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Stress‐reduction Interventions in an Australian University: A Case Study
Author(s) -
Pignata Silvia,
Winefield Anthony H.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
stress and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.009
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1532-2998
pISSN - 1532-3005
DOI - 10.1002/smi.2517
Subject(s) - psychological intervention , workload , occupational stress , staffing , psychology , thematic analysis , job satisfaction , applied psychology , stress (linguistics) , stress reduction , clinical psychology , nursing , social psychology , medicine , qualitative research , management , psychiatry , economics , social science , linguistics , philosophy , sociology
We examined the effects of awareness of stress‐reduction interventions on employee well‐being and work attitudes using a mixed methods design. Cross‐sectional data are presented from 247 employees who completed questionnaires in 2004 at one Australian university. Analyses indicated that employees, who reported that interventions had been undertaken, scored higher on job satisfaction, affective organizational commitment, perceived procedural justice and trust in senior management than those who were not aware of the measures, although they did not differ in psychological strain. Details of the stress‐reduction interventions implemented by the Occupational Health and Safety department at the university are also reported. Thematic analyses of the perceived causes of both decreases and increases in stress for employees showed that staff reported workload and staffing pressures as key sources of increases in stress. On the other hand, new supervisors and/or management were identified as sources of decreased stress. Areas for consideration in future efforts to develop and refine stress interventions are also discussed. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.