Work-Related Stress among Occupational Therapists in Sweden

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe work-related stress among occupational therapists and to identify the specific stress factors that contribut~~d to work-related stress and their influence on the individual. Two hundred active occupational therapists in Sweden, selected at random from the membership registry of the Swedish Association IOf Occupational Therapists, received a postal questionnaire. One hundred and sixty-two responses were included in the study. An instrument introduced by Sweeney was used, which included 49 stressors, and a secondary aim was to conduct a factor analysis on the Swedish population of occupational therapists. In addition to this instrument there were questions about emotional and physical symptoms and discomfort, feelings about work and perceived satisfaction.The results showed that only two of the 49 stre:ssors were graded as high in affecting stress levels, both concerning lack of resources and lack of time. The factor analysis indicated 15 dimensions of stress relevant to the sample, and ,;:I second-order analysis gave four factors with high reliability both for the whole stress instrument and for each of the four factors. The factors were named 'Resources and demands', 'Professional value', 'Rewards' and 'Interaction with patients and colleagues'.The Swedish study showed that lack of resources and lack of time were graded high as stress factors while the English population was concerned about patient contact to a greater extent than the Swedish. The most commonly reported symptoms were headache, poor concentration and feeling restless. There were significant correlations showing that high work satisfaction was correlated with low frequency of emotional and physical symptoms (r = 0.47-0.61). Work satisfaction was not correlated with discomfort from musculoskeletal disorders. Positive feelings about the job correlated with rare occurrence of symptoms (r = 0.17-0.51), and there were also relationships between positive feelings about work and fewer musculoskeletal problems like pain and headache.It was concluded that a low level of stress existl~d among the Swedish occupational therapists. They felt that they had a strong professional role and identity but that financial conditions had not kept pace with the status of the profession. The feeling of high work satisfaction was related primarily to fewer emotional or physical discomforts or symptoms. The factor analysis indicated that the work situation in Sweden was different from the situation in England.

High job demands and lack of time: A future challenge in occupational therapy

“…Association between stress index items and overall stress with dichotomized scores 0-6 or 7-10 with 95% confidence interval in the study population (n = 472). One limitation of this study is the relatively low response rate of 59%, especially compared with the earlier Swedish study using the same stress index in which the response rate was 81% (24). This might have affected the results because it is uncertain whether the non-participants perceived more or less stress than those who participated.…”

“…The index consists of 49 stress factors graded on a scale from 1 to 6 (indicating no source of stress; no clear source of stress; usually not a source of stress; usually a source of stress; a clear source of stress; very definitely a source of stress). Earlier published studies on validity and reliability have shown that the stress index has high internal consistency and is appropriate for measuring stress among occupational therapists (24)(25)(26) because it was developed for the occupational therapy work context.…”

“…However, different studies (24,25) show different patterns regarding stress factors, which might be related to cultural as well as societal expectations and prerequisites. A Swedish survey on a randomly selected sample of occupational therapists, performed almost 20 years ago, concluded that the level of stress among occupational therapists in Sweden was low (24).…”

“…However, different studies (24,25) show different patterns regarding stress factors, which might be related to cultural as well as societal expectations and prerequisites. A Swedish survey on a randomly selected sample of occupational therapists, performed almost 20 years ago, concluded that the level of stress among occupational therapists in Sweden was low (24). Lack of resources and lack of time were graded as the most common stress factors but, in general, a low level of stress existed compared with a sample of occupational therapists in England from the same decade (25).…”

The effects of supportive management and job quality on the turnover intentions and health of military personnel

“…Both occupational therapists (Wressle & Oeberg, 1998) and clinical nurses working in hospitals (Lu, Shiau, & Cooper, 1997) who were satisfied with work experienced fewer ill-health symptoms than did their counterparts who were less satisfied with their work. Job satisfaction also has been linked to turnover intentions, in that dissatisfaction with work causes employees to consider the possibility of quitting (Carsten & Spector, 1987;Mobley, Horner, & Holingsworth, 1978;Porter & Steers, 1973;Williams & Hazer, 1986).…”