Occupational stress among railway employees, personal stress and resources for coping

INTRODUCTION Concept of Stress Stress is normal and inevitable in every individual. Some degree of stress is necessary for every individual. Stress in optimal level drives the individual to reach his goal. The types of stress differs, but almost any aspect of life can lead to stress, be it lack of friends, lack of money, unemployment or even employment. Rapid industrialization, increasing urbanization and receding support over the last few decades have contributed to rise in stress level. Few years ago, it was not considered as an important public health problem in many countries but recently stress has gained worldwide attention due to its potential hazards (Selye, 1936). The origin of the concept of stress predates antiquity. Derived from the Latin word "Stringere". Stress was popularly used in the seventeenth century to means hardship, strain, adversity, or affliction. It was used in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to denote force, pressure, strain, or strong efforts with reference to an object or person. In the modern times, stress has become a buzz word and legitimate concern for people of all walks of life. In fact, no one is immune to stress. Right from the time of birth till death, an individual is invariably exposed to various stressful situations. Hence stress is a subject, which is hard to avoid; stress is a much and widely talked about phenomenon in corporate (Western) world because it is a costly business expense that affects both employee health and corporate profits (Saiyadain, 2003). Stress is generally recognized as an unpleasant emotional state. According to Kyriacou and Schutcliffe (1978), stress is result of prolonged pressures that can't be controlled by the coping strategies that an individual has. Olson et al. (1989) defined stress as "a state of tension that arises from an actual or perceived demand that calls for an adjustment or adaptive behaviour". Stress attributes to poor performance, absenteeism, job dissatisfaction, accidents and various health problems (Keiper and Busell, 1996). Distress can lead to hypertension, diabetes mellitus, stroke and ulcers among other illness (Job Stress, 2008),