratory study.FindingsIn Study 1, counter to predictions, individuals who were higher in trait mindfulness were most likely to view an abusive supervisor as unfair. Exploratory analyses suggested that this effect was isolated to the mindfulness dimension of being highly attentive to moment-to-moment experiences. Study 2 replicated this effect with state mindfulness (specifically, attention to one’s present moment).Practical implicationsOrganizations should consider how mindfulness interventions might not always be useful – and potentially counterproductive – for affecting perceptions of and reactions to some stressful work situations like abusive supervision.Originality/valueLittle research has been done on how mindfulness affects perceptions of and reactions to abusive supervisors. The authors expected mindfulness could reduce the negative effect of supervisor abuse on interactional justice perceptions, as well as the effect of interactional injustice on retaliation. However, within the context of abusive supervision, training individuals to become more mindful may actually predict lower levels of interactional justice, resulting in more supervisor-directed retaliation.

Quality of life, work motivation, burn-out and stress perceptions benefits of a stress management program by autogenic training for emergency room staff: A pilot study.

Emergency room have particularly stressful work situations. Emergency room personnel cope with stressors on a daily basis. These stressors can be risks factor for burn out and for reduced quality of life and work motivation. Emergency room staff of one of ASP 3 CT urban hospital in Acireale, Italy participated to stress management program by autogenic training twice a month for 16 weeks. This program were prepared based on existing research and studies, and were conducted by clinical psychologists. We found that the mean value in pre-test is significantly different from mean value in post-test for: Perceived Stress Scale PPS (t=7.72 with 27 df and P<0.001); Euro Quality for life (t=-14,13 with 27 df and P<0.001); Work motivation assessed by Visual Analogue scale VAS (t=-4.52 with 27 df and P<0.001). In the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the mean value is significantly different for emotional exhaustion sub-scale (t=5.64 with 27 with 27 df and P<0.001) and for depersonalization subscale (t=6.67 with 27 df and P<0.001). No significant difference was observed for the personal accomplishment sub-scale. This research suggests that psychological interventions with emergency room staff are effective. Our study showed effectiveness of an autogenic and stress management training in improvement of quality of life, work motivation, burn-out and stress perceptions for emergency department team.

Quality of life, work motivation, burn-out and stress perceptions benefits of a stress management program by autogenic training for emergency room staff: A pilot study

Emergency room have particularly stressful work situations. Emergency room personnel cope with stressors on a daily basis. These stressors can be risks factor for burn out and for reduced quality of life and work motivation. Emergency room staff of one of ASP 3 CT urban hospital in Acireale, Italy participated to stress management program by autogenic training twice a month for 16 weeks. This program were prepared based on existing research and studies, and were conducted by clinical psychologists. We found that the mean value in pre-test is significantly different from mean value in post-test for: Perceived Stress Scale PPS (t=7.72 with 27 df and P&lt;0.001); Euro Quality for life (t=-14,13 with 27 df and P&lt;0.001); Work motivation assessed by Visual Analogue scale VAS (t=-4.52 with 27 df and P&lt;0.001). In the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the mean value is significantly different for emotional exhaustion sub-scale (t=5.64 with 27 with 27 df and P&lt;0.001) and for depersonalization subscale (t=6.67 with 27 df and P&lt;0.001). No significant difference was observed for the personal accomplishment sub-scale. This research suggests that psychological interventions with emergency room staff are effective. Our study showed effectiveness of an auto-genic and stress management training in improvement of quality of life, work motivation, burn-out and stress perceptions for emergency department team.

Differential influences of the facets of religious and spiritual beliefs on Salvation Army officers’ quality of life

ABSTRACTSalvation Army officers often work in stressful situations which are likely to impact on wellbeing. No research has examined the buffering effects of the officers’ strong religious and spiritual beliefs on this relationship. The current study aimed to examine the relationship between quality of life (QoL) and religious and spiritual beliefs among current and retired Salvation Army officers from the Australian Eastern Territory. Two hundred and seventy officers aged between 30 and 93 years (153 males and 102 females) completed the WHOQOL-BREF1 and the WHOQOL-SRPB.2 The results of the analyses revealed positive relationships between religious and spiritual QoL, the eight facets of the WHOQOL-SRPB, overall QoL and each of the four WHOQOL-BREF domains. The results showed that the facets of religious and spiritual QoL made differential contributions to QoL, and the QoL domains. Hope and optimism was the only facet to predict physical and environment QoL in regression analyses. It was also a significant predictor, along with inner peace and meaning and purpose in life, of psychological QoL. Wholeness and integration, spiritual strength and faith significantly predicted the social relationship domain. However, the relationship with spiritual strength and social relationships was mediated by wholeness and integration. Spiritual connection did not significantly predict any of the QoL domains. Religious and spiritual beliefs are important for Salvation Army officers maintaining a high level of QoL in the face of stressful work environments. However, the different facets of religion and spirituality play different roles in this relationship and need to be examined individually. This is particularly important given that religious and spiritual beliefs may help officers cope with stressful work situations.

How Observers Assess Women Who Cry in Professional Work Contexts

Using qualitative methods, we examined how observers assessed professional women when they cried at work. Our findings showed that, in four common but stressful professional work situations, observ...

Code Lavender: Cultivating Intentional Acts of Kindness in Response to Stressful Work Situations

Providing healthcare can be stressful. Gone unchecked, clinicians may experience decreased compassion, and increased burnout or secondary traumatic stress. Code Lavender is designed to increase acts of kindness after stressful workplace events occur. To test the feasibility of providing Code Lavender. After stressful events in the workplace, staff will provide, receive, and recommend Code Lavender to others. The provision of Code Lavender will improve Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQoL) scores, general job satisfaction, and feeling cared for in the workplace. Pilot program testing and evaluation. Staff and physicians on four hospital units were informed of the Code Lavender kit availability, which includes words of comfort, chocolate, lavender essential oil, and employee health referral information. Feasibility data and ProQoL scores were collected at baseline and three months. At baseline, 48% (n = 164) reported a stressful event at work in the last three months. Post-intervention, 51% reported experiencing a stressful workplace event, with 32% receiving a Code Lavender kit from their co-workers as a result (n = 83). Of those who received the Code Lavender intervention; 100% found it helpful, and 84% would recommend it to others. No significant changes were demonstrated before and after the intervention in ProQoL scores or job satisfaction, however the emotion of feeling cared-for improved. Results warrant continuation and further dissemination of Code Lavender. Investigators have received requests to expand the program implying positive reception of the intervention. Additional interventions are needed to overcome workplace stressors. A more intense peer support program is being tested.

The Role of Social Network Structure in Street-Level Innovation

In considering how peer relationships can aid street-level bureaucrats in doing their jobs, existing literature has emphasized the importance of peers in providing the social and emotional support required to deal with uncertain and stressful working situations. By applying a social network perspective to examine the innovative behavior of a sample of teachers in a large urban high school, this article highlights the importance of an additional factor: the location of a frontline worker’s position in the larger structure of social connections within the organization. In particular, multilevel statistical models reveal a positive association between the extent to which an experienced teacher is located in a network position that bridges across different organizational subgroups and his or her level of innovation, suggesting that experienced frontline workers may benefit from the information diversity that comes from having multiple and diverse social contacts. More generally, the study highlights the value of complementing individual and organizational insights with network-level perspectives for understanding the discretionary behavior of frontline professionals.

Взаимосвязь когнитивной оценки трудных профессиональных ситуаций и профессиональной пригодности у страховых агентов

The article presents the outcomes of our research into stressful working situations and the role of cognitive appraisal of work conditions for insurance agents. Too little attention has so far been paid to the role of individual characteristics in the perception of stressful professional situations. Studying the role of cognitive appraisal of such situations is relevant for defining the criteria of professional aptitude and predicting professional success. We offer a new approach to defining professional aptitude, which takes into account the peculiarities of cognitive appraisal of stressful professional situations. Our study began with a survey of expert opinion and a questionnaire covering 140 insurance agents from the cities of Volgograd and Lipetsk. Their job experience ranged from 3 months to 32 years. The respondents also varied by the level of professional success achieved. As the outcome of Stage 1, we compiled a list of 7 most stressful work situations as mentioned by insurance agents. During Stage 2, respondents arranged these situations by degrees of stressfulness. Stressful situations were assessed by such parameters as frequency, emotional tension, personal significance, uncontrollability, productivity, suspense. Comparing mean values revealed some variations in appraisals. Stressful situations were assessed as significant, uncontrollable and undefined but at the same time infrequent and not causing emotional tension and productivity. This example proves that the cognitive appraisal of professional situations is ambivalent. According to mean appraisal values, the sample was divided into 3 groups: those with high, middle and low resistance to stressful situations. All of these groups also featured a correlation between professional aptitude and cognitive appraisal of the situations offered. Early career specialists are highly vulnerable to stress, while the next stages of professionalization could show either high and low stress indexes. The study outcomes were confirmed by significant variations on the Mann-Whitney U-test. We conclude that cognitive appraisal characteristics may be used as criteria for diagnosing and predicting professional development of insurance agents.

A Study of Role Stress among the IT Professionals in India

Contemporary industries face new competition requiring employees to work for longer hours under competitive time bound deadlines. Prolonged exposure to such stressful situations leads to a depletion and exhaustion of resources in the mind and body; with dysfunctional effects on job performance and overall organizational effectiveness. The Indian IT industry is a fast paced service industry that is characterized by such stressful work situations and related outcomes. The present study analyses the various factors that contribute to organizational stress and the role of Demographic Factors on Role Stress; among the professionals of the Indian IT industry. A sample of 250 employees has been collected from the Delhi NCR region. Role stress has been measured by using the ORS scale which comprises of ten dimensions of role stress that are measured by 50 items. The results show that there is significant impact of demographic factors on the Role Stress amongst the IT professionals.

Effects of occupational future time perspective on managing stressful work situations.

According to the socioemotional selectivity theory (SST; Carstensen, 2006), older adults perceive their future time as increasingly limited, which motivates them to focus more on emotional goals and prefer passive emotion-focused strategies. This study aims to investigate the effect of occupational future time perspective (OFTP) on the use of problem-solving strategies in stressful work situations and to examine the effectiveness of these strategies on psychological well-being. A sample of 199 Chinese clerical workers responded to a structured questionnaire on problem-solving strategy use in relation to hypothetical work scenarios. Results revealed that relative to those with limited OFTP, workers with expansive OFTP preferred problem-focused and proactive strategies in both low- and high-emotionally salient scenarios. Workers with limited OFTP consistently preferred passive strategies irrespective of emotional salience. OFTP moderated the effect of problem-focused strategies on psychological distress. In particular, there was a significant negative relationship between problem-focused strategies and psychological distress among workers with expansive OFTP, but such pattern of relationship was not observed among workers with limited OFTP. Findings of this study inform the training strategies employed by practitioners to fit the developmental goals of workers in order to maximise their strengths at work.

Psychometric properties of the Occupational Stress and Coping Inventory (AVEM) in a cancer population

Background. Although the Occupational Stress and Coping Inventory (AVEM) questionnaire is used to assess work behaviour during occupation-related oncological rehabilitation, little is known about its psychometric characteristics in cancer patients. Therefore, we analysed the psychometric properties of the AVEM in this group.Material and methods. The AVEM was administered to 477 cancer patients at the beginning of rehabilitation. The AVEM consists of 11 subscales that categorise patients into one of four types of work behaviour. We obtained data from several subgroups and analysed reliability using Cronbach's α. We performed a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the dimensional structure proposed by the authors of the AVEM. In addition, we analysed the AVEM's predictive validity by examining work-related outcomes one year after the end of rehabilitation (N = 336).Results. Similar to a population-based reference sample, half of the patients exhibited work behaviours that might be problematic in stressful working situations. The AVEM proved to be a reliable instrument, and the CFA supported the factor structure of the AVEM. The analyses of predictive validity suggest that work behaviour and mental health characteristics, that involve the tendency to feel overwhelmed and less motivated at work, might lead to an increased level of occupational stress one year post-rehabilitation.Discussion. The AVEM can be used during rehabilitation to assess the extent to which patients report work behaviours associated with occupational stress and dissatisfaction. Patients who exhibit the tendency to feel overwhelmed and helpless in stressful work situations should be identified early so they can be offered support.

A Personal Narrative of Resilience – Working in a Top Management Office at a University of Technology

This article discusses the experiences of one of the authors working in a top management office in one University of Technology. Despite misgivings which have sometimes culminated in assertions that overall, resilience as a construct is of dubious scientific value, the authors deem it pertinent as a theoretical perspective for this paper. The authors are also aware that critiques have generally focused on ambiguities in definitions and the central terminology of resilience. Given the stressful nature of the work situation of one of the authors, we are inclined to the definition of resilience as the maintenance of positive adaptation by individuals despite experiences of significant adversity or stressful work situations. We also are of the opinion that resilience is not static. We agree with Luther, Cicchetti and Becker (2007:543) that work on resilience possesses substantial potential for augmenting the understanding of processes affecting at-risk individuals, as is the case with one of the authors of this article. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n3p422