Work stress among six professional groups: the Singapore experience

Recent developments in stress research have called for attention to how soc ial structures influence the stress and coping processes. This paper examin es the experience of work stress among professionals in Singapore and argue s that workers' experiences in the workplace are influenced not only by ind ividual personality and job nature, but also by structural forces shaping t he profession, the social organization of work institutions and the develop ment of the economy. Data were collected from a survey of professionals in Singapore conducted i n 1989-1990. The sample consisted of 2570 men and women from six different professions and para-professions, namely general practitioners, lawyers, en gineers, teachers, nurses and life insurance personnel. Results showed that performance pressure and work-family conflicts were perceived to be the mo st stressful aspects of work. These two stressors also significantly contri buted to the experience of overall work stress. Further, stress arising fro m work-family conflicts, performance pressure and poor job prospects was ne gatively associated with the level of work satisfaction. These findings wer e discussed in the contexts of increasing professionalization and de-profes sionalization and the growing emphases on productivity and efficiency in a quickly developing economy. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reser ved.