UNDERSTANDING OCCUPATIONAL STRESS IN CHILD-WELFARE SUPERVISORS

The consequences of occupational stress include not only physical and psychological illnesses, but also a variety of employment problems. Th e current study examined stress and physical symptoms reported by a sa mple of child-welfare supervisors at a state human-services agency. Re sults indicated that a tendency to suppress angry feelings was related to an increased level of perceived stress and a greater number of phy sical symptoms. Suppressed anger was also related to dissatisfaction w ith co-workers. Finally, results did not suggest any significant relat ionships between type of managerial style typically employed and job s atisfaction, perceived stress, anger, or physical symptoms. Results of the present study highlight the importance of focusing on anger expre ssion in interventions developed to address occupational stress.