Ravalier PhD Theis.pdf - Anglia Ruskin Research Online

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Melchior et al. (2007) found that those participants with high job demands
had double the risk of developing depressive disorder when controlling for
a number of potential extraneous variables.
1b.2.2) Anxiety
Employees exposed to anxious conditions in the workplace may
experience stress-related psychosomatic complaints due to its unpleasant
emotional state (Addae & Wang, 2006). For example, Radat et al., (2008)
found that stress and maladaptive coping strategies were found to be a
major determinant of anxiety, and a further study was conducted by Wang
(2006), who found that work stress was independently associated with
anxiety disorders, thus indicating that it may play an important role in the
aetiology of the disorder. Finally, Melchior et al. (2007) found that
participants’ exposure to high job demands (i.e. excessive workload and
time pressures) doubled their risk of developing Generalised Anxiety
Disorder.
1b.3) Behavioural Manifestations
It is often stated that the experience of stress in an individual’s life
can lead to unhealthy behaviours. For example, anecdotally it can often
be heard that people smoke more when stressed, drink more alcohol when
stressed, or that extreme stress can lead to the use of illicit drugs in order
to help cope with the stress experienced. Indeed, in a qualitative study
Ravalier and Biggs (2009) found that police officers and fire-fighters were
more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviours such as reduced levels of
exercise, more smoking and increased alcohol drinking when stressed (i.e.
negative emotion-focussed coping strategies).
1b.3.1) Substance Misuse
While it is often reported that work stress is a main reason for
individuals abusing substances, empirical support has not been
consistent. For example, while an early study by Sadava et al. (1978)