Developing a measurement instrument for coping with occupational stress in academia

Abstract

Orientation: Occupational stress leads to devastating consequences for academia, which include teaching below standard, conflict with students and seeking employment elsewhere. The stressors that academics experience will continue to increase unless they adopt strategies to cope with these demands.Research purpose: The objective of this research was to construct a valid and reliable measurement instrument which could be used to explore how academics cope with occupational stress.Motivation for the study: There is no clear consensus about the conceptualisation of the coping construct and the categorisation and measurement of numerous coping strategies. Also, as working in academia is highly stressful, there is a need for developing a measuring instrument that holistically measures coping with occupational stress in South African higher education institutions.Research approach/design and method: A three-phase instrument development process was followed. A quantitative, cross-sectional online survey was administered to a convenience sample of 305 employees employed in a higher education institution in the Gauteng province of South Africa.Main findings: A nine-dimensional, 33-item measuring instrument was developed for exploring how academics cope with occupational stressors.Practical/managerial implications: If industrial and organisational psychologists could appreciate the consequences of occupational stress and comprehend the complexities of the coping process, then they would be able to design and implement wellness practices that should not only promote the health and well-being of academics but also the institution.Contribution/value-add: A psychometrically sound measuring instrument, The Comprehensive Coping Strategies Questionnaire, was developed within the South African higher education context that would allow industrial and organisational psychologists to determine which coping strategies academics adopt in response to occupational stressors.

Concerns and coping strategies of persons under institutional quarantine during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

“…Praying is an established religious coping mechanism as per evidence, which has helped the patient to get through the distress caused by institutional quarantine. [ 14 ] It helps through strengthening their sense of connectedness, deriving meaning for the experienced distress. Although a significant number of patients felt their life's routine was disrupted with the quarantine, and valued counselling, they did not perceive their life as being out-of-control.…”

Model of coping with occupational stress of academics in a South African higher education institution

“…Adaptive coping strategies include (Du Plessis & Martins, 2019):…”

“…Individuals who engage in maladaptive coping strategies continue to reappraise the stressor (because the negative emotional experience is not altered) until they are able to adopt adaptive coping strategies. Experiential avoidance (EA) is an example of a maladaptive coping strategy (Du Plessis & Martins, 2019), and is defined as an activity that individuals engage in to alter the form and frequency of any aversive experience and distress (Hayes, Strosahl, & Wilson, 1999). Four EA coping strategies were identified by Du Plessis and Martins (2019):…”

Coping Dynamics of Consulting Psychology Doctoral Students Transitioning a Professional Role Identity: A Systems Psychodynamic Perspective

“…There is a longstanding link between coping theory and psychodynamics [ 40 ], yet contemporary perspectives on coping strategies typically focus on cognitive-behavioural perspectives such as emotion-focussed, problem-focussed, social-support coping and religious coping [ 41 ]. Such coping strategies have been distinguished as involving conscious, purposeful effort [ 33 ].…”