TITLE:
Occupational stress and its related factors among university teachers in Japan
AUTHORS:
Mika Kataoka, Kazuhiro Ozawa, Masahito Tomotake, Tetsuya Tanioka, Beth King
KEYWORDS:
Occupational Stress; Mental Health; Japan; University Teachers
JOURNAL NAME:
Health,
Vol.6 No.5,
February
21,
2014
ABSTRACT: The purpose of this
research was to investigate occupational stress
and its related factors among university
teachers in Japan. Questionnaire surveys were mailed to 924 university
teachers in Japan with a response rate of 43.8%, N = 405. The General Health
Questionnaire 28 (GHQ-28), Multidimensional
Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), short Japanese version of
brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE) and the Work Situation
Questionnaires (WSQ) developed by the authors were administered to participants. Results indicated that university teachers had some mental health problems in relation to gender,
professional position, conditions of taking paid leave, job satisfaction, job
control, social support, and coping skills. These findings provide evidence
that in order to improve the mental health of university, teachers need to take
their paid leave freely. It is important to keep high their job satisfaction
levels, job control levels, and social support. The results also indicated that
the ineffective coping styles lead to poor mental health. In addition, the
findings identified the necessity for support of female teachers and younger
lecturers, who had a greater tendency toward poor mental health.