Thesis (MComm))--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Farming is often perceived to be associated with an idyllic lifestyle and many city-dwellers secretly
dream of owning a farm where they can escape the city and its stressful lifestyle. The reality
associated with farming however is very different from the perception. Research conducted
overseas found that the unique challenges farmers face in their everyday business subjects them to
high levels of stress. The American Institute for Occupational Health and Safety ranks farming in
the top ten percent of the most stressful occupations while research in the United Kingdom shows
that the occurrence of suicide amongst farmers are significantly higher than for the rest of the
population. Stress can manifest in health, emotional and physical problems and can have a dramatic
impact on quality of living. This in turn negatively influences personal and work performance.
Taking into account that farming plays a vital role in the global economy and in combating food
shortage; the prevalence of stress amongst farmers is worrying. In South Africa little research has
been conducted into the psychological wellbeing of farmers and the possible impact stress might
have. Viticulture and the wine industry are major contributors to the economy and tourism
industries of the Western and Northern Cape provinces. It would thus be in the interest of the
country and its labour force to investigate the impact of stress on farmers in these regions and to
find ways to mitigate the experience of stress. A qualitative study amongst wine growers (N=24)
resulted in the identification of possible stressors along with demographic, biographic and
personality symptoms that may potentially influence the impact of stress. The Agricultural Stress
Questionnaire was developed considering overseas literature and information gathered from the
qualitative interviews. Sense of coherence and organisational trust between farmers and
management of the cellar they deliver products to, were identified as possible factors influencing
the impact of stress. Quantitative research was conducted by means of questionnaires sent to a
convenience sample of wine growers. The Organisational Trust Inventory was used to measure the
level of organisational trust, while the Orientation to Life Questionnaire was used to evaluate sense
of coherence. The 28-item version of the General Health Questionnaire was used as a measure of
psychological wellbeing. In total 132 respondents were recruited from the sample of more than
1 000 wine growers. Data gathered was subjected to statistical analysis and results showed that all
measuring instruments had excellent psychometric properties. This was also true for the
Agricultural Stress Questionnaire that was used for the first time. Multiple regression analysis
showed that organisational trust does not act as a moderator in the relationship between agricultural
stress and psychological wellbeing. Sense of coherence was however found to be a strong
moderator of the interaction between agricultural stress and psychological wellbeing. Some
demographic and biographic factors also proved to influence the impact of agricultural stress on
psychological wellbeing. Stressors were ranked to show which caused the most stress amongst
South African wine growers. Proposals for possible interventions were made along with
recommendations for future research. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Boerdery word dikwels geag 'n idilliese beroep te wees en menige stedelinge droom van 'n plaas
waar hulle kan ontspan en vlug van die stad se stresvolle leefstyl. Die realiteit is egter ver verwyder
van hierdie siening en buitelandse navorsing toon dat landbouprodusente aan hoë vlakke van stres
blootgestel word vanweë uitdagings uniek aan hul beroep. Die Amerikaanse Instituut van
Beroepsveiligheid en –Gesondheid plaas boerdery onder die boonste tien persent van stresvolle
beroepe, en navorsing in die Verenigde Koningryk het gevind dat selfmoord onder
landbouprodusente baie meer dikwels voorkom as in die res van die bevolking. Stres kan
manifesteer in gesondheid-, gedrags-, en emosionele probleme en veroorsaak verlaagde
lewenskwaliteit wat 'n dramatiese impak op persoonlike prestasie, maar ook werksprestasie, het.
Gegewe die rol wat landbou in die globale ekonomie speel en die noodsaaklikheid van landbou vir
voedselvoorsiening, is die hoë voorkoms van stres in die landbou-industrie, en die impak daarvan,
'n bron van kommer. In Suid-Afrika was die streservaring van landbouprodusente, en die
uitwerking daarvan op hul sielkundige welsyn, egter nog nie die fokus van navorsing nie en dus is
literatuur oor stres onder landbouprodusente in Suid-Afrika beperk. Wingerdbou en die wynbedryf
dra betekenisvol by tot die ekonomie, werkskepping en toerisme in die Wes- en Noord Kaap van
Suid-Afrika. Indien daar die moontlikheid bestaan dat wingerdprodusente onder die uitwerking van
stres gebuk gaan, is dit dus in die belang van Suid-Afrika en die arbeidsmag om die probleem te
identifiseer en die impak van stres te beperk. Na aanleiding van kwalitatiewe onderhoude met
wingerdprodusente (N = 24) is „n lys van moontlike stressors geïdentifiseer, asook moontlike
demografiese, biografiese en persoonlikheidsfaktore wat die impak van stres kan beïnvloed. Die
Landboustressor-vraelys is ontwikkel op grond van inligting verkry uit oorsese navorsing, asook
vanuit die kwalitatiewe onderhoude. Die vlak van organisasievertroue tussen wingerdprodusente en
bestuur van die kelder waaraan hul lewer, asook koherensiesin, is ondersoek as faktore wat die
streservaring, en die impak daarvan, kan modereer. Kwantitatiewe navorsing is uitgevoer deur 'n
vraelys aan 'n gerieflikheidsteekproef wingerdprodusente te stuur. Die Organisasievertroue-vraelys
is aangewend om die vlak van vertroue te evalueer, terwyl die 28-item Algemene
Gesondheidsvraelys (GHQ-28) gebruik is om die sielkundige welsyn van wingerdprodusente te
ondersoek. Antonovsky se Lewensoriëntasie-vraelys is gebruik om koherensiesin te meet. In totaal
is 132 respondente gewerf vanuit 'n steekproef van meer as 1 000 wingerdprodusente. Die data is
statisties verwerk en die resultate toon dat die psigometriese eienskappe van die meetinstrumente
deurgaans bevredigend was, ook van die Landboustressor-vraelys wat die eerste keer aan statistiese
ontleding onderwerp is. Meervoudige regressie het getoon dat organisasievertroue nie 'n moderator
is in die interaksie tussen landboustres en geestesgesondheid nie. Koherensiesin is egter wel bevind
om 'n sterk moderator in die interaksie te wees. Sekere biografiese en demografiese faktore het ook
die effek van stres op geestesgesondheid beïnvloed. 'n Rangorde van stressors is saamgestel om te
toon watter faktore die meeste stres onder Suid-Afrikaanse wingerdprodusente veroorsaak.
Aanbevelings is gemaak ten opsigte van moontlike intervensies wat wingerdprodusente kan
ondersteun in die hantering van landboustres, asook voorstelle vir toekomstige navorsing.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/6692 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Fourie, Annemarie |
| Contributors | Malan, D. J., University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Industrial Psychology. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | af_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 148 p. |
| Rights | University of Stellenbosch |
Page generated in 0.003 seconds