Abstract
A survey was conducted of all staff members of an established Australian metropolitan university. The overall response rate for noncasual staff was 72% (77% for general staff and 65% for academic staff) resulting in a sample of N = 2,040. High levels of psychological stress were observed, despite the fact that trait anxiety and job satisfaction were normal. Psychological distress was highest and job satisfaction lowest among academic staff engaged in both teaching and research. In general, university staff reported high levels of autonomy and social support from colleagues. However those engaged in both teaching and research reported increased pressure arising from funding cuts to universities, resulting in heavier teaching loads and greater difficulty in securing research funds, as well as a decline in facilities and support for both teaching and research. The results are discussed in relation to the Demand–Control and Person–Environment Fit models of job stress.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Abouserie, R. (1996). Stress, coping strategies and job satisfaction in university academic staff. Educational Psychology, 16, 49–56.
Banks, M. H., Clegg, C. W., Jackson, P. R., Kemp, N. J., Stafford, E. M., & Wall, T. D. (1980). The use of the General Health Questionnaire as an indicator of mental health in occupational studies. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 53, 187–194.
Blix, A. G., Cruise, R. J., Mitchell, B. M., & Blix, G. G. (1994). Occupational stress among university teachers. Educational Research, 36, 157–169.
Boyd, S., & Wylie, C. (1994). Workload and stress in New Zealand universities. New Zealand Council for Educational Research and the Association of University Staff of New Zealand.
Bradley, J., & Eachus, P. (1995). Occupational stress within a U.K. Higher Education Institution. International Journal of Stress Management, 2, 145–158.
Clegg, C. W., & Wall, T. D. (1981). Note on some new scales for measuring aspects of psychological well-being. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 52, 221–225.
Coady, T. (2000). Universities and the ideals of inquiry. In T. Coady (Ed.), Why universities matter (pp. 3–25). St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin.
Cooper, C. L., Sloan, S. J., & Williams, S. (1988). Occupational stress indicator: Management guide. Windsor, UK: NFER-Nelson.
Daniels, K., & Guppy, A. (1992). Control, information-seeking preferences, occupational stressors and psychological well-being. Work and Stress, 6, 347–353.
Dua, J. K. (1994). Job stressors and their effects on physical health, emotional health, and job satisfaction in a university. Journal of Educational Administration, 32, 59–78.
Fisher, S. (1994). Stress in academic life. Buckingham, UK: The Society for Research into Higher Education and Open University Press.
French, J. R. P. Jr., Caplan, R. D., & van Harrison, R. (1984). The mechanisms of job stress and strain. New York: Wiley.
Gillespie, N. A., Walsh, M. J., Winefield, A. H., Stough, C. K., & Dua, J. K. (2000). Occupational stress within Australian universities: Staff perceptions of the determinants, consequences and moderators of work stress. 35th Annual Conference of the Australian Psychological Society, Canberra.
Gmelch, W. H., Wilke, P. K., & Lovrich, N. P. (1986). Dimensions of stress among university faculty: Factor-analytic results from a national study. Research in Higher Education, 24, 266–286.
Goldberg, D. P. (1972). The detection of psychiatric illness by questionnaire. London: Oxford University Press.
Henderson, S., Duncan-Jones, P., Byrne, D. G., Scott, R., & Adcock, S. (1979). Psychiatric disorder in Canberra: A standardised study of prevalence. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 60, 355–374.
Karasek, R. A. (1979). Job demands, job decision latitude, and mental strain: Implications for job redesign. Administrative Science Quarterly, 24, 285–308.
Molony, J. (2000). Australian universities today. In T. Coady (Ed.), Why universities matter (pp. 72–84). St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin.
Payne, R. L. (1988). A longitudinal study of the psychological well-being of unemployed men and the mediating effect of neuroticism. Human Relations, 41, 119–138.
Richard, G. V., & Krieshok, T. S. (1989). Occupational stress, strain and coping strategies in university faculty. Journal of Vocational Behaviour, 34, 117–132.
Sharpley, C. F. (1994). Report of a survey of stress and health at Monash University. Melbourne: Centre for Stress Management and Research, Faculty of Education, Monash University.
Spielberger, C. D., Gorsuch, R. L., Lushene, R., Vagg, P. R., & Jacobs, G. A. (1983). Manual for the state-trait anxiety inventory. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
Warr, P. B., Cook, J., & Wall, T. D. (1979). Scales for the measurement of some work attitudes and aspects of psychological well-being. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 52, 129–148.
Wilkinson, J., & Joseph, S. (1995). Burnout in university teaching staff. The Occupational Psychologist, 27, 4–7.
Winefield, A. H. (2000). Stress in academe: Some recent research findings. In D. T. Kenny, J. G. Carlson, F. J. McGuigan, & J. L. Sheppard (Eds.), Stress and health (pp. 437–446). Amsterdam: Harwood Academic Publishers.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Winefield, A.H., Jarrett, R. Occupational Stress in University Staff. International Journal of Stress Management 8, 285–298 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1017513615819
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1017513615819