Women's Job Stress, Coping Resources and Mental Health: In the Sample of Female Office Workers in a General Hospital

Lim, Seung Lark; Kim, Ji Hae; Lee, Dong Soo; Kim, Eyong

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The Purpose of this study is to identify the relationships among women's job stress, coping resources, and mental health based on stress-coping model.
METHODS
Forty-three female clerks working in general hospital participated in this study and filled out the Korean version of job stress inventory (K-OSI) and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). To explore the relationships between job stress and mental health, a series of correlational analysis and multiple regression analysis was conducted. Also, ANOVAs were conducted to identify buffering effects of coping resources in job stress experience.
RESULTS
The perceived job stress level was positively correlated with psychosomatic complaints. In addition, the psychosomatic complaints of the women were negatively correlated with their own coping resources. Among the various stress factors of the job life, specifically role insufficiency and role ambiguity has the negative effects on women's metal health. However working women's experience of depressive and anxiety symptoms was not significantly related to the job stress but to the socialsupports. Also, stress-coping model and buffering effects of coping resources were identified in this study.
CONCLUSIONS
Despite the job stress of women has negative effects on their mental health, these effects could be buffered by appropriate coping resources such as social support and self-care. In severe job stress situations, it would be better to cope with difficulties reasonably than to avoid them passively.