The externalized nature of teachers' occupational stress and its association with job satisfaction

The dimension of 'blame' was explored as part of a conceptual framework for teachers' externalization of occupational stress. It was proposed that teachers allocate principal responsibility for their occupational stress to sources external to the individual. The authors suggest that teachers externalize their dissatisfaction to these (external to self) domains. This hypothesis was explored with a sample (n=111) of teachers in the service of the New South Wales Department of Education, Australia. A survey, composed of multiple items, dealt separately with the phenomena of perceived occupational satisfaction-dissatisfaction and stress. Four stress factors were isolated. These were named: personal, student, school and external (to school). These factors were consistent with the authors' hypothesis that teachers generally externalize blame for their stress. Further examination of the association between the satisfaction factor scores and the stress factor scores revealed significant canonical correlations. The main contributors to the correlation between stress and satisfaction factors were the personal domain (stress) and income (satisfaction) and the school domain (stress) and school culture (satisfaction).     

The influences of gender and grade on perceived work stress and job satisfaction in white collar employees

A self-completion questionnaire survey was carried out, resulting in a sample of 675 white collar public sector employees. The survey examined the frequency of occurrence of work-based stressors and perceived control, and included a general measure of job satisfaction. The results revealed that higher levels of job satisfaction were reported by employees in higher grades. It was also observed that higher grades perceived more control within their working environment. No gender differenccs were found concerning reported stress problems, although significant differences were observed across grades in relation to role differentiation. Multivariate analyses revealed that grade effects were largely accounted for by differences in perceived control. Perceived control, role-based and organizational stressors as well as gender were the strongest contributors in predicting reported job satisfaction.     

我国近十年来应付方式研究的回顾与展望

应激理论兴起之后,应付和应付方式的研究也相继大量出现.虽然与此相关的研究资料很多,但是我国的应付和应付方式的研究还是处于起步阶段.本文对我国近十年来有关应付方式的研究进行了简单回顾,并揭示了今后这方面研究的发展趋势.     

The Intervention Project on Absence and Well-being (IPAW): Design and results from the baseline of a 5-year study

This paper presents the background, design and baseline results of the Intervention Project on Absence and Well-being (IPAW). IPAW is a 5-year psychosocial work environment intervention study including 22 intervention and 30 control work-sites from three different types of work-site (a large pharmaceutical company, municipal technical services, and municipal nursing homes) in Copenhagen, Denmark. The baseline survey reported in this paper was conducted in 1996-97, and the cohort was followed until 2002. Interventions took place during 1996-98 at the organizational and interpersonal level and focused on psychological demands, social support, control, meaning of work, and predictability. The main end-points are self-rated health, perceived stress, absence from work, job satisfaction, and labour turnover. Analyses of the baseline data show good reliability of the psychosocial scales and a number of clear associations between psychosocial work environment factors and health indicators. The baseline data also demonstrate several discrepancies between the planned design of the study and the actual implementation of the project in practice.     

Interventions for musculoskeletal disorders in computer-intense office work: a framework for evaluation

Workplace interventions for work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are usually multifaceted. These interventions tend to deal with multiple work organizational and physical risk factors and have components occurring at different organizational levels. The organizations are often changing, with shifting initiatives and priorities. Evaluation of such interventions poses challenges in documentation of implementation, reduction in exposures, and assessment of improved health outcomes. We describe a means-outcomes framework for evaluating field interventions that includes strategies, activities, objectives and metrics for outcomes using quantitative and qualitative methods. We demonstrate application of the framework to our work with a large newspaper, which builds on existing laboratory, aetiological and best practice evidence to improve musculoskeletal health. The newspaper had adopted several organizational strategies aimed at improving financial performance, including restructuring into teams, a major set of moves/renovations and introduction of new software. Concomitant WMSD-related organizational strategies include an ergonomics policy, human resources activities, promotion of team work, changes in environment and equipment specifications and development of information systems. We have found the framework useful for focusing the purpose of data collection and ensuring coverage of important components. At the same time, it provides sufficient flexibility to respond to the changing process of implementation.     

Stress and job satisfaction in mammography radiographers

Previous research suggests that substantial numbers of health professionals experience undue levels of occupational stress. Little is yet known, however, about a recently established specialized group, namely radiographers who work in the UK National Health Service Breast Screening Programme. All 134 radiographers in the first wave of the programme were sent a postal questionnaire to determine how stressed they felt at work, how satisfied they were with the job, and what were the principal causes of stress and dissatisfaction. A total of 103 were returned, a response rate of 77 %. The results showed that 30 % reported high levels of stress, which is more than in most other professions, and that only 17% described themselves as 'very satisfied' with their jobs. The most important predictors of stress were problems of communication (mainly knowing what to tell the client) and conflicts between home and work. The most important predictor of dissatisfaction was role ambiguity. Ways of reducing stress and increasing satisfaction must be found if radiographers are to remain healthy and are to continue to work for the programme.     

Stress, physical activity and coronary heart disease

Recent years have witnessed an increasing popularity of corporate fitness programmes. Regular physical activity and, in particular, high aerobic fitness are associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease. Apart from its beneficial effects on resting levels of blood pressure and cholesterol, fitness is believed to reduce the impact of psychological stress. This hypothesis has been put to the test in 33 studies examining the physiological stress response of groups selected to differ in their fitness level. Although some evidence was found for a reduced response to stress in high fit subjects, the effects were not very strong. During 54 confrontations with a stressful task, significantly lower heart rate reactions in high fit subjects were seen in only nine tasks (17%). With nine out of 36 stressors (28%), fit subjects showed a lower diastolic blood pressure response. However, in combination with a frequently found reduction in basal levels, the high fit showed a consistently favourable cardiovascular profile under stress. This adaptation may reflect the benefits of regular exercise over a more sedentary lifestyle, but a combined influence of genetic make-up on cardiovascular reactivity and fitness cannot be ruled out.     

Qualitative differences in men and women police officers' experience of occupational stress

Gender differences in exposure to sources of occupational stress and experience of adverse consequences are explored in a study of 358 male and 139 female police constables engaged in uniformed patrol or detective duties from one large provincial English police force. Stressors were divided into those arising tiom police operational duties and those deriving tioni organizational and management issues. Women uniformed constables are less likely to be exposed to police operational stresson involving the potential for violence, but ifexposed they report more severe adverse reactions than uniformed policemen. Women unifomied officers and women detectives are more likely to be involved with victims ofviolence or sexual offences and the former report higher levels ofassociated self-perceived stress than their male counterparts. There are relatively few differences in exposure to organizational stressors except that women detectives and uniformed officers report higher rates of sex discrimination and prejudice than policemen. Multivariate analyses show gender and occupational role differences in qualitative features that contribute to reported psychologal distress. Results are discussed in terms of possible explanations for gender differences.     

试论地震灾害的心理危机干预

地震灾害因其不可预测性、突发性以及巨大的破坏性,对民众的生命财产安全以及心理健康都会造成严重的损害。地震作为重大的应激事件,不论对受灾群众、医护救援人员还是媒体工作者来说都会产生应激反应。如果未能得到及时有效的心理危机干预,这种应激反应就会变成应激障碍,会给受害者造成长期的、难以磨灭的心理创伤。地震灾害对于不同群体危害的影响程度不同,分层次提出相应的心理危机干预方法,进行及时有效的心理危机干预,有助于灾后的心理重建,使受灾群众尽旱脱离灾难带来的消极影响。积极开展灾后心理危机干预工作,对维护和促进人类身心健康有重要意义。     

Mindfulness-based programme on the psychological health of pregnant women

Problem

Preparation of psychological well-being is an important component of antenatal education for childbirth, but few courses focus on this component.