Available online at www.sciencedirect.com
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 47 (2012) 2162 – 2168
CY-ICER2012
The effect of stress management technique training on the ports and shipping organization employees’ happiness Tayebe Majidia, Parivash Jafarib, Mohammad Ali Hosseinic Tayebe Majidi (Department of Educational Administration, Science and Research Branch,Islamic Azad University,Tehran,Iran)
Parivash Jafari,(Department of Educational Administration, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University,Tehran,Iran) Mohammad Ali Hosseini, , Tehran,Iran Abstract The present research investigates the effect of stress management techniques training in the happiness of the ports and shipping organization employees. Therefore, 2 groups including control group (26) and intervention (26) were selected randomly from among 116 employees of this organization. First, the rate of the happiness and job stress of the employees’ were calculated using Oxford happiness questionnaire and Osiopw’s job stress questionnaires for two intervention group. The mean score difference of these two groups were measured. Data analysis was carried via t-test and paired t-test, and the results indicated that the technique training has a positive effect on decreasing the job stress of the ports and shipping organization employees. As well, stress management training lead to more joy in the intervention group, however, in various educational groups and among people with diverse incomes and males and females, in married and single people was not different and had a similar impact. Keywords: stress management, Stress, happiness, training;
1. Introduction Today, human resource is considered as the organizations’ unique competitive advantage and their main capital (Mirsepasi, 1997); as well, healthy human being is observed as the fundamental backbone in the development of countries. Moreover, the mental health of the people of one society is counted as the criterion for the mental health of that society (ibid) and happiness is one dimension of the mental health (Scorsolini-comin&Dossantos, 2004). On the other hand, considering the significance and necessity of human resource health, the role and responsibility of a good, introspective and responsible manager, is to secure their employee’s mental health (Mirsepasi, 1997). Therefore, organizations are paying particular attention to enhancing the living qualities and the physical and mental health conditions of their employees. The logical foundations of these measures are the effects that the development of mental health in general has on individuals and on organization in particular. Numerous studies indicated that there exists a positive relationship between happiness and job efficiency; as well, happiness leads to better job efficiency (Argyle, 2001), physical and mental health, self control, and self regulation (Aspin wall; Fredrickson & Joiner, 2002 ; Keltner&Bonanno, 1998 cited in Jafari, 2009) Happiness individuals benefit longer life, higher income, higher efficiency and more satisfaction from their interactions and transactions with other people
a
Master of Educational Administrationof Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran,Iran(00989123021923
[email protected] Associate Professor of Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch- +989121833294
[email protected] c Assistant professor of the USWRS- Head of Education development center +989121488457
[email protected] b
1877-0428 © 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer review under responsibility of Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Uzunboylu doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.06.966
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Lyubormirsky, King, and Diener (2005) (cited in ibid). Moreover, happiness individuals and organizations achieve important results as increased productivity, quality enhancem flexibility, waste reduction, decrease in absence, stress decrease and lower diseases. Therefore, the main objective of the industrial complex is having happiness and efficient staff is (Joanne H. Gavin&Richardo Mason, 2004 cited in Amani 2007). Considering the importance of training happiness individuals in the current stressful societies, the present article seeks to respond to the following question; could we decrease the Stress and increase joy in individuals through training them in stress management techniques? In other words, how effective is the stress Stress and its relationship with happiness Today, happiness is viewed as the missing link in the society mental health. Generally, all specialists emphasized on mental health in the society. On the one hand, the apparent industrial, scientific evolution and technological real happiness. Due to these conditions, today people need happiness more than any time before (Talebzadeh, 2010). Considering the importance of happiness in the personal and professional life of individuals, planning to increase happiness and the need to identify its relevant elements gets highlighted. Researches revealed that many factors like economic, social, personality and cognitive factors are effective in the creation and development of happiness (Macloud et al, 2008, cited in MirshahJafari, 2003; Savi, 2010; Ocak, 2010). Schiffrin& Nelson study indicated that there exists a mutual relation between stress and happiness as the decrease in stress leads to higher happiness (cited in Mahasink, 2010). One of the facts mostly referred to in other researches is job environment stresses. Job stress is one of the important areas in studies related to organizational behavior which has gain an importance in human resource managements which has been introduced as the most important occupational risk which could lead to decrease in production, absence from job, resource substitution, occupational conflicts, and emp motivation and moving forward and people with a definite amount of stress are more successful. Therefore, the ways to control and confront stress are really important, as treated poorly; stress may have debilitative effects on people functions. One way to control stress, are the stress management training programs which address the planning and training people in the right ways to confront stress and to identify the ways to overcome it (Barakat, 2002; Hussein, 2010). Research Hypotheses 1) Teaching stress management techniques leads to a decrease in 2) 3) There is a meaningful (significant) difference between male and female employees in terms of their level of happiness. 4) There is a significant difference between employees of various educational levels after stress management technique training. 5) management techniques training. 6) There is a significant difference between the happiness rates of employers of varying outcomes after the stress management techniques training. Research methodology: The present research is considered applied in terms of the research purpose; and semi-experimental quantitative study employing pre-test and post-test. The participant of the study were 116 employers, the deputy director for
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finance and administration (general director of statistics and IT, general director of administration, general director of finance, general director of budget and planning) of the ports and Shipping organization. Sampling was done according to the entrance criteria as having the lowest diploma certificate in both genders (males/female), which were randomly placed in two intervention (26) and control (26) group. 8 people withdrew the participation. The data Oxford joy and Spie job stress questionnaires were used to collect data. All participants were evaluated based on these two questionnaires. For the intervention group, the one-day training workshop for 8 hours was held about the stress management techniques and the training continued through pamphlets (one pamphlet for each week) for 4 weeks. After 6 weeks of the time the training was initiated, participants responded to the questionnaires for the calculated through Chronbach alpha (for 0.86 & 0.83) and data analysis was carried on through SPSS. Data analysis and research findings inferential statistics were used to test the research hypotheses, to compare the mean scores of these questionnaires before and after the instruction in each of the involved groups, t-test were used and to compare the mean scores before and after the intervention in both control and intervention groups and independent t-test were finally applied. (Due to the scores frequency distribution which formed the normal distribution, distance of the h hypothesis the following phases were followed: Hypothesis 1: stress management techniques training leads to a decrease in Staff occupational stress. Table 1: t-test indicators to compare the mean scores of two controlled and intervention groups in stress management Groups
Numbers
Mean
Standard Deviation
Intervention
26
-22.35
20.896
Controlled
26
2.46
3.932
Lions Test Similarity Calculated F Ratio 33.301
For
Variance
Level Of Significance 0.0010
T-Test For Mean Similarity Calculated T -5.949
Degree Of Freedom 50
Results P<0.05
The indicators reveal that there is a significant difference among the mean scores of job stress of two intervention and controlled group (p<0.05). Therefore, it could be concluded that the stress management technique training to the participants of the intervention group, has a positive effects on decreasing their occupational stress. In other Hypothesis 2:
groups Intervention Controlled
Table 2: t-test indicators for comparing means of joy in two intervention and controlled groups standard number mean lyons test for the sameness of t-test for mean score sameness deviation calculated f level of Calculated Degree Of 26 16.50 12.704 Results ratio significance T Freedom 26 1.62 3.522 36.784 0.001 5.757 50 P<0.05
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The indicators in the table shows that among the mean differences of scores related to joy in two intervention and control groups there exists a significant difference (p<0.05). Therefore, it could be concluded that the stress management technique training has a positive effect on the increase of happiness among the employees in the intervention group. In other terms, teaching stress management increases the happiness in employees. Hypothesis 3: There is a meaningful (significant) difference between male and female employees in terms of their level of happiness. Table 3: the descriptive indicators related to the Joy scores of female/male intervention group Gender
Number
Mean
Standard deviation
Male
17
19.53
10.938
Female
9
10.78
14.446
Table 3: t-test indicators to compare the mean scores of job stress of the male/female in intervention group standard Lyons test for variance groups number mean t-test for mean scores sameness deviation sameness the ratio of level of degree of Intervention 17 19.53 10.938 calculated t result calculated significance freedom Controlled 9 10.78 14.446 0.421 0.523 1.737 24 P>0.05
The indicators reveal that there does not exist a significant difference between mean scores of the pre-test posttest related to joy test in the participating groups (p>0.05). Therefore, it can be concluded that teaching stress management techniques to female/male participants does not have a significant effect on increasing their amounts of happiness. In other words, the effect of teaching stress management techniques was not different in males and females regarding joy. Hypothesis 4: There is a meaningful (significant) difference between various educational levels employees in terms of their level of happiness Table 4: descriptive indicators related to the participants joy scores in various educational levels in intervention group Educational levels
number
mean
Standard deviation
Associate degree
2
12
11.314
14
15.93
12.288
10
18.20
14.413
Mas
Table (5): indicators of the one-way variance analysis related to comparing the mean scores of joy in participants of various educational levels in the intervention group Sources change
of
Sum
of
squares
scores
Degree freedom
intergroup
73.971
2
intragroup
3960.529
23
total
434.500
25
of
Mean total squares
36.986 172.197
ratiof
result
0.215
P>0.05
The indicators in the tabor 6 reveals that there does not exist a significant difference among the mean scores of participants in various educational levels (p>0.5). Therefore, it can be concluded that stress management techniques training to participants of various educational levels does not have a positive impact on their increase of joy in the
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intervention group. In other words, the effect of teaching stress management has the same effect on employees who were of different educational levels. Hypothesis 5: the stress management techniques training. Table (6). Descriptive indicators related to the joy scores of the intervention group married/single participants Marital status
number
mean
Standard deviations
single
3
6.33
4.933
married
23
17.83
12.855
Table (7). T-test indicators to compare the mean scores of the occupational stress in married and single participants of the intervention group lyons test for variance samegroups
number
standard
mean
deviation
calculat
level
ed f ratio single
3
6.33
4.933
married
23
17.83
12.855
te-test for mean same-ness
ness significance
3.072
of
calculate
0.092
degree results
dt
of freedom
1.511
24
P<0.05
The presented indicators reveal that there does not exist a significant difference between the scores of joy pretests and posttest in two participating groups (p>0.05). Therefore, it could be stated with 95% confidence that there does not exist a significant difference among the married and single participants in two participating groups regarding the joy (happiness). In other words, the effect of stress management technique training was not different in its effect on the employee and had the similar effect. Hypothesis (6): There is a significant difference between the happiness rates of employers of varying outcomes after the stress management techniques training. Table (8): descriptive indicators related to the joy scores of participants with various incomes in the intervention group Levels of income
Number
Mean
Standard deviation
1
2
19
22.627
2
8
11.75
15.953
3
8
16.88
10.288
4
8
20.25
9.953
Table (9): indicators of one-way variance analysis related to comparison of the difference of happiness among intervention group participants with various incomes Sources cahnge
of
Squares Degree of freedom
Total
intergroup
306.625
3
Intra group
3727.857
22
total
Mean total squares
ratiof
results
scores
4034.500
102.208 169.449
0.603
P>0.05
25
The presented indicators in the table above reveals that the difference of mean scores of happiness pre-test posttest of three groups with varying income (p>0.05) is not a significant difference.
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Therefore, it could be concluded that the mean scores of the joy pre-test posttest of three groups with varying outcomes is not significant. Therefore, stress management technique training to three groups of participants of Discussion well, hould be noted that various elements such as: personality, self-confidence, religious beliefs, social capital, health, optimism, and family satisfaction, life satisfaction, artistic activities are effective in creation or the enhancement of joy. In the present research, the share of stress and its management was calculated in creating happiness. Regarding the research results, the organizations managers should be aware of their heir planning and strategies to of happiness in organizations, the efforts should be made to enhance the sustainability of joy level of employe turn it to a personality characteristic in order to enable individuals be in more harmony with their difficulties. As well, the results and comparison of stress in two groups before and after intervention indicated the importance of stress management technique training workshops in organizations. Therefore, with such continual workshop holding efficiency; and with the decrease of occupational stress by developing happiness the costs of desertion, personnel substitution and transfer and extra costs would be inevitable. Recommendations: Considering the research results regarding the effect of stress management on reducing stress and increasing happiness, it is recommended that: Holding stress management technique training workshops for the employees in compliance with their occupation to make them familiar with the ways to control stress and reduce it to the desirable amount. Preparing training brochures about the stress management and distributing in among employees ( with some month intervals) Planning to reduce stress and manage it; identifying the reasons and the factors of stress the ways to control it Enhancing the awareness and mental health of the personnel through training careers, in harmony with their occupations to increase happiness suggested that holding training workshops in stress management strategies helps to overcome the depression and to live happily
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