Improvement Effect of Long-Term Sports Training on Work Stress and Mental Health of White-Collar Workers

Revista Argentina de Clínica Psicológica 2020, Vol. XXIX, N°2, 584-589 584 DOI: 10.24205/03276716.2020.281

IMPROVEMENT EFFECT OF LONG-TERM SPORTS TRAINING ON WORK STRESS AND MENTAL HEALTH OF WHITE-COLLAR WORKERS

Abstract Many white-collar workers are under intense mental pressure in the competitive workplace, which severely undermines their mental health. The long-term sports training provides a possible solution to this problem. This paper aims to identify the relationship between work stress and mental health of white-collar workers, and explore the improvement effect of long-term sports training on their work stress and mental health. Therefore, a questionnaire survey was conducted on white-collar workers in Nanjing, China, and a contrastive experiment was performed on white-collar workers, with or without long-term sports training. The results show that the work stress and mental health is not purely negative; long-term sports training can, to a certain extent, promote positive emotions and reduce emotional disorders; the long-term training group has much more positive emotions than the group without long-term training, and the two groups differ greatly in the various dimensions of positive emotions. The research findings provide a theoretical basis for alleviating work stress and improving mental health. Key words: White-Collar Workers, Mental Health, Sports Training, Work Stress, Positive Emotions. Received: 12-03-19 | Accepted: 15-08-19

INTRODUCTION the cumbersome tasks cause tremendous psychological pressure on them (Cellini, Serwint, At present, with people's pace of life Chaudron et al., 2017). Long-term high-stress accelerating, the people have been faced with fiercer competition everywhere, which work leads to a worrying physical and mental inevitably brings great psychological pressure to quality. Sports training can improve the health of white-collar workers (Zheng, Xiong, Zheng et al., their work. Excessive pressure will damage their 2017). mental health (Chandra, 2019). In general, work stress is evaluated mainly from three From the perspective of sports psychology, the sports training behaviour of white-collar perspectives: stress stimuli, stress experience, workers is influenced by psychological factors, and stress generation (Snowden, Steinman, and the long-term training is motivated by Carlson et al., 2015; Tavakolizadeh, Dashti, & Panahi, 2012). White-collar workers are mostly psychological driving force (Cheng, 2016). Long- term sports training can satisfy the needs of management or technical personnel engaged in white-collar workers to the greatest extent, mental work. Their work stress is mainly sourced from competitive pressure. The nature of white- making psychological stimulation reach the highest level and improving their mental health collar work determines that they are in a (Ari, Kutlu, Sami Uyanik et al., 2004; Piscione, competitive environment for a long time, and Bouffet, Timmons et al., 2017). It can also

promote individual psychological training, Department of sports, Physical Education College of activate body cells, reduce psychological stress Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450044, China. E-Mail: [email protected] at work, and maintain the best state of mental health (Candela, Zucchetti, Magistro et al., 2015).

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This paper studies the relationship between Figure 2 shows the adjustment effect model white-collar workers' work stress and mental of work stress and mental health, clearly health, and explores the improvement effect of indicating that work stress directly affects long-term sports training using the emotions of mental health, but it is affected by questionnaire method. self-emotion, other’s emotions, emotion utilization, emotion regulation and emotional intelligence. People's emotions are controlled by RELATED RESEARCH ON THE WORK STRESS emotional intelligence. The greater the work AND MENTAL HEALTH OF WHITE-COLLAR stress of white-collar workers, the worse their WORKERS emotional intelligence. In addition, work stress Due to the increasingly fierce competition in is also related to their own burnout, while burnout leads to a greater psychological stress, the workplace, white-collar workers are unable thus producing a side effect on the mental to fully release their individuality, resulting in an increase in work stress and mental health health. problems (Paech & Lippke, 2017). Moderate work stress can mobilize the mental health of Figure 2. Model of emotional regulation white-collar workers, but long-term work stress effect of work stress and mental health or excessive stress can have negative effects on their emotion and behaviours (Ndjaboue, Demographic Brisson, Vezina et al., 2014). According to the variables existing research, positive emotions of mental health include the dimensions of amusement, Self emotion Other people's mood awe, gratitude, hope, inspiration, interest, Emotional utilization happiness, love, pride, and serenity; negative Emotion regulation emotions include sensitivity, negativity, Emotional intelligence nervousness, depression, psychosis, anxiety, compulsiveness, and social disability (Rantakeisu Working Mental health & Jönsson, 2010). The work stress of white-collar pressure emotion workers is influenced by the work environment, interpersonal relationships, organizational structure, career development, role stress, and RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WORK STRESS AND family factors (Tsai, 2012). Figure 1 shows the MENTAL HEALTH relationship between the various stressors of white-collar workers. It can be clearly seen that Test methods the main work stressors of white-collar workers For white-collar workers, stressors do not are the organizational structure and working directly affect the outcome of stress. Individual environment, which also linked the coping mechanisms and personality traits interpersonal relationships, career development interact with work stress to show positive or and family factors. negative emotions. The results of normal investigations show that most white-collar Figure 1. The relationship between stressors workers have positive emotions of mental of white-collar workers health, and the survey results tend to show a normal distribution. Considering that white- collar workers do not easily express emotional Work Organization Role stress characteristics, this paper uses partial least environment structure squares-based outcome model and assumed that work stress has a negative impact on mental Work health. The questionnaire survey was adopted Family Career interpersonal for data collection. Table 1 shows the reliability factors development test results of the scale, clearly indicating a good relationship reliability index of the scale.

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IMPROVEMENT EFFECT OF LONG-TERM SPORTS TRAINING ON WORK STRESS AND MENTAL HEALTH OF WHITE-COLLAR WORKERS 586

Table 1. Test results of scale reliability

Emotional Cronbach’s Composite Emotional Cronbach’s Composite dimension 휶 reliability dimension 휶 reliability Sensitivity 0.930 0.942 Psychosis 0.838 0.867 Negativity 0.877 0.908 Anxiety 0.888 0.922 Stress 0.901 0.920 Compulsion 0.806 0.856 Depression 0.869 0.909 Social disorder 0.827 0.907

Data results and analysis certain extent, which helps to improve people's The relationship between psychological positive mental health. Long-term training does stress and emotions is not all negative, while not directly act on the improvement of mental positive emotions of mental health do not mean health, but achieves corresponding effects by that there is no mental health disease. changing the emotional dimension. People who Individuals with positive emotions need to have like sports training will have better interpersonal an enjoyable mood, good adaptability, and sharp relationships, so as to mobilize positive insight etc. In order to eliminate the influence of emotions. At present, the mental health are normal distribution on the study of data results, mainly measured from three aspects: subjective it is necessary to test the normality of the data. experience, physiological arousal, and external Figure 3 shows the results of the normality test. performance. This paper mainly studies the It can be clearly seen that all emotional effects of long-term training, sports items and dimensions did not obey the normal distribution. gender on the mental health of white-collar Figure 4 shows the effect of work stress on workers by selecting the white-collar workers in mental health. It can be clearly seen that Nanjing as respondents using the questionnaire negativity and anxiety scored higher, since method. Table 2 lists the basic information of the greater work stress leads to stronger negative survey respondents. Figure 5 shows the feelings and anxiety; psychosis scored the satisfaction degree of the white-collar workers lowest, i.e., work stress can bring negative about sports training. It can be clearly seen that emotions, but not a large negative impact on the the sports training needs of white-collar workers mental condition of white-collar workers. have not reached the theoretical mean.

Figure 3. Normality test results Figure 4. Effects of work stress on mental health

3.5 Mental health emotion Personal resources Professional tasks 0.90 0.08 0.03 0.88 0.06 3.0 0.02 0.86 0.04 0.01

0.84

0.02 0.00

Meanvalue

2.5 0.82 -0.01 0.00

0.80 -0.02 -0.02 -0.03 0.78 2.0 -0.04 Sensitivity Stress Psychosis Compulsion -0.04 Negativity Depression Anxiety Social disorder 0.76 -0.06 -0.05 Sensitivity Negativity Stress Depression Psychosis Anxiety Compulsion Social disorder

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LONG-TERM Long-term sports training not only SPORTS TRAINING AND MENTAL HEALTH strengthen the physical health, but also improve Research objects and methods people's cognitive level, memory, self-esteem, Furthermore, it can reduce or inhibit negative self-confidence and interpersonal relationship. emotions and increase positive emotions to a

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Figure 7. Comparison of mental health Figure 5. Psychological needs satisfaction of emotions under different training items white-collar workers in sports training

6 Swimming group 5.0 Badminton group Mean value Running group Mean value of sports training theory 5

4.5 4

4.0 Averagescore Meanvalue 2

3.5 1 Funny Grateful Inspiring Happy Love Proud Quiet Admiring Hopeful Interested 3.0 Autonomous needs Relationship needs Capability needs Overall satisfaction Figure 8. Comparison of mental health mood of white-collar workers of different

genders in long-term training group Table 2. Basic information of respondents

6 Type Classification Quantity Proportion/% Long-term sports training group Long-term Yes 221 73.66% Non sports training group sports No 79 26.33% training 5 Sports Swimming 71 23.66% training Badminton 132 44.0% items Running 97 32.33% Female 129 43% 4 Gender Male 171 57% Averagescore 3 Research results and analysis

2 Figure 6. Comparison of mental health Funny Grateful Inspiring Happy Love Proud Quiet Admiring emotions between long-term training group Hopeful Interested and non-training group Figure 6 compares the mental health between the long-term training group and the 5 Long-term sports training group control group. It can be clearly seen that the Non sports training group positive emotions of the long-term sports training group were significantly higher than that of the control group, and there was a significant 4 difference between different dimensions of positive emotions. Figure 7 compares the mental health emotions under different sports items.

The results clearly showed that there were Averagescore 3 significant differences in the effects of swimming, badminton and running on mental health; on the whole, swimming training had the best effect on positive emotions, followed by 2 Funny Grateful Inspiring Happy Love Proud Quiet badminton and running training, respectively, Admiring Hopeful Interested but not in the dimensions of inspiration and serenity; these two dimensions scored the

REVISTA ARGENTINA 2020, Vol. XXIX, N°2, 584-589 DE CLÍNICA PSICOLÓGICA

IMPROVEMENT EFFECT OF LONG-TERM SPORTS TRAINING ON WORK STRESS AND MENTAL HEALTH OF WHITE-COLLAR WORKERS 588 highest in badminton. Figure 8 compares the mental reaction time, and maximal aerobic mental health among white-collar workers of exercise in sedentary and long-term physically different genders in the long-term training trained elderly males. International Journal of group. It’s found that female white-collar Neuroscience, 114(5), 623-637. workers scored higher in the dimensions of Candela, F., Zucchetti, G., Magistro, D., & Rabaglietti, amusement, gratitude, hope, interest, love than E. (2015). The effects of a physical activity males, , while male white-collar workers scored program and a cognitive training program on the higher in the dimensions of awe, inspiration, and long-term memory and selective attention of serenity. Gender factors show significant older adults: a comparative study. Activities, differences in the dimensions of amusement Adaptation & Aging, 39(1), 77-91. inspiring, interest, happiness and love. Cellini, M. M., Serwint, J. R., Chaudron, L. H., Baldwin, C. D., Blumkin, A. K., & Szilagyi, P. G. (2017). Availability of emotional support and mental CONCLUSIONS health care for pediatric residents. Academic Pediatrics, 17(4), 424-430. This paper studies the relationship between Chandra, P. S. (2019). Hidden but Not Forgotten: The white-collar workers' work stress and mental Trauma Experience Among Women with Severe health, and explores the improvement effect of long-term sports training using the Mental Illness and Our Role as Mental Health Professionals. Journal of Psychosocial questionnaire method. The following Rehabilitation and Mental Health, 6(1), 5-8. conclusions have been drawn: (1) The main work stressors of white-collar Cheng, F. K. (2016). Is meditation conducive to mental well-being for adolescents? An workers are the organizational structure and integrative review for mental health nursing. working environment. These two major International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences, stressors also link the interpersonal relationship, career development and family 4, 7-19. Ndjaboue, R., Brisson, C., Vezina, M., Blanchette, C., factors. Moreover, under greater work & Bourbonnais, R. (2014). Effort-reward stress, the white-collar workers’ emotional imbalance and medically certified absence for intelligence ability shall be lower, thereby producing a side effect on mental health; mental health problems: a prospective study of white-collar workers. Occupational and (2) The relationship between psychological Environmental Medicine, 71(1), 40-47. stress and mental health is not all negative. The survey found that the greater work Paech, J., & Lippke, S. (2017). Social-cognitive factors of long-term physical exercise 7 years after stress will lead to stronger sense of orthopedic treatment. Rehabilitation Psychology, negativity and anxiety, but it won’t bring a 62(2), 89-99. large negative impact on the mental condition of white-collar workers; Piscione, P. J., Bouffet, E., Timmons, B., Courneya, K. S., Tetzlaff, D., Schneiderman, J. E., & Mabbott, D. (3) The positive emotions of the long-term J. (2017). Exercise training improves physical training group were significantly higher than that of the control group, and there were function and fitness in long-term paediatric brain significant differences between the various tumour survivors treated with cranial irradiation. European Journal of Cancer, 80, 63-72. dimensions of positive emotions; the Rantakeisu, U., & Jönsson, L. R. (2010). swimming training has better effects on improving the positive emotions, followed Unemployment and mental health among white- collar workers-a question of work involvement by badminton and running; gender factors and financial situation? International Journal of showed significant differences in the Social Welfare, 12(1), 31-41. dimensions of amusement, inspiration, interest, happiness, and love. Snowden, M. B., Steinman, L. E., Carlson, W. L., Mochan, K. N., Abraido-Lanza, A. F., Bryant, L. L.,

& Lenze, E. J. (2015). Effect of physical activity,

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