Tidigare forskning har visat att tidspress och arbetsbelastning som vi i denna studie kallar pressfaktorer är vanliga orsaker till arbetsrelaterad stress för revisorer. Forskning har även visat att långvarig stress är ett växande folkhälsoproblem som kan få förödande konsekvenser om man inte hanterar den. Något som oss veterligen inte är beforskat är hur sambandet mellan pressfaktorer och arbetsrelaterad stress påverkas av fysisk aktivitet.      Syftet med denna studie är att förklara hur sambandet mellan revisorers pressfaktorer och arbetsrelaterad stress påverkas av fysisk aktivitet. För att uppnå syftet har litteratur som behandlar tidspress, arbetsbelastning, arbetsrelaterad stress och fysisk aktivitet använts. Det har konstruerats tre hypoteser utifrån tidigare forskning. För att testa hypoteserna användes en webbaserad enkätundersökning riktad till personer som arbetar inom revision.   Studien visar att tidspress och arbetsbelastning är förklarande faktorer till arbetsrelaterad stress för revisorer. Däremot visar resultatet inte att fysisk aktivitet har en modererande effekt på det positiva sambandet mellan pressfaktorer och arbetsrelaterad stress. Resultaten visar dock att fysisk aktivitet har en mildrande effekt direkt kopplat till den arbetsrelaterade stressen.   Studiens viktigaste bidrag är att ge ökad insikt till revisionsbranschen om att sambandet mellan pressfaktorer och arbetsrelaterad stress är vanligt förekommande vilket kan få revisionsbyråer att rikta fokus på att hitta lösningar för att minska arbetsrelaterad stress. Dessutom bidrar studien till ökad kunskap till samhället i stort om stress som ett växande folkhälsoproblem, att fysisk aktivitet har flera positiva hälsoeffekter samt kan användas för att minska arbetsrelaterad stress. / Previous research has shown that time pressure and workload, which in this study are referred to as pressure factors, are common reasons for work-related stress for auditors. Research has also shown that prolonged stress is a growing public health issue that may lead to severe consequences if not addressed. As far as we are aware, there has yet to be any research conducted in regard to the association between pressure factors and work-related stress and how it is affected by physical activity   The aim of this study is to explain how the association between pressure factors and work-related stress is affected by physical activity. To achieve this aim, we have used literature covering time pressure, workload, work-related stress and physical activity. Three hypotheses have been constructed using previous research. To test the hypotheses a web-based survey was used, aimed specifically toward employed auditors.   Our study shows that time pressure and workload are explanatory factors to work related stress for auditors. However, the result does not point to physical activity having a moderating effect on the positive relation between pressure factors and work-related stress. The results do however show that physical activity directly connected to the work-related stress has a mitigating effect.   The most important contribution of the study is to give an increased insight to the auditing profession that the relation between pressure factors and work-related stress is indeed common which could help auditing firms to focus on finding solutions to reduce work-related stress. Our study also adds knowledge to society as a whole, that stress is a growing public health issue and that physical activity has a wide variety of positive health benefits and may be used to decrease work-related stress.

Enhetschefer är benämningen på den yrkesverksamma grupp som ansvarar för verksamheter som drivs enligt socialtjänstlagen och lagen om stöd och service till vissa funktionshindrade. De befinner sig i en politiskt styrd organisation med socialnämnden som uppdragsgivare. Enhetschefer är identifierade som en yrkesverksam grupp med hög arbetsbelastning och högre risk att utsättas för stress, i jämförelse med andra yrkesgrupper i ledande position. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur olika stressfaktorer bidrar till upplevelsen av arbetsrelaterad stress hos enhetschefer inom kommunal äldre- och funktionshinderomsorg. Metodvalet är en kvantitativ enkätundersökning med syfte i att nå ut till fler personer och på så sätt få en bred överblick av enhetschefernas arbetssituation. Studien har genomförts i en medelstor svensk kommun där samtliga enhetschefer inom kommunal äldre- och funktionshinderomsorg valts ut. Av resultatet framkommer att de faktorer som i störst utsträckning bidrar till upplevd arbetsrelaterad stress, är för hög arbetsbelastning i förhållande till arbetstiden samt  bristande möjlighet att uppfylla önskemål från brukare. / Middle managers is the name of the professional group who is responsible for institutions that are run by the Social Service Act and Act concerning Support and Service for Persons with Certain Functional impairments. They work in a politically controlled organization with the municipal social welfare committee as the outsourcer. Middle managers are identified as a profession with a high workload and a higher risk of being exposed to stress, in comparison with other occupational groups with a leading position. The aim of the study is to examine how various stressors contribute to work-related stress. The method is a quantitative survey with the aim of reaching out to more people and to get a larger overview of the middle managers work situation. The study has been carried out in a medium-sized Swedish municipality, where all middle managers in municipal elderly and disability care were selected. The result shows that the stressors that contribute most to work-related stress are the high workload in relation to working time and a lack of opportunity to fulfill the client’s wishes.

1 online resource (122 leaves : ill.) / Educator stress is a grave problem. The aim of this research is to understand female secondary school educators' personality awareness in relation to work related stress, with particular reference to an independent school in Witbank, Mpumalanga, South Africa. In the literature study I determined the nature of work related stress in educators' lives and investigated personality awareness. My empirical research established the level of work related stress experienced by female educators and how an awareness of different personalities may influence the person's experience of work related stress. The research methods were qualitative in nature and included an interview as well as focus group observations. Findings suggested that all the educators were stressed to a lesser or greater degree, but the critical fact was that what is stressful to one person may not be stressful to another. Based on the findings, recommendations were made for improvements to help alleviate educator stress. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (specialisation in Guidance and Councelling)

This study examines the impact of gender on the coping mechanisms employed to manage work-related stress. The aim of the investigation was to determine whether male and female professionals differ in terms of the coping mechanisms that they employ in managing work-related stress. In order to achieve this aim an assessment battery containing a Biographical Checklist, the Coping Checklist, the Hassles Scale and the Daily Uplifts Scale was distributed to a sample of professional men and women. The fmdings indicate that male and female professionals differ significantly in only two of the six coping mechanisms measured, namely social support and symptom management; that men and women do not differ significantly in terms of coping repertoire; and that women cope more effectively than their male counterparts with work-related· stress. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial Psychology)

The purpose of this thesis is to compile current research knowledge about the social worker’s psychosocial work environment in social services, focusing on themes as work-related stress, psychological well-being, social support and professional identity. The aim is to discover areas of change or improvement within the work environment in social services. The thesis is answering the following research question: what does research, published within the timeframe of 2017-2020, say about the social worker’s psychosocial work environment considering themes as work-related stress, social support, psychological well-being and professional identity? Two theoretical perspectives are applied to make understanding of the empirical data: cognitive theory with a coping perspective and social constructionism. The method used in this study is a thematic analysis. The purpose of this method is to compile research regarding the social worker’s psychosocial work environment according to different themes. The results of the study show that social workers experience both stress and well-being within their work environment. Stress is caused by high demands, lack of resources and lack of control. Work-related stress affects social workers’ health, professionality and their attitudes towards their job. Psychological well-being is promoted by resources such as social support, quality of work, work experience and client affirmation. Social support is a high valued resource among social workers and is often a reason for staying in social services. The social worker’s professional identity is both individual and shared, and built on solidarity. The results show that professional identity is affected negatively by conflicting demands within social services.

The Master´s thesis „Stress evaluation, coping and reduction” deals with a very up-to-date subject of employees stress. It analyzes stress types, development, symptoms and influence on health and work results of employees. It also concentrates on factors which evoke the stress, their identification and elimination in corporate environment. The first part of my thesis focuses on theoretical analysis of the above-mentioned issues. Second, practical part deals with the process of finding and evaluting stress factors in a logistic company and its employees. Final part focuses on project of elimination of stress and its factors in the company.

The Master´s thesis “Stress evaluation, coping and reduction” is dealing with a topic of work-related stress, which is very common at working places of many companies nowadays. The theoretical part is focused on definition of basic concepts of stress and common techniques of coping and reduction of stress. The practical part provides a measurement of certain level of work-related stress in Henkel Slovensko, spol. s r.o. company based on questionnaire survey. The conclusion of the thesis contains the recommendations focused on reduction of certain stress factors´ impact and precaution of formation of work-related stress.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka och öka kunskapen om arbetsrelaterad stress hos biståndshandläggare inom äldreomsorgen. Genom kvalitativa intervjuer med sex anställda har ett antal frågeställningar besvarats. Dessa handlar om stressens orsaker, hur stressen påverkar biståndshandläggarnas välmående och arbetskvalitet, hur stressen hanteras och vilka faktorer biståndshandläggarna anser kan reducera den upplevda stressen. Intervjumaterialet har sedan analyserats utifrån tidigare forskning kopplat till stress hos socialarbetare samt två teoretiska verktyg: krav-kontrollmodellen och copingteorin. Resultat visar på att orsaker till stress handlar om faktorer så som en okontrollerbar ärendemängd och brist på stöd från ledning. Biståndshandläggarnas hälsa påverkas på olika sätt, både psykiskt, fysiskt och kognitivt. Vidare påverkas arbetskvaliteten genom att detaljer lättare missas. Respondenternas stresshantering kännetecknas av både positiva och negativa strategier. Det kan handla om att öka strukturen, sänka de personliga kraven, arbeta övertid eller att inte söka stöd. Respondenternas egna idéer om stressreducerande faktorer visade sig handla om stöd på arbetsplatsen och att arbeta i en resursstark organisation. Vidare framkom det att respondenter kan uppleva stress som något positivt då den kombineras med en hög kontrollnivå. / The aim of this study was to examine and increase the knowledge about work related stress among social service workers within elderly care. Through qualitative interviewes with six employees, a number of questions have been answered. These are about the causes of stress, how the stress affects the employees health and quality of work, how stress is managed and which factors they believe can reduce stress. The material has been analyzed on the basis of earlier research linked to stress among social workers together with two theoretical tools: the demand-control model and the coping theory. Results show that causes of stress are factors such as lack of control in work cases and a lack of support from the management. The employees health is affected by stress in various ways, both mentally, physically and cognitively. Furthermore, the quality of work is affected by details being more easily missed. The respondents’ stress management is characterized by both positive and negative strategies. It can be about increasing the work structure, lowering personal demands, working overtime and not seeking support. The respondents’ own ideas about stress reducing factors turned out to be about support within the work place and to work in a resourceful organisation. Results also show that respondents may experience stress as something positive when it is combined with a high level of control.

Det finns överlag en brist på compassion-inriktade interventioner för vård- och omsorgspersonal. Tidigare studier tyder på att dessa interventioner ger goda resultat, men fler studier behövs. Hittills har exempelvis inga svenska studier undersökt effekter av Compassionate Mind Training (CMT) på individnivå eller med samvetsstress som utfallsmått. Studien syftade följaktligen till att undersöka om en internetbaserad CMT-kurs var en hjälpsam metod för att minska samvetsstress och arbetsrelaterad stress, samt öka självmedkänsla och professionell livskvalitet hos svensk vård- och omsorgspersonal. Studien var designad som en inomindividsstudie och utgick från en Single-Case Experimental Design (SCED), med vissa anpassningar. Totalt sex deltagare mötte inklusionskriterierna och deltog i en för- och eftermätning med självskattningsformulären Stress of Conscience Questionnaire (SCQ), Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire II (COPSOQ-II), Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) och Professional Quality of Life Measure (ProQOL-5) samt fyra veckovisa mätningar under kursens gång. Slutsatsen var att CMT-kursen har varit hjälpsam i att minska samvetsstress och arbetsrelaterad stress samt i att öka självmedkänsla och professionell livskvalitet. Vidare forskning med starkare experimentell kontroll och uppföljningsmätningar behövs dock för att bekräfta resultaten. / There is overall a lack of compassion-based interventions for healthcare personnel. Previous studies suggest these interventions lead to good outcomes, however there is a need for more research. There are for example no Swedish studies that have yet examined the effect of Compassionate Mind Training (CMT) either on an individual level or with stress of conscience as outcome measure. Hence, the study aimed to evaluate whether a CMT-course is a helpful method for reducing stress of conscience and work-related stress, as well as increasing self-compassion and professional quality of life for healthcare personnel. The study had a within-subject design and used a Single-Case Experimental Design (SCED) with some adjustments. Six participants met the inclusion criteria and completed Stress of Conscience Questionnaire (SCQ), Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire II (COPSOQ-II), Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) and Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL-5) before and after the CMT-course in addition to four weekly questionnaires during the course. The conclusion was that CMT was helpful in reducing stress of conscience and work-related stress as well as increasing self-compassion and professional quality of life. However, research with more experimental control and follow up measurements are needed to confirm the results. / ICOP

Bakgrund: Alla organisationer med fler än tio anställda ska ha etablerade arbetsmiljöpolicys, arbetsgivaren ska bedriva ett systematiskt arbetsmiljöarbete och medarbetarna ska samverka med arbetsgivaren för att skapa en god arbetsmiljö. Om en medarbetare inte har möjlighet till att arbeta inom en god arbetsmiljö riskerar denna att drabbas av utmattning och arbetsrelaterad stress. Sjukskrivningar kan komma att kosta en organisation mycket pengar, och arbetsrelaterad stress utgör den vanligaste faktorn till att en medarbetare sjukskrivs. Trots att det sedan länge är ett välkänt problem är det svårt att upptäcka signaler som kan härröra från en medarbetare som är stressad. Med anledning av att majoriteten av den tidigare forskningen som gjorts har utgått från ett ledarperspektiv, problematiseras denna studie utifrån ett medarbetarperspektiv. Syfte: Studiens syfte är att undersöka om arbetsrelaterad stress existerar hos kvinnliga medarbetare när det finns arbetsmiljöpolicys och regelverk som ska förebygga ohälsa. Genomförande: Den teoretiska referensramen som tagits fram grundas i tidigare forskning och litteratur som var relevanta inom området. Syftet var att ge kunskap för relevanta teorier och begrepp, samt skapa en förståelse för vad som tidigare har undersökts. Undersökningen genomfördes med hjälp av en kvalitativ studie i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer med tio kvinnliga medarbetare. Intervjuerna stöttades upp med en intervjuguide där frågorna som ställdes gällde medarbetarnas kunskap om arbetsmiljöpolicy, den generella arbetsmiljön, erfarenheter av arbetsrelaterad stress samt upplevelsen av individuella krav, kontroll och stöd. Slutsats: Arbetsplatsen erbjuder förutsättningar för att förhindra ohälsa genom arbetsmiljöpolicys, trots detta väljer medarbetarna att inte ta del av informationen. Utöver detta finns inget annat stöd som erbjuds av arbetsplatsen, mer än de förutsättningar som medarbetarna själva skapar för att undvika att bli stressade. Majoriteten av medarbetarna upplever att det råder höga krav, kombinerat med hög kontroll och ett bra stöd från kollegor. Det finns ett bristfälligt stöd från chefen, som främst beror på avsaknad av kunskap kring medarbetarnas arbetsuppgifter. / Background: All organisations with more than ten employees must have established work environment policies, the employer is required to conduct systematic work environment management and the employees must cooperate with the employer to achieve a good work environment. If an employee does not have the opportunity to work in a good work environment, they are at risk of exhaustion and work-related stress. Absence due to illness can cost an organisation a lot of money, and work-related stress is the most common reason for an employee to take sick leave. Although it has been a well-recognised problem for a long time, it is difficult to detect signals that may originate from a stressed employee. Given that the majority of previous research has been based on a leadership perspective, this study is problematised from an employee perspective. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to examine whether work-related stress exists among female employees when there are work environment policies and other frameworks to prevent ill health. Implementation: The theoretical framework that has been developed is based on previous research and literature that were relevant in the area of interest. The aim was to provide knowledge of relevant theories and concepts and give an insight into what has previously been researched. The research was conducted using a qualitative study in the form of semi-structured interviews with ten female employees. The interviews were supported by an interview guide where the questions that were asked concerned the employees’ knowledge of the work environment policy, the general work environment, experiences of work-related stress and the experience of individual demands, control and support. Conclusion: The organisation offers opportunities to prevent ill health through work environment policies, but despite this, the employees choose not to take part of the information. In addition to this, there is no other support offered by the workplace; instead, employees work individually to create conditions to prevent becoming stressed in the workplace. The majority of employees find that there are high demands, combined with high control and strong support from colleagues. There is a lack of support from the manager, mainly due to a failure to understand the employees’ work tasks.