Stress and mental strain in hospital work: Exploring the relationship beyond personality: Summary

This study focuses on the relationship between job stressors and mental strain in hospital work, adjusting for differences in personality traits. Questionnaires were obtained from 760 full-time employees. Fourteen scales of job stressors were clustered into four factors: professional latitude, clini...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of organizational behavior 1991-11, Vol.12 (6), p.483
Main Authors: Arsenault, Andre, Dolan, Shimon L, Van Ameringen, Marie Reine
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis of covariance
Nurses
Occupational stress
Personality
Personality traits
Questionnaires
Self report
Stress
Workloads
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Summary:This study focuses on the relationship between job stressors and mental strain in hospital work, adjusting for differences in personality traits. Questionnaires were obtained from 760 full-time employees. Fourteen scales of job stressors were clustered into four factors: professional latitude, clinical demands, workload problems and role difficulties. A mental strain index was derived from the addition of three sub-scales: depression, anxiety and irritation. Two personality traits were measured: Locus of Control (Rotter) and StriverAchiever (Sales). The four job demand factors were dichotomized into high-low grouping variables. A 2 factorial analysis of covariance was conducted, using the two personality traits as covariates, in order to test and adjust for trait-related strain. Results show that Locus of Control adjusted differences in mental strain appear significantly related to work stressors. A direct relationship was found with role difficulties, professional latitude and workload problems. Moreover, high levels of role difficulties and low levels of professional latitude interact significantly with adjusted levels of mental strain. The Striver--Achiever trait, however, appears most strongly correlated with workload problems but not with mental strain. We believe that this exploratory analysis suggests that the stressor--strain relationship might be best conceived as a combination of direct and complex pathways, relating facets of both job demands and of personality with outcomes, under a cognitive and conditional paradigm.
ISSN:0894-3796
1099-1379