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Work locus of control as a mediator of the relationship between sources and consequences of occupational stress among university teachers

2011; Annual Reviews; Volume: 18; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

1545-2085

Ana Slišković, Darja Maslić Seršić, Irena Burić,

Workplace Health and Well-being

Recent research on work well-being of academic staff in higher education does not support the traditional view of this profession. Unlike previous research which places university teachers on top of the list in terms of job satisfaction and well-being (see Sales & House, 1971), recent studies show a decreased psychological well-being in university teaching staff (Barkhuizen & Rothmann, 2008; Kinman & Jones, 2008b; Winefield et al., 2003), a higher level of burnout at work (Lackritz, 2004), the presence of various psychosomatic diseases (Blix, Cruise, Mitchell, & Blix, 1994; Gillespie, Walsh, Winefield, Dua, & Stough, 2001; Kinman, 1998), reduced job satisfaction (Kinman, 1998), a higher intention to leave the job (Barkhuizen & Rothmann, 2008; Gillespie et al., 2001; Kinman & Jones, 2008b), and reduced job performance (Barkhuizen & Rothmann, 2008; Jacobs, Tytherleigh, Webb, & Cooper, 2007; Parry et al., 2008). Disturbed well-being and reduced work motivation are the result of increased work pressures which university teachers are confronted with. Several authors have found that scientific and teaching staff are more exposed to occupational stress than general staff, normative population and other highly-stressed occupational groups (such as doctors and managers), and also when compared to previous years (Barkhuizen & Rothmann, 2008; Catano et al., 2010; Doyle, 2003; Doyle & Hind, 1998; Gillespie et al., 2001; Kinman, 1998; Kinman & Jones, 2003, 2004; Tytherleigh, Webb, Cooper, & Ricketts, 2005; Winefield & Jarrett, 2001; Winefield et al., 2003). These findings confirm the overall impression that the structure and working conditions of university teaching staff have changed significantly in recent years. The reason for this may be sought in the reforms in higher education which, among other things, result in an increased number of enrolments and a stronger connection between academic activities and the economy. For this reason the aim of most contemporary studies on occupational stress in university teachers was to identify the characteristic sources of pressure and/or determine the level of their consequences, usually in terms of work well-being and motivation. The most common sources of work-related stress are the following: unfavorable working conditions (Barkhuizen & Rothmann, 2008; Cownie, 2004; Gillespie et al., 2001; Kinman, 1998; Narayanan, Menon, & Spector, 1999), work overload (Barkhuizen & Routhmann, 2008; Gillespie et al., 2001; Kinman, 2001; Thorsen, 1996; Tytherleigh, 2003, Tytherleigh et al., 2005), and the conflict between work and family/social roles (Barkhuizen & Rothmann, 2008; Cownie, 2004; Kinman & Jones, 2008a, 2008b; Tytherleigh et al., Ana Sliskovic, Department of Psychology, University of Zadar, Obala kralja Petra Kresimira IV, 2, 23 000 Zadar, Croatia. E-mail: aslavic@ unizd.hr (the address for correspondence);