The stress‐prone personality: A review of the research in the context of occupational stress

Park

et al. 2013

J Physiol Anthropol

BackgroundDespite increasing attention and a growing volume of research data, little physiological evidence is available on the benefits of horticultural activity and the different effects on individuals. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the physiological effects of horticultural activity and to examine how differences in personality alter these effects.ResultsThe effects of transplanting real flowers (horticultural activity) and handling artificial flowers (control activity) on human physiological activity were compared. On the first day, eight participants engaged in horticultural activity and another eight in the control activity. On the second day, participants switched roles. Participants’ physiological conditions during each activity were assessed by measuring the heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV). Psychological responses, which were measured using a semantic differential rating scale, showed that the horticultural activity promoted comfortable, soothed, and natural feelings, compared to the control activity. Analysis of physiological responses using two-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that sympathetic nervous activity significantly decreased in the late time period (11 to 15 minutes) of horticultural activity only in the type A group.ConclusionsThis study supports the fact that the horticultural activity can enhance psychological and physiological relaxation effects, although these physiological effects can differ among individuals with different personalities.

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physiological relaxation induced by horticultural activity: transplanting work using flowering plants

Park

et al. 2013

J Physiol Anthropol

“…Among them, social su port is the most widespread external resource.E-21 On the other hand, one of the most widely researched internal (personality) factors in this area is the Type A/B construct. 22 Type A behavioural pattern has been primarily recognized as constituting an independent risk factor in the development of coronary heart disease,23 26 but it has also been considered as a personality predisposition to stress which relates to both psychological and physical distress. '2327 The components and possible ill-effects of Type A behavioural pattern/personality have been reviewed in the journal.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…'2327 The components and possible ill-effects of Type A behavioural pattern/personality have been reviewed in the journal. 22 In the research fields of industrial and/or organizational psychology, personality has been suggested to interact with job stresses to determine the well-being of employees." The Type A/B construct has also been subjected to this consideration of personality/stress/health relationships, while this kind of research has been scarce in Asian countries.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Type A personality, work stress and psychological distress in Japanese adult employees

et al. 1992

To explore work stress–strain relations and the effect of Type A/B personality among Japanese adult employees, a questionnaire survey was conducted in two branches of a large bank in Hokkaido, Japan. Data were obtained from 256 adult employees (158 males and 98 females). The questionnaire consisted of several scales concerning role stress, the 28‐item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ‐28), job dissatisfaction, the Jenkins Activity Survey, and others. While most of the variables differed across three subsamples (male clerks, males of chief clerk status or higher, and female clerks), both role overload and conflict were comparable. Role overload and conflict were highly associated with psychological distress, but role ambiguity showed a few significant correlations. Also, fewer significant correlations were found for Type A/B subscales. A moderated multiple regression analysis was carried out by subsample for each pair of role stress and Type A/B subscale for each psychological distress. A buffering effect of Type A/B was tested by considering the significance of its interaction term with role stress. As a whole global A tendency ie, high scores on the JAS‐A/B subscale would play a role as ‘buffer’, but high hard‐driving and competitive tendencies would play roles as both ‘buffer’ and ‘exaggerator’ according to the type of stress. Most of these results, however, were detected in the analyses of male clerks. Therefore, either buffering or exacerbating effects of Type A/B personality on stress–strain relations were recognized to vary between genders, across job positions, and/or across the types of stress at work and distress.

“…The period of employment at the hospital ranged from one to 3 1 years, with a mean period of 9.2 years. Staff designations of respondents included supervisor, charge nurse, and nurse educator (14), registered nurse (38), enrolled nurse (6) and nursing assistant (10).…”

Section: Research Participants and Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological determinants of occupational burnout

Thompson

Page

1992

Stress Med.

A representative sample of 74 nurses working in a comparatively large Australian psychiatric hospital completed a questionnaire which contained scales that reflected the elements of the self‐control model of human stress proposed by Carver and Scheier. Canonical correlation analysis was used to statistically relate proposed elements of the self‐control model to both intensity and frequency subscale scores of the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Interpretation of the complicated array of structure coefficients derived for four significant canonical variates provided support for the basic tenets of the self‐control model. Notably, those participants who reported higher intensities of emotional exhaustion–depersonalization also reported higher scores on operational measures of self‐focus and negative affect, a greater range of discrepant aspects of their job, and more pessimism regarding improvement in those same aspects. A framework for elaboration of the model through future research is proposed.