The effectiveness of a training workshop to combat burnout in nurses was investigated in this study. An attempt also was made to determine whether or not benefits of that workshop would be maintained over a three month period.Burnout is a phenomenon which affects those in the helping professions. Much has been written of a descriptive nature but little has been done to empirically determine procedures which might reduce burnout in those who are already experiencing it.Ninety-five staff nurses, representing two hospitals, volunteered to participate in this study. One hospital was a neuropsychiatric facility and the other was a general medical hospital.The dependent variable for this study was a burnout score as determined by the Staff Burnout Scale for Health Professionals (SBS-HP). This is a 30 item self-assessment inventory, which addresses cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and physiological reactions.Subjects were randomly assigned to either a treatment condition or a control condition. The experimental group attended a 7 ½ hour workshop which utilized didactic presentations, group discussion and problem solving, audio-visual material, self-assessment, training in progressive relaxation, an introduction to cognitive restructuring, and the development of social support systems.The research design chosen was a one-way or single factor design utilizing a test and retest of the SBS-HP. The method of data analysis was a one-way multivariate analysis of variance with a step-down F test. The selected level of significance was .05.The null hypothesis was not rejected. There was no significant difference between the treatment group and the control group on the long-term posttest after covarying the short-term posttest scores. Also, there was no significant difference between the treatment group and the control group on the short-term posttest.

Protestant pastors in America are leaders who provide guidance in spiritual matters to millions of people. The demands of their work can be stressful and overwhelming, leading to burnout. Burnout results in some pastors leaving their leadership positions, which has a negative impact on the members of the congregation as well as the pastors themselves. This study's goal was to determine the perceived needs of pastors, in order to prevent burnout, and the kinds of resources they perceive would best meet their needs. This study utilized a qualitative approach in the collection, description, and analysis of data. The results revealed pastors feel over-extended and face unrealistic expectations in their work. Support systems, such as clergy groups may be helpful in combating these. Taking time off, spiritual renewal practices, and exercise are some important practices many of the pastors in this study agreed would be beneficial as well. / Fisher Institute for Wellness and Gerontology

The purpose of the study was to investigate the perceived anxiety experienced by coronary care nurses working eight- and 12-hour work shifts. It was hypothesized that length of shift work affects the before- and after-shift anxiety for nurses working eight- or 12-hour work shifts. Anxiety differences between the eight- and 12-hour work shifts were examined as well as differences between the before- and after-shift anxiety for each length of shift.Thirty-two (32) coronary care nurses from a general medical and surgical hospital in the Midwest volunteered to participate in the research. The sample consisted of all females (18 Registered Nurses, nine Licensed Practical Nurses, three charge nurses, a supervisory nurse, and a rehabilitation nurse). The nurses had voluntarily selected the eight- or 12-hour length of shift work and understood that they would be committed towork that shift for one year. Twelve nurses worked the eight-hour shift; 20 nurses chose the new 12-hour shift.The State Anxiety Inventory (SAI) was used to measure the nurses' before- and after-shift anxiety. Baseline data were collected from the nurses prior to the initiation of the 12-hour shift. The Box-Jenkins Time Series Analysis was used to analyze the daily before- and after-shift anxiety scores and to establish a forecasted trend for both the eight- and 12-hour shifts.The first finding was that the before-shift anxiety scores for the eight-hour workers declined, while the anxiety scores for the 12-hour workers increased, following the implementation of the 12-hour shift. The same trend was forecast for the after-shift anxiety scores. The eight-hour nurses' after-shift anxiety scores declined while the 12-hour nurses' anxiety scores increased. A transfer function was conducted for both the eight-hour and 12-hour before- and after-shift anxiety scores. No predictive trend could be established for the eight-hour anxiety scores; however, the 12-hour after-shift anxiety scores were found to be consistently higher than before-shift anxiety scores. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Stress is a construct that has received a great deal of attention in both the scientific and popular literature. particular type of job related stress experienced by human service professionals is burnout. If effective coping strategies to minimize or avoid burnout are present, one's job can remain interesting and challenging. However, if coping strategies are ineffective or absent, the consequences can negatively affect job performance and satisfaction. This study used the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations, and a demographic questionnaire to assess perceived burnout, the relative utilization of three coping styles (Task, Emotion, and Avoidance), and general background information, respectively, among 163 nurses in a 600+ bed midwestern, urban hospital. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between these three coping styles and the perception of burnout. The results showed no significant differences in burnout for any of the demographic variables studied. However, there were significant differences in burnout among the 14 hospital units evaluated. In addition when specific demographic variables and unit of primary assignment were controlled statistically, those nurses who utilized more emotion oriented coping styles reported the highest amount of burnout. There were no unit by coping style interactions found. Finally, suggestions for future research and recommedations for trainers and employers of nurses are provided. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Uitbranding as verskynsel was oorspronklik waargeneem by individue wat in hulpverlenings beroepe gestaan het, soos byvoorbeeld verpleegsters. Vandag word dit erken dat individue in enige beroep uitbranding kan ontwikkel. Dit is om hierdie rede dat navorsing oor die verband tussen uitbranding, begeestering, coping en lokus van kontrole van nagraadse studente toepaslik en noodsaaklik is, aangesien hulle die toekomstige werknemers van Suid Afrika is. Die doe1 van die navorsing is om die verband tussen uitbranding, begeestering, coping en lokus van kontrole van werkende nagraadse studente en nie-werkende nagraadse studente te bepaal. 'n Opname-ontwerp is gebruik vir die navorsing. Die ondersoekgroep het bestaan uit (n=40) nagraadse studente in die Ingenieursfakulteit asook @=SO) nagraadse studente in die MBA klas van die Besigheidskool. Vier vraelyste is in hierdie empiriese navorsing gebruik, naamlik die Maslach Uitbrandingsvraelys - Algemene Opname (MBI-GS), die Utrech Work Engagement-Skaal (UWES), die COPE-Vraelys (COPE) en die Lokus van Kontrole- Inventark (LOC). Beskrywende statistiek is gebruik om die data te analiseer. Die resultate van die ondersoek dui daarop dat nagraadse studente 'n risiko loop vir uitbranding. Die resultate wys verder daarop dat die meeste nagraadse studente intern gemotiveer word en gebruik maak van aktiewe coping- strategieë om stres van die akademiese lewe te kan hanteer. Die resultate dui verder ook daarop dat 'n eksterne lokus van kontrole verband hou met hoe uitbrandingsimptome en passiewe coping- strategieë. Verdere aanduidings is dat hoe uitputting met 'n eksterne lokus van kontrole en hoe vlakke van sinisme korreleer. Toewyding en lewenskrag korreleer positief met interne lokus van kontrole en outonomie, en voorspel ook lae vlakke van uitputting en sinisme. Aanbevelings vir verdere navorsing is aan die hand gedoen. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

Since the 1990s, suicide and stress amongst farming individuals in Britain has gained increasing attention. This is because restructuring of the farm sector has placed greater economic pressure on farm family businesses and led to dramatic socio-cultural change in rural communities. Academic research has been dominated by a medical, reactionary approach to the examination of stress. This ignores the cultural and gender processes which are embedded in a patriarchal family farming ‘way of life’ that may, in reality, underpin medicalised outcomes. This ethnographic research, utilising repeated life history interviews with multiple members of farming families, based in Powys, Mid Wales, provides a crucial first step in a more proactive understanding of stress by tracking the dynamics, construction, enactment and maintenance of relational farming identities. From such a perspective, behavior according to a farming ‘way of life’ is brought sharply into focus as a course and source of components of stress. Drawing upon a range of theoretical positions, a robust conceptualisation of farming stress is developed. In particular insights from feminism inform the non-medical approach adopted by this research. Ideas are drawn on from emerging, feminist international perspectives of relational farming gender identities and by closer integration of theoretical post-modern insights from cultural, rural studies which has persistently neglected farming individuals. This research contributes to theoretical and empirical development within agricultural geography by providing an example of how micro contextualisation of farming/ rural lives can be contextualised within the macro-economic framework of agriculture. Results are drawn from 7 case study farming families, with scale of analysis utilised to reveal from birth the construction, maintenance and enactment of relational farming gender identities. Farm survival is found to be heavily dependent upon socialisation within the ideology of family farming, the enactment of farming identities beyond the farm gate, and the necessity for individuals to adhere to a patriarchal ideology. This patrilineal ‘way of life’ ideology and its gendered components are revealed to demonstrate that adherence to gender roles is becoming increasingly difficult within the current context of agricultural and rural change. The struggle that individuals have to maintain their place and sense of belonging in family farming emerges as a key source of contemporary stress. Further work is needed to ensure that the gendered understanding of farming stress formulated in this research is applied to rural stress policy and practice.

Based on a transactional model of stressors, mediators/moderators and strains, this large scale study investigated occupational stress, job satisfaction and role conflict in doctors in Scotland using a self-report questionnaire methodology. The sample of 986 doctors included male and female general practitioners (GPs) and specialist consultants. The relationship between sources and levels of occupational stress and job satisfaction was investigated using scales from the Occupational Stress Indicator (OSI) (Cooper et al 1988), considering the role of intervening variables mcludmg age, gender, marital/parental status, medical speciality, coping and attitudes. The relationship between occupational and domestic stressors and satisfactions was examined using theoretically denved models of additivity and asymmetric permeability of roles. A range of analytic procedures mcluding multivanate analysis of variance, hierarchical regression, factor analysis and qualitative content analysis methods were employed. Results mdicated that GPs recorded greater stress and lower job satisfaction than consultants on the OSI scales Managenal or structural occupational factors, and factors intrinsic to medical work were major stressors. Patient care was both a main source of stress and job satisfaction. The rather small magnitude of differences in stress and satisfaction between subject groups, and between subject groups and norms for the OSI scales was offset by clear evidence of stress related to doctors occupational roles, domestic roles, and gender roles elucidated using more qualitative methodologies. Subjects' age, gender and medical speciality were shown to affect the relationship between occupational stress and job satisfaction. Younger doctors, male GPs and female consultants experienced greater stress and less job satisfaction. Coping efficacy was negatively related to occupational stress and positively related to job satisfaction for GPs, and male and female GPs employed different styles of coping with stressors. Comparison of consultant specialities revealed differences in sources and levels of occupational stress and job satisfaction with Public Health Consultants recording most stress. Both male and female doctors with multiple occupational and domestic role demands reported higher levels of stress. Stress from work to home was found to be greater than stress from home to work for both male and female doctors. Recommendations and implications of the research for doctors, patients, and the National Health Service are discussed.

China, in her rapid industrialization over the last two decades, has successfully grown out of its traditional village image and into a modernized society. This dissertation aims to study the job stress of workers through the application of Karaseks (1979) job demand - job control model, in the collectivistic culture of China. Karaseks results indicated that workers in general perceived their jobs as more demanding and themselves as less in control. Moreover, high anxiety and depressive symptoms were related to their stressful working environment and demanding jobs. / PhD Doctorate

Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2007 / Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment for the degree of Master of Social Work. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 55-57).

Thesis (M. Min.)--Northwest Baptist Theological College and Seminary, 1992. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 63-67).