Scholarly record

RISK AND PROTECTIVE LIFESTYLE IN SELECTED HELPING PROFESSIONS

L. Sprachalova, S. Pelcak, T. Raszkova

Abstract

Backgrounds: A long-term, as well as acute, exposure to stress and the specific demands of working as a helping professional increase the amount of subjective distress and may trigger the symptoms of psychological and physical disorders. The screening survey analyses psychological outcomes of working as a social worker and verifies the role of salutoprotective lifestyle factors during oneВ’s exposure to distress. Methods: The following standardised questionnaires were used: the Symptom checklist-90 (SCL 90; Derogatis, Lipman, Covi, 1985); the Sense of Coherence SOC 29 (the Orientation to Life Questionnaire, A. Antonovsky; 1979, 1985); and Stress Profile (Nowack, 1999). Selected variables were analysed with the use of SPSS. Results: Statistically significant relationships were found between the global value of SOC and all the subscales of SCL 90; r values ranged from -0.38 to -0.57. Similar relationships were found among the three subscales of SOC and all the SCL 90 subscales. The global SOC value was highly negatively correlated with the Global Severity Index GSI (r = -0.63). Also, the three SOC dimensions were highly negatively correlated with the GSI (r values ranged from -0.47 to -0.57). A moderating role of SOC during oneВ’s exposure to stress was confirmed by the correlation analysis of SOC and the domains of the Stress Profile questionnaire. Statistically significant negative relationships were found between SOC and distress (r = -0.41), and the dimensions of SOC and distress (r values ranged from -0.27 to -0.41). Statistically significant positive relationships were found between SOC and health (r = 0.40) and the dimensions of SOC and health (r values ranged from 0.32 to 0.34). In the context of adherence to healthy lifestyle, significant positive relationships are interesting between the SOC and relaxation (r = 0.24), and the SOC and nutrition (r =0.41). Conclusions: The study provides overall information about the respondentsВ’ specific lifestyle and health behaviour which significantly affect the onset and development of the diseases and disorders related to work stress. The moderating role of the sense of coherence during oneВ’s exposure to stress was confirmed, as well as the relationship between an individualВ’s psychological hardiness and adherence to healthy lifestyle.

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgemsocial2017/33/S12.082

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