Stress among University Staff. Is Working in Suburban Campus Better?

Abstract

Stress among university staff may hinder academic success. However, a comprehensive investigation of its contributing factors is still limited. Hence, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of stress among university staff and identify contributing factors for stress among them. The staff who consented from a selected university were assessed using validated questionnaires to measure the level of stress, sociodemographic, personal, and job-related factors. A total of 276 staff (Mean ± SD age: 38.84 ± 7.85 years; 44.2% males) participated in the study. There were 43(15.5%) staff who experienced stress, and the remaining had no stress (233; 83.8%). Significant associated factors include campus location, work responsibility, problem with client or student and feeling dissatisfied with superior. Multiple logistic regressions indicated that campus location and work responsibility were significant predictors of stress. Staff working in the urban campus have almost three times the odds of having stress. Having less responsibility is a protective factor for stress. University authorities should provide a healthy work environment, stress-relieving amenities, and counselling for stress management to ensure university staff excel in both academia and wellbeing.