TECHNO-STRESS - A PROSPECTIVE PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE IMPACTOF A CONTROLLED STRESS-REDUCTION PROGRAM IN ADVANCED TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEMS-DESIGN WORK

There is a void of studies concerning occupational health aspects from working with the most advanced forms of information technologies tech niques such as are found in some of the world-renowned telecommunicati on systems development laboratories. However, many of these techniques will later be applied in the regular office environment. We wanted to identify some of the major stressors perceived by advanced telecommun ication systems design employees and develop a valid and reliable inst rument by which to monitor such stressors. We were also interested in assessing the impact of a controlled prospective stress-reduction prog ram on perceived mental stress and specific psychophysiological parame ters. A total of 116 employees were recruited. Sixty-one were offered to participate in one of three stress-reduction training programs (int ervention group). The additional 50 functioned as a reference group. A fter a detailed baseline assessment, including a comprehensive questio nnaire and psychophysiological measurements, new assessments were made at the end of the formal training program (+3 months) and after an ad ditional 5-month period. Results reveal a significant improvement in t he intervention group with regard to circulating levels of the stress- sensitive hormone prolactin as well as art attenuation in mental strai n. Cardiovascular risk indicators were also improved. Circulating thro mbocytes decreased in the intervention group. Type of stress-reduction programs chosen and intensity of participation did not significantly Impact results. Coping style was not affected and no beneficial effect s were observed with regard to the psychological characteristics of th e work, eg intellectual discretion and control over work processes. Th e survey instrument is now being used in the continuous improvement of work processes and strategic leadership, of occupational health issue s. The results suggest that prior psychophysiological stress research, based on low- and medium-skill, rather repetitive kinds of jobs, may not be completely applicable to that of skilled professionals. The res ults indicate that cutting-edge telecommunication systems design emplo yees suffer from significant amounts of mental strain. In addition, th ere are limited but mensurable benefits from a stress-reduction progra m. More attention should be directed as do how to design healthy and p roductive work environments in workplaces using advanced information t echnologies.