Stress Influence on Professional Activity of Academic Staff and Stress Management in Institutions of Higher Education

Abstract

Subject under consideration in the article is the problem of stress in professional activity of academic staff. It has revealed modern scientific ideas about stress. The reasons, manifestations, consequences of professional stress of a university lecturer have been analyzed on the basis of applied sociological research conducted among the academic staff of National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine. The article presents the research results of professional stress impact on professional activity of academic staff. It has been shown that the professional activity of a lecturer is accompanied by numerous stress factors that determine professional stress and have negative influence on his/her professional activity effectiveness. It has been noted that the violation of adaptive mechanisms, low stress resistance with prolonged chronic influence of stress factors, leads to a number of psychosomatic diseases. The strategies of overcoming behavior in stressful situations have been studied among the scientific and pedagogical staff of NULES of Ukraine. The features of overcoming professional stress among teachers with different stress levels have been revealed. Gender characteristics of higher school teachers have been established: a high susceptibility of women to stress, due to their expressiveness, the desire for success in professional career and in personal life, as well as a high frequency of stress development among young teachers, since they have to gain credibility with students. It has been identified that professional stress among teachers with working experience is mainly due to numerous educational reforms and toughening requirements. The importance of stress resistance has been noted, which is associated with innate qualities, but can be strengthened by competent planning and administration responsibilities, the creation of a comfortable working environment by the heads of the faculties and departments, the work of psychologists and the lecturers themselves.