Stress Management Interventions

Occupational stress has steadily inclined over the last several decades. Although many attribute this increase to factors in the workplace (e.g., globalization, the increasing sophistication of technology, and hypercompetitive work environments), occupational stress is actually caused by the interaction between these workplace factors and individual differences (e.g., stress tolerance, health, resilience, and coping style). Stress is a process that is initiated when people encounter a stressor. Work stressors are environmental or psychological demands and are often broken up into four groups: role factors (i.e., when role expectations are perceived as confusing, ambiguous, or conflicting by the individual), job factors (e.g., work deadlines and performance evaluations), physical factors (i.e., stressors that affect employees’ senses), and interpersonal factors (e.g., stressors that arise from the demands of relationships). ...