The complex environment of an intensive care unit is associated with a considerable amount of stress. Intensive care nurses are confronted daily with increasing work demands, emanating from the growing numbers of critically-ill patients; the introduction of highly sophisticated technologies in the intensive care environment; increasing competition between health care institutions; increased work loads; and limited career opportunities caused by, among other things, budget cuts by the government (Janssen, De Jonge & Bakker, 1999:1360). Research has shown that such stressors can result in mental, physical and behavioural stress reactions among nurses (Demerouti, Bakker, Nachreiner and Schaufeli, 2000:454). The objective of this study is to explore and describe registered nurses’ perceptions of factors causing stress in intensive care environments of state hospitals. The main purpose of the study is to develop guidelines for a stress management programme, to assist registered nurses to cope with the stressors in an intensive care environment. The research design is placed within a quantitative, explorative and descriptive contextual framework. Validity and reliability in testing and evaluating the research questionnaire are discussed, as well as the ethical and legal considerations relating to this research study. Findings of the research study will be utilized to assist the researcher in developing guidelines for a stress management programme to assist registered nurses in coping with stress in an intensive care environment

M.A. (Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

The aim of this study is to explore and describe the coping skills of registered nurses in a changed working environment. The research is conducted in the City Health clinics. The objectives of the study are:  to identify strategies which nurses use to cope with the changes in the health care services;  to explore appropriate support systems that will enhance the coping skills of registered nurses in clinics in the City Health Department; and  to deduce guidelines on how to support staff from the literature study and the results of the research. The research problem is the following: nurses in primary health care facilities do not adequately cope with major changes in health care delivery. A qualitative approach for the research was chosen. Personal interviews and focus group discussions were used to identify the coping skills of registered nurses. Data analysis was done manually. Transcriptions of recordings of the individual interviews and group discussions were done. Themes were organized and categorized into meaningful links and relationships. The findings indicate that the following factors improve the coping skills of registered nurses:  team-work and support;  to voice your opinion when necessary and good communication between staff;  regular breaks during working hours;  inherent factors for example strong spiritual and emotional strength that assist registered nurses to cope;  family support;  the provision of quality care is rewarding;  the assistance and support from the church (congregation);  the effective re-organisation of health services;  continuous support programs for staff; and  continuous education to develop skills of registered nurses. / Advanced Nursing -- Psychological aspects / M.A.

Thesis (MComm (Industrial Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Teachers in the post-apartheid South Africa experience multiple, complex and constantly changing requirements within the teaching context, which contributes to high levels of stress. They are often faced with different challenges than those in more developed countries. For example, a lack of sufficient resources is a common occurrence in schools in South Africa. Furthermore, teachers regularly engage in multiple roles (e.g. that of the educator, social worker, nurse, etc.) Hence, some researchers identify teaching as a particularly stressful occupation, and suggest that teachers experience disproportionately high levels of stress, when compared to other occupations. Some reasons provided for the occurrence of this include long working hours, high workloads, lack of discipline and respect from learners, and the new South African curriculum, enforcing learner-centred or cooperative teaching methods. Consequences of teachers experiencing high levels of stress have ultimately resulted in the South African government admitting that they are facing a shortage in skilled teachers. Therefore, promoting the well-being of teachers is crucial. There is a need to invest in teacher well-being, in order to reduce the occurrence and consequences of stress in the workplace. The central role that emotions play in the stress process is increasingly recognised. It is said that an individual will experience stress and strain, if they perceive the situation as negative or stressful. For this reason, emotional intelligence (EI) has led to a new focus on the role of emotions in the workplace. More specifically, EI involves expressing, recognising, understanding and managing emotions. Research has proven that EI serves a buffering role against stress, and those individuals with higher EI experience better overall health. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In ‘n post-apartheid era kom Suid Afrikaanse onderwysers te staan teen ‘n stel vereistes wat voortdurend verander, asook kompleks en veelvoudig van aard is. Binne die opvoedkunde konteks dra hierdie faktore by tot hoë vlakke van stres. In kontras met ontwikkelde lande, staar Suid Afrikaanse onderwysers verskillende uitdagings in die gesig. Een voorbeeld behels die gebrek aan genoegsame hulpbronne, `n algemene verskynsel in Suid Afrikaanse skole. Voorts vervul onderwysers ook voortdurend verskeie rolle (bv. opvoeder, maatskaplike werker, verpleegster ens.). In vergeleke met ander beroepe, het sommige navorsers al uitgewys dat onderwysers aan buitengewone hoë stresvlakke blootgestel word. Hierdie hoë voorkoms van stres kan toe geskryf word aan lang werksure, hoë werkslading, gebrek aan dissipline en respek van leerders, asook die nuwe Suid-Afrikaanse kurrikulum wat leerder-gefokusde en uitkomsgebaseerde metodes afdwing. Gevolglik het die Suid-Afrikaanse regering onlangs erken dat daar tans ‘n gebrek aan opgeleide onderwysers bestaan. Daar is `n behoefte om in onderwysers se welstand te belê, ten einde die voorkoms en gevolge van stres in die werksplek te verminder. Die sentrale rol wat emosies speel in die stres-proses ontvang toenemend meer erkenning. Daar word aangevoer dat individue stres en spanning sal ondervind, indien hulle die situasie as negatief evalueer. Emosionele intelligensie (EI) het dus gelei tot ‘n nuwe bewustheid van die rol wat emosies in die werksplek speel. EI behels die uitdrukking, erkenning, begrip en bestuur van emosies. Navorsing toon dat EI ‘n buffer teen stres vorm, en diegene met hoër vlakke van EI ervaar beter algehele gesondheid. Tot op hede, is daar egter min navorsing gedoen ten opsigte van die rol wat EI vertolk in die stres-proses soos wat dit spesifiek deur onderwysers ervaar word. Hierdie tesis het die verwantskap tussen EI en beroepsverwante stres, spanning (fisiese- en sielkundige welstand), en die uitkomste van stres (werksatisfaksie, organisatoriese toewyding en werk-familie konflik) ondersoek.

The aim of this study is to explore and describe the coping skills of registered nurses in a changed working environment. The research is conducted in the City Health clinics. The objectives of the study are:  to identify strategies which nurses use to cope with the changes in the health care services;  to explore appropriate support systems that will enhance the coping skills of registered nurses in clinics in the City Health Department; and  to deduce guidelines on how to support staff from the literature study and the results of the research. The research problem is the following: nurses in primary health care facilities do not adequately cope with major changes in health care delivery. A qualitative approach for the research was chosen. Personal interviews and focus group discussions were used to identify the coping skills of registered nurses. Data analysis was done manually. Transcriptions of recordings of the individual interviews and group discussions were done. Themes were organized and categorized into meaningful links and relationships. The findings indicate that the following factors improve the coping skills of registered nurses:  team-work and support;  to voice your opinion when necessary and good communication between staff;  regular breaks during working hours;  inherent factors for example strong spiritual and emotional strength that assist registered nurses to cope;  family support;  the provision of quality care is rewarding;  the assistance and support from the church (congregation);  the effective re-organisation of health services;  continuous support programs for staff; and  continuous education to develop skills of registered nurses. / Advanced Nursing -- Psychological aspects / M.A.

M.A. / Little is known about how police officers who are exposed to daily traumatic stressors in their working environment cope with these experiences, or how the coping strategies that they utilize mediate the levels of psychological distress and possible development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Focusing on 109 Brixton Flying Squad members of the South African Police Service, this exploratory study assessed the coping strategies and levels of psychological distress reported by these officers following traumatic exposure. The study examined the relative frequency of using eight ways of coping (as assessed by the Ways of Coping Checklist-Revised) with traumatic policing experiences and the association between the use of those coping strategies and subsequent development of symptomatologies and PTSD. Consistent with previous studies with combat veterans, police officers predominantly used emotion-focused coping strategies to cope with traumatic stressors. Nearly a third of the police officers met psychometric criteria for a positive screening diagnosis for PTSD. Results indicated that PTSD positive subjects tended to use relatively more escape –avoidance in coping with trauma, as opposed to PTSD negative subjects. Significantly higher levels of psychological distress, especially depression were also found for PTSD positive subjects, and the use of emotion-focused strategies was positively related to greater PTSD symptom severity and elevated levels of psychological distress. Findings demonstrated the mediating role of coping strategies that have the potential to become either adaptive or maladaptive to occupational and psychological functioning. These preliminary findings are discussed in-relation to methodologic and clinical issues.

MPH / Department of Public Health / Introduction: Students in universities are exposed to various stressors which affect them to progress in their studies. The sources of stress are varied and ranging from challenges resulting from family background and history, the present circumstances and the uncertain future. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to explore factors that contribute to stress among students at a selected university in rural South Africa. Method: This research employed a qualitative descriptive approach using an explorative design to explore the factors contributing to stress among students at a selected university in South Africa. The study utilised convenience sampling to select participants who met the criteria of inclusion and in-depth interviews were used to collect data. Informed consent, confidentiality, anonymity, privacy and protect participants from being harmed were observed in the study. Data was analysed using Tesch method. Results: The following themes were derived from data analysis: Personal, relationship environmental, academic factors. Recommendations: Students specific health promotion programmes should be introduced to raise awareness about stress and management of it. Conclusions: The study concludes that students experience high levels of stress during their studies therefore it is important for the university health authorities to introduce stress management programs for students. / NRF

This research worked toward a general aim of analysing the role of salutogenic functioning as moderator variable in coping and noncoping. A sample of forty-one community service doctors (N = 41) employed in KwaZulu-Natal hospitals was obtained. According to the literature, salutogenic properties are expected to act as generalised resistance resources. Based on this assertion, it was assumed that: degree of salutogenic functioning = degree of coping = degree of stress and burnout. The results demonstrated high levels of stress and depersonalisation burnout. Salutogenic functioning tended to be low, especially for sense of coherence. The results indicated, no significant relationship between stress/burnout and salutogenic functioning. Salutogenic functioning was unable to differentiate between copers and noncopers. These results contradicted the literature assertion that high scores on salutogenic functioning correlate with low scores on stress/burnout. It was concluded that variables other than personality moderated for the high levels of stress and burnout in the sample. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial Psychology)

OPSOMMING Die doel van die navorsingstudie is om die voorkoms en hantering van werksres by maatskaplike werkers in die Paarl-omgewing te ondersoek ten einde aanbevelings aan die bestuur van welsynsorganisasies te maak met die oog op die bevordering van effektiewe stresbestuur by maatskaplike werkers. Elf welsynsorganisasies in die Paarl-omgewing is in die ondersoek betrek en twintig maatskaplike werkers het aan die ondersoek deelgeneem. Na aanleiding van die empiriese ondersoek is daar tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat maatskaplike werkers in die Paarl-omgewing wel werkstres ervaar en dat die meerderheid welsynsorganisasies in die Paarl-omgewing nie oor programme vir streshantering vir hul maatskaplike werkers beskik nie. Daar word onder meer aanbeveel dat beide die maatskaplike werker en die bestuur van die welsynsorganisasie mede-verantwoordelikheid moet neem vir die maatskaplike werker se effektiewe stresbestuur deur middel van individuele- en organisatoriese streshanteringstrategieë. SUMMARY The purpose of this research study is to investigate the occurrence and management of work stress by social workers in the Paarl-vicinity in order to make recommendations to the management of welfare organisations regarding the promotion of effective stress management of social workers. Eleven welfare organisations in the Paarl-vicinity were involved in the investigation while twenty social workers participated in the investigation. With reference to the empirical study, it was concluded that social workers in the Paarl-vicinity do experience work stress and that the majority of the welfare organisations in the Paarl-vicinity do not have programmes for stress management available for their social workers. Based on these conclusions it was recommended that both the social worker and the organisations must take co-responsibility for the social workers effective stress management by utilizing individual- and organisational stress management strategies. / Social work / M.Diac.

Limited research has investigated the stress-related experiences of South African nursing students. Moreover, there is a scarcity of empirical studies that have reported on the development and evaluation of psycho-educational stress-management programmes that focus on both pathogenic, as well as positive and meaning-related factors among nursing students. The aim of this investigation was to study compassion fatigue, burnout, compassion satisfaction and meaning in life among a sample of nursing students with the aim of developing, and then empirically evaluating, a psycho-educational stress-management programme. The psycho-educational stress-management programme was articulated from a logotherapy-based perspective. A research design, consisting of three interdependent phases, was used to pursue the aim of the study. The aim of phase 1 was to describe the (1) prevalence of, and (2) correlations between, the deleterious and positive and meaningful effects of caring and among a sample of 80 nursing students (Mage = 22.40 years, SD = 11.1, female = 91.25%). The results indicated that participants may benefit from a logotherapy-based psycho-educational stress-management programme. The purpose of phase 2 of the study was to develop a logotherapy-based psycho-educational stress-management programme for nursing students. The goal of the logotherapy-based psycho-educational stress-management programme was to assist participants to develop the skills, knowledge and abilities that may be required to address deleterious challenges, and enhance positive and meaning-related opportunities. In phase 3 the logotherapy-based psycho-educational stress-management programme was presented to a sample of 42 first year nursing students (Mage = 20.21, SD = 1.57, female = 79.31%). A convergent parallel mixed methods research design was used to evaluate the efficacy of the logotherapy-based psycho-educational stress-management programme. Quantitative results indicated (1) a reduction in compassion fatigue and burnout, and (2) an increase in compassion satisfaction and meaning in life, scores over the course of the programme. Qualitative analysis supported the quantitative results. It was subsequently concluded that the logotherapy-based psycho-educational stress-management programme was effective in assisting participants to address the deleterious , as well embrace the positive and meaning-related effects of caring. However, ongoing support may be required to fully assist nursing students to address stressful challenges. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)