Personality, ways of coping and occupational burnout were examined within the context of child care work, using a number of self-report questionnaires. Subjects included 70 full-time child care workers from children's homes in the Natal-KwaZulu area. The subject sample was treated as one group, as environmental sources of stress were perceived more or less consistently across the population. Stepwise multiple regression was used to assess the relationships between personality (neuroticism, extraversion) and ways of coping and the three facets of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and personal accomplishment). Demographic variables such as age and experience were also explored. Varying degrees of burnout were found, with particularly high levels of diminished personal accomplishment. Both emotion- and problem-focused coping strategies contributed significantly to the burnout response, with emotion-focused coping being the most frequently reported coping strategy. Significant relationships were found between personality and burnout. Neuroticism contributed a significant proportion of the variance in all three dimensions of burnout, particularly emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation. Extraversion and psychoticism contributed significantly to higher levels of personal accomplishment. A significant relationship was found between personality and ways of coping. Neuroticism contributed significantly to the prediction of emotion-focused coping strategies, particularly wishful thinking and self-blame. Extraversion was found to contribute significantly to problem-focused coping and growth-oriented coping. Demographic variables, particularly age and experience, were found to influence both burnout and coping responses. Ethnic identity was found to influence the coping strategies used. The results were discussed primarily in terms of their function as defenses, or as efforts to adapt (successfully or unsuccessfully) to the stress being experienced, and as vulnerability factors. The importance of contextual factors in the stress and burnout process, particularly within the current South African context, was highlighted. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1997.

Tyrimo tikslas - ištirti pacientų, patyrusių nudegimo traumas, slaugos problemas ir jų kaitą. Tyrimo uždaviniai: 1. Ištirti pacientų, patyrusių lengvas, vidutinio sunkumo ir sunkias nudegimo traumas, slaugos problemas ir jų kaitą. 2. Ištirti pacientų, patyrusių nudegimo traumas, slaugos problemų priklausomybę nuo traumos sunkumo. 3. Parengti praktines rekomendacijas. Tyrimo metodika. Tyrimas vyko 2006 birželio - 2007 vasario mėn. KMUK Plastinės rekonstrukcijos ir chirurgijos klinikoje. Buvo tiriamos trys respondentų grupės: lengvas, vidutines bei sunkias nudegimo traumas patyrę pacientai (n=107). Atsako dažnis - 85,7 proc. Tyrimui taikyta dviejų etapų anoniminė anketinė apklausa: respondentai buvo apklausiami po patirtos traumos praėjus 10 dienų ir 17 dienų. Išvados. Lengvas nudegimo traumas patyrę pacientai I ir II vertinimo metu pacientai labiausiai skundėsi skausmu ir nerimu prieš miegą, mitybos trūkumu ir skausmingu vaikščiojimu. Vertinant problemų kaitą nustatyta, kad I vertinimo metu šios grupės respondentai dažniau skund��si padažnėjusiu šlapinimusi, o II vertinimo - vidurių užkietėjimu. Pacientai, patyrę vidutinio sunkumo nudegimo traumas, I ir II vertinimo metu dažniausiai skundėsi skausmu bei nerimu prieš miegą, karščiavimu bei papildomo maisto trūkumu. I vertinimo metu šios grupės respondentai dažniau skundėsi karščiavimu, ribotomis galimybėmis pasikeisti baltinius ir judėti. Niežuliu didesnė respondentų dalis skundėsi antrojo vertinimo metu. Pacientai, patyrę... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Object of the research - to investigate the nursing problems and their alternation in patients with burns. Goals of the research: 1. To investigate the nursing problems and their alternation of patients with minor, moderate and major burns. 2. To investigate the dependency upon the degree of burn trauma and the nursing problems. 3. To prepare practical recommendations. Methods of the research. The research was carried on from July, 2006 to February, 2007 in the Clinic of Plastic Reconstruction and Surgery in Kaunas Medical University Hospital. 3 groups of patients with minor, moderate and major traumas participated in the research. There were 107 respondents. The research was carried on in two stages: the questioning after 10 and 17 days of burn trauma. The interview was anonymous with the response rate of 85,7 per. Conclusions. During the first and the second interviews the patients with minor burn trauma complained about pain and uneasiness before bedtime, lack of feeding, painful walking. Evaluating the alternation in nursing problems it was found out that the patients more often complained about rapid urination in the first part of questioning and about constipation in the second part. During the first and the second interviews the patients with moderate burn traumas complained about pain and uneasiness before bedtime, fever and lack of extra feeding. Evaluating a change of problems, it was found out that in the first part of questioning the patients more often complained... [to full text]

Prison or paradise is a matter of perspective; within the walls of a highly institutionalized work camp in northern Alberta, it is one that employees are constantly negotiating, as the boundaries that typically separate areas of work, sleep, play and life blur. By adopting an interactionist perspective, existing theories of organizational structure and human interaction within the framework of a total institution can be analyzed and expanded. As growing demand for these specialized work camps grows in the region, employers and workers alike can benefit from integrating this level of social interaction into both camp amenities and daily routine. The very framework that promotes compliance, order and security for the stability of the institution also, simultaneously, limits and controls the freedom and autonomy of those within it, leading to disengagement and burnout. However, ethnographic interviews conducted at the Kearl site have revealed that many workers have elected to cope with the stress of institutionalized living through an alternative method: by connecting with their fellow co-workers through friendship and choosing community engagement over dissociation.

An integrated model of teacher burnout is presented as the backdrop to a personal history of one distressed teacher. Using a series of collaborative interviews, Sarah's experiences as a classroom teacher are explored as part of a search for the contributors to her feelings of distress and disatisfaction with teaching. A number of themes are identified which relate to Sarah's life in the classroom, her search for autonomy and proximity, and the diversity of her roles within the bureaucracy of the school and the network of her family. Sarah has developed an inventory of coping resources compatible with her values, goals, commitments and personal style. She includes problem-focused, emotion-focused, and preventive strategies. As the study progressed, we came to believe that the fundamental stressors in Sarah's life have arisen out of the fact that she is a woman, doing a woman's work of teaching and nurturing a family, and experiencing all of the expected and unique stressors that are a part of that experience. The complex role of women in teaching is discussed, and the suggestion is made that the nature of schooling would change if women had greater access to decision-making levels within their profession. Suggestions are also made regarding inservice and preservice training for teachers in order to increase their coping resources. / xi, 164 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm.

Almost 40% of the Canadian workforce shows signs of progressive burnout. For a variety of reasons, stress within the workplace appears to be increasing. The popular press and academic journals suggest that chronic job stres, burnout, will be most significant workplace issue in the new millennium. Although both men and women suffer from stress and burnout, it appears that women are at a greater risk than men. Unfortunately, research on the relationship between women's stress and their heatlh has not kept pace with the popularization of the problem. We could understand this relationship better if we had more information about women, their health history (including phases of development over the life span), and occupational history. Relatedly, as the baby-boomer generation ages to mid-life, there appears to be a sea change on the horizon: one in which women are demanding answers and knowledge about the process of menopause and its effect on their lives, inside and outside the home. To fill this void, the proposed research will address the life change of women, and specifically, how their stages of development and occupational and health histories relate to the experience of burnout. / xv, 126 leaves ; 29 cm.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether team and individual, male and female athletes, have different potentials for burnout, and to examine if these populations use different coping strategies. / One-hundred and sixteen male, and 57 female varsity and elite judo athletes completed the EABI and COPE inventories and a personal background form. T-tests confirmed individual sport athletes to be more prone to burnout than team sport athletes, high level athletes more prone to burnout than those at lower competitive levels and emotional social support as a coping strategy more prevalent among team than individual sport athletes. No differences were found between males and females in proneness to burnout or means of coping. The length of sport involvement was not found related to proneness to burnout. The importance of sport in athletes' lives gave mixed results when related to burnout. / These results, while confirming some earlier findings suggest also the need for further study.

The education system in South Africa is undergoing vast changes in the post apartheid era. These include amalgamating the previously segregated departments, developing disadvantaged schools, financial cut-backs and the implementation of the controversial Right Sizing Document (1996). Kwa Zulu-Natal currently has a severe shortage of education facilities. Many children are not attending school and there is a dire need for qualified educators. Outcomes Based Education is being phased in, concurrently with the other changes. Despite this, the Right Sizing Document calls for a reduction in teaching personnel. It is unclear how reorganisation and the prospects of redundancy and redeployment have affected teachers. The aims of this study were to determine teachers' mental health status, stress levels and incidence of burnout during a period of major transformation and to explore teachers' perceptions of the changes. The researcher used a descriptive cross sectional design. A sample of 217 teachers was used, from urban primary and secondary government schools in the Pietermaritzburg North region. Data were collected using two standardised self-report measures, the General Health Questionnaire (Best 30 item version) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Teachers were also asked to respond to a list of statements on Redundancy and Reorganisation Issues, designed by the researcher. The data were analysed by z-tests, analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation, Mann-Whitney tests and Kruskal-Wallis one way analysis of variance. Responses to an open-ended question were analysed qualitatively. The findings indicated extremely high distress levels for all the respondents, irrespective of age, gender and post level, in comparison with published norms and the findings of other studies. This distress did not appear to be associated with their own professional role and competence as teachers but seemed to relate to the uncertainty of their employment situation. The impact of the current changes on teachers' psychological and physical well-being were reflected by their responses to statements in the Redundancy and Reorganisation section of the questionnaire. It is recommended that the education authorities should develop a recovery strategy to address this urgent situation. Consultation and negotiation with teachers should be an inherent aspect of reorganisation and change, to prevent a repetition of the current situation. The role of professional organisations and various other issues that warrant further investigation are specified. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1998.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of certain demographic and personality factors to the experience of burnout in teachers. A number of other studies recommended the investigation of these variables as possible factors influencing burnout. Using a sample of 141 teachers from both Private and State schools in the Pietermaritzburg area, certain variables were investigated. The demographic factors included age, gender, marital status, number of children, class size, and type of school. The personality factors included five factors of Neuroticism, Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Openness to Experience and Agreeableness, as measured on the Neo-Five Factor Inventory. Burnout was measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory. A Correlation Matrix was used to determine the relationship of the demographic and personality factors to the dimensions of burnout. A Stepwise Multiple Regression Analysis was done to determine which factors related best to the dimensions of burnout. Results indicated that certain aspects of personality and demographic variables such as Neuroticism, Extraversion, age, marital status, number of children, type of school, and class size were significantly related to the components of burnout. The research findings indicated that younger teachers are more prone to burnout than older teachers; that single teachers experience more stress and burnout than married teachers; and that having children acts as a buffer against stress and burnout. Male and females did not appear to differ in their experience of burnout. Of the personality variables explored, people scoring high on Neuroticism and low on Extraversion were found to be prone to burnout. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1997.

Stress among nurses is still perceived as a challenge experienced by the nursing profession. Several studies have shown the negative impact of stress on both nurses and patients. However, little is known about the factors influencing stress among nurses in Rwanda. Aim: The overall aim of the study was to explore the factors contributing to nurses’ stress and related coping strategies used by nurses in the University Teaching Hospital of Butare (UTHB), Rwanda. Methods: The researcher used a non-experimental, descriptive study to explore the factors contributing to nurses’ stress and related coping strategies used by nurses in the University Teaching Hospital of Butare, Rwanda. This study was informed by a stress and coping theoretical framework. A questionnaire was used to collect the demographic characteristics of participants, while nurses’ stressors were assessed using the questionnaire of nurse’s stressors previously developed by Bianchi. The ways of coping were evaluated using the ways of coping elaborated by Folkman & Lazarus. A convenient sampling of 85 registered nurses, working at UTHB, participated in this study. Permission to conduct the study was requested and obtained from the University of KwaZulu-Natal Ethics Committee, the Kigali Health Institute -Institutional Review Board and the management of UTHB. The data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 15, and was summarized using descriptive statistics. The results were presented in tables and graphs. Results: The findings of the study revealed that registered nurses at UTHB face a variety of stressors such as shortages of staff and materials, facing death and dying, dissatisfaction with the work environment, work overload and time spent on bureaucratic activities. It was shown that consequences of stress vis-à-vis registered nurses could be low quality of care, job dissatisfaction and burnout syndrome. Among the major strategies of coping with stress, registered nurses have indicated problem solving, social support and accepting responsibility. This study indicates that stress can be prevented and managed by using vi nursing strategies such as team work, effective communication improving work conditions and fostering the managerial nursing strategies in working unit. Conclusion: Drawing from these findings, it can be inferred that nurses’ stressors need to be addressed in order to create a working environment conducive to high quality of care and also to enhance nursing staff morale, satisfaction, motivation and retention. / Thesis (M.N.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

Due to medical advances, there has been an increased number of burn survivors, thus creating a dire need for research on burn recovery. As 70% of burn-injured patients are male, it is especially important to examine how men understand healing from a burn injury. One way to explore this is by investigating men’s stories of healing because it is through and by the experiential space of narrative that individuals are provided with the tools to reflect on and find meaning from their experiences of burn injuries. This thesis examined narratives men constructed about healing from a burn injury. Adult men with 0.5 – 30% total body surface area burned were recruited for an in-depth semi-structured interview, two to fifty-two weeks post-injury. Narrative analysis of the transcripts revealed that men principally constructed a dominant narrative that involved wanting to return to a life that was “normal” as soon as possible. I argue that these stories are indicative of a restitution storyline, that is, they follow a plotline in which the men view themselves as being temporarily injured but soon recovered. I then explore how agency, or more specifically, how agentic behaviours facilitate these narratives about men returning to their pre-injury selves. Men also constructed narratives about boredom, grief and regrets at the same time as the restitution narratives. These narratives indicated distress because they were counter to the stories that the men wanted to construct. The discussion contextualizes the men’s restitution narratives in terms of masculine socialization, and considers the role of agency in informing narrative plotlines. Lastly, recommendations to health care providers who treat men that have survived a burn injury are provided.