Work Psychology

Are you stressed at work?

The phone won't stop ringing, the paperwork's piling up, - and the boss is breathing down your neck you're stressed, but is it damaging your health?

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/talking_point/newsid_965000/965291.stm

Arecentstudy conducted by the Ministry of Health and We

lfare In Japan and presented t o the media found that5 9 % of Japanese workers feel m

arkedly "fatigued" from work , compared to only 1 5 % to

30% of American workers, in fact, stress in Japan, called

karoshi, has become a nation al killer, claiming the lives of

1 0 ,0 0 0 Japanese men ayear.Bycontrast,theU.S.sees fewdeaths di r ectlyassoci atedwi th l abor.

http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m1175/5_33/66380386/p1/article.jhtml

Occupational Stress

The perceived imbalance between occupational demands and individual’s ability to perform when the consequences of failure are important.

(The element of individual perception introduces subjectivity into the definition of stress)

The Job Stress Model of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH

What Workers Say Abo ut Stress on the Job

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/stresswk.html

Job-Demand Control ModelImbalance between

the demand made upon individual and their perceived ability to meet these demand >>> psychological stress• High job demand, where individual feels unable to cope (low decision-making control) [overstimulation]

• Monotonous and repetitive job, providing little or no challenge or interest [understimulation]

I tems f romthe Job Content Questionnaire

Psychological job demands• My job requires working v

ery fast • My job requires working v

ery hard • I am not asked to do an ex

cessive amount of work *• I have enough time to get

the job done*• I am free from conflicting

demands that others mak e*

Job decision latitude (the su m of two equally weighted

subscales) Decision authority

• My job allows me to make a lot of decisions on my ow n

• On my job, I have very littl e freedom to decide how I

do my work*• I have a lot of say about w

hat happens on my job

Skill utilization• My job requires that I lear

n new things • My job involves a lot of re

petitive work *• My job requires me to be

creative • My job requires a high lev

el of skill • I get to do a variety of diff

erent things on my job• I have an opportunity to d

evelop my own special abilities

http://www.workhealth.org/strain/jsitem.html

Job Stressors

The modern workplace i s highly pressurized

Shift Work

“ working outside the limits considered by most people to be ‘normal’, this equates to a 7-8 hours stint between the hours of 9.00 – 17.00 for 5 days of the week ”

Requirement for Shift Work

• Shift work is practiced by ~ 20% of the workforce in most countries

• The need for shift work is threefold

1.Societal. Services and emergencies

2.Technical. Continuous process industries

3.Economic. Optimal plant utilization

Types of Shift Work

• Two or three shifts in a 24-h period

• Rotating or fixed shifts

• Forward or backward rotation shifts

• 8-, 10- or 12-h shifts

Personal factors influencing possible

increased risk from shift work

• Sleep disorders• Gastrointestinal disorders• Cardiovascular disease• Advanced age• Some chronic diseases• Psychological problems• Family and social situations

Consequences of Shift Work

Disruptions to normal life

Biological: circadian dysrhythmia, cardiovascular disorders, gastrointestinal disorders

Psychological: fatigue/sleep loss, lowered performance, increased accidents

Individual: dependent on domestic/social circumstances and coping strategies

Issues in medical evaluation of shift workers• Health and functioning at work

Sleep quality and quantitySleep environment, noise

• Chronic fatigue, naps• Gastrointestinal disease• Cardiovascular disease• Other chronic diseases• Use of medication• Use of alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, drugs• Accidents on and off the job• Psychological problems• Social and family problems

Personality Characteristics

• Type A/B behavioral pattern• Hardiness• Self-esteem• Locus of control• Coping styles• Social support

Type A and Type BType A: a high need for achievement, competitiveness, aggression, restlessness, impatience

Type B: calm and relaxed, place higher value on enjoying activities than on demonstrating achievement

When exposed to high levels of stress, the high-achieving Type A is more prone to develop stress-related illness, particularly heart disease

Work stress puts health at risk

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_1046000/1046366.stm

Effects of StressStress Reactions • Acute physiological outcomes• Behavioral outcomes• Well-being outcomes• Immunological

reactions

Chronic Health Effects • Cardiovascular diseases• Gastrointestinal

diseases

• Cancer• Musculoskeletal disorders• Mental illness• Burnout

Acute Effects

Acute Physiological Outcomes

• Hypothalamic-pituitary axis

• Autonomic nervous system (parasym.)

• Catecholamine responses (sym.)*****

• heart rate & blood pressure

• cardiac output & peripheral vascular resistance

• muscle tension

• electrodermal (sweat gld.) activity

• Disturbance of breathing pattern

• Modification of Gastrointestinal activity

Behavioral Outcomes

• Smoking behavior

• Drug and alcohol abuse

• Caffeine ingestion

• Sleep disturbances

• Absenteeism

Well-Being OutcomesThree axes of well-being

• Pleasure-Displeasure

• Comfort-Anxiety

• Enthusiasm-Depression

Immunological Reactions

• Bi-directional

• Interactions between stressors-coping style-immune system

• Affects all componentsWhite blood cellsAntibodiesComplements

Chronic Health Effects

Cardiovascular Diseases

• Workload >>> myocardial infarction

• Work > 1 job/ excessively

long work hours

• Role conflict in white collar workers

• Job satisfaction

• Occupational level <> CHD ???

coronary

artery

diseases

Gastrointestinal Diseases

• Peptic ulcer >>> disease of executives/managers

(foremen too !)

• Other occupations: physicians, air traffic

controllers, rotating-shift workers, workers with

high workload

• Other GI problems: ulcerative colitis, irritable

bowel syndrome, constipation, dyspepsia

Cancers

No evidence of cancer risk

Musculoskeletal Disorders

Psychosocial >>> low back pain / upper

work factors extremities disorders

• less autonomy• role ambiguity• work pressure• management control• etc.

Early Warning Signs of Job Stress

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/stresswk.html

Mental IllnessMild subjective

AnxietyTensionAngerDepressionDecreased concentrationIrritability

Clinical psychiatric disorders

Adjustment disordersAffective disordersAnxiety disorders including posttraumatic stress disorders*****Somatoform disorders & psychophysiologic

disorders

Exacerbation of existing psychiatric conditionsSubstance abuse

Mental Illness

Prevention & Control

Prevention Strategies

Primary Prevention

Taking action to reduce or eliminate stressors (i.e. sources of stress), and positively promoting a supportive and healthy work environment

Prevention Strategies

Secondary Prevention

Prompt detection and management of depression and anxiety by increasing self-awareness and improving stress management skills

Prevention Strategies

Tertiary Prevention

The rehabilitation and recovery process of those individuals who have suffered or are suffering from serious ill health as a result of stress

References

Seward JP. Occupational stress. In:LaDou J, ed. Occupational & Environmental Medicine. 2nd ed. Stamford, CT: Appleton & Lange 1997:585-601.

Sauter SL, Murphy LR, Hurrell JJ, and Levi L. Psychosocial factors, stress and health. In:Stellman JM, ed. Encyclopaedia of Occupational Health and Safety. 4th ed. Geneva: International Labour Office, 1998:34.1-34.77