Stress Management in Fire and Rescue Service - Research Paper Example

Name of School) (Course) STRESS MANAGEMENT IN FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE (Name of Student) (Student Number) March 2008 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Significance of the Study ………………………………..................... 1 Implications for the Policy Makers, Agencies and Stakeholders ……. 1 Overview of Concepts and Theories ………………………………......... 2 Methodology Research Design ………………………………........................…….. 5 Research Gained Access ………………………………...................... 6 Primary data ……………………………….............................................. 6 Secondary data ……………………………….................................. 7 Samples ……………………………….............................................. 7 Methodological problems ………………………………...................... 7 Presentation of Results ……………………………….................................. 8 Analysis and Conclusion ……………….......................................................... 24 Bibliography Appendix STRESS MANAGEMENT IN FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE INTRODUCTION Significance of the Study The study on the Stress Management in Fire and Rescue Service is significant to various stakeholders. This topic on stress management in fire and rescue service is chosen because work-related stress is becoming to be the most common health hazard in the majority of the population. When remain unmanaged for a long time, stress affects employees performance of the job and overall physiological and psychological wellbeing. This type of stress is often thought to be a breakdown on the part of management, hence, they, as management are expected to lay-out plans on how to keep the workforce from psychosocial hazard in their place of work, and eventually manage and solve problems in the workplace. This research can assist the fire authorities and fire and rescue service people tackle stress. Implications for the Policy Makers, Agencies and Stakeholders The study has significant implication to policy makers and stakeholders. Stress management attracts the policy makers, agencies and stakeholders because work-related stress is worsening the past years. By communicating and involving all key stakeholder groups, the process to be formulated can be endorsed and given the appropriate resource requirement. Timing is critical in every stress management program. Cooperation among the management and its people is critical in the achievement of the goals of any stress management program. The stress management plan has to be carefully thought of, implemented, monitored and post-evaluated. There is a need to determine the presence of stress, its degree to gauge the levels of work-related stress within the organisation in order to ensure the wellbeing of the employees. This collective reasoning may lead the organization to think of countermeasures on how to deal with work-related stress. If there is any resistance to the countermeasures, this would have result in the failure to secure competent results. Overview of Concepts and Theories Stress involves real or perceived changes within an organism in the environment. This activates an organism's attempts to cope by means of evolutionarily ancient neural and endocrine mechanisms. Stress occur at instances when the organism or human find difficulty in coping with changes in the environment or adapting to the presence of stressor(s). Stress affects the physiological and psychological conditions. Stress is a fact of nature. That is, stress is a result of forces from the outside world affecting the inside environment. Everyone is experiencing stress in varying forms and degrees daily. In little doses, stress can actually be beneficial. Small stress serves as a challenge. It is sometimes helpful to the employees. Stress can encourage a worker to meet a deadline, to work more, or get things done. However, in high doses, stress can give negative effects. Stress, when prolonged or when it become long-term can increase the risk of diseases like anxiety, depression, tension, heart disease, and many other physiological and psychological problems. A stress-related illness may develops after an event like catastrophe, war, physical or sexual assault and others. There is a need for the management to determine signs and symptoms of stress. Determining its causes will guide the management in understanding the stress that is being experienced by its workforce. The factors that put the employees at risk should be studied by the management. Chronic stress affects the health and performance of the employee. When this occurs, there is the urgency of minimizing or managing stress at a level suitable to make the employees productive. There are numerous things which the management can do to minimize stress and manage the stress. Management can help combat stress by utilizing the most current knowledge and skills, ideas, services and product. All these can spell the difference in any stress management program. Occurrence of Stress should not be ignore. It has to be addressed. If stress is left unchecked, it can have a significant effect on the health and wealth of the affected employee(s). Management and its company has the legal duty to take the necessary action. It is in their interests of the management and its company to do so. Stress management in a company, when present, will show signs and improvements in the employee, or the workforce as a whole. Stress reduction can be observed by comparing with the time when stress was not yet addresses as compared to the time that stress management-related activities were implemented. There are products and tools that help regain balance from stress. Workshops can be ran. It will help the employee eventually after the conduct of the workshop(s). The management of a firm or team can learn important holistic techniques for natural stress management. The management can generate a guide to stress management. Regular stress management activities can be incorporated in the daily work program of the employees. It is in this light that a study is conducted to determine the presence of stress management program in the Fire and Rescue Service. Efficiency and effectivity of the stress management program will be evaluated. , given that a stress-free workforce is happier, more efficient and more productive. It is the hypothesis in this study that stress management is present and effective in the Fire and Rescue Service program which reduces the work-related stress experienced by its staff geared towards the public interest and the welfare of the staff in order to better face the demands which occur in their work. A stress-free workforce is happier. They are more efficient and more productive. METHODOLOGY Research Design The method used in this study is survey. This survey conducted focused on the opinions or factual information given by the employees of the Fire and Rescue Service with the purpose of determining the presence of stress management in the organization, its extent, effectivity and efficiency. This survey involved administering questions to individuals / employees of the Fire and Rescue Service. Before the survey was conducted, information about its conduct was disseminated during at the start of the employees daily activities and during the company’s small group and big group’s meetings and activities. Information about the survey was also posted around the organization’s premises. A short questionnaire was devised to interview personnel in the Fire and Rescue Service. This questionnaire is composed of questions answerable by yes or no, while some have options that the interviewee can tick / choose. The multiple choices questions are devised based on preliminary meta-analysis of the available literature. Existing data and information were gathered in order to assist with identifying the scale and extent of stress as an issue. This data included sickness absence data, return to work data and the previous surveys conducted on well-being and stress. Before the questionnaires were distributed, the researcher made preliminary promotion of the survey that increase the awareness of the people in the Fire and Rescue Service. The conduct of the survey was also announced during special activities and drills wherein the managers are directed to bring the survey to the attention of all their staff. Hard copies of questionnaires were then sent to randomly selected non-uniformed and uniformed employees. This method is expected to receive good response rate. Research Gained Access Research gained access on stress management is easy due to the presence of resource institutions and abundance of research materials in the public libraries as well as other sources. In conducting this survey, the researcher was concerned about the response rates and the level of confidence that the researcher can place in the survey results. The more completed surveys, the greater the confidence. Likewise, the greater the cost. Hence, the researcher made a trade-off. That is, a trade-off existed in this study between two objectives, maximize confidence while minimizing the survey costs. The extent of the trade-off depended upon the survey administration technique employed. Primary Data The primary data will be gathered through the conduct of survey to fire and rescue service workers. Secondary Data The secondary data will be gathered from the survey from the other stakeholders like the managers and others. This paper will gather secondary data such as the extent of understanding of the managers on the concept of stress, the legal duties, the level of understanding of the other stakeholders on the business case for tackling stress and what the other stakeholders must do to reduce stress. Samples The size of the population is a good consideration in this study. The population is the group of interest for the survey which is the Fire and Rescue Service people. A sample is drawn from the population. After which, the survey is administered to the sample. Some percentage of the sample responded to the interview invitation. That said percentage is the response rate. The samples used in this study are chosen at random. Response from the various segments of the population of the Fire and Rescue Service Team Members is desired. Hence, the respondents chosen were either male or female, in uniform or not, young or old, with high position or low position, management staff or rank and file. Methodological Problems There are, however, some methodological problems met. These are overcame by considering ample amount of resource materials and target interviewees. Since at the beginning of the survey it was found that the degree of variance or the respondents' responses were tightly clustered, then the researcher found that sampling as many people is not critical. This is because the same confidence will be generated if there are a lot of respondents. For instance, if a researcher polled a group of people and the first six respondents gave the same answer, polling can be discontinued for that group of people. If in case the researcher got six different responses, then the researcher can keep interviewing. More variability requires larger samples. Initially, the researcher employed conservative assumptions about the variance. There should be tolerance for error. This refers to the accuracy needed for the results to be. Since the purpose of this survey is to determine the extent and effect of stress management in the Fire and Rescue Service, then the researcher have less tolerance for error. PRESENTATION OF RESULTS AND ANALYSIS The results of responses to the questionnaires are shown in Appendix 1 at the end of the paper. The response rate for the survey was forty per cent (40%). This result is relatively positive, high enough to generate data, conduct analysis and generate conclusions and generalizations. The data entry was done with consideration to the confidentiality clause during the interview. The analysis of the data gathered was done after all the data have been collected. For the first question: 1. What for you is stress?  physical response of the body that occurs whenever one must adapt to changing conditions  failure of a human or animal body to respond appropriately to emotional or physical threats to the organism, whether actual or imagined  psychological and physiological response to events that upset our personal balance Result showed that majority of the respondents believed that stress is both psychological and physiological response to events that upset our personal balance (figure 1). The employees recognize the presence of stress in the workplace. This is the reason why in some cases, treatment of stress-related problems (Leiter, 1991) is a priority to them and to the management (Dewe, 1997). Figure 1. Concept of stress as per respondents’ point of view Legend: 1 - physical response of the body that occurs whenever one must adapt to changing conditions 2 - failure of a human or animal body to respond appropriately to emotional or physical threats to the organism, whether actual or imagined 3 - psychological and physiological response to events that upset our personal balance For the second question: 2. What causes it?  extreme temperatures  high levels of noise  deadly gases, carcinogenic agents, explosions, radiation  building collapse  hostile people  physical trauma  drugs  diet  hormones  viruses  toxins  tumors Majority of the those in the fire and rescue service interviewed responded that their cause of stress is the hostile treatment of people, followed by physical trauma brought about by the fire and service job and lastly, drugs (figure 2). If the management in the fire and rescue service team would want to address stress, they may look at reducing the stress caused by the aggression and hostile treatment given by the people to the fire and rescue team members in order to enhance the performance of these team members. When failed to addressed, stress as a response to continued stressors may result to many diseases like scleroderma, diabetes, rheumatic disorders, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disorders and many others (Angell, 1985). Figure 2. Causes of stress as per respondents’ point of view Legend: 1 : hostile people 2 : physical trauma 3 : drugs In question 3: 3. How do you react to stress?  adaptive reaction to stress  acute reaction to stress (eg. depression, violence, etc.) The strength of the personnel in the fire and rescue service is that they have adaptive reaction to stress (figure 3). A lot of stressors comes with the job in the fire and rescue service like extreme temperatures during fire and rescue activities, high levels of noise, deadly gases, carcinogenic agents, explosions, radiation, building collapse, hostile people, physical trauma, overuse of drugs, poor diet, hormonal changes, presence of viruses, toxins, tumors and many other possible stressors. However, these personnel who are interviewed revealed that they have adaptive reaction to stress. There is a need to give importance to the meaning individuals give to stressors or events. Management usually think of ways to provide adequate coping resources (Leiter, 1991) for the staff. The management takes into account issues such as power and control. Figure 3. Reaction to stress of the respondents Legend: 1 - adaptive reaction to stress 2 - acute reaction to stress (eg. depression, violence, etc.) Most of the respondents show adaptive reaction to stress. Previous studies reveal that extricating victims from a vehicle or recovering bodies from a downed aircraft require rescue personnel to use technical skills that may not result in physical contact with their victims. Emotional involvement can be experienced by the fire and rescue worker. As a rescuer, some of those vulnerable ones are at risk for traumatic stress. Medical providers typically get much closer to the victim. The rescue worker who is focused on tools or procedural tactics does not have to focus on the patient, as long as there is a medical team or paramedic to take care of the victim(s). But if the victim specifically ask the help of the rescuer, then all boundary barriers are broken. Another thing that may have real impact is time exposure. The longer that the rescuer is exposed on the scene with a victim, the more that the victim becomes a real person to you, hence, and then it's much harder to continue without being affected. In question 4: 4. What are its consequences?  apparent changes in affect  decrease in motivation  changes in cognition Based on the survey, it was found that the consequence of stress is decrease in motivation, followed by changes in cognition and apparent changes in affect (figure 4). Coping from stress will take time. Based on the theory by Lazarus & Folkman (1984), coping is a process, purposeful and active (Lazarus, 1993), by which an organism responds to stimuli appraised as exceeding the individual’s resources. Figure 4. Consequences of stress as per the respondents’ point of view Legend: 1 : apparent changes in affect 2 : decrease in motivation 3 : changes in cognition For question 5: 5. Have you experienced bereavement?  yes  no Majority of the employees interviewed experience bereavement in their life (figure 5). According to Wall bank (1996), the reaction to bereavement will be influenced by the relationship the bereaved person had to the person who died, and the way that person died. The bereaved persons is believed to find themselves in deep thoughts regarding their own lives, their choices, regrets, and their own mortality after they experienced bereavement (Tatelbaum, 1997). Figure 5. Bereavement experience of the respondents Legend: 1 : yes 2 : no On question 6: 6. Do you have relationship problems?  yes  no The respondents showed weakness in their relationship(s) (figure 6). More than ninety per cent (90%) of those interviewed have relationship problems. Doherty, W. (2001). Studies show that relationship problems are the most frequent problems while partner relationships are one of the strongest sources of support for couples facing major and minor life stress (Revenson, et al., 2005; Markman, et al., 2001; Doherty, 2001). Figure 6. Occurrence of relationship problems Legend: 1 : yes 2 : no With question 7: 7. How is your sexual health?  in good condition  in bad condition Being subjected to risky job, like this of the fire and rescue team members, stress can affect health. However, based on this interview, majority of the respondents revealed that they have good sexual health (figure 7). Good sexual health is a part of overall health (Maltz, 2001; Michael et al., 1994). Therefore, good sexual health contributes to the general health condition of these employees. Figure 7. Sexual health of the fire and rescue service employees Legend: 1 : in good condition 2 : in bad condition On question 8: 8. Do you have financial problems?  yes  no Majority of those interviewed have financial problem(s) (figure 8). This is one significant issue since financial stress can cause depression and sleep problems (Scott, 2008). When an individual experience too much financial pressures without the opportunity to recover, he / she may feel unable to cope and stress is the result. Figure 8. Presence of financial problems Legend: 1 : yes 2 : no On question 9: 9. Do you have post traumatic stress disorders?  yes  no Result of the survey revealed that very few of the employees have post-traumatic disorders, considering the tough job that they have at the fire and rescue service sector (figure 9). It is good that in the case of those interviewed, there is no significant presence of post-traumatic stress disorders. This complex type called posttraumatic stress reactions occur consistently after prolonged, repeated exposure to natural and manmade disasters violent experience, abuse, as well as on-going personal physical assaults. This phenomenon was studied and observed in combat veterans as well as some their family members, wherein they develop symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorders (Scaturo & Hayman, 1992). The same with the war veterans, the fire and rescue servicemen are also subjected to trauma every time these men are in operation. Figure 9. Presence of post-traumatic stress disorders among employees Legend: 1 - yes 2 - no In studying the work-related stress in the fire and rescue service, it is observed that there is critical incident stress. That is, there is an observed strong emotional, cognitive and physical reaction among some of those surveyed. The critical incident is observed to show potential to interfere with the normal functioning. Interference in the normal functioning may include physical and / or emotional illness, personality shift, loss of interest in the job, marital problem, loss of ability to function and others (Greenberg, et al., 2002). The implication of the presence of stress management in the fire and rescue service sector is that it will benefit the individuals within the organization, the institution itself, and the stakeholders and clients. The findings in this study raise several issues for the stress management programs of the organization. There is a necessity to pay particular attention to the meaning individuals give to survey and to provide ample amount of coping resources for these employees. Conclusion and Analysis In general, it is observed based on the output of the survey that there are harmful effects of stress for fire and rescue service staff. Hence, the need for more intensive stress management program for them with high priority on confidentiality. In every stress management program, respect for the individuals should be involved since work-related stress is a sensitive matter that may impede the personnel’s normal functioning. Based on the majority of the interviewees responses, during critical time of stress, they need assistance in the provision of emotional and educational support. This is essential to make sure that optimal functioning of emergency service personnel is achieved for the common good of the public and well-being of the fire and rescue service personnel. Educational programs are needed to acquaint these staff with stress management techniques. BIBLIOGRAPHY Angell, M. Disease as a Reflection of the Psyche. New England J. Medicine, June 13, 1985. Cotton, Dorothy H. G. 1991. Stress Management. Psychology Press (Taylor and Francis Group). Dewe, Philip. 1997. The Transactional Model of Stress: Some Implications for Stress Management Programs Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 41-51. Massey University. Doherty, William J. 2001. Take back your marriage. New York: Guilford Press. Greenberg, Neil, Carr, James A. and Summers, C. H. 2002. Causes and Consequences of Stress. Integrative and Comparative Biology, vol. 42, no. 3, pp. 508-516. The Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. Lazarus, R. S. 1993. Coping Theory and Research: Past, Present, and Future. Psychometric Medicine, vol. 55, pp. 234-247. Lazarus, R. S., and Folkman, S. 1984. Stress, appraisal and coping. New York: Springer. Leiter, Michael P., 1991. Review of Stress Management. Canadian Psychology, vol 32, issue 1, pp. 91-92. Maltz, W. 2001. The Sexual Healing Journey. New York: HarperCollins. Markman, H., Stanley, S., and Blumberg, S. L. 2001. Fighting for your marriage: Positive steps for preventing divorce and preserving a lasting love. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Michael, R., Gagnon, J., Laumann, E., and Kolata, G. 1994. Sex in America: A definitive survey. New York: Little, Brown. Revenson, Tracey A. Kayser, Karen Bodenmann, Guy. (eds.). 1st ed. Couples Coping With Stress: Emerging Perspectives on Dyadic Coping. Washington, DC: APA. Scaturo, Douglas J. and Hayman, Peter M. 1992. The impact of combat trauma across the family life cycle: Clinical considerations. J. Traumatic Stress, vol. 5, no. 2. Netherlands: Springer. Scott, Elizabeth. Financial Stress - How It Affects You and What You Can Do. About.com, Oct. 17, 2008. About.com. Tatelbaum, Judy. 1997. The Courage to Grieve – Recovery and Growth through Grief. Vermillion. Wallbank, Susan. 1996. Facing Grief – Bereavement and the Young Adult. Butterworth Press. APPENDIX Appendix 1. Questionnaires Questionnaire Direction: Please tick the box that best describe your answer. Please note that all your responses will be treated with utmost confidentiality. 1. What for you is stress?  physical response of the body that occurs whenever one must adapt to changing conditions  failure of a human or animal body to respond appropriately to emotional or physical threats to the organism, whether actual or imagined  psychological and physiological response to events that upset our personal balance 2. What causes it?  extreme temperatures  high levels of noise  deadly gases, carcinogenic agents, explosions, radiation  building collapse  hostile people  physical trauma  drugs  diet  hormones  viruses  toxins  tumors 3. How do you react to stress?  adaptive reaction to stress  acute reaction to stress (eg. depression, violence, etc.) 4. What are its consequences?  apparent changes in affect  decrease in motivation  changes in cognition 5. Have you experienced bereavement?  yes  no 6. Do you have relationship problems?  yes  no 7. How is your sexual health?  in good condition  in bad condition 8. Do you have financial problems?  yes  no 9. Do you have post traumatic stress disorders?  yes  no Appendix 2. Responses in the Survey Read More