Occupational stress(ors)

8 important questions on Occupational stress(ors)

What are potential benefits of being employed?

- Financial resources
- Social group / belonging
- Daily structure
- Sense of accomplishment
- Learning / development
- Purpose in life

What are early symptoms of occupational stress?

physical:
e.g. ↑ bloodpressure, headaches, muscles aches & pains,
stomach problems, sleep disturbances
• psychological:
e.g. anxiety, worrying, irritation, anger, ↓ concentration
• behavioural:
e.g. unhealthy lifestyles, errors, (near)accidents

What are long-term consequences of occupational stress?

physical:
e.g. high blood pressure, musculoskeletal disorders,
cardiovascular disease
• psychological:
e.g. concentration problems, depression, burnout
• behavioural:
e.g. absenteeism, turnover, alcohol abuse
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What are the three development of burnout? (Maslach, 1993)

1. Emotional exhaustion (stress arousal):
a.o. irritation, anxiety, forgetfulness, problems concentrating, sleep problems, heart palpitations, headache

2. (see this with some people, not every one) Depersonalisation (energy conservation):
a.o. cynical, detached and non-involved attitude towards work and people one is working with

3.  Reduced personal accomplishment (exhaustion)
a.o. chronic mental exhaustion, chronic physical exhaustion, chronic headache, gastro-intestinal complaints, social isolation, loss of self-confidence

Which occupations show higher risks for burnout?

- health care; up to 26-40% in emergency nurses (Adriaenssens et al., 2014; de Wijn et al., 2021)

- teaching (20% emotionally exhausted) (van Zwieten et al., 2014)

What are the negative consequences of occupational stress?

- Individual employee
• physical complaints / illness
• psychological complaints
• unhealthy lifestyles

- Employer / organization • turnover
• absenteeism / disablement
• lower performance / productivity / product quality • counterproductive behaviours
• accidents

- Society
• costs of absenteeism
• disability benefits

What are the factors in the "stress" response?

Among others,
  • The level of stressors (intensity)
  • The extent of time of exposure to stressors
  • Recurrence of exposures

  • Age older and younger people more vulnerable
  • Gender
  • Physical health status at exposure
  • Psychological status at exposure
  • Coping mechanisms available and used

What is the difference acute vs. Chronic stress?

- Acute stress
Sudden, typically short-lived, threatening event (e.g.,
giving a speech, being in a conflict situation)


- Chronic stress
Ongoing environmental demand (e.g., marital conflict, various work stressors)
• Anticipatory activation
• Prolonged activation

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