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Occupational stress: understanding, recognition and prevention

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Summary

Occupational stress occurs in the working environment where the stressors may be physical, chemical, biologic or psychosocial in nature. This review especially emphasizes the most novel and probably most prevalant type of work-related factors and response to them: psychologic stress. A brief historical introduction concerning the development of the (biologic) stress concept underlines the duality of stressors (i.e., extremely unpleasant and pleasant events, too much work and work stagnation) equally cause stress. A section on ‘Recognition and manifestation’ emphasizes the need for understanding the origins and nature of occupational stress before considering its manifestations (e.g., nonspecific behavioral changes and specific hormone level measurements). Under ‘Prevention and treatment’ reduction or avoidance of psychosocial stressors coupled with minimizing predisposing and promoting protective intervening variables are discussed. Thus, although occupational stress might be a major complication at the workplace, understanding this stress could lead to its partial or complete prevention.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Occupational Health Program, Harvard School of Public Health, Department of Pathology, 02115, Brigham, Massachusetts, USA

    S. Szabo, E. A. Maull & J. Pirie

  2. Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 02115, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    S. Szabo, E. A. Maull & J. Pirie

Authors
  1. S. Szabo
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  2. E. A. Maull
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  3. J. Pirie
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Additional information

This review was originally intended to honor Hans Selye on the occasion of his 75th birthday. We were deeply saddened by the news os Professor Selye's death on October 18, 1982, and now this article is dedicated to his memory.

Anderson, C.A., Stress and the critical care nurse reaffirmed. J. Nurse Adm.11 (1981) 31–34.

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Szabo, S., Maull, E.A. & Pirie, J. Occupational stress: understanding, recognition and prevention. Experientia 39, 1057–1063 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01943114

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