Is Occupational Stress a Disease?

What is Occupational Stress?

Stress is a physiological response of the human body to perceived, real, negative, or positive stimuli (Trifunovic, Jatic, & Kulenovic, 2017). The human body experiences several biological changes under the long or short-term influence of stressful stimuli. The short-term stresses barely cause any damage to the body; however, prolonged stress not only challenges the immune system but also increases the risk of neurological complications and cardiovascular disease. The occupational stress emanates due to work pressure and increasing professional requirements. The haste of accomplishing the client targets under challenging situations deteriorates the decision-making capacity of individuals. Occupational stress potentially increases the risk of mental disorders, behavioral complications, psychological manifestations, and other disease conditions. 

How Does Occupational Stress Impact Your Life?  

The occupational stress impacts your health and well-being through the following stages (Quick & Henderson, 2016). 

1.     Stage 1 of occupation stress incorporates its risk factors and potential causes 

2.     Stage 2 manifests with the short/long-term responses of individuals against their stressors/stimuli, internal pressures, or environmental requirements 

3.     Stage 3 incorporates the behavioral, psychological, and physical impact of the stress of the affected individuals  

What are the Causes of Occupational Stress? 

The occupational stress develops under the impact of one or more of the following (commonly reported) factors (Quick & Henderson, 2016) (Rao & Chandraiah, 2012). 

1.     Increased work demands

2.     Work-family conflict 

3.     Financial problems 

4.     Career expectations

5.     Academic pressure 

6.     Job insecurity 

7.     Ambiguity and role conflicts at the workplace 

8.     Workplace design, lightning, and temperature 

9.     Interpersonal demands based on group pressures, leadership style, personality conflicts, and social density 

10.  Lack of confidence and decision-making 

11.  Limited self-control 

12.  Traumatic conditions, illnesses, and absenteeism  

13.  Comorbidities 

14.  Difficult interpersonal relations between employees 

15.  Individual differences 

16.  Vulnerability based on reduced socioeconomic status 

17.  Lack of a competitive attitude 

18.  Quantification of achievements 

19.  Time urgency 

20.  Hostility 

21.  Anger 

22.  Social isolation 

23.  Loneliness 

24.  Anger or aggressive attitude 

25.  Emotional weakness 

26.  Lack of instrumental support 

27.  Lack of feedback at the workplace  

28.  Lack of professional recognition 

29.  Home-work balance disruption 

30.  Extra-organizational factors 

31.  Workplace politics 

How Does Occupational Stress Impact Your Biological Pathways?

The impact of occupational stress on biological pathways is many folds. Stress deteriorates the health-related quality of life and wellness of individuals while reducing their operational productivity. The following processes/mechanisms affirm the impact of occupational stress on physiological outcomes (IOM, 2001). 

1.     The musculoskeletal reactivity in response to stress triggers pain that potentially impacts the work-life balance

2.     The stress-based psychological demands trigger muscular activities in a manner that increases tiredness, malaise, or lethargy  

3.     The mental stress also activates muscles irrespective of the physical activities 

4.     Occupational stress in many scenarios leads to musculoskeletal discomfort, forearm tremor, and spectral alterations in forearm electromyography 

5.     The elevated perception of workload based on shorter turnaround times and project pressures potentially elevates the muscle tension of the forearm that eventually deteriorates overall work performance 

6.     The concomitant impact of physical and psychological stressors at the workplace increases the risk of self-reported stress and blood pressure elevation  

7.     The occupational stress-related perceptions of individuals and the level of their responsiveness to various stimuli considerably impact their distress 

8.     The sustained occupational stress impacts the simple motor task accomplishment ability of people as well as the extent of their muscle coactivation    

9.     The stress-induced muscle contraction triggers fatigue in low-level motor neurons of the forearm and upper trapezius 

10.  The occupational stress-based injury or discomfort not only elevates biomechanical risks of individuals but also recruits their alternative muscles for the accomplishment of organizational activities. 

11.  Stress not only elevates the pressure on less suitable muscles but also increases the risk of compromised postures 

12.  The variable perceptions to stress exposure trigger the stress hormone following the unwarranted activation of the sympathetic nervous system 

13.  Occupational stress elevates the level of norepinephrine, epinephrine, cortisol, and catecholamines 

14.  The occupational stress-based hormonal elevation generates a blend of negative and positive emotions that sometimes become unpredictable, uncontrollable, and novel at workplace 

15.  The tough or rigid work arrangements and repetitiveness of the tasks at the workplace impact the level of circulating catecholamines 

16.  The conservative repetitive tasks (like data entry) reduce the pace of epinephrine deactivation in comparison to the self-learning, autonomous, and self-stimulating tasks 

17.  The repetitive/short work cycles, fixed work stations, and traditional/conservative work environment challenge the catecholamine deactivation process to a considerable extent 

18.  The abnormal cortisol/catecholamine levels in stressed individuals impact the overall functionality of their ligaments, tendons, and muscles 

19.  The elevated release of norepinephrine under the impact of work stress elevates the task performance rate and behavior that eventually increases biomechanical risks based on the forceful and rapid responses to the assigned projects  

20.  The elevated release of neurotransmitters under the impact of occupational stress exacerbates the musculoskeletal complications 

21.  The occupational stress-based release of serotonin triggers the release of bradykinin (i.e. endogenous pain mediator) 

22.  The mechanical stimulation under stressful conditions facilitates the infusion of bradykinin and serotonin into tibialis anterior muscle that leads to prolonged and high-intensity pain 

23.  The occupational stress also impacts the muscles through the induction of nociceptor sensitization effect

24.  The impact of occupational stress on the central nervous system deteriorates emotional and attention/focus of people while reducing their pain tolerance and pain perceptions 

25.  The stress-based induction of circulating catecholamines triggers vasoconstriction that in many scenarios restricts the vascular supply of the functionally deteriorated nerves 

26.  The occupational stress potentially disrupts the immune/inflammatory responses of individuals 

27.  The stress-based induction of cortisol/glucocorticoids reduces the transfer of inflammatory mediators/cytokines to the injured tissues 

28.  The repeated mechanical insult due to sustained occupational stress defeats the recovery of the pain-sensitive tissues 

29.  Occupational stress also delays the healing of oral puncture wounds 

30.  The work-related stressors reduce the generation of proinflammatory cytokines (example, interleukin-1ρ) that deteriorates the fibroblasts activation and cell recruitment processes   

Is it Possible to Manage Occupational Stress?

Stress management options rely on the following evidence-based interventions (Schneiderman, Ironson, & Siegel, 2005). 

1.     Cognitive-behavioral therapy based on reprocessing and eye movement desensitization  

2.     Psychopharmacotherapy 

3.     Pharmacotherapy 

4.     Cognitive-behavioral stress management  

5.     Dietary management 

The below-mentioned innovative occupational stress-management interventions/strategies help in improving the emotional stamina and psychosocial strength (Gardiner et al., 2015). The stressed professionals should engage themselves in one or more of these activities in their leisure time (outside work premises/operational hours).  

1.     Aromatherapy 

2.     Relaxation technique 

3.     Mind-body interventions based on yoga, meditation, and deep breathing exercises 

4.     Creative visualization 

5.     Hot baths 

6.     Bubble baths 

7.     Meditation based on beach noise taps 

8.     Biking 

9.     Camping 

10.  Body control methods 

11.  Callahan hand taping 

12.  Relaxation tapes 

13.  Crocheting 

14.  Smooth Jazz music 

15.  Chanting 

16.  Cooking 

17.  Counting 

18.  Electric massage 

19.  Exercise 

20.  Group therapy 

21.  Spiritual engagement 

22.  Hypnosis 

23.  Musical activities 

24.  Massage 

25.  Muscle relaxation imagery 

26.  Pedicure 

27.  Prayer 

28.  Reading books 

29.  Reflexology 

30.  Reiki 

31.  Sauna/steam room 

32.  Concentrating 

33.  Stretching 

34.  Tai Chi 

35.  Alternative thinking 

36.  Walking 

You must thoughtfully comply with the following tips to minimize your risk of health and wellness deterioration under the impact of occupational stress (Cleveland Clinic, 2020). 

  1. It is advisable to enroll in stress management training programs for the management of deleterious stress reactions 
  2. You must carefully identify your occupational stress-related complications and/or stress reactions and accordingly explore viable stress management strategies 
  3. You must not ignore your stressful feelings of harassment, anxiety, and tension at the workplace and promptly seek help from your supervisor 
  4. You must consult your physician to investigate the relationship of your stress with physical symptoms 
  5. The problems like digestive issues, headaches, tension, and blood pressure elevation require a clinical assessment to explore/rule-out their stress-related etiology 
  6. You must restrict your consumption of alcohol and follow a healthy eating plan for stress management 
  7. You must strike off the myth related to the positive influence of smoking on stress management 
  8. You should regularly participate in performance improvement programs at the workplace to strengthen your occupational stress management capacity 
  9. You must engage with your supervisor following the occurrence of interpersonal conflicts with any employee at the workplace 
  10. The early identification of stress reaction is highly needed to overcome the psychosocial/physical complications 
  11. Breathing exercises and rigorous physical activities not only enhance your stamina but also elevate your overall confidence and coping skills for occupational stress mitigation 
  12. You must make every effort to protect and improve your self-esteem 
  13. You must try learning new skills at the workplace to attain the professional advantage since that greatly helps to reduce the stress-related adversities 
  14. The establishment of realistic expectations and goals at the workplace is necessarily required to improve the perceptions of stress and panic 
  15. Introspection/self-reflection and inculcation of values/morale not only promotes professional growth but also strengthens the stress management ability 
  16. You must consider your workplace stressors as your biggest enemies and leave no stone unturned to win over them 
  17. You must responsibly control your feelings and emotions without giving them the space to hinder your work performance 
  18. You must explore and develop innovative strategies to improve your self-control at the workplace 
  19. Positive interactions with peers and professional discussions will undoubtedly enhance your immunity against work-relates stress 
  20. You must control/optimize your eating habits and maintain a healthy lifestyle to reduce the risk of stress-induced extra consumption of calories 

References

Cleveland Clinic. (2020). Stress Management and Emotional Health. Retrieved from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/6409-stress-management-and-emotional-health

Gardiner, P., Sadikova, E., Filippelli, A. C., Mitchell, S., White , L. F., Saper , R., . . . Fredman, L. (2015). Stress Management and Relaxation Techniques Use among Underserved Inpatients in an Inner City Hospital. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 23(3), 405-412. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2015.03.006

IOM. (2001). Occupational Stress. In Musculoskeletal Disorders and the Workplace: Low Back and Upper Extremities. Washington (DC): National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK222423/

Quick, J. C., & Henderson, D. F. (2016). Occupational Stress: Preventing Suffering, Enhancing Wellbeing. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 13(5). doi:10.3390/ijerph13050459

Rao, J. V., & Chandraiah, K. (2012). Occupational stress, mental health and coping among information technology professionals. Indial Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 16(1), 22-26. doi:10.4103/0019-5278.99686

Schneiderman, N., Ironson, G., & Siegel, S. D. (2005). Stress and Health: Psychological, Behavioral, and Biological Determinants. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 607-628. doi:10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.1.102803.144141

Trifunovic, N., Jatic , Z., & Kulenovic, A. D. (2017). Identification of causes of the occupational stress for health providers at different levels of health care. Medical Archives, 71(3), 169-172. doi:10.5455/medarh.2017.71.169-172

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