The relationship between stress and personality factors.

Abstract

Introduction Stress represents a normal, necessary and unavoidable life phenomenon which can generate temporary discomfort as well as long-term consequences. The concept of stress was introduced in the medical terminology as early as 1936 by the Canadian philosopher Selye. He describes “the general adaptation syndrome” (GAS) as the body’s effort to respond to the demands of the environment (Selye 1977). Scientific data confirm the idea that personality is an important factor in identifying, responding and approaching stress events. In recent years, a growing number of researchers have put a lot of effort in identifying the individual characteristics that influence the relationship between stimuli and stress reactions. It is a well-known fact that the perceived stress depends on the degree of congruence between the individuals and their environment, so that the individual experiences stress only if the particular situation is assessed as being threatening (de Jong & Emmelkamp 2000). Research carried out in 2000 identified relationships between physical health and positions characterized by increased repetitiveness, monotony, sustained vigilance and working in shifts (Le Blanc et al 2000). According to these studies, stimuli with stress-generating potential within an organization can be divided into four big classes: work content, work conditions, employment conditions and the social network in the workplace. The results of a survey on health professionals carried out in 2005 demonstrate that personal relationships with the patients are very demanding and require empathy and emotional involvement. In the medical profession emotion management is considered an essential part of the job (Best et al 2005). Other researchers show that increased exposure of women to daily stress, including professional stress, is caused by their marital and parental roles (Kiecolt-Glaser & Newton 2001). Many researchers consider self-confidence to be an important coping resource. Individuals with a high self-confidence level are more predisposed towards adopting more effective stress-coping strategies than those with low self-confidence levels (Cassidy & O’Connor 2004). Personality types are important factors in determining stress, being thus capable of explaining how certain people manage to function for years while handling huge amounts of stress, whereas others collapse after several months under similar amounts of stress (Cooper 2005). The types of personality that feature robustness as a trait demonstrate over time resistance to stress and psychological protection against the most difficult life events (Cosman 2010). A key-component of robustness is provided by the coping mechanism of these people, which involves an active modification of the perception of the stressful event, by approaching it as a challenge that they are capable to overcome (Landy & Conte 2004). People with an optimistic Abstract. Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the stress level in a group of nurses and to correlate the stress level and its subsequent symptoms with personality factors. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 34 psychiatric nurses, 68% of them being female. The average age of the male subjects was 32.25 years with a standard deviation of 6.21 years, while the average age of the female subjects was 35.18 years, with a standard deviation of 8.03 years. The analysis focused on the stress level, stress symptoms, age, duration of employment and personality factors. Results: The findings showed that female staff members were more affected by stress as they grow older and have spent a longer time on the job, while male staff members were subjected to higher stress levels at the beginning of their activity. Correlations between personality factors and stress both in concerns of perceived stress and the level of subsequent stress symptomatology were identified. High stress levels were identified in people with low social presence (r=-0.417, p=0.01) and low empathy (r=-0.393, p=0.02). A higher intensity of psychological symptoms following stress was also associated with low social presence (r =-0.379, p=0.03), low empathy (r=-0.465, p<0.01), low independence (r=-0.347, p=0.04), low good impression (r=-0.380, p=0.03), low well-being state (r =-0.429, p=0.01), low tolerance (r=-0.484, p<0.01), low intellectual efficiency (r=-0.406, p=0.02), low psychological intuition (r=-0.437, p=0.01), low work orientation (r=-0.463, p<0.01) and increased femininity (r=0.431, p=0.01). Conclusion: Several personality factors, such as social presence, empathy, independence, good impression, intellectual efficiency, psychological intuition, work orientation, femininity render individuals more vulnerable to stress. There are significant differences between females and males in what concerns stress adaptation.

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