Work-related stressors accompanying school social workers while assessing children’s well-being: A comparative study between Germany and Finland

This article presents the results of a comparative study investigating work-related stressors (WRSs) that accompany German and Finnish school social workers (SSWs) while assessing children’s well-being. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in combination with the case vignette technique. The interview data were subjected to a coding process and visualized with the MAXQDA software program. The findings are embedded in the respective country-specific socio-political and legislative context and suggest that the SSWs are confronted with several, but different WRSs, depending on whether they have a child protection mandate (Germany) or not (Finland). Recommendations are generated based on the findings.

Self-reported changes in work situation – a cross-sectional study of patients 7 years after treatment for stress-related exhaustion

Background Exhaustion disorder (ED) is a common cause of sick leave in Sweden, and patients often have long-lasting symptoms and reduced work capacity. The aim of this study was to explore whether patients with ED had made any changes in their work situation from the period of treatment and up to 7 years later. Methods In this cross-sectional study, patients diagnosed with ED at a specialist outpatient clinic were followed up after 7 years (n = 217). They received questionnaires at baseline covering sex, age, marital status, level of education, and symptoms of burnout, depression, and anxiety measured with the Shirom-Melamed Burnout Questionnaire and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. After 7 years, they were sent a follow-up questionnaire asking about their work situation and work-related stressors both before they fell sick and at the 7-year follow-up. There were three questions on work situation (change of workplace, change of work tasks, and change of working hours), and 155 patients responded to all three. Results After 7 years, the majority of the patients (63%; n = 98/155) reported that they had made some kind of change at work. Women were more likely than men to report decreased working hours (p = 0.001), and work-related stressors such as conflicts at work, reorganization, deficient leadership, and general discontent with the work situation were significantly more common at baseline in the group who had made changes at work. Patients who made no changes at work experienced more work-related stress due to quantitative demands in the 7-year follow-up. Conclusion The majority of the patients with ED made some kind of change in their work situation, and gender differences were found for changes of work tasks and working hours. Work-related stressors might be decisive for making changes at work.

Work-Related Stressors among the Healthcare Professionals in the Fever Clinic Centers for Individuals with Symptoms of COVID-19

Work-related stress can affect the quality of healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to assess the relationship between selected work-related stressors and stress levels among healthcare professionals providing preventive and curative services to people with COVID-19 symptoms in the Fever Clinics in Saudi Arabia. A systematic random sampling using an online questionnaire approach was used to select healthcare professionals in the Fever Clinics in Saudi Arabia during September 2020. Participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire including data on their sociodemographic and occupational characteristics, role conflict and ambiguity, social support, and stress. The results showed that role conflict and ambiguity were significant risk factors for stress, and social support was negatively associated with stress levels. Additionally, younger and non-Saudi healthcare professionals exhibited higher stress levels than their older and Saudi counterparts. In conclusion, role conflict, ambiguity, and social support can predict the risk of stress among healthcare professionals in the Fever Clinics in Saudi Arabia.

WORKPLACE STRESS AND PERCEIVED STRATEGIES THAT SCHOOL PRINCIPALS USE IN HANDLING TEACHERS' WORK-RELATED STRESSORS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA

School teachers can experience stress at work and outside of work for a variety of reasons. This study investigated workplace stress and perceived strategies that school leaders use in handling work-related stressors in secondary schools in Anambra state. A descriptive survey research design was used for the study. A total of 1,180 teachers were chosen from a population of 6,887 secondary school teachers. The data collection instrument is a questionnaire separated into three sub-sections: A, B, and C. The data was gathered by delivering the test instruments directly to the respondents, and the data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) program. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics. Means and standard deviations were used to answer research questions 1 and 2, while percentages were used to answer research question 3. The results indicated among others, that majority of study respondents choose “improved career development” as their top perceived approach that school principals use in handling teachers' work-related stressors. Based on the study, the researcher suggests that school principals strive to incorporate long-term preventive stress control strategies that improve teachers' mental wellness and well-being, such as exploring professional and family support and counselling. JEL: J24; I20; I25 <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0798/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

The relative importance of work-related and non-work-related stressors and perceived social support on global perceived stress in a cross-sectional population-based sample

Background High levels of perceived stress have a negative bearing on health and well-being, and stress is a major public health issue. According to the Stress Process Model, stressors are socially patterned and combine to produce strain. Despite this, most studies on stress have focused on work-related stressors leaving non-work determinants under-investigated. The aim of the present study was to determine the relative importance of work-related and non-work-related stressors and perceived social support for the overall perceived stress level. Methods Self-reported data were drawn from the 2017 population-based health survey “How are you?” conducted in the Central Denmark Region (N = 32,417). Data were linked with data drawn from national administrative registers. Work- and non-work-related stressors assessed included major life events, chronic stressors and daily hassles. Perceived social support was assessed using a single question. Overall perceived stress was assessed by the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale. We conducted dominance analyses based on a multiple linear regression model to determine the most important explanatory variables of overall perceived stress. Analyses were weighted and adjusted. Results Work- and non-work-related stressors along with perceived social support explained 42.5% of the total variance (R2) in overall perceived stress. The most important explanatory variables were disease, perceived social support and work situation. The stratified analyses produced slightly varying results (“dominance profiles”) of perceived stress between subgroups. Work situation was the most important explanatory variable in the employed group. However, adding non-work-related explanatory variables to the analysis tripled the explained variance. Conclusions The overall level of perceived stress can be statistically explained by a combination of work- and non-work-related stressors and perceived social support both at population level and in subgroups. The most important explanatory variables of overall perceived stress are disease, perceived social support and work situation. Results indicate that public health strategies aiming to reduce stress should take a comprehensive approach and address a variety of stressor domains rather than focus on a single domain. Trial registration The study was approved by the Danish Data Protection Agency (r. no. 2012-58-0006) and registered in the Central Denmark Region (r. no. 1-16-02-593-16).

Don’t forget your oxygen mask! Caring for ourselves so that we can better care for our clients

Music Therapists face significant stressors at work which, if not adequately addressed, could lead to stress and burnout. Against the background of a final-year dissertation, this article discusses how Music Therapists use self-care to manage occupational stressors. While the small-scale qualitative research project focussed on how Music Therapists working in hospices in the United Kingdom manage work-related stressors, analysis of the data revealed themes which, it is suggested, seem to apply to the wider music therapy community. Findings indicate that Music Therapists would be well-advised to develop and use self-care strategies to mitigate work-related stressors and thus reduce the potential for ill-health. The article seeks to inform the practice of Music Therapists and concludes with the author’s recommendations.