The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between personenvironment fit (P-E fit) and occupational stress. All 31 employees of the University Police Department of Ball State University were invited to participate in the study on a voluntary basis, and were assured anonymity. Participants completed a demographic information sheet and three questionnaires: the Work Environment Scale, Ideal (WES-I) and Real (WES-R) versions, and the Occupational Stress Inventory (OSI). Twenty-two participants turned in completed test packets. Raw scores were calculated and graphed for individuals (OSI) and the entire group (WES). A correlation matrix with Pearson r as the correlation coefficient among the 14 OSI subscales and the 10 WES subscales was used to examine the relationship between P-E fit and occupational stress. Different patterns of occupational stress and work environment were found. The three job subgroups (police officers, radio dispatchers, and "other") exhibited different levels of occupational stress, with the most difference in the Physical Environment subscale. The group perceptions of the ideal and real work environments were different on every WES subscore, indicating employees wanted improvement in each area tested. Radio dispatchers were found to have the widest gap between their ideal and real work environments. There appeared to be no significant relation between occupational stress and P-E fit for this small sample. The results suggested an inverse relationship between a University police department employee's occupational stress and how well that employee fits the work environment for four variables: Role Insufficiency, Role Boundary, Vocational Strain, and Psychological Strain. Those who fit the work environment least scored highest on the Rational/Cognitive Coping variable, the only statistically significant correlation. It is possible the work environment may have such a powerful effect on personal life that it is unaffected by personal efforts to change it. Recognition of the different work environments and occupational stress levels could be useful in departmental planning. Further study is suggested. / Institute for Wellness
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/184019 |
| Date | January 1990 |
| Creators | Filkins, Carol R. |
| Contributors | Ball State University. Institute for Wellness., Nicholas, Donald R. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | vi, 59 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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