Predisposing Factors
Predisposing factors are factors that cause behaviors related to stress control, and in other words, they precede behavior.
Personal Context: Personal potentials that can have a reducing or increasing role in stress. People’s confidence in their own abilities to perform job duties and overcome psychological pressure was identified as a personal context in stress control. Furthermore, it was found that when HCWs realize that they are useful and valuable people for providing the health of others and consider their job valuable, they experience a good and energizing feeling. A HCW believed:
Everything starts with us… I am the one who has to determine whether this screening is positive or not, I am the one who determines whether this child has a developmental disorder or not. This is very enjoyable…, that is, I am important. It even becomes clear that my negligence may have worse consequences. (P6)
According to the participants, for some HCWs it was very significant for their efforts to be seen by supervisors and others, and not paying attention to this issue was considered annoying and indifference to them.
On the other hand, HCW’s attitude towards monitoring can be an effective or a hindrance factor for managing workplace-related stressors. One of the participants in the focus group said:
A midwife should follow up on a high-risk pregnant mother. It is a very sensitive task. If you are not careful, it will end at the cost of the life of the mother and her child. In these situations, monitoring and pressure from the organization is necessary….. (P21)
Awareness of Occupational Stress: HCWs believed that awareness of stress and its causes helps them to perform better in stressful situations. A HCW commented on how awareness can help reduce stress:
When my colleague gets angry, I know why she is angry, this makes my stress go down. (P6)
Attitudes towards Occupational Stress: Identifying employees’ attitude towards workplace stress is essential for effective interventions and creating stress-controlling behaviors in the workplace. Some HCWs believed that the organization is the cause of workplace stress, while others pointed to the importance of the individual’s role. Some participants believed that stress can be controlled. They considered their role as necessary to prevent the physical and mental effects of stress. On the contrary, some participants believed that their stress is involuntary and they cannot control it. A HCW who experienced a lot of stress at work believed:
Maybe it’s my fault that I can’t control my stress, maybe I get obsessive compulsive. [P8]
Stress Coping Strategies: Individual strategies are used to reduce tension and achieve peace in facing stressful situations and factors. Some participants did strategies such as exercising, traveling, listening to music, and reading personal development books to reduce stress. Other strategies were used to solve problems caused by job and workplace and were perceived as very useful, such as being flexible with clients, changing work style, increasing recognition of colleagues and superiors. One of the HCWs said about the importance of coping with stress:
When I prioritize improving a job weakness, my stress goes down. (P4)
HCWs sometimes had emotional self-control to cope with workplace stress. For instance, using spirituality, positive self-talk, keeping silent in front of unpleasant behaviors, changing the mood with funny topics.
On the other hand, some HCWs had maladaptive strategies to reduce pressure, such as negative reaction to job performance, selective performance of tasks, anger, mental conflict, taking medicine, and finally, desire to change jobs. One of the supervisors said about the reaction of HCWs when faced with high work pressure:
When they are under pressure, they do a part of the work and leave the rest. (FGH)