Psychological stress - Research Paper Example

Psychological stress Abstract Psychological stress is a widespread problem and is believed to be a pathway for disease. Personality Type A are known to be affected easily by stressors compared to Personality type B. This is caused by their different ways of coping. Employers should work towards ensuring a stress free environment to ensure maximum production in their organizations. Materials and methods: Nine participants were selected randomly and undertook a mild stressful activity and their pulse rate measured at an interval of 5 seconds. The data was recorded and analyzed. Conclusion: Personality type is related to psychological stress. Keywords: Stress, Personality Work Related Stress Work related stress is a dangerous physical and emotional response that occurs when the requirements of the job do not match abilities, needs, or resources of the workers. Stress can lead to absenteeism, reduced productivity, low employee turnover, and incurrence of medical, legal, and insurance fees. Stressors in the workplace can lead to physical illness and lessened productivity. Stress related to work may be caused by the perception of job demands, differences in individuals, and social demands. Dissimilarities in coping skills and personality are vital in determining whether certain job conditions would result to stress. In order to understand and predict stress at work, factors such as the individuals’ behavior and the context in the environment and organisation. Methods of prevention should therefore focus on workers and ways to help them cope with demanding job conditions. Stress related to work is on the increase therefore should be considered seriously. Employers should enact policies and procedures to ensure the employees fully understand the processes to follow if they raise concerns about stress in the workplace. The employers should be notified of any vulnerability of the employees. In case concerns are raised, the employers or managers should conduct prompt investigations and take appropriate remedial action. In case of limited resources, difficulties would not be resolved easily. The main impact of stress related to work is burnout. The patients experience emotional exhaustion, reduction of personal accomplishment, diminished enthusiasm about work, feelings of forced work, and loss of hope. Stress from work has also been associated with exhaustion, depression, and heart disease. Identifying the causes of stress in a workplace and reducing them, not only improves the quality of work but also helps to improve the workforce of a given company. Aim This study is focused on identifying how different personalities, Type A and B, physiologically respond to stressful activity in the workplace. Hypothesis The alternate hypothesis is that there would be substantial difference in the pulse rates between Type A and Type B personalities when undertaking a stressful activity that is mild. The null hypothesis is that there when undertaking a stressful activity there will be no significant difference between the pulse rates of Type A and Type B personalities when undertaking a mild stressful activity. Method Design The method of research used was experimental since the personality type was identified and the pulse rate measured as they did the Dot-to-Dot experiment. The independent variable was the personality type while the dependent variable was the pulse rate of the participants. Participants Nine participants were randomly chosen regardless of their age and gender. Apparatus 1. The Friedman and Rosenman Personality Questionnaire as a diagnostic tool. 2. A Dot-to-Dot picture to be copied to the participants 3. Stopwatch to record pulse rate 4. A data recording sheet for the result Procedure Stage 1 Participants should be informed by writing down what is to be said on a piece of paper so that all participants have the same information. It is important that any confounding variables are not introduced. Probably they could be informed that it is a speed test to find out what persons are quicker in a Dot-to-Dot test. Ethical concerns should be taken care of, such as the health conditions of the participants. In this case, people with heart complaints should be identified before conducting the test. Test should be administered and scored If the participants fit Type A or Type B behavior, invite them to stage 2 of the study. Try to aim for the same number of Type As and Type Bs. Stage 2 1. Before administering the Dot-to-Dot and record the data, take a pulse rate. 2. The pulse rates of the participants should be taken as they seek the missing number 3. After they have finished doing the Dot-to-Dot, take a pulse rate 4. Debrief the participants. Explain the exact aim of the experiment and allow them to ask questions, and give access to the results after completion of the experiment. Results Table 1: Data table showing pulse rates and personality score PR1 is the pulse rate before the task PR2 is the pulse rate during the task PR3 is the pulse rate after the task Personality Type A Participant number PR1 PR2 PR3 1 76 84 80 2 76 88 76 3 92 104 100 4 92 92 80 5 64 80 76 6 72 72 68 Personality Type B Participant number PR1 PR2 PR3 1 76 68 72 2 80 72 76 3 84 88 72 Table 2: Descriptive statistics showing personality type and pulse rate during the task Type A Personality Type B personality Total N 6 3 Mean 86.67 76 Median 86 72 Mode - - Range 32 20 SD 10.93 10.58 A parametric test is used in comparing the pulse rates of Personality type A and B. The standard deviation of both personalities is almost the same in both groups. Nine participant s were used in the experiment. The participants were not matched therefore an independent subjects design which is comparing the pulse rate of both personalities. The distribution of both groups was normal. The null hypothesis was rejected since it was level of significance with a p-value of less than 5%. This is a two tailed test. Discussion Different and unpredictable circumstances can cause stress. Events such as pressures to work deadlines, job insecurity such as downsizing and family demands may cause stress. The results indicated that there was significant difference in the rate of pulse rates when undertaking a mild stressful activity. The experiment was successful. However, more participants are needed in order to certify that the theory can be applied in a larger population. Further research need to be conducted in order to develop a better understanding of mechanisms that produce stress, situational characteristics, and functions of choices in situations and coping strategies for personality [Vol01]. Coping is influenced by personality. Personality also influences the frequency of exposure to stressors, the type of stressors experienced and assessments. Conclusion Psychological stress is a widespread problem and is believed to be a pathway for disease. Personality Type A are known to be affected easily by stressors compared to Personality type B. This is caused by their different ways of coping. Employers should work towards ensuring a stress free environment to ensure maximum production in their organizations. Bibliography Vol01: , (Vollrath, 2001), Appendices Data recording sheet Personality Type A Participant number PR1 PR2 PR3 Dot-to Dot picture Read More