Occupational stress: review and reappraisal

The privilege and the pressure: judges' and magistrates' reflections on the sources and impacts of stress in judicial work

There is growing evidence that judges and magistrates experience both high stress and high satisfaction in their work; however, the subjective experience of judicial stress and the cultural and professional factors shaping that experience remain largely unexamined. This qualitative study builds upon earlier quantitative research with the Australian judiciary, by exploring judges' and magistrates' perceptions of the sources and impacts of judicial stress and their ideas for court responses. Thematic analysis of 59 in-depth interviews with judicial officers from five Australian courts revealed eight themes pertaining to the better understanding and management of occupational stress within the judiciary. Implications for courts and individual judicial officers are discussed.

Trouble in transit: Organizational barriers to workers' health

BACKGROUND

Valuable insights on the health and behavior of transit workers can be obtained from qualitative research that considers the social environment, which affects job performance and determines levels of perceived stress.

METHODS

Using a grounded theory approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with American transit workers (n = 32). Recorded interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a constant comparative method.

RESULTS

Participants described categories related to entrenched organizational practices, particularly managements' leadership style, which created an atmosphere of distrust. High demanding work schedules, as a result of technological advances, were discussed in relation to diminished breaks, fatigue, and unhealthy diets. Transit workers also attributed increased work demands and irregular working hours to compromised time with family and friends.

CONCLUSIONS

The described barriers to positive health behaviors and social support underscore the need for interventions that ensure adequate breaks and recovery between shifts and increase safety for transit passengers. Am. J. Ind. Med. 60:350-367, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Work Role Ambiguity, Job Satisfaction, and Job Performance: Meta-Analyses and Review

Formal meta-analytic methods were used to examine studies of two primary correlates of work role ambiguity, (a) job satisfaction (global and intrinsic) and (b) job performance (self- and independently evaluated). 88 studies were examined, 39 of which were included in the meta-analyses. Results suggest role ambiguity is significantly and negatively related to both satisfaction and performance but very weakly to the latter. Also, true variance in correlations exists across studies, suggesting that the effects of role ambiguity vary depending upon other variables. Results are consistent with previous research and suggest that role ambiguity is a valid construct in organizational research and is usually associated with lower job satisfaction. The primary sources used in the meta-analysis are included.

The Relationship Between Burnout and Occupational Stress in Genetic Counselors

Burnout represents a critical disruption in an individual's relationship with work, resulting in a state of exhaustion in which one's occupational value and capacity to perform are questioned. Burnout can negatively affect an individual's personal life, as well as employers in terms of decreased work quality, patient/client satisfaction, and employee retention. Occupational stress is a known contributor to burnout and occurs as a result of employment requirements and factors intrinsic to the work environment. Empirical research examining genetic counselor-specific burnout is limited; however, existing data suggests that genetic counselors are at increased risk for burnout. To investigate the relationship between occupational stress and burnout in genetic counselors, we administered an online survey to members of three genetic counselor professional organizations. Validated measures included the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (an instrument measuring burnout on three subscales: exhaustion, cynicism, and professional efficacy) and the Occupational Stress Inventory-Revised (an instrument measuring occupational stress on 14 subscales). Of the 353 respondents, more than 40 % had either considered leaving or left their job role due to burnout. Multiple regression analysis yielded significant predictors for burnout risk. The identified sets of predictors account for approximately 59 % of the variance in exhaustion, 58 % of the variance in cynicism, and 43 % of the variance in professional efficacy. Our data confirm that a significant number of genetic counselors experience burnout and that burnout is correlated with specific aspects of occupational stress. Based on these findings, practice and research recommendations are presented.

Determination of Job Stresses and Their Consequences in Drivers in Ilam

BACKGROUND

Human factors cause 60-70 percent of automobile accidents. Everything related to people that is involved in and interacting with a system is considered to be a human factor. These factors can be psychological, biological, or social, and all of them can affect drivers' behaviors. Therefore, one of the negative and unfavorable effects of these factors is that they cause accidents. According to previous research, increases in the job stresses result in increases in the incidence of car accidents. Drivers who feel stressed often do not to observe the rules, and they may not even notice the warning signs. By measuring the job stress among drivers and its adverse effects, this research aimed to provide an appropriate managerial solution to reduce these problems.

METHODS

The sample in this descriptive-analytical study consisted of 250 drivers who were selected and investigated. A job stress questionnaire was used as a means for collecting data. Health conditions were assessed by referring to clinical documents provided for the drivers. Accident data were included in the study using accident-related documentation. Two hundred and fifty drivers from Ilam, Iran participated and were analyzed in this study. This research is a cross-sectional study that was performed by dossiers and personal memoirs. Data were analyzed by SPSS16 and the chi-squared test.

RESULTS

The study showed that the main factors that cause medium- to high-level stress are the physical environment, workload and ambiguity of duties. It also showed that the incidence and severity of accidents increased as stress levels increased.

CONCLUSION

This study shows high prevalence of job stress amongst drivers in Ilam. The main causes of the prevalence of stress among drivers in Ilam City are physical environment, workload and ambiguity of duties, responsibility.

Blood plasma clinical-chemical parameters as biomarker endpoints for organohalogen contaminant exposure in Norwegian raptor nestlings

Raptors are exposed to biomagnifying and toxic organohalogenated compounds (OHCs) such as organochlorines, brominated flame retardants and perfluorinated compounds. To investigate how OHC exposure may affect biochemical pathways we collected blood plasma from Norwegian northern goshawk (n=56), golden eagle (n=12) and white-tailed eagle (n=36) nestlings during three consecutive breeding seasons. We found that blood plasma concentrations of calcium, sodium, creatinine, cholesterol, albumin, total protein, urea, inorganic phosphate, protein:creatinine, urea:creatinine and uric acid:creatinine ratios and liver enzymes ALKP and ALAT were positively correlated to PCBs, chlordanes, p,p'-DDE, HCB, PFCs and/or PBDEs. Total bilirubin and glucose were negatively correlated to PCBs while magnesium and potassium were negatively correlated to HCB and p,p'-DDE. In addition, protein:creatinine and ALAT were also negatively correlated to PCBs and PFCs, respectively. The most significant relationships were found for the highly contaminated northern goshawks and white-tailed eagles. The statistical relationships between OHCs and BCCPs indicate that biochemical pathways could be influenced while it is uncertain if such changes have any health effects. The OHC concentrations were below concentrations causing reproductive toxicity in adults of other raptor species but similar to those of concern for endocrine disruption of thyroid hormones in e.g., bald eagles.

Relationships between organohalogen contaminants and blood plasma clinical-chemical parameters in chicks of three raptor species from Northern Norway

Organohalogen contaminants (OHCs) may affect various physiological parameters in birds including blood chemistry. We therefore examined blood plasma clinical-chemical parameters and OHCs in golden eagle, white-tailed eagle and goshawk chicks from Northern Norway. Correlation analyses on pooled data showed that alkaline phosphatase (ALKP), glucose and creatinine were significantly negatively correlated to various OHCs (all: p<0.05; r: -0.43 to -0.55; n=23), while alanine aminotransferase (ALAT), total protein, cholesterol, uric acid, total bilirubin, ratios protein:creatinine and uric acid:creatinine were significantly positively correlated to various OHCs (all: p<0.05; r: 0.43-0.96). Based on these relationships, we suggest that the OHC concentrations found in certain raptor chicks of Northern Scandinavia may impact blood plasma biochemistry in a way that indicates impacts on liver, kidney, bone, endocrinology and metabolism. In order to elaborate further on these relationships and mechanisms, we recommend that a larger study should take place in the near future.

Assessing occupational stress, strain, and coping for North American teachers in Kuwait

In this study, differences in levels of occupational stress and strain experienced by North American local (n=24) and expatriate (n=43) teachers working in Kuwait were investigated by married (n=34) and single status (n=31) and by male (n=30) and female (n=47) sex. All teachers self-administered the Occupational Stress Inventory-Revised. No differences appeared among measures of stress or strain between male and female teachers or between married and single teachers. However, locally hired teachers reported higher role insufficiency and interpersonal strain than expatriate teachers. Some significant differences in coping styles also appeared between these groups. None of the measures used revealed any significant correlations between age and years of service.

On the investigation of the neurophysiological correlates of knowledge worker mental fatigue using the EEG signal

Technological trends and advances in automation have underscored the importance of task performance of certain jobs requiring mental functions such as information processing and decision analyses. Most experts agree that such work environments produce increased mental activities, with profound implications for mental fatigue and stress. Consequently, productivity measurement and improvement for white collar or 'knowledge worker' occupations remains a major challenge and concern. This investigation defines an experimental approach that examines the neurophysiological correlates of white collar worker mental fatigue using the EEG signal. A 6 h laboratory experiment was conducted to simulate work output. The methods of assessing fatigue employed were mental tests and physiological measurements. The experiment involved reading of standardized texts, finding solutions to arithmetic-logical problems and a combination of both task types. Two primary performance measures were obtained, work output and brain waves. Fast Fourier transform and correlation analyses are used to quantify the relationship between certain brain waves and mental fatigue. This research is a major step towards the development of a model that explores the relationship between mental fatigue and factors associated with output performance, optimal recuperation periods and related variables. Such a model would be useful in human reliability prediction based on task parameters and worker profiles.

Ageing, computer-based task performance, and stress: issues and challenges

An emerging problem that encompasses both traditional ergonomic as well as macroergonomic concerns involves assessing the potential implications of computer-based tasks for older workers. An increasing older workforce and the influx of computer technology into a wide variety of work settings has motivated both a re-examination of the literature concerning ageing and work performance and research that more directly addresses the computer-interactive task domain. In this paper, we overview this literature and raise a number of crucial issues concerning potential age differences in performance and stress associated with computer-based tasks. Underlying our discussion throughout is the intention of identifying the challenges that await interested practitioners and researchers.

[Occupation and hypertension]

Scientific reports on Arterial Blood Hypertension for the period from 1970 to 1989 are reviewed, with special reference to its epidemiological focusing among workers. The knowledge gained and the theoretical and methodological advances associated with it are assessed.

Walking on an electric treadmill while performing VDT office work

The physiological and psychological health problems associated with sedentary office work are well documented, but their solution has proved elusive. In this study a specially designed office permitted the comparison of conventional word processing (sedentary condition) to word processing performed while walking on an electric treadmill at 1.4 to 2.8 km/hr (active condition). Five subjects after several days of practice produced two test trials each consisting of six 20-minute intervals of word processing. For the sedentary condition the subjects were seated, during all six intervals. For the active condition, treadmill-walking and seated intervals were alternated. Variables measured included word processing performance score, stress and arousal indices, and body complaint count. The first of these was tested with a repeated ANOVA and Newman-Keuls post hoc, and the latter three with correlated t-tests. No significant differences were found between the two conditions for performance or body complaints. Stress was significantly lower (p &lt; .05), and arousal was higher but not quite significant (P &lt; .07) for the active condition. We conclude that treadmill walking and routine word processing can be performed concurrently without a decrement in work performance, and that certain physiological and psychological benefits may result.

Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers in the United States: A Review of Health Hazards, Status, and Policy

Although the occupation and associated living conditions of migrant and seasonal agricultural workers in the U.S. pose exceptional health hazards to the workers and their dependents, relatively few occupational health professionals have been involved with this group. This article examines the basis for this neglect and proposes a definition of the population that should be considered in farmworker health policy. It then reviews existing evidence regarding hazards of four major occupational exposures — pesticides, the sun, injuries, and poor field sanitation — and policies that have been developed to address these hazards. The extremely negative health consequences of farmworker living conditions, which are indirect occupational hazards, are also summarized. Numerous policy, planning, and research recommendations are made. Adequate solutions for this impoverished and powerless group, however, will require significant sociopolitical advances, such as are developing with unionization and other forms of political organization.

Assessing the effects of health promotion in worksites: a review of the stress program evaluations

In a recent issue of Health Education Quarterly, Chen(1) reviewed the evaluations of worksite health promotion programs published in health education journals from 1980 through June 1983. He found few evaluations in the literature that used either quasi-experimental or experimental designs. This paper reviews the evaluations of stress reduction programs in the worksite, most of which were either published outside of health education journals or unpublished. Over one-half of the studies used either experimental or quasi-experimental designs in the evaluations. This suggests that reviews of worksite health promotion program evaluations must encompass journals from a variety of disciplines. Recommendations for improving the evaluations of stress reduction programs in the worksite are included.

Non-work-related movements in machine-paced and self-paced work: an industrial study

Non-work related movements (NWRM) of 10 experienced industrial workers performing light repetitive work were observed under a variety of conditions. More NWRM were observed for (1) machine-paced versus self-paced operations; and (2) a task with high mental load versus one with a low mental load. In addition, the age of the worker was found to be negatively correlated with NWRM.

Seat comfort: a review of the construct in the office environment

A general verview of approaches to the assessment of comfort relevant to design of office furniture is presented. These approaches include physiological/anatomical, subjective, postural, and performance-based measures. Pertinent literature from other fields is included.

A case study of the occupational stress implications of working with two different actuation/safety devices

A case study was conducted using an automatic sphygmomanometer to compare the stress encountered by workers using two different machine actuation/safety devices. The experiment took place in a small metal stamping plant as part of a government authorized comparison of the devices. Six experienced female workers separately performed the same task on the same power presses using either a photo electronic or a two-hand button device. These two devices perform dual duty as both machine actuators and machine safeguards. Blood pressure at the ankle and heart rate were measured periodically and a questionnaire was administered. The case study approach to this experiment was necessitated by government restrictions which limit the population of workers experienced with both devices. The results of the case study are twofold: (1) For the small population tested no significant difference was found in the stress measures examined for machine operators; and (2) A feasible in-plant methodology is demonstrated for unobtrusively monitoring worker populations exposed to machine related stress.