Prevention

Question 1

Occupational stress often stems from unexpected responsibilities and pressures that do not align with a person’s knowledge, skills, or expectations, inhibiting one’s ability to cope.

Answer 1

unexpected

Question 2

Occupational stress can increase when workers do not feel supported by supervisors or colleagues, or feel as if they have little control over the work processes.

Answer 2

work processes

Question 3

Occupational health psychologists divide their approach to occupational stress into three categories: primary prevention strategies, which include modifying the workplace to reduce stress; secondary prevention strategies, which seeks to make the individual more resilient for coping with stress; and tertiary prevention strategies, which focus on healing the negative effects of stress.

Answer 3

three

Question 4

This essay will consider the strengths and weaknesses of these prevention strategies.

Answer 4

strengths

Question 5

Primary prevention strategies seek to eliminate the stressor at the source within the workplace.

Answer 5

stressor

Question 6

This can include redesigning a task or workspace, participative behaviour to highlight and eliminate stressors, redefining roles, and cognitive restructuring.

Answer 6

redesigning

Question 7

One successful example of this is changing the way many organisations have people cueing for service personnel. Instead of having one cue that forces the next person forward immediately when a service person is available they have a ticketing system that gives the service person time between clients to deal with supplementary tasks and relax from the previous client. They can call the next client on their own terms.

Answer 7

example

Question 8

The strengths of primary prevention is that it fits the workplace to the person, it deals with the stress at the source, and encourages better communication between workers and managers.

Answer 8

workplace

Question 9

The weaknesses of this prevention is that it requires a large commitment in time and resources that could be used elsewhere and it may not show effectiveness for some time.

Answer 9

commitment

Question 10

Secondary prevention strategies presume that the stressor is not removable and that the stress prevention must come in the form of teaching employees to better cope with the inevitable stress. An example might be the clients that the service personnel must deal with.

Answer 10

removable

Question 11

Giving employees the necessary tools allows them to better adapt to the situation or work environment and reduces the impact of stress.

Answer 11

impact

Question 12

This type of prevention encourages better lifestyle choices, such as healthy eating and exercise; up-skilling workers with negotiation and conflict resolution techniques; along with stress management training.

Answer 12

conflict resolution

Question 13

Training can include developing coping mechanisms such as relaxation and social support.

Answer 13

coping

Question 14

The main strengths of secondary prevention are in awareness and skill or knowledge development.

Answer 14

skill or knowledge

Question 15

The weaknesses of this prevention is that it does not eliminate the stressor, it leaves the responsibility of coping to the individual worker, and its role is often one of damage control.

Answer 15

stressor

Question 16

Tertiary prevention strategies are symptom directed, focused on the negative effects of stressors on individuals. An example would be dealing with the negative emotions that a service personnel worker has due to constant aggressive client contact.

Answer 16

symptom

Question 17

This type of prevention, or more accurately intervention, includes things like employee assistance programs (EAPs) and individual counselling or therapy.

Answer 17

intervention

Question 18

EAPs are counselling services operated by organisations to address issues including workplace stress.

Answer 18

organisations

Question 19

However, employees have been reported as reluctant to use such services for fear of job based consequences.

Answer 19

reluctant

Question 20

The strengths of tertiary interventions are that they can provide the employee with information and support for workplace issues at any time, they are voluntary and confidential, and consequently they reduce relapse.

Answer 20

workplace issues

Question 21

The weaknesses of this intervention is that similar to secondary prevention it is only focused on consequences not causes of problems, it is focused on the individual rather than the workplace stressor, and due to inherent confidentiality it cannot address workplace issues.

Answer 21

workplace stressor