Cognitive behavioural therapy based stress management interventions: An evaluation of methodology
For most individuals, work is the one of the most time consuming and important pursuits for the healthiest and most productive years of their lives. It is the time of their day dedicated solely to a single pursuit, and as such, should be a time that brings them satisfaction, while impinging minimally on their health and quality of life. An upsurge in interest in recent decades in the concept of workplace stress has brought it to attention as a major factor impeding on the physical and mental wellbeing of workers. Stress is associated with a variety of negative psychological outcomes, including depression and anxiety, as well as a range of physical illnesses, including an increased propensity for coronary heart disease (Rice, 1992). In the United Kingdom, work-related stress is the second biggest occupational health problem, with stress related absences costing £4 billion each year (Edwards & Burnard, 2003). In the Netherlands, the percentage of workers receiving a disability pension for stress increased from 21-30% in the space of 13 years (van der Hek & Plomp, 1997). In the United States, an increase by nearly 700 hours per working year for working couples within two decades has been accompanied by an absentee rate increase of threefold. This is of little wonder when one considers that stress is a major factor in 80% of work-related injuries and 40% of workplace turnovers (Richardson & Rothstein, 2008).
Thus, it can be said that workplace stress has a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of workers, as well as costing companies large amounts of value in dollars and cents. It has been a priority for companies to adopt strategies to combat the influence of stress on their employees, with many 48% of private sector companies possessing either stress management or counselling programs by 1999 (Nigella, Murphy & Swanson, 2003). The evidence...