Preface

People believe that when one is happy and content while performing a particular task, then that task should be their occupation. However, almost all tasks come with their own stress factors, and depending on the timeframe and accuracy the task requires to be completed, the stress levels vary. Hence, occupational stress is inherent to any task, whether the person does it with utmost interest and happiness or without any willingness to do it. It is important to understand that every work or occupation comes with a certain level of stress and the solution is not quitting the work but rather seeing how one can cope with that stress and complete the work successfully.

This book identifies the factors associated with occupational stress and the effectiveness of certain coping strategies, specifically with regard to the mining industry and hospital settings. Chapter 1 introduces the concepts of occupational stress and the ways in which it manifests itself in different individuals. It rationalizes the various theories behind the occurrence of occupational stress and lists the causes of occupational stress. The chapter concludes by providing some of the coping strategies that could be explored in different occupational settings to overcome stress.

Chapter 2 describes the various biomarkers that can be used to identify occupational stress, specifically in industrial workers, taking the mining industry as an example. This systematic review showcases the pathophysiological changes that take place in humans as a response to occupational stress. The chapter concludes by highlighting the importance of interventions to reduce such occupational stress in industrial workers.

Chapters 3–5 are dedicated to healthcare professionals and deal with the various factors that contribute to occupational stress in physicians, front-line healthcare workers, technicians, nurses, perioperative nurses, and anesthesiologists. The chapters discuss prevalence rates, factors associated with burnout, and a potential framework for the well-being of healthcare workers.

Finally, Chapter 6 focuses on coping strategies to overcome occupational stress. It compares the efficiency of certain approaches such as teamwork and conflict resolution and discusses the types of power and stress management strategies between public and private entities. The chapter finds team spirit and emotion-focused coping strategies to be useful.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the prevalence of occupational stress in various healthcare settings and certain industrial sectors across the globe and highlights the importance of both government and private entities to come up with various interventional coping strategies to take care of their employees.
