1 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.0 Overview Over ... - DSpace@UM

21 st century, it is recognized in developing nations around the world. The United StatesNational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health states that “stress-related disordersare fast becoming the most prevalent reason for worker disability”; the World HealthOrganization calls work stress a “worldwide epidemic.” There were others, especiallymedical scientists, who were particularly interested in the health outcome orconsequences of stressful experiences. Despite all these highlights, stress cases havecontinued to increase, topping the list of reasons for non-performance for the fourthconsecutive year, with 22% of unions reporting an increase in stress cases among theirmembers (Barhem, B., 2008).His study revealed that global characteristics aresignificantly exhibited among managers in the private sector; with broad responsibilityfor others, private managers consider the most important sources of stress are roleambiguity and role overload (of a qualitative kind). This might be reflected in this currentstudy.2.7 Coping StrategyThere is no doubt as to the importance of coping as an explanatory construct whenexploring the nature of stress (Dewe, P., 2003). Coping is generally considered to be aprocess by which an individual attempts to minimize the negative emotions that arisefrom the experience of negative events. Generally over a period, we have seen animportant shift in research emphasis pertaining to stress and health studies, from that ofstressors to that of coping. It has been increasingly argued that health outcomes are moreoften than not a function of coping efficacy rather than simply a consequence of the24