Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Psychology University of Zululand, 2004. / This report presents the findings of a study conducted in 2003-2004, involving eight members of emergency services in Stanger, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. The emergency personnel included five firefighters and three paramedics. The aim of the study was to develop and evaluate a mutual aid group programme in order to prevent symptoms of trauma, with special reference to anxiety and depression, and promote psychological well-being in emergency personnel. Emergency personnel are exposed to traumatic events during the line of duty. The study investigated stressors, which were identified as organizational, management style, ineffective communication, stressors relating to patient care (personal loss, traumatic stimuli, high expectations) and low job and high workloads. The study also investigated psychological, physical and social effects of emergency work. Psychological effects that were identified were mental illnesses such as depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. Symptoms included irritability, anger, frustration, hopelessness, helplessness, fear and anxiety. Physical effects included fatigue, difficulty breathing, startle response, nausea, trembling and racing heart. Social problems such as conflicts with family, friends and colleagues were also identified. The study provided group members with the ability to identify symptoms of trauma and accept vulnerability, which served as important preventative measures for mental illness. The group created a safe atmosphere where members were able to share their feelings without the fear of being judged. It also provided members with new coping strategies for dealing with their feelings. Regarding further support systems the group members identified an ongoing need for help via psychologists, psychological debriefing and support from management, family as well as the community. / National Research Foundation

M. Tech. (Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / Apart from the contribution and success of the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through job creation, poverty alleviation and economic growth, there are still organisational factors such as organisational politics and job stress, which hamper the success of these enterprises. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of organisational politics on job stress among SME employees in Matlosana Local District. The target population concentrated on SME employees within Matlosana Local District in North West province, with the population size of N=431 respondents. A quantitative approach was applied, with the use of a cross sectional survey (questionnaire) to gather information on general political behaviour (GB), get ahead (GA), pay and promotion policies (PP), time stress (TS) and anxiety (AX). Data analysis was conducted with the use of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0 and the Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) version 25.0. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was applied in examining and testing the relationships between observed constructs and their causal latent constructs while Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to test the hypothesised relationships between constructs. The findings of the study revealed that there is a positive and significant relationship between organisational politics and job stress. The findings also emphasised that organisational politics is considered as a hindrance-related stressor that hampers the proper functioning of individual employees. This study concludes that organisational politics are the social ills of every organisation, it is upon the management of the SMEs to apply good human resource management policies to curb the politics. Contrary, if the organisational politics are not managed well, it will result in impacting the job outcomes such as job stress.

M. Tech. (Department of Human Resource Management, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / Until recently, the majority of the academics viewed the life of an academic as idyllic, autonomous and well protected. However, this scenario has since changed due to economic constraints and the reduction of government funding and funding from government agencies. Congruent to these transformations, technology advancements, students’ diversity, blended learning and the introduction of learning platforms has created further challenges in the way students learn and how modules are offered. It has become pivotal for academics to make contributions in the field of work through teaching and learning, community engagement, undertaking research activities, being part of staff training activities, performing administrative work, planning lectures, setting and marking of assessments providing feedback on academic performance, among other activities. These responsibilities often generate stress within the working environment. University academics face high stress levels that arise from persistent demands of academic life. This research drew from the confluence of the job demand control-support model and Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory. The research fits within a post-positivist quantitative paradigm whereby survey data was acquired from 250 academics from a university through a convenience sampling technique. A structured questionnaire encompassing the study constructs was used. Before data collection, a pilot study was done by administering the questionnaire to 40 respondents. The demographic variables of respondents namely gender, age, ethnicity and education were analysed using bar graphs and pie charts. The data was tested for normality and heteroscedasticity. The results showed that the assumptions were not violated. The study observed the effect of role conflict, role ambiguity, role overload and time stress on work tension and the influence of work tension on job satisfaction. The reliability analysis showed that all the constructs under investigation yielded an internal consistency reliability that is acceptable. Descriptive statistics were computed to summarise the data into usable information by making use of measures of central tendency. They were presented for each construct. The mean values for each construct was approximately neutral, which implies that many of the respondents neither agreed nor disagreed with the items. Regression and correlation analysis were undertaken to examine the effect of the various study constructs in line with the objectives of the study. The findings of the research depicted that there was a positive association between role conflict (RC), role ambiguity (RA), role overload (RO), time pressure (TP) on work tension (WT). The association between work tension (WT) and job satisfaction (JS) was found to be negative and significant. It was recommended among other things that the university management should put in place strategies to moderate RC, RA, RO, TP to reduce WT and job dissatisfaction.

M. Tech. (Department of Labour Relations Management, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / In the decade before 2005, South African organisations have had to cope with an ever-increasing rate of local and global changes. There have been considerable and ongoing socio-political changes, resulting from new Government regulations. Most organisations have experienced some type of downturn, whether due to external business factors or poor internal performance. A typical response to organisational decline is retrenchment. Retrenchment is attributed to cyclical downturns, market losses or other economic factors, which oblige the employer to reduce the labour force numbers. Though there are so many ways of responding to organisational failure, this study focused only on retrenchment. A number of psychologists and human sciences researchers have studied the results of job loss due to retrenchment. Retrenchment brings loss of skills, loss of morale and commitment, as well as physical and mental health degradation, including stress that results in employees withdrawing physically and emotionally. The main purpose of this study was to outline the employees’ perceptions of the effects of retrenchment on job stress and organisational commitment in a mining company. The research methodology used in this study is a combination of a literature review and an empirical study. The probability sampling technique, which entails using simple random sampling, was used to select the sample of the study. The primary data were collected using a questionnaire. The measuring instrument contained 43 items. The measuring instrument was pilot-tested with 50 respondents three weeks before the main survey; the questionnaire was self-administered to the participants. For the main survey, data from 294 respondents were collected and analysed. Participants in the study involved surface employees, including management, administrators, engineers and artisans. Data were analysed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of the various sections of the measuring instrument were computed to establish construct validity. Content validity was ascertained by pre-testing the questionnaire with the employees in the mine in question. Correlations were used to establish convergent validity of the constructs. Convergent validity was assessed to measure the degree of linear association of variables using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Discriminant validity was achieved by using regression analysis to show items loaded onto different factors in various sections which had more than one factor. Analysis was done using descriptive statistics on the demographic information of respondents. The results were also interpreted through correlation and regression analysis. The results showed that the effects of retrenchment did not have a negative impact on job stress (time stress and anxiety). This may be due to the mine in question planning and consulting with the employees prior to the retrenchment process. The results also showed that job stress (time stress and anxiety) is negatively associated with organisational commitment. Subsequent to these findings, it is recommended that employees (survivors) be updated on their future in the company in question. This could be done through regular workshops and counselling of employees. In order to motivate and engage employees, and thereby contribute to employee commitment, it was also recommended that organisations create open, supportive and fair organisational and team cultures, and ensure jobs are clearly aligned with organisational goals and have appropriate levels of autonomy, support and career development. Given that job satisfaction plays a huge role in organisational commitment, it was further recommended that managers need to actively improve their organisation’s job satisfaction to employees in order to achieve a higher level of organisational commitment. The study concludes by recommending that communication between employees and management should take place on a regular basis which can serve as a fundamental tool to retrenchment in the following manner:  Survivors will feel more committed to the organisation when the basis of retrenchment addresses the circumstances in the external environment, rather than the enrichment of shareholders or top management.  Communicating a clear vision of how retrenchment will benefit stakeholders, increases commitment since survivors can see a clear future for the organisation.  When survivors are treated with dignity and respect, they will feel more committed to the organisation because they feel appreciated.

The observed high turnover of nursing staff in some public hospitals in Luanda was assumed to give rise to staff shortages, resulting in work overload for the remaining nurses and poor service delivery. The aim of this study was to determine the reasons for the high turnover of nurses in public hospitals in the city of Luanda, and to determine the actual turnover over a two-year period. The researcher adopted a quantitative approach with an exploratory and descriptive design, using a questionnaire for data collection from a sample of 100 respondents consisting of the Directors of Nursing, Directors of Human Resources and Heads of Departments (ward/units) in seven public hospitals. The study found that the most common reasons for the resignation of nurses were retirement, ill health, and better remuneration and working conditions elsewhere. Lack of motivation could be ascribed to the perceived low remuneration, insufficient supplies and equipment, being overworked due to staff shortages, unsafe working environment and poor conditions of service. Recommendations were made to tackle these issues. It was however not possible to determine the actual extent of nurses resigning from the public hospitals. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

Note from the Library: The fulltext electronic version of this thesis has been removed due to restricted content. Please contact the Unisa Library for more details. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial Psychology)

Die motivering vir die studie was die leemte aan en behoefte vir navorsing oor dubbelloopbaanhuwelike en tussenrolkonflik in Suid-Afrika. Die doelstelling was om vas te stel of daar 'n verband tussen tussenrolkonflik en werkstevredenheid by egpare in dubbelloopbaanhuwelike bestaan, en of eggenotes in sodanige huwelike tussenrolkonflik en werkstevredenheid verskillend ervaar. 'n Teoretiese ondersoek oor tussenrolkonflik en werkstevredenheid is gedoen. Die empiriese ondersoek het bestaan uit die meting van hierdie veranderlikes met behulp van Tussenrolkonflik- en Behoeftebevredigingsvraelyste. Die resultate toon aan dat daar geen statisties beduidende verbande tussen die veranderlikes bestaan nie. Daar bestaan ook geen statisties beduidende verskille tussen mans en vroue in dubbelloopbaanhuwelike ten opsigte van hul ervaring van tussenrolkonflik en werkstevredenheid nie. Die studie dra by tot 'n beter begrip van tussenrolkonflik in dubbelloopbaanhuwelike, en toon aan dat die Tussenrolkonflikvraelys betroubare resultate in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks kan lewer. Die resultate toon egter dat wyer, meer gesofistikeerde navorsing belangrik is. / In order to fill the gap in existing research on the topic, this study was undertaken to establish whether a relationship exists between interrole conflict and job satisfaction in married couples with full time careers, and whether these couples experience interrole conflict and job satisfaction differently. A theoretical study regarding interrole conflict and job satisfaction was undertaken. In the empirical study these variables were measured using Need Satisfaction and lnterrole Conflict Questionnaires. No statistically significant relationships were found between interrole conflict and job satisfaction; and no statistically significant differences exist between men and women with regard to their experience of job satisfaction and interrole conflict. The research contributes towards a better understanding of interrole conflict in dual career marriages, and indicates that the lnterrole Conflict Questionnaire can deliver reliable results in the South African context. However, the results show the importance of wider, more sophisticated research. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / MCOM (Bedrysielkunde)

The aim of the study was to test the hypothesis developed by the author which states that most of the variation in nurses' anxiety when dealing with HIV/AIDS patients can be explained by the combination of the variables Knowledge on HIV, Judgement of Risk, Homophobia, Death Anxiety and Perceived Social Support. 72 nurses representing two state hospitals and one private hospital volunteered to participate in the study, and completed questionnaires. Contrary to the findings in the literature study, the nurses in the sample were not found to be reluctant or anxious when caring for HIV/AIDS patients. A multiple regression analysis revealed that the hypothesis is confirmed, that the independent variables explain some variation (R = 0.649) in the dependent variable to a significant degree. There are indications that uninvestigated variables are however also at play, and should be considered for future research. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study focused on the plight of teachers in the challenging traumatic context of high-risk schools on the Cape Flats, Western Cape, South Africa. Study aims were to measure the stress and burnout of educators and analyse the effect of three different interventions using psycho-educational workshops. Forty-three educators in three secondary schools took part for 15 hours in total over 10 weeks, as well as a control group of 20 teachers. Interventions were grounded in trauma release exercises (TRE), transpersonal psychology (TP) and transactional analysis (TA) practice, and can be conceptualised as primarily physical, emotional and cognitive approaches to stress and burnout prevention. In a mixed-methods study based on the transactional stress model, quantitative data comprised statistical analysis of stress, personal, work and learner-induced burnout and well-being, at the pre- and post-intervention stages. An analysis of the text coding of the educators’ stress, burnout, coping and well-being accounts followed. The study then focused on qualitative thematic analysis of the focus group interviews. Perceived stress was significantly different between the three intervention groups and control group and learner burnout was significantly reduced in the TRE (p=0.02) and TA (p=0.02) groups. There were trends for stress and burnout reduction for the TP group. Coding analysis focused on the intra-and inter-individual TRE, TP and TA tools that had an impact on educators in their efforts to cope with stress and burnout. Focus group interviews gave thematic insights into physical, emotional and cognitive responses to stress and burnout interventions on the individual, interpersonal and organisational levels and revealed new perspectives on classroom competency, with educators taking more responsibility for discipline in the classroom, their greatest stressor. This study indicated that TRE, TP and TA interventions offer educators in high-risk schools physiological, affective and cognitive approaches to dealing with threat and trauma, assisting with stress and burnout reduction, facilitating renewed insights into classroom competency. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie het gefokus op die toestand van onderwysers in die uitdagende, traumatiese konteks van hoë-risiko skole op die Kaapse Vlakte van die Wes-Kaap, Suid-Afrika. Die doelstellings van die ondersoek was om stres en uitbranding by onderwysers te meet en om die invloed van drie verskillende intervensies, in die vorm van psigo-opvoedkundige werkswinkels, te analiseer. Drie-en-veertig opvoeders in drie sekondêre skole het oor 10 weke vir 15 uur in totaal deelgeneem, sowel as ‘n kontrolegroep van 20 onderwysers. Die ingrypings is gegrond in die praktyke van trauma-ontladingsoefeninge (trauma release exercises [TRE]), transpersoonlike sielkunde (transpersonal psychology [TP]) en transaksionele analise (transactional analysis [TA]), en kan hoofsaaklik as fisiese, emosionele en kognitiewe benaderings tot die voorkoming van stres en uitbranding gekonseptualiseer word. In ’n gemengde metode studie gebaseer op die transaksionele stresmodel, het die kwantitatiewe data bestaan uit statistiese analises van stres, persoonlike, werks- en leerdergeïnduseerde uitbranding en welstand, vóór en ná die ingrypings. Dit is gevolg deur ’n analise van die tekskodering van die opvoeders se verslae oor hulle stres, uitbranding, behartiging en welstand. Die studie het hierna gefokus op ’n kwalitatiewe tematiese analise van die fokusgroeponderhoude. Waargenome stres het beduidend tussen die drie intervensiegroepe en die kontrolegroep verskil en leerderuitbranding het beduidend in die TRE (p=.02) en TA (p=.02) groepe verminder. Daar was tekens van vermindering van stres en uitbranding in die TP groep. Koderingsanalise het gefokus op die intra- en inter-individuele TRE, TP en TA gereedskap wat ’n impak op opvoeders gehad het in hulle pogings om stres en uitbranding te hanteer. Fokusgroeponderhoude het tematiese insigte oor die fisiese, emosionele en kognitiewe reaksies op stres- en uitbrandingsingrypings op die individuele, interpersoonlike en organisatoriese vlak verskaf, met onderwysers wat groter verantwoordelikheid geneem het vir dissipline in die klaskamer, wat hulle vernaamste stressor is. Hierdie studie dui daarop dat TRE-, TP- en TA-ingrypings aan opvoeders in hoë-risiko skole fisiologiese, affektiewe en kognitiewe benaderings bied om bedreiging en trauma te hanteer. Dit dra by tot ’n vermindering van stres en uitbranding en fasiliteer nuwe insigte in klaskamerbevoegdheid.

Thesis (MCurr)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The imbalance between job demands and available resources could cause burnout which may impact quality patient care. A scientific investigation was conducted to evaluate burnout amongst primary health care (PHC) nurses. The objectives for the study were to identify the prevalence of burnout amongst PHC nurses and to explore the contributing factors to burnout in PHC settings. The Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model (Bakker and Demerouti, 2007:309) was used as a conceptual framework for the study. A non-experimental, descriptive cross-sectional design with a quantitative approach was applied. The population and sample consisted of professional nurses (PN) and clinical nurse practitioners (CNP) (n=72) in the Eden District of the Western Cape. A self-report questionnaire was used to collect the data in an uncontrolled, natural environment. Analysis of the results exposed high levels of burnout amongst PHC nurses. Nurses in PHC facilities all had an equal chance to develop burnout, regardless of their level of experience. The occurrence of burnout is equal in community health centres and in community clinics, although a trend was observed that subjects in community clinics may experience more emotional exhaustion. Work pressure, workload or an increase in job demands, lack of organisational support and management problems were rated as the main factors contributing to burnout. Recommendations were made to improve the working environments of PHC nurses in order to increase motivational levels, job satisfaction and to foster work engagement, as well as to reduce levels of burnout. Opportunities for further research are recommended. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die wanbalans tussen beroepseise en beskikbare hulpbronne kan uitbranding veroorsaak en gevolglik kwaliteit patiëntsorg beïnvloed. ‘n Wetenskaplike studie is gedoen om uitbranding onder primêre gesondheidsorg (PGS) verpleegkundiges te evalueer. Die doelstellings van die studie was om die voorkoms van uitbranding onder PGS-verpleegkundiges te identifiseer, en om die bydraende faktore wat aanleiding gee tot uitbranding in PGS-instellings, te ondersoek. Die Beroepseise-Hulpbronne model (Bakker and Demerouti, 2007:309) is as ‘n konsepsuele raamwerk vir die studie gebruik. 'n Nie-eksperimentele, beskrywende dwarssnit studie met 'n kwantitatiewe benadering, is toegepas. Die populasie en die steekproef het bestaan uit professionele verpleegkundiges en kliniese verpleeg praktisyns (n=72) in die Eden Distrik van die Wes-Kaap. ‘n Self-rapport vraelys was gebruik om data in ‘n ongekontroleerde, natuurlike omgewing te versamel. Die analisering van resultate het hoë vlakke van uitbranding onder verpleegkundiges in PGS-dienste ontbloot. Verpleegkundiges in PGS-fasiliteite het almal 'n gelyke kans om uitbranding te ontwikkel, ongeag die vlak van ondervinding. Die voorkoms van uitbranding is dieselfde in gemeenskaps-gesondheidsentrums en gemeenskapsklinieke, alhoewel daar ‘n neiging sigbaar was dat personeel in gemeenskapsklinieke meer emosionele uitputting ervaar. Werkdruk, werklas of toename in beroepseise, die gebrek aan organisatoriese ondersteuning en bestuursprobleme is aangewys as die hoof redes wat aanleiding gee tot uitbranding. Voorstelle is gemaak om die werksomgewing van PGS-verpleegkundiges te verbeter en om motiveringsvlakke en werkstevredenheid te herstel. Dit sal werksverbintenis versterk en die voorkoms van uitbranding beperk. Geleenthede vir verdere navorsing is aanbeveel.