Stress Academics Is academia really stressful Are academics

Stress & Academics Is academia really stressful? Are academics their own enemies? Professor Craig Jackson Prof. Occupational Health Psychology

Work has not really changed. . .

. . . Attitudes have changed

Concerns About “Stress” as a Modern Issue Definition problems Not just at workplace Individual response Personality issues Work-life Balance Control-Demand issues Effort-Reward imbalance Onus placed on worker Loose dia gnostic cr iteria Too many triggers Too many response s Too many effect mo difiers Used too casually Fashiona ble Positive p erception s Not reliab ly measur ed

Traditional Medical Model of Disease Development Pathogen Modifiers Lifestyle Individual susceptibility Disease (pathology)

Biopsychosocial Model of Disease Development Hazards Illness (wellbeing) Modifiers Lifestyle Individual susceptibility Psychosocial Factors Job Satisfaction Happiness Attitudes Quality of Life Beliefs Mental state

Too Much Psychology in the Diagnoses Individual vulnerability MSDs Personality type Experience Stress Distress Somatics Mental Health Learned behaviours Will workers take responsibility for their ill-health? Recall ADT?

Historical errors of distress-related illness Historically, distress was “blamed” for many ills Now we know better… CHD Cholera Pellagra Beri Asthma Down’s syndrome Scurvy Yellow fever Typhoid Peptic ulcer Sir William Beaumont 1832 All believed to be caused by “stress” or “distress” at one time or another Puts “blame ” for illness on the person

Benefits of Academic Working High Status Flexibility Understanding employers Physical demands / load low Autonomy high Well payed Supportive colleagues Home-working “Clever people, doing what they like to do, and getting approval. What could go wrong? ”

Positive Aspects of Academic Work Financial Advancement Reasonable expectations? Status Achievable ? Affordable ? Respect Perks Education / Training Autonomy Dissatisfied workforce? Aggrieved employees? Unmotivated staff ? Flexibility Pensions Support Security

It could be much worse. . .

Downsides of Academic Working Career advancement variable No “fixed” hours Competitive Isolated Psychological demands / load high Role conflict Role ambiguity Overcrowding

Demand-control model of stress development Productive, high Motivated active job control low strain high strain low passive low high job demands Karasek 1979 Risk of psychological strain and increased illness

Effort-Reward Imbalance Stress is the disparity between what needs to be done (required) and what can be done (actual) required actual ! S ES R ST Problems demands are not static required actual ED R BO abilities are not static how to quantify disparity meaningfulness of any quantification individual modification

Chronic Hazards Job content Work overload / underload Hazardous conditions Under utilisation of skills Time pressures Lack of control Work organisation Shift work Working hours unpredictable Work Culture Communication too much (email) Change / technology Poor resources unsociable long too little (home-working) /

Chronic Hazards (cont) Work role Ambiguity Conflict Advancement structure Insecurity Promotion under and over Low status Poor pay Environment Hazards physical / chemical Home – work interface Conflicting demands Support Domestic problems Commuting Interpersonal Conflict Colleagues Superiors Subordinates Personal Issues Isolation Lack of support Harassment Bullying Violence

Health Effects “Hig h Ef L of Stressful Working ow Rew fort ard” “Hig Dem h 3 x and Low Cardiovascular Con problems trol” 3 x Back pain 2 x Substance abuse 2 -3 x Injuries 5 x Certain cancers 2 -3 x Infections 2 -3 x Conflicts 2 -3 x Mental health problems Shain & Kramer 2004

“Everything at Work is Bad. . . ”

Commuting “Cattle Truck Syndrome” Chronic health problems exacerbated by train travel? Cumulative impact theory Increased B. P, Anxiety, Chronic Heart Conditions Over-crowded trains / buses Straining public transport system Lack of control

Commuting “People develop a constant internal anger on crowded trains that they cannot easily displace…an individual's immune system could also be suppressed by stress, making passengers more susceptible to illnesses”

Long Working Hours “Workaholism” Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, UK (Karojisatsu) uninterrupted heavy workload heavy physical work excessive demands from irregular overtime and shift work excessive workloads from emotional stress, such as responsibility, transfers, and conflicts • irregular sleep habits • decreases in rest • decrease social time • alcohol abuse • increased smoking • unhealthy diet • neglecting medical checks • breakdown in family life

Psychological Boundary Issues: Working hours The “Pillow email” Behavioural Yellow Flags Emails consistently sent: • Late at night • Early morning • At times of distress Current VW email experiment. . .

“Gifted Delicate Genius Syndrome” Struggle with change Struggle with personal relationships Takes failure personally Pessimistic view Catastrophizers Approval seeking Avoidant Disordered personality Schizotypy Type A perfectionists “Delicate geniuses with no experience of the real world. ”

Pros & Cons for Home-Working Academics Organisational Level Individual Level Advantages Challenges Greater Productivity Performance Monitoring More autonomy Social Isolation Lower Absenteeism Performance Measurement Schedule flexibility Professional Isolation Customer Proximity Managerial Control Office politics absent Organisation Culture Design of specific posts Synergy Less travel time Reduced office influence Efficient use of space Informal Interaction Longer hours Lower costs Organisation Culture Access to resources Greener improvement Virtual Culture Technical savvy Attractive employer* Organisation Loyalty Letting oneself “go” Availability Overdoing it 2001) Functions involved in multi-locational e. Employment Schedule Maintenance Pillow emails in EU (15) (Huws & O’Regan Work Coordination Boundary transgressions Communication Technology pted from Kurland &Guidelines Bailey 1999)

Vocal Hygiene and Academics Golden Age of Communication Most academic jobs have large vocal load Little / no training is given Vocal load “unaware” Equipment modifications required Exacerbated by stress, alcohol, increased vocal load Classroom legal cases

The Role of Personality Hey. On way Hi Claire. Are home. Left and you around lecture early do cosyou feelfancy like a brew? crap. Next time! A good sign or a bad sign? Personality type Optimism vs Pessimism Negative Affectivity Hardiness

Type A Personality Influences Perfectionists Achievers Approval-seekers Competitive Ambition Drive Impatient Sense of urgency (unrealistic) Less able to cope with loss / absence of control

Other Personality Influences Pessimists Negative Affecters Hardy / Resilient Types Sees the downside of all things Less likely to be positive Able to cope with difficulties Less likely to seek help

Previous Experiences History of help-seeking when in difficulty Previous experience of the stressor resulting in distressing / ve outcomes Experience Personality Learned behaviours No universal profile of what always results in stress

Academic Workplace Future Steps Biopsychosocial model – looseness of “diagnoses” Constant negative “workplace effects” bias Commuting harm (increasing) Longer working hours Fatigue (less seep and resting) Unpaid overtime needs managing Control-Demand issues Effort-Reward imbalance Personality Type – Type A, Approval seeking, Neurotic Organisational Justice needs increasing Active Well-being management