A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF OCCUPATIONAL STRESS LEVEL AMONG PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTOR TEACHERS IN THE TECHIMAN SOUTH CIRCUIT

Winifred Ansah-Hughes, Isaac Owusu-Darko, Patricia Ndiwe Pensan Acheampong

Abstract


Occupational stress is a serious health problem to the individual worker both physically and psychologically. It equally effects organizations and even the nations in terms of productivity and financial losses. Occupational stress has in recent times received close attention in America and Western Europe as is evident from the growing number of literature available and the wellness programs being developed for employees in these continents, but it does not appear to be so in developing countries as Ghana. Occupational stress is common to all occupations but it could be disastrous for any nation if it remains unchecked especially in the teaching field. The teacher is the kingpin upon which every education revolves. The issue is that, there are indications of above average occupational stress in some Ghanaian teachers; but exactly how much of occupational stress is being experienced? This study set out to examine overall occupational stress, find out the level of occupational stress among private and public sector teachers in the Techiman South Circuit in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana. Administering the Weiman Occupational Stress Scale to a sample of 88 workers drawn from the population of 160 established that teachers of the Techiman South Circuit experience above average levels of occupational stress with the public sector, females and Junior High School showing the higher levels when compared to the private sector, males and Senior High School counterparts respectively. Also supporting the Weiman occupational stress scale, a chi-square analyses showed that there is an association between gender status and occupational stress and an association between institutional type and occupational stress.

 

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Keywords


private, occupational stress, public, gender

References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejoe.v0i0.554

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