Work-related stress

The theory is initially presented in the context of small deformations in Section 5.2. A set of internal state variables are introduced as primitive quantities, collectively represented by the symbol k. Qualitative concepts of inelastic deformation are rendered into precise mathematical statements regarding an elastic range bounded by an elastic limit surface, a stress-strain relation, and an evolution equation for the internal state variables. While these qualitative ideas lead in a natural way to the formulation of an elastic limit surface in strain space, an elastic limit surface in stress space arises as a consequence. An assumption that the external work done in small closed cycles of deformation should be nonnegative leads to the existence of an elastic potential and a normality condition. 

In this equation the negative sign is introduced in order to maintain a consistency of sign convention when shear stress is related to momentum transfer as in Chapter 11. Since (du,/dy)v=o must be positive (velocity increases towards the pipe centre), R0 is negative. It is therefore more convenient to work in terms of / , the shear stress exerted by the fluid on the surface (= —Rq) when calculating friction data. 

A second area of concern can arise from client-environment interactions that may stress the client in some way. Some examples include adverse conditions that contribute to lifestyle imbalances, such as excessive work-related stress, unemployment, or poverty. Many drug users find it difficult to cope with adverse environmental conditions after treatment, and such conditions can increase their... 

Eq. (IV-9) as well as the stress-strain relation, which follows easily from Eq. (IV-10), lead to an upward curvature at large strains. Such an upward curvature, due to finite extensibility, is indeed found experimentally, as demonstrated in Figs. 23 and 24, taken from work of Mullins (128). In swollen rubbers the effect comes into play at an earlier stage because of the pre-stretching due to the swelling. 

Gaither CA. 1999. Career commitment A mediator of the effects of job stress on pharmacists work-related attitudes. J Am Pharm Assoc 39 353. 

Gaither CA, Kahaleh AA, Doucette WR, et al. 2008. A modified model of pharmacists job stress The role of organizational, extra-role and individual factors on work-related outcomes. Res Soc Admin Pharm (in press). 

This relation, called the mechanical energy equation, describes the rate of increase of kinetic energy in a fluid element as a result of the action of external body forces, pressure, and reversible stress work. 

Quebec City from 1991 to 1993 and followed up with 84 percent of the participants seven and a half years later to assess the impact of job strain. Compared with a similar group of workers not exposed to the same levels of work-related stress, the subjects who were under continuous job strain had an increase in systolic blood pressure equivalent to that expected from aging and sedentary behavior. Put in other words, the job stress those workers experienced was equal in its ill effects to aging seven and a half years or being sedentary for that period of time. 

In an interesting report, a worker in a CN-producing chemical plant who was known to be insensitive to the odor of CN (Nicholson Vincenti, 1994) gradually developed unusual symptoms while on the job. Initially, when he approached the CN work area, he reported feeling dizzy and weak and developed a headache and shortness of breath. These attacks interfered with job performance as they increased in frequency and severity and eventually began to occur during safety lectures on CN. A severe phobic anxiety for CN was diagnosed, likely associated with combined personal and work-related stress. 

As if that weren t enough, our speeded-up economic life subjects most of us to enormous levels of work-related stress, while the lack of social safety nets means that most of us are constantly worried about money. Lack of sleep, tension at home and at work, the insistence on a constant round of activity unrelieved by rest—all of these are major contributors to depression. 

Assess the severity of the work-related distress and disability. There is a wide range of formal psychometric tests available to assist in this process. Indeed, a whole industry has developed around the production of occupational and clinical assessment measures. It is recommended that self-report measures are used to measure stress, since the individual s appraisal of their situation is of primary importance in the stress reaction. Some of the most frequently used measures of distress include measures of anxiety such as the Beck Anxiety Inventory (Beck et al. 

Where the work-related problems are attributable to aspects of the employee s character or personality, it is the traditional wisdom that there is little that can be done to alleviate the distress for either the individual or those with whom they are in conflict. However, exciting new developments in cognitive therapy have led to an innovative form of therapy called schema therapy, which specifically focuses on bringing about charactereological change. As far as the author is aware, this particular type of intervention is new to the field of occupational stress and has not previously been applied to occupational stress-related problems. The schema-focused approach is described in Part 3 of this book (Chapters 12-14). 

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 also require all employers to undertake risk assessments with respect to health and safety at work (HSE 2001). During 2004 the West Dorset Hospitals NHS Trust received an HSE enforcement notice for failing to have a work-related stress policy or a risk assessment of work-related stressors. 

There is a wide range of cognitive and behavioural tools and techniques, which the individual can make use of in order to help them cope more effectively with work-related stress. This toolkit can help provide a buffer against... 

Cross-situational anxiety differs from the situation-specific anxiety described in the previous chapter, in that it involves multiple anxieties and worries that affect performance across a wide range of work and non-work-related situations and tasks. Examples of cross-situational anxiety include disorders such as uncued panic attacks, agoraphobia, generalized social phobia and generalized anxiety disorder (American Psychiatric Association [APA] 2000). The treatment of panic attacks and phobias was discussed in the previous chapter. This chapter thus focuses on the formulation and treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). GAD warrants specific attention since it requires quite a different CBT treatment approach from the other forms of anxiety already mentioned. Two other anxiety syndromes which have been found to be particularly prevalent among health workers, namely post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and health anxiety, are also discussed in this chapter. 

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