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A STUDY ON PROFESSIONAL STRESS AND COPING STRATEGIES OF CHENNAI BASED ENGINEERING COLLEGE TEACHERS A Thesis submitted to the Bharathidhasan University for the award of the degree of DOCTOR OF PHYLOSOPHY IN MANAGEMENT By Mr. T. MANVEL RAJ, M.Tech., MBA., Principal, Sri Krishna Engineering College Panapakkam, Near Padappai, Via. Tambaram, Sriperumpudur Taluk and District Chennai-601 301 Under the Guidance and Supervision of Dr. A. MOHAMED SIDDIQUE, MBA., M.Phil., Ph.D Associate Professor & Research Advisor in Management KHADIR MOHIDEEN COLLEGE (Nationally Accredited with B++ Grade by NACC) ADHIRAMPATTINAM -614 701 BHARATHIDASAN UNIVERSITY (Accredited with ‗A‘ Grade by NACC) Tiruchirappalli-620 024 APRIL – 2013 2 Dr. A. MOHAMED SIDDIQUE, MBA., M.Phil., Ph.D Associate Professor & Research Advisor in Management KHADIR MOHIDEEN COLLEGE (Nationally Accredited with B++ Grade by NACC) Adhirampattinam -614 701, Thanjavur District, Tamilnadu, India Phone: [College]: 0091-4373-242236 [Res.]: Cell: 9994449144 CERTIFICATE This is to certify that this thesis entitled “A STUDY ON PROFESSIONAL STRESS AND COPING STRATEGIES OF CHENNAI BASED ENGINEERING COLLEGE TEACHERS” submitted to the Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli as a partial fulfillment of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Management, is an original and independent research work carried out by Mr. T. Manvel Raj under my supervision and guidance and this work or any part thereof has not been submitted elsewhere for any other purpose or degree. Place: Adhirampattinam, Dr. A. MOHAMED SIDDIQUE Date: Research Supervisor 3 T. MANVEL RAJ Principal, Sri Krishna Engineering College Panapakkam, Near Padappai, Via.Tambaram, Sriperumpudur Taluk and District, Chennai-601 301 Tamil Nadu, India. DECLARATION I do hereby declare that this thesis entitled “A STUDY ON PROFESSIONAL STRESS AND COPING STRATEGIES OF CHENNAI BASED ENGINEERING COLLEGE TEACHERS” has been originally carried out by me under the guidance and supervision of Dr. A. MOHAMED SIDDIQUE, MBA., M.Phil.,Ph.D., Associate Professor & Research Advisor in Management, KHADIR MOHIDEEN COLLEGE, Adhirampattinam - 614 701. It is my original work and it has not previously formed the basis for the award of any degree, diploma, associateship, fellowship or other similar titles and that the thesis is an independent work on the part of the candidate. Place: Adhirampattinam, Date: T. MANVEL RAJ Research Scholar 4 CONTENTS CHAPTER DETAILS PAGE NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT i LIST OF TABLES iii LIST OF FIGURES ix 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 INTRODUCTION TO STRESS 1 1.2 THE UNDERSTANDING OF STRESS 2 1.3 NIOSH APPROACH TO OCCUPATIONAL STRESS 6 1.4 THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF STRESS 6 1.4.1 Acute stress 6 1.4.2 Episodic acute stress 8 1.4.3 Chronic stress 9 1.5 EFFECTS OF STRESS ON YOUR BODY, 11 FEELINGS AND BEHAVIOR 1.6 CLINICAL SYMPTOMS AND DISORDERS 13 1.7 HEALTH RISK FACTORS 15 1.8 GENERAL ADAPTIVE SYNDROME 16 1.8.1 Alarm phase 17 1.8.2 Resistance phase 17 1.8.3 Exhaustion phase 17 1.9 POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER 18 (PTSD) 1.9.1 The areas of the brain affected in post-traumatic stress 18 disorder 1.9.2 Memory 19 1.9.3 Atrophy of the hippocampus in posttraumatic stress 19 5 disorder 1.10 CAUSES OF OCCUPATIONAL STRESS 19 1.11 THE SYMPTOMS AND SIGNS OF STRESS 20 1.12 EFFECTS OF STRESS 22 1.12.1 Immune response 25 1.12.2 Effect of stress on the immune system 26 1.12.3 Effects of chronic stress 26 1.12.4 Mechanisms of chronic stress 27 1.12.5 Chronic stress and wound healing 28 1.12.6 Chronic stress and development 28 1.12.7 Chronic stress and memory 28 1.12.8 Stress and visceral fat 28 1.13 EUSTRESS AND DISTRESS 29 1.14 MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY 29 1.15 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 31 1.16 NEED OF THE STUDY 32 1.17 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 32 1.18 SCOPE OF THE STUDY 34 1.19 PERIOD OF STUDY 34 1.20 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY 34 1.21 SCHEME OF REPORTING 35 2.0 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 38 2.1 INTRODUCTION 38 2.2 THE CONCEPTS OF STRESS 38 2.2.1 Biological concept of stress 43 2.2.2 Cognitive concept of Stress 45 2.2.3 Social concept of stress 51 2.3 DEFINITION OF STRESS 54 2.4 FACTORS INFLUENCING STRESS 55 6 2.4.1 Demographic factors and stress 55 2.4.1.1 Age 55 2.4.1.2 Education 58 2.4.1.3 Occupation and position 58 2.4.1.4 Experience 61 2.4.1.5 Type of family 63 2.4.2 Organizational factors and stress 63 2.4.2.1 Work stressors 64 2.4.2.2 Role stressors 65 2.4.2.3 Personal development stressors 67 2.4.2.4 Interpersonal relationship stressors 68 2.4.2.5 Organizational climate 69 2.4.2.6 Organisational structure, leadership 72 2.4.2.7 Stressors and Work 72 2.4.2.8 Leadership 74 2.4.2.9 Lack of influence 75 2.4.2.10 Colleagues 77 2.4.3 Task Demands 78 2.4.3.1 Work Conditions - Quantitative Overload 78 2.4.3.2 Understaffing 79 2.4.3.3 Overtime 79 2.4.3.4 Qualitative Overload/ underload 80 2.4.3.5 Role of Administration 80 2.4.4 Stress Sources relating to Role in 81 Organisation 2.4.4.1 Role Overload and Responsibility 81 2.4.4.2 Role Ambiguity 82 2.4.4.3 Role Conflict 83 2.4.5 Individual factors and Extra-Organisational 84 Stress 2.4.5.1 Type - A Behavioural style 84 2.4.5.2 Negative Affectivity 85 2.4.5.3 Self-efficacy 85 2.4.5.4 Locus of control 85 7 2.4.5.5 Social support 86 2.5 SOURCES OF STRESS WITHIN AN INCLUSIVE 87 ENVIRONMENT 2.6 ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS 89 2.6.1 Violence and Danger caused by pupils 90 2.6.2 Lack of Reward/Recognition 90 2.6.3 Negative publicity 91 2.7 CONSEQUENCES OF STRESS 92 2.7.1 Physiological effects of stress 93 2.7.2 Psychological Problems and Behavioural 94 problems 2.7.3 Teacher Stress, Strain, and Burnout 97 2.7.4 Causes of Teacher Stress 103 2.7.8 Teacher Responses to Stress 107 2.8 LEVEL OF STRESS 112 2.9 GENDER DIFFERENCES IN RELATION TO 116 STRESS 2.10 COLLEGE TEACHER‘S STRESS 119 2.11 FACTS AND FIGURES OF STRESS 141 2.12 CONCLUSION BASED ON REVIEW 148 2.13 SUMMARY 148 3.0 ENGINEERING EDUCATION AND 149 PROFESSIONAL STRESS – AN OVERVIEW 3.1 INTRODUCTION 149 3.2 EVOLUTION OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION IN INDIA AND ITS CURRENT STATUS 151 3.3 STATE OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION IN 164 TAMIL NADU 3.3.1 Quality of engineering education 165 3.3.2 Equality of opportunity in engineering 173 education 3.3.3 Financing of engineering education 177 3.3.4 Placement of engineering graduates 183 8 3.3.5 Quality of the students 187 3.3.6 Scarcity of teachers 188 3.3.7 About management 188 3.3.8 Lack of job opportunities 189 3.3.9 Gullible and the poor students suffer 190 3.3.10 Responsibility of the government and All India 191 Council for Technical Education (AICTE) 3.3.11 Advise to students 191 3.4 FACTOR AFFECTING TEACHING 193 3.5` JOB SATISFACTION OF TEACHERS 197 3.6 TECHNOLOGY TEACHER SATISFACTION 200 3.7 TECHNOLOGY TEACHER TURNOVER 202 3.8 SUMMARY 205 4.0 COPING STRATEGIES WITH STRESS 206 4.1 INTRODUCTION 206 4.2 THE CONCEPT OF COPING 206 4.3 COPING STRATEGIES 207 4.3.1 Individual Level Strategy 215 4.3.2 Corporate Level Strategy 215 4.3.3 Corporate Stress Prevention Strategy 217 4.3.4 How to Change the Organization to Prevent 217 Job Stress 4.4 GENDER DIFFERENCES IN RELATION TO 218 STRESS COPING STRATEGIES 4.5 COPING WITH STRESS OF TEACHERS 222 4.5.1 Direct action 222 4.5.2 Palliative approaches 224 4.6 GENERAL COPING STRATEGIES 229 4.6.1 Social Support 229 4.6.2 Direct Action 229 4.6.3 Indirect Method 230 4.6.4 Coping Mechanisms 230 9 4.6.5 Gender difference in coping styles 234 4.6.6 Personality risk factor 236 4.7 THE CONCEPT OF STRESS MANAGEMENT 238 4.7.1 Minimizing the frequency of stress-inducing situation 240 4.7.2 Increasing resistance to stress 241 4.7.3 Counter-conditioning to avoid physiological arousal 243 4.8 244 STRESS COPING STRATEGIES FOR TEACHERS 4.8.1 244 Health Habits 4.8.2 246 Goodies for your Desk 4.8.3 248 Mottoes and Mantras 4.8.4 249 Organization Tools 4.8.5 251 Inspirational Podcasts and Sites 4.8.6 252 Getting the Support You Need 4.8.7 Tiny Tricks 253 4.8.8 When You Go Home 255 4.8.9 Diet, Exercise and Sleep 256 4.8.10 Improving Your Game 258 4.8.11 Staying Stress-Free Every day 259 4.8.12 Family Stress Management 273 10 4.8.13 Stress Reliever Games 276 4.8.14 Stress Relieving Exercises 278 4.8.15 Stress Management Tips 280 4.8.16 Other coping strategies 281 4.9 EASIEST METHOD TO COPE WITH STRESS 282 4.10 SUMMARY 283 5.0 METHODOLOGIES TO MEASURE AND 285 EVALUATE STRESS 5.1 INTRODUCTION 285 5.2 WAYS OF MEASURING STRESS 286 5.3 DESIGN OF THE STUDY 287 5.4 LOCALE OF THE STUDY 288 5.5 SELECTION OF SAMPLE 289 5.5.1 Primary Data 289 5.5.2 Secondary Data 289 5.5.3 Sample Size 290 5.5.4 Sample Collection 290 5.5.5 Pilot – testing 290 5.6 PROCEDURE FOR DATA COLLECTION 290 5.7 SELECTION AND USE OF THE TOOLS FOR 291 STUDY 5.7.1 Demographic characteristics questionnaire 291 5.7.2 Employment Organization Sources of Stressors 292 (EOSS) scale 5.7.3 Coping strategy questionnaire 293 5.8 VARIABLES AND THEIR MEASUREMENTS 294 5.8.1 Independent variables 294 5.8.1.1 Age 294 5.8.1.2 Gender 295 11 5.8.1.3 Education 295 5.8.1.4 Designation 295 5.8.1.5 Total Service 296 5.8.1.6 Monthly income 296 5.8.1.7 Marital status 297 5.8.1.8 Family Type 297 5.8.1.9 Family Size 297 5.8.1.10 Employment of the spouse 298 5.8.1.11 Annual income of the family 298 5.8.2 Dependent variables 299 5.9 STATISTICAL ANALYSIS 299 5.9.1 Statistical Tools Used 299 5.9.2 Frequency and percentage 300 5.9.3 t-test 300 5.9.4 Step wise Regression analysis 301 5.10 INFERENTIAL ANALYSIS OF SAMPLE 303 6.0 DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION 304 6.1 INTRODUCTION 304 6.2 DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS ON SAMPLE (t-test) 304 6.3 INFERENTIAL ANALYSIS ON SAMPLE 321 (ANOVA) 6.4 DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS ON SAMPLE (Chi-