Relationship Between Workplace Stress and Illness

This paper discusses the relationship between workplace stress and illness, highlighting the negative effects of stress on mental and physical health. It covers the factors that cause workplace stress and its impact on the immune system, behavior, and personality. The paper also covers the types of stressors and their influence on workers' health.

Relationship Between Workplace Stress and Illness
7/22/2018

Abstract
This paper is being prepared to provide information about the relationship between workplace
stress and illness and the factors of the operational environment that cause stressful
circumstances and negative health concerns of the workplace stress. This paper will highlight
the stress at work and its negative effects on the mental and physical health of a worker.
Introduction
Stress is an outcome of social relations in a way that an individual may experience stress due
to the people around him/her in their social circle. An individual may experience stress
particularly when he undertakes a danger to his social esteem (Yusoff, 2010). Stress holds
both positive and negative consequences. Stress is generally a reaction to the danger. When
an individual notices danger, spontaneously indications are conveyed to the mind and
response to that danger is generated. In the positive sense, stress appeals to us in the direction
of essential response and solution in contradiction of the threat in front of us. In the negative
terms, stress is an obstacle that decreases productivity and plays a major role in generating
obstacles to attain the targets. In a company, stress carries behavioral changes, which
eventually reduces the teamwork among employees.
The state of poor health is known as Illness and on the side; the word stress is utilized to
define the psychological and physical reaction to the demand from the atmosphere.
Psychologist and other various professionals of health have debated about the relationship
between workplace illness and stress and there is definite proof to support these arguments.
Hans Selye (2013), examines the response of the body to the stress by utilizing his
experiment on the rats; he discovers repetitive exposure to stressor decreases the ability of the

body to fight against illness. Selye claimed that human and other various animals’ react to
diverse physical and psychological situation with the similar physiological instigation.
The body reacts to the stress in two conducts: a eustress situation will result in the hormone
release ‘the fight or flight’. However, when a situation becomes tense, which results in the
state of pain, the body will become exhausted that will also result in hormones reserve been
fragile. This will damage the immune system of the body resulting in stress-linked situations
like ulcers, depression, and blood pressure (McKittrick & Blanchard, 2009). Stress can
disturb the immune system of human body i.e. it can result in the issue of ACTH from the
gland pituitary, which results in the function of inflammatory hormones that will constrain
the release of white blood cells (Jackson, 2014).
Kiecolt-Glaser and Glaser (1989), discussed that momentary stress period like meetings and
presentations at the workplace can result in a substantial destruction of the immune system.
Another model psychologist utilized to relate illness and stress is by behavior, like social
behavior and morals of a group or a team of people. For example, Culture is not about people
but it is about the way of interactions. It has been recommended that these learned manners of
interactions might be able to affect the response of the individual to stress. People who work
as per the pattern of the shift, for instance, need to adjust their body according to the clock,
which results in the significant accidents related to stress at work (Ganster & Rosen, 2013). It
has been identified that a physical shift in the industrial locales in Utah, USA connected with
an increasing rate of accidents, chronic feelings, and absenteeism. It has been argued that
sleep deprivation decreases the capacity of work and is liable for major of heavy accidents of
the vehicle that mostly happens at 4 am and 7 am (Glaser, 2002).
A psychologist has also discussed the relationship between stomach ulcer and stress; Brady
1958 first presented a supportive proof, he studied the link between the high level of stress

and hormone production that ultimately results in stomach ulcer (Integrated Socio
psychology, 2013). In his test, he engaged monkeys in the order of restraining chairs and
trained them to press a lever, which was giving them regular shocks in every 20 seconds if
the lever was pressed. Due to this experiment the monkeys died, though after the post-
mortem it was clear that they died due to the stomach ulcer, which was caused by an increase
in the gastric hormones apparently caused by the extreme stress level. However, Sceptics
have claimed the reasonability of generalizing a trial on the monkeys and connecting it to
humans (Payne, 2013).
Additionally, Psychologist also contended that the immune system is also affected due to the
indirect effect of the stress; people dealing with stress incline to uncover themselves to
diseases triggering organisms that might result in physical illness. It has been broadly
described that individuals suffering from stress are attracted towards smoking, alcohol, and
are involved in less physical activities such as exercise (VanGeest, Johnson & Alemagno,
2017). Goldback (2016), discussed that teenagers who go through the phase of extreme stress
are more likely to begin smoking than their colleague whose are free from stress or have a
low level of stress. Carey 1993 also discussed those grown-ups who are expected to resume
their habit of smoking after giving up this habit due to re-experiencing the stress.
Nevertheless, this statement raises the question that Does this shows that all the smokers are
dealing with stress. There is a big discussion that few of the smokers do smoking because
they take it as a trend of the society.
A research was also conducted on the relationship between personality and diseases related to
stress. The research was done after the study of 9 years which involved 300 men identified
that individual of Type A personality are impatience, hostile and restless behaviors which
upsurge the chances of high blood pressure, a main reason of stroke, heart attack, and other

diseases related to cardiac. On the other side, Type B personalities are normally very relaxed
(Schmied & Lawler, 1986).
Schmied (1986), discussed that individuals with tough personalities are less inclined towards
the stress effect, due to their positive attitude and level of control over hectic events. As per
Kabasa, strong and tough personality people look at the stressful conditions as the
opportunity and challenging circumstances. They possess a strong feeling of internal locus of
control whereas individuals with an external locus of control possess less control on their
own lives, which results in less operative coping approaches and high level of illness related
to stress. The study comprised highly stress men who operated as managers for a big
corporation; they identified people with high robustness and do regular exercises have a
minimum illness as compared to their colleagues. However, the model also criticized for
being dependent on the white male of the middle class as the key participant.
Another kind of stress related to illness is borne out underwent by caregivers; it is extensively
assumed that individual who take care of their loved one, partners for instance who are
suffering from chronic illness are uncovered towards recurrent loneliness and experience
irresistible demands on their resources both psychological and physical which can result in
anxiety or depression. (Gharib & Jamil, 2016).
McLeod (2010), talked about the proof to relate stress and hypertension by utilizing the study
of men who operated as the controller of air traffic and pilots. The investigators evaluated the
medical annual records and observed not just the rate of hypertension was very high in the
controllers of air traffic, but also the controllers that operate at airports with a high density of
traffic had higher hypertension levels.
Psychoneuroimmunology is a study area that specializes in studies that relate stress and
psychological state that has offered proof to support stress as the immunosuppressive. An

experiment conducted by Riley by making use of mice; "one of the case study observed mice
located on a revolving turntable and then evaluated the lymphocytes of mice for around five
hours and identified downwards gradient". In the second study, he studied the relationship
between stress and the growth of a tumour by inserting cells of cancer into the mice and
echoing the stress of a revolving turntable. For three days, one group took 10 minutes on the
wheel per hour and another group took no stress. In the conclusion, it was said that a tumour
in the group of subjected stress had increased but it was not the same for the other group
(Regelson & Colman, 1997).
The above-specified study was braced by Standish (2010), who observed the immune system
of the husbands of those women who died due to breast cancer and it was identified that the
immune system of husband does not operate well after the death of their wives as compared
to before when their wives were alive. The agenda was to reflect the consequence of
bereavement as a stressor has on their immune system.
Regardless of all the supporting proof relating stress and devastating of the immune system,
resulting in severe psychological situations such as depression and severe cardiovascular
illness, skeptics continue to claim few of the conclusiveness of some supporting evidence.
It is a fact that the stress is now becoming very complex at the workplace in various industrial
nations. With the considerable increase in the stress problems, there is also a considerable
loss in the relation of money across the world jointly and millions are seriously affected
discretely. Absenteeism due to the anticipated events, disease, psychological problems of
health and many more are the consequences of their workplace stress (Ahmed & Ramzan,
2013). The adverse consequences of stress at the workplace are forcing governments in the
direction to frame laws for the benefits of workers or employees because of increasing
number of research and publications in this area. The issues arisen due to workplace stress are

not restricted to a specified profession or a specific nation; it has resulted in long-run effects
all over the world (Mark, 2008).
Work stress
Individuals are regularly making use of the word stress but the meaning of this word is not
clear to them. Every present define of stress refers to that individual who experiences stress
due to the pressure or demands, it is generally an experienced faced by an individual and
capability of that individual to handle the situations affected due to the stress (Mohajan,
2012). The stress of the job comes when there is misbalance between the demand of the job
and the capabilities and employee skills to manage the demands of the job (Krantz & Thorn,
2018). Stress is the mixture of psychological and physical responses to the events that
threaten or challenge people. In usual conditions, the response of stress is an influential
protective mechanism that permits us to handle dangers, immediate demands, and sudden
changes. In irregular conditions, stress overpowers the protective mechanisms, resulting in
serious adverse health outcomes (Canadian Union of Public Employees, 2006).
The adverse influence of job stress on the physical settings and workers prosperity of workers
is a key problem in the developed countries, the experts of the developed nations such as
America, Japan, and European Union and even from the countries that are developing
concentrate on the stress of job and its influence on the employee’s health.
Job Stressors
The word stressor refers to any type of tense situations evolving from the inside the
individual or environment. Stressors create physiological or mental reactions, which are
frequently injurious, and occasionally are the signals of physical or psychological flaws. The
response of stress is the outcome of the stress that takes place form the stressor. Stress is the

response to the stressor through which an individual has agonized both physically and
mentally (Liu & Liu, 2013). The stress response might be gentle or severe which is based on
the kind and stressor intensity and compassion of the individuals to stress (Chay, 1990).
There are three general types of stressors:
 The calamitous incidence that directs towards unusual, speedy, strong different
conditions or linked happenings through which various people are affected, for
example, war, and natural calamity.
 Major shifts that threat flexible aptitudes of an individual similar to calamitous
incidences but inducing less number of individuals, for example, sickness, losing a
job, and death of a dear one.
 Everyday problems, that guides to continuous, stable, and recurrent issues, for
example, disputes with the partner, clashes at a job with a co-worker, and lack of job
satisfaction.
These three types of stressors have familiarity in terms of stimuli, which is cruel in all three
types. The common stress in all is the stress of the job, which is faced by the workers or
employees at work area.
Research presented on the stress related to work reflects that different organizational factors
are liable for nervousness and adverse health results. Literature settles on the stressors that is
what are the reasons of strain and stress i.e. consequences of the stress. Stressors could be of
two types that are psychosocial and physical. Both the stressors could influence the health
mentally and physically and can operate together might interrelate with one another
(McMillan, 2008).
Henceforth the augmented hustle and bustle kind of routine due to the pressure in the new age
of large-scale businesses and an upsurge in the rivalry can result in a hectic environment.

Various issues could result in stress such as few vacations, less bonus, less control at
functions at work, less job security, increasing hours of work, and minimum promotion
chances. Occasionally some other factors are also liable such as less time and more work
responsibilities, no major work, less support, no match between job responsibility and skills,
no feedback, conflicts at work and clashes with the co-workers (Torre & Sestili, 2018).
Commonly many people face stress. Stress can be felt at the time when a person has less time
to complete essential deadlines. Frequently people face stress because of problems at a
workplace like overburden of work, unrealistic targets, no control on the task, etc. Some
individuals also face stress at the time when they have the fear of failure (Sohail & Rehman,
2015).
This analysis of the stress at workplace literature delivers thorough information of the work
stress, its aims, and its psychological and physical influences on the health of the workers and
employers. The above analysis has highlighted the relationship between stress and illness at
the workplace and from this review, it can be concluded that there is a strong association
between workplace stress and psychological and physical illness of the employee. The work
stressors might have a mixed influence on the psychological and physical health of the
worker. Research can be conducted on different types of stressors as discussed above and
their effect can be reviewed on the health of the employees. The work stressors are related to
the psychological and physical consequences. The above paper has also discussed the
relationship between stress and illness by stomach ulcers, the effect on the immune system,
behavior, and diseases.

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