OCCUPATIONAL STRESS

Prepared By Dr. Adel Abdel Wahhab Consultant of Occupational Health & Safety Consultant of Naval & Hyperbaric Medicine

Occupational Stress
:Definition The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) defines occupational stress as "the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, .resources, or needs of the worker
.

Work-Related Stress
Probably the best definition for stress is a combination of a stressor and stress reactivity

Why We Study Occupational Stress

The study of occupational stress is extremely important in consideration of the billions of dollars lost in stress-related disability claims. Decreased productivity, absenteeism and staff replacement cost, particularly when stress claims were awarded by Worker's Compensation Boards . The annual report from Statistics Canada showed that workplace stress costs Canadian businesses more than $13 billion annually and 70% of all employees will, at some time, experience problems that reduce performance due to stress. It is estimated that occupational stress costs American businesses over $15 billion per year. There is no doubt that the study of occupational stress will continue to receive the same importance in the future.

Stressor
a stressor is defined as a stimulus with the potential of triggering the fight-or-flight response. It is simply the factor that produces stress. The stressor may lead either to distress or to eustress but many researchers refer to stressor as only the negative stressor.

Illness

Types of Stressors

Injury

Career Pressures Emotion al Environme ntal

Physical

DISTRESS
Distress or negative stress occurs when your level of stress is either too high or too low and your body and/or mind begin to respond negatively to the stressors.

EUSTRESS
Eustress or positive stress occurs when your level of stress is high enough to motivate you to move into action to get things accomplished.

?Is Stress GOOD or BAD

Destructive stress Constructive stress High

Individual Performance

Low Stress Intensity

High

Stress Reactivity
Hans Selye Father of Stress (1956) termed the fightor-flight response that includes increased muscle tension, increased heart rate, stroke volume, and cardiac output, elevated blood pressure, elevated neural excitability, reduction of saliva secretion in the mouth, increased sodium retention, more perspiration, change in respiratory rate, higher serum glucose, more release of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, changes in brain waves, and increased urine output. The longer the duration and degree of the stressor(s), the more likely ill effects will result from the stress reactivity. Stress reactivity has three phases: alarm reaction; resistance and, finally, exhaustion.

ALARM STAGE
As you begin to experience a stressful event or perceive something to be stressful psychological changes occur in your body. This experience or perception disrupts your bodys normal balance and immediately your body begins to respond to the stressor(s) as effectively as possible.

RESISTANCE STAGE
During this stage your body tries to cope or adapt to the stressors by beginning a process of repairing any damage the stressor has caused. Your friends, family or co-workers may notice changes in you before you do so it is important to examine their feedback to make sure you do not reach overload.

EXHAUSTION STAGE
During this stage the stressor is not being managed effectively and the body and mind are not able to repair the damage.

Burnout
A syndrome of complete physical and emotional exhaustion with psychological, psychophysiological, and behavioral components. It is characterized by pessimism, paranoia, rigidity, diminished sense of humour, increased physical complaints, selfmedication, and social withdrawal. Burnout is a chronic condition that occurs in the helping professions such as doctors, nurses, teachers, lawyers, social workers and police officers .There is an overlap between the use of the term stress and burnout in literature and the nomenclature requires further clarification and standardization among researchers.

Stress vs. Challenge

The concept of job stress is often confused with challenge, but these ideas are not the same. According to Sauter et al., a challenge energizes us physically and psychologically. Challenge brings about motivation to learn a new skill or to master a job. When a challenge is met, we feel a sense of satisfaction and relaxation. However if a challenge has been transposed to become job demands that cannot be met, relaxation has been turned to exhaustion. And the task at hand now becomes stressful. In short the stage is set for illness, injury, and job failures

Fight-or-flight response
The fight or flight response, also called the "acute stress response", was first described by Walter Cannon in the1920s as a theory that animals react to threats with a general discharge of the sympathetic nervous system. The response was later recognized as the first stage of a general adaptation syndrome that regulates stress responses among vertebrates and other organisms. The onset of a stress response is associated with specific physiological actions in the sympathetic nervous system, primarily caused by release of epinephrine and norepinephrine from the medulla of the adrenal glands. These catecholamine hormones facilitate immediate physical reactions by triggering increases in heart rate and breathing, constricting blood vessels and tightening muscles. An abundance of catecholamines facilitates reliance on spontaneous or intuitive behaviors often related to combat or escape. If a stimulus is perceived as a threat, a more intense and prolonged activation of the sympathetic nervous system occurs and leads to the release of norepinephrine from nerve endings acting on the heart, blood vessels, respiratory centers, and other sites. These physiological changes constitute a major part of the acute stress response.

What causes occupational ?stress

The following workplace factors (job stressors) can result in stress: Job or task demands (work overload, lack of task control, role ambiguity.) Organizational factors (poor interpersonal relations, unfair management practices.) Financial and economic factors. Conflict between work and family roles and responsibilities. Training and career development issues (lack of opportunity for growth or promotion.) Poor organizational climate (lack of management commitment to core values, conflicting communication styles, etc.)

Common Stressors Most

Inadequate staffing levels . Long work hours (Excessive workload). Shift work . Role ambiguity. Exposure to hazardous workplace.

What are the potential adverse health effects of ?occupational stress

Stress may be associated with the following types of reactions: Psychological (irritability, job dissatisfaction, depression) Behavioral (sleep problems, absenteeism) Physical (headache, upset stomach, changes in blood pressure)

Individual Factors
An acute traumatic event could cause post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Not every traumatized person develops full-blown or even minor PTSD. Although individual factors (such as coping strategies) and social resources can modify the reaction to occupational stressors to some degree, working conditions can play a major role in placing workers at risk for developing health problems.

How can stress be controlled in the workplace?

As a general rule, actions to reduce job stress should give top priority to organizational changes that improve working conditions. But even the most important efforts to improve working conditions are unlikely to eliminate stress completely for all workers. For this reason, a combination of organizational change and stress management is often the most successful approach for reducing stress at work.

Organizational Change Intervention

The most effective way of reducing occupational stress is to eliminate the stressors by redesigning jobs or making organizational changes. Organizations should take the following measures: Ensure that the workload is in line with workers capabilities and resources Clearly define workers roles and responsibilities Give workers opportunities to participate in decisions and actions affecting their jobs Improve communication Reduce uncertainty about career development and future employment prospects Provide opportunities for social interaction among workers

Team process
Team process or worker participatory methods give workers opportunities to participate in decisions and actions affecting their jobs. Workers receive clear information about their tasks and role. Team-based approaches to redesign work systems, have been successful in improving job satisfaction and reducing turnover, absenteeism, and job stress.

Successful organizational stress interventions

Successful organizational stress interventions have several things in common: Involving workers at all stages of the intervention Providing workers with the authority to develop, implement, and evaluate the intervention Significant commitment from top management An organizational culture that supports stress interventions Periodic evaluations of the stress intervention

Is there anything I can do to help myself deal with the stress I am experiencing?
In many cases, the origin of the stress is something that cannot be changed immediately. Therefore, finding ways to help maintain good mental health is essential. There are many ways to be proactive in dealing with stress. In the workplace, you might try some of the following as suggested by the Canadian Mental Health Association: Laughing is one of the easiest and best ways to reduce stress. Share a joke with a co-worker, watch a funny movie at home with some friends, read the comics, and try to see the humour in the situation. Learn to relax, take several deep breaths throughout the day, or have regular stretch breaks. Stretching is simple enough to do anywhere and only takes a few seconds Take charge of your situation by taking 10 minutes at the beginning of each day to priorize and organize your day. Be honest with your colleagues, but be constructive and make practical suggestions. Be realistic about what you can change.

Muscle Relaxation

Individual Techniques for Stress Reduction

What else can I do to improve my overall mental health?

1)build confidence : identify your abilities and weaknesses together, accept them build on them and do the best with what you have 2) eat right, keep fit : a balanced diet, exercise and rest can help you to reduce stress and enjoy life. 3)make time for family and friends : these relationships need to be nurtured; if taken for granted they will not be there to share life's joys and sorrows. 4) give and accept support : friends and family relationships thrive when they are "put to the test" 5)create a meaningful budget : financial problems cause stress. Over-spending on our "wants" instead of our "needs" is often the culprit.

What else can I do to improve my overall mental health

6) volunteer : being involved in community gives a sense of purpose and satisfaction that paid work cannot. 7) manage stress : we all have stressors in our lives but learning how to deal with them when they threaten to overwhelm us will maintain our mental health. 8) find strength in numbers : sharing a problem with others have had similar experiences may help you find a solution and will make you feel less isolated. 9) identify and deal with moods : we all need to find safe and constructive ways to express our feelings of anger, sadness, joy and fear. 10) learn to be at peace with yourself : get to know who you are, what makes you really happy, and learn to balance what you can and cannot change about yourself.

?Questions