Throughout their lifespan, humans are affected by different stressors. For instance, for teenagers, the main stress-inducing problems are related to education, relationship with parents and peers, and identity crisis, for people in middle adulthood, which are often connected to their occupations. However, the reaction and the severity of consequences depending on the particular workplace situation, as well as on several personal and cultural determinants.
Different factors can cause stress in the workplace. They include a “toxic” work environment, poor relationships with colleagues, extreme pressure and time constraints, and high work demands (Moreno Fortes et al., 2020). All of these factors can negatively influence one’s working experience. However, even if some of these stressors are present, other positive characteristics of one’s job can outweigh them. For instance, if a person works within strict time limits but has satisfying relationships with colleagues and supportive managers the impact of stress-causing situations is likely to be less significant. On the other hand, if any of these factors are present, they can cause severe stress affecting a person’s mental and physical health.
However, there are personal and cultural characteristics that can limit the impact of stressors. For instance, people with an optimistic outlook tend to view negative situations as temporary and problems as solvable, leading to reduced stress levels (Moreno Fortes et al., 2020). The research suggests that cultural factors may also be important as people from collectivistic societies tend to suffer less from similar stressors due to better support networks (Moreno Fortes et al., 2020).
On the other hand, collectivistic cultures tend to be more conservative. This often involves a stricter hierarchical structure with more demanding managers. Moreover, middle-aged female employees in Asian countries experience additional stress due to work-family conflict (Wang & Peng, 2017). Therefore, cultural and occupational stress factors are often interrelated as even general levels of optimism, to a certain extent, correlate with one’s culture.
Each profession has a unique set of stressors. For instance, nursing professionals, many of them are related to responsible as their actions have a direct influence on other people’s well-being. Moreover, dealing with the suffering, anxiety, and desperation of patients and their relatives, are likely to be affected themselves. This often leads to such a phenomenon as burnout (Bridgeman et al., 2018). Thus, nurses must understand these dangers and identify the tactics that can prevent such negative consequences.
References
Bridgeman, P. J., Bridgeman, M. B., & Barone, J. (2018). Burnout syndrome among healthcare professionals. The Bulletin of the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists, 75(3), 147-152. Web.
Moreno Fortes, A., Tian, L., & Huebner, E. S. (2020). Occupational stress and employees complete mental health: a cross-cultural empirical study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(10), 3629. Web.
Wang, Y., & Peng, J. (2017). Work–family conflict and depression in Chinese professional women: The mediating roles of job satisfaction and life satisfaction. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 15(2), 394-406. Web.