Date of Award

2006

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Program

Higher Education Administration EdD

First Advisor

James R. Jeffery

Second Advisor

Jimmy Kijai

Third Advisor

Hinsdale Bernard

Abstract

Statement of the problem. Northern Caribbean University, formerly West Indies College, attained university status in June 1999. The purpose of this study was to describe the levels and sources of stress and coping strategies of faculty and staff at Northern Caribbean University (NCU) and to determine if these (levels, sources, and coping strategies) are related to selected demographic characteristics (such as gender, age, marital status, years of employment, and employment status---faculty or staff).

Method. A descriptive survey research design was used to conduct this study in which the Occupational Stress Inventory (OSI) was administered to the facultyand staff of NCU. A demographic questionnaire consisting of three sections was also used. The instruments were distributed to the faculty and staff with letters of explanation and self-addressed envelopes to return responses. One hundred and seventeen faculty and staff participated in the study. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t tests for independent samples, One-way Analysis of Variance, and Canonical Correlation Analyses.

Results. The subjects were mostly female (66%), staff (62%), and married (47%). Over half (57%) of the participants were recent employees (0-4 years). More than three-fourths of the participants were below the age of 50 years.

In general, faculty and staff at NCU experience normal levels of stress, although 2%-6% may have experienced strong probability of maladaptive stress, debilitating strain, or both. They also have average coping resources.Although within normal range, levels of stress due to certain sources and types were related to gender, marital status, age, and length of employment. Canonical correlation analyses suggest that lower levels of stress are associated with bettercoping strategies.

Conclusion. Given the tremendous changes that Northern Caribbean University has gone through during the last few years (e.g., increased enrollment with few significant increases in human resources and facilities), the result of this study was somewhat surprising. I expected higher levels of stress among the facultyand staff. This was not the case. Possible reasons could be due to commitment to the mission of the University.

Subject Area

Job stress

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.32597/dissertations/320/

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