Coping and Prevention (Stress and Quality of Working Life)

Continuous activity and high job demands surround corporate environments. These demands are considered to be key triggers for workers’ stress-related symptoms and poor health. It has been estimated by the American Institute of Stress (AIS) that US$ 300 billion/year are spent on conditions related to excessive stress levels. Of course, occupational stressors are an unavoidable part of working life. Experienced stress has helped us to survive for thousands of years and keeps us vigilant under critical situations. Of course, too much experienced stress can lead to serious psychological and physical health problems. This book is devoted to examining important issues related to coping with and preventing elevated occupational stress. This book also examines individual differences and organizational cultures that might exacerbate or mitigate experienced stress.

If we consider all choices available, it is better to prevent than to treat. Prevention can be primary, when we prevent the stress-generating situation from occurring; secondary, when we provide alternatives to minimize the damage caused by the problem and tertiary, which involves containing losses that have occurred to prevent them from becoming more serious. This book on stress prevention and coping with stress is intended to assist occupational health professionals and academics to improve their abilities to help employees managing stress, but it also can be helpful for individual workers as they learn to better handle stressors at work. The research findings and views presented by these well-respected leaders in stress research provide tools for those currently experiencing workplace stress and supplies information concerning how stress can be prevented before it occurs.

Pamela L. Perrewe (Ph.D.) is the Distinguished Research Professor and Jim Moran Professor of Management in the College of Business at Florida State University. She received her Bachelor degree in Psychology from Purdue University and her Master and Ph.D. degrees in Management from the University of Nebraska. Dr. Perrewe primarily teaches courses in Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management and has taught at the undergraduate, masters, and Ph.D. levels. Dr. Perrewe is a past recipient of the Florida State University Teaching Excellence Program award and the University Teaching Incentive Program award as well as the University Developing Scholar award. Dr. Perrewe has focused her research interests in the areas of job stress, coping, organizational politics, emotion and personality. Dr. Perrewe has published over 10 book chapters and 70 journal articles in journals such as Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Management, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Journal of Vocational Behavior, Human Relations and Journal of Applied Social Psychology. Further, she has presented 75 research papers at academic and professional meetings. She serves as a member of the Editorial Review Board for Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, Human Resource Management Review, Organizational Analysis, Leadership and Organizational Studies, and Journal of Managerial Issues. She has fellow status with Southern Management Association and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Dr. Perrewe has recently been appointed to the Board of Scientific Counselors for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Finally, she is the co-editor of an annual series entitled, Research in Occupational Stress and Well Being published by Elsevier Science, Inc.