Occupational stress: Its causes and consequences for job performance.

TLDR

Occupational stress research has largely focused on health outcomes such as blood pressure and heart disease, while its impact on job performance remains poorly understood. The study investigates how occupational stress and its antecedent factors relate to job performance among nurses. The authors conducted two studies: first, 104 nurses discussed and 96 completed a questionnaire to identify 45 stressful events; second, 171 nurses completed a questionnaire and were rated by supervisors or coworkers. Interpersonal and cognitive/motivational performance ratings were significantly correlated with perceived stressful events, subjective stress, depression, and hostility, and path analysis indicated that event frequency and intensity drive stress, which induces depression that impairs performance.

Abstract

This paper reports two studies of occupational stress and its relation with antecedent variables and job performance. The first study, in which 104 nurses participated in group discussions and 96 nurses completed a questionnaire, identified 45 stressful events for nurses. In the second study, 171 nurses who completed another questionnaire were also rated by a supervisor and/or a co-worker. Ratings of interpersonal aspects of job performance (such as sensitivity, warmth, consideration, and tolerance) and cognitive/motivational aspects (such as concentration, composure, perseverence, and adaptability) correlated significantly with self-reported perceptions of stressful events, subjective stress, depression, and hostility. Models developed through path analysis suggest that the frequency and subjective intensity of the 45 events identified in Study 1 cause feelings of stress, which lead to depression, which, in turn, causes decrements in interpersonal and cognitive/motivational aspects of job performance. Much of the literature on occupational stress emphasizes its effects on health. Dependent variables in such research include blood pressure, heart rate, cholesterol level, and heart disease (Cooper & Marshall, 1976). We know relatively little, however, about the relation of stress to job performance. This article examines patterns of covariation between subjective stress and job performance and explores relations with individual characteristics, job conditions, stressful work events, and affective states.