The overall aim of the study was to examine work environment factors within the maritime industry. For this purpose a new measurement tool for work environment on board ships was developed. Further aims of the study were the examination of organizational culture, occupational stress and job satisfaction. 215 seafarers from 24 ships participated in the study. The response rate was at 35% for the whole sample. In order to investigate differences in organizational culture, a multivariate analysis was conducted, which revealed significant differences in organizational culture due to nationality and hierarchical position. In order to examine predictors of job satisfaction, multiple hierarchical block regression analysis were performed. Occupational stress and organizational culture emerged as significant predictors of job satisfaction. Especially relationships with co-workers and relationships with superiors emerged as predictive for job satisfaction. Social support and feedback from superiors showed the strongest predictive power for job satisfaction. The results in the study emphasize the importance of nationality and hierarchical position as important variables for measuring organizational culture. In addition, the importance of social relationships between co-workers and superiors are discussed. The aim of the study was to examine whether there were significant differences in organizational culture on board ships when looking at the variables nationality, hierarchical position and ship type. 215 Norwegian and Filipino seafarers from 24 ships participated in the study. The response rate was at 35% for the whole sample. Multivariate analysis revealed overall significant differences for the seven culture dimensions. In addition a significant difference of nation on the two factors (2) Working with the opposite gender and (3) Social support and feedback given by superiors emerged. Further multivariate analyses showed resulted in overall significant differences between hierarchical positions on organizational culture and especially on the factor (3) Emotional involvement in co-workers problems. The results emphasize the importance of including variables as nationality and hierarchical position when studying organizational culture within the maritime industry. The aim of the study was to examine the dimensions stress and organizational culture as predictors of job satisfaction within the specific conditions of the occupation of seafarers. In addition the impact of Social support and feedback given by superiors on job satisfaction was examined. 215 Norwegian and Filipino seafarers with different ranks from 24 different ships participated in this study. 97 of the respondents reported to be Officers/Managers and 87 of the respondents Ratings/Subordinates. The response rate was 35, 5 % for the entire sample. Multiple hierarchical block regression analysis were performed and revealed both stress and organizational culture as significant predictors of overall job satisfaction. Especially relationships with co-workers and relationships with superiors emerged as predictive for job satisfaction as a part of organizational culture. As predicted the factor Social support and feedback given by superiors had great predictive power for job satisfaction. The results emphasize the importance of organizational culture and especially relationships between the employees on board a ship.

Aim of the study. To explore and evaluate the frequency of stress and psychological violence experienced at work by nurses working at Kaunas district health care institutions, and to evaluate factors that cause stress and psychological violence. Methods. Information has been gathered using anonymous questionnaires distributed among 152 nurses working at health care institutions in Kaunas district. Statistical evaluation of the obtained data was performed using SPSS 12.0/w software package. Results. We found that 73.7% of nurses experienced stress. A statistically reliable relationship was detected between critical situations at home, workload, and stress (p<0.01). 11.2% of nurses felt absolutely unsafe and 41.4% - unsafe about retaining their work position in the future. 12.5% of nurses experienced psychological violence at work. Psychological violence towards nurses most frequently resulted from backbiting and rumours, lack of information affecting job quality and performance, and reminding about mistakes made at work. A statistically reliable relationship was found between negative experience at work and poor health estimation. Nurses who were ignored and isolated at work (p<0.05, OR 2.76 CI (1.07;7.10)), experienced (p<0.01, OR 3.71 CI(1.44; 9.52)), humiliation, and mockery (p<0.0001, OR 5.07 CI (2.07;12.41)) had a higher probability of evaluating their health as poor. 33.6% of nurses experienced patients’ and their relatives’ threats, and 2% of nurses experienced... [to full text]

Occupational stress is a major concern in Canadian society, and nurses have been identified as a high-risk population. In this study, levels of occupational stress (vicarious trauma, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout) were examined in Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs) and Emergency nurses. Our objectives were: 1) to compare levels of occupational stress between groups, 2) examine the relationship between occupational stress and job satisfaction, and 3) examine the relationship between job satisfaction, intention to leave, and absenteeism. Results showed no significant group differences on vicarious trauma and secondary traumatic stress, but significantly higher levels of burnout in Emergency nurses, and intention to leave one’s job significantly predicted job satisfaction in Emergency nurses. Although SANEs did not experience greater occupational stress, open-ended data indicated negative consequences to this work. However, both groups also spoke to the positive rewards of helping those in need. Implications for nursing practice are also discussed.

Continuous changes along with the increased pressure to perform may result in feelings of distrust, strain in interpersonal relations, psychological strain, fatigue and tension, all affecting the well-being of employees. Tracking and addressing the effectiveness of employees in the work context in areas that could impact on the standard of their services is important. Burnout and work engagement are specific focus areas in this regard. To measure burnout and work engagement, it is important to use reliable and valid instruments. However, there is a lack of empirical research systematically investigating burnout and work engagement in South Africa, as well as serious limitations, including poorly designed studies, a lack of sophisticated statistical analyses and poorly controlled studies. Furthermore, South Africa is a multicultural society and therefore, when burnout and work engagement measures are applied to different cultural groups, issues of equivalence become important. The objectives of this study were to standardise the MBI-GS and UWES for employees in an insurance company and to determine equivalence for each instrument, to determine the occupational stressors experienced and demographic differences in terms of the experience of occupational stressors and to test a causal model of work wellness consisting of burnout, work engagement, job demands, job resources, health, optimism and intention to leave. The research method for each of the three articles consists of a brief literature review and an empirical study. A cross-sectional survey design was used. An availability sample (N = 613) fiom employees in an insurance company was taken. The Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey (MBI-GS), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), Life Orientation Test - Revised (LOT-R), An Organisational Stress Screening Tool (ASSET), Job Characteristics Scale (JCS) and a biographical questionnaire were administered. The statistical analysis was carried out with the help of the SAS program and AMOS. The statistical methods utilised in the three articles consisted of descriptive statistics, Cronbach alpha coefficients, inter-item correlations, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients and structural equation modelling methods. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was also utilised to determine differences between the subgroups of the sample. Structural equation modelling confirmed a three-factor model of burnout, consisting of exhaustion, cynicism and professional efficacy. The three-factor model of work engagement represented the data quite well after certain items had been replaced due to semantic differences. The MBI-GS and UWES both showed acceptable internal consistencies. Construct equivalence for different language groups were confumed for the MBI-GS and UWES. The continuous exposure to things like change, competitiveness and rivalry may result in feelings of stress. Stress may have a negative impact on the health and well-being of individuals. Physical and psychological ill health was found to be the major outcome of stress for employees. Commitment moderated the effect of occupational stress on ill health. Specific occupational stressors indicated in an insurance company had to do with performance management, job characteristics, redundancy of skills and remuneration. Biographical factors (i.e. department, level, years' experience) had an impact on the experience of occupational stressors. A one-factor, four-factor and three-factor wellness model was tested. The three-factor model, comprising exhaustion and cynicism loading on burnout and a combined work engagement (vigour and dedication) dimension, provided the best fit with the data. The causal model of work wellness provides support for the COBE model, assuming job demands and job resources. A lack of job resources increases the levels of burnout of employees, as well as the intention to leave the organisation. The availability of job resources increases the levels of work engagement. Employees who experience excessive workloads are likely to develop high levels of burnout which, in turn, may lead to health problems. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

Occupational stress is a major concern in Canadian society, and nurses have been identified as a high-risk population. In this study, levels of occupational stress (vicarious trauma, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout) were examined in Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs) and Emergency nurses. Our objectives were: 1) to compare levels of occupational stress between groups, 2) examine the relationship between occupational stress and job satisfaction, and 3) examine the relationship between job satisfaction, intention to leave, and absenteeism. Results showed no significant group differences on vicarious trauma and secondary traumatic stress, but significantly higher levels of burnout in Emergency nurses, and intention to leave one’s job significantly predicted job satisfaction in Emergency nurses. Although SANEs did not experience greater occupational stress, open-ended data indicated negative consequences to this work. However, both groups also spoke to the positive rewards of helping those in need. Implications for nursing practice are also discussed.

Stress at work, apart from back pain, is the second work- related health problem most often met in the European Union. 28 % of employees with that problem. Stress at work causes more than a quarter of work- related health disorders. Employees of all professions encounter with that stress at work. Teachers make no exception. They often feel emotional stress because of unsufficient social support, they encounter with heavy workload. Social insulation or social elimination, work unappreciated, threat making or disruptions of inviduality are situations that can be measured as negative behavior at work. Manifestations of negative behavior predispose emerging of psychological terror. Aim of the study: is to explore and evaluate frequency of stress and psychological terror experienced at work by teachers working at Kaunas City Gymnasiums and secondary schools, and also the factors that cause such stress. Methods: information has been gathered using questionnaires for 475 teachers at Kaunas City gymnasiums and secondary schools. Information given in the questionnaires has been evaluated statistically using SPSS 11.5 for Windows program. Results: it has been found that 25.5 % of teachers suffer from psychological terror at work. 3 % of respondents feel psychological terror daily or several times a week. 80.1 % of educators feel stress. 14 % of teachers feel much stress. Most of tested persons (67.7 %) have good health, 13.4 %- very good, 14 %- poor. No one told that his health is... [to full text]

Continuous changes along with the increased pressure to perform may result in feelings of distrust, strain in interpersonal relations, psychological strain, fatigue and tension, all affecting the well-being of employees. Tracking and addressing the effectiveness of employees in the work context in areas that could impact on the standard of their services is important. Burnout and work engagement are specific focus areas in this regard. To measure burnout and work engagement, it is important to use reliable and valid instruments. However, there is a lack of empirical research systematically investigating burnout and work engagement in South Africa, as well as serious limitations, including poorly designed studies, a lack of sophisticated statistical analyses and poorly controlled studies. Furthermore, South Africa is a multicultural society and therefore, when burnout and work engagement measures are applied to different cultural groups, issues of equivalence become important. The objectives of this study were to standardise the MBI-GS and UWES for employees in an insurance company and to determine equivalence for each instrument, to determine the occupational stressors experienced and demographic differences in terms of the experience of occupational stressors and to test a causal model of work wellness consisting of burnout, work engagement, job demands, job resources, health, optimism and intention to leave. The research method for each of the three articles consists of a brief literature review and an empirical study. A cross-sectional survey design was used. An availability sample (N = 613) fiom employees in an insurance company was taken. The Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey (MBI-GS), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), Life Orientation Test - Revised (LOT-R), An Organisational Stress Screening Tool (ASSET), Job Characteristics Scale (JCS) and a biographical questionnaire were administered. The statistical analysis was carried out with the help of the SAS program and AMOS. The statistical methods utilised in the three articles consisted of descriptive statistics, Cronbach alpha coefficients, inter-item correlations, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients and structural equation modelling methods. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was also utilised to determine differences between the subgroups of the sample. Structural equation modelling confirmed a three-factor model of burnout, consisting of exhaustion, cynicism and professional efficacy. The three-factor model of work engagement represented the data quite well after certain items had been replaced due to semantic differences. The MBI-GS and UWES both showed acceptable internal consistencies. Construct equivalence for different language groups were confumed for the MBI-GS and UWES. The continuous exposure to things like change, competitiveness and rivalry may result in feelings of stress. Stress may have a negative impact on the health and well-being of individuals. Physical and psychological ill health was found to be the major outcome of stress for employees. Commitment moderated the effect of occupational stress on ill health. Specific occupational stressors indicated in an insurance company had to do with performance management, job characteristics, redundancy of skills and remuneration. Biographical factors (i.e. department, level, years' experience) had an impact on the experience of occupational stressors. A one-factor, four-factor and three-factor wellness model was tested. The three-factor model, comprising exhaustion and cynicism loading on burnout and a combined work engagement (vigour and dedication) dimension, provided the best fit with the data. The causal model of work wellness provides support for the COBE model, assuming job demands and job resources. A lack of job resources increases the levels of burnout of employees, as well as the intention to leave the organisation. The availability of job resources increases the levels of work engagement. Employees who experience excessive workloads are likely to develop high levels of burnout which, in turn, may lead to health problems. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

Higher educational institutions no longer provide the low-stress and highly satisfying working environment they once did. Higher educational institutions experience significant changes, which include restructuring, reduction of state subsidy and use of short-term contracts. Therefore, the changes in the higher educational environment can have costly implications for institutions in terms of staff morale, turnover and absenteeism rates and could also lead to reduced employee performance, poor quality control and a fall in production. It therefore becomes increasingly important for higher educational institutions to intervene to reduce the occupational stress of university staff. The objectives of this study were to determine the occupational stressors for support staff at a higher education institution in the North West Province, to investigate the relationship between occupational stress, ill health, organisational commitment and important organisational outcomes (including absenteeism, productivity and turnover intention) and to assess the financial implications of these factors in a sample of support staff at a higher education institution in the North West Province. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The study population consisted of support staff at a higher education institution in the North West Province (N = 292). An Organisational Screening Tool (ASSET) and a biographical questionnaire were administered. Descriptive statistics, Pearson and Spearman correlations, multiple regression analyses and discriminant analysis were used to analyse the results. The results showed that, compared to normative data, support staff overall demonstrated average levels of occupational stress. However, job control, resources, communication and work relationships were found to be problematic stressors which mainly influenced organisational commitment to the organisation. The prediction of losses suffered by the higher educational institution due to absenteeism, presenteeism and turnover intention indicate that occupational stress cost organisations greatly. Recommendations were made for the organisation and for future research. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

This qualitative study explored the challenges and stressors that are experienced by addiction counsellors in providing substance abuse treatment. In order to tap into rich and descriptive information on occupational stress in the addictions field, a modified grounded theory focused on conceptual ordering (Corbin & Strauss, 1998) was used for the research design. Participant sample consisted of 10 addiction counsellors who were recruited using purposeful selection from addiction treatment centres in Ontario, Canada. Data collection was conducted through face-to-face interviews using semi-structured, open-ended questions. Four major categories emerged from the data analysis using systematic thematic analysis: 1) Sources of Stress, 2) Signs and Consequences of Stress, 3) Stress Management and Intervention, and 4) Resiliency Against Stress. Results from this study contribute to the understanding of occupational stress in addictions counsellors. Implications for addiction organizations, educators, and counsellors are discussed.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1995.