Stress at Work and the Role of Physical Activity in Its Management and Reduction

Abstract

Work related stress is thought to affect an individual’s psychological and physical health in different ways. The aim of the study is to identify the level of stress at work and the impact that the involvement in Physical Activity has for the overall psychological well-being and healthy lifestyle. The sample of the study includes 416 subjects aged 25 – 64 years old, 177 males and 239 females from different professions in Tirana. Instruments used are “Workplace Stress Survey” by The American Institute of Stress (AIS) and “Employee Physical Activity Survey” by EDB Sonoma County, California. The second questionnaire was modified and adapted by the authors for the purposes of this study. For statistical data processing and qualitative descriptions SPPS statistical software package, version 20, Microsoft Office Excel 2007 has been used. The data show that subjects are at a moderate level of stress at work (60.1%), thus stress is present. The dominant gender with work stress is represented by females (60.8%). Referring to the type of profession favoring PA, subjects claim that they cannot be involved in PA in the workplace (78.1%). The subjects are characterized by a low level of PA performance even in their free time; on average they spend 1 – 2 hours/week for 1 – 2 days. As a conclusion, we can say that involvement in PA for managing and reducing stress in the workplace and not only, it is considered as one of the most important factors, it mainly focuses on reducing anxiety and irritability, and increased concentration in individuals’ professional tasks.