Pandemic and Stress: Finding the Balance Between Distress and Eustress in the Work-from-Home Era
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51454/jet.v5i2.428Keywords:
Social Distancing, IT Literacy, COVID-19 Pandemic, Mental Stress, Work From Home (WFH)Abstract
This study aims to explore mental stress among lecturers and staff at Islamic Higher Education Institutions in Lampung Province during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify effective stress management strategies. Using a literature review and interviews, the research gathered data from lecturers and staff to identify the main challenges they face, including increased workload, adjustment to remote work, and additional demands in the context of online learning. Interview results indicate that changes in work methods and lack of institutional support significantly contribute to stress. Lecturers experience stress due to adapting to unfamiliar technology, while administrative staff struggle with separating work from personal time. The study recommends enhancing technological capacity, providing psychosocial support, adequate training, and more flexible policies as solutions to reduce mental stress. The findings aim to help higher education institutions better manage and support the well-being of their academic staff.
Downloads
References
Adewale, A. S., Ghavifekr, S., & Abdulsalam, I. (2017). Impact of stress on academic staff: Implication for higher education management and leadership. MOJEM: Malaysian Online Journal of Educational Management, 5(2), 75-91.
Aspan, H. (2021). Legal basis for the implementation of work from home amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. Saudi Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 6(4), 116-121.
Bickford, M. (2005). Stress in the Workplace: A General Overview of the Causes, the Effects, and the Solutions. Canadian Mental Health Association Newfoundland and Labrador Division, 8(1), 1-3.
Carroll, A., Sanders-O’Connor, E., Forrest, K., Fynes-Clinton, S., York, A., Ziaei, M., ... & Reutens, D. (2021). Improving emotion regulation, well-being, and neuro-cognitive functioning in teachers: A matched controlled study comparing the mindfulness-based stress reduction and health enhancement programs. Mindfulness, 1-22.
Davis, M., Eshelman, E. R., & McKay, M. (2008). The relaxation and stress reduction workbook. New Harbinger Publications.
Faisal, F., Noor, N., & Khair, A. (2019). Causes and Consequences of Workplace Stress among Pakistan University Teachers. Bulletin of Education and Research, 41(3), 45-60.
Fridkin, L., Fonts, N. B., Quy, K., & Zwiener‐Collins, N. (2023). Understanding effects of COVID‐19 on undergraduate academic stress, motivation and coping over time. Higher Education Quarterly, 77(4), 623-637.
Gillespie, N. A., Walsh, M. H. W. A., Winefield, A. H., Dua, J., & Stough, C. (2001). Occupational stress in universities: Staff perceptions of the causes, consequences and moderators of stress. Work & stress, 15(1), 53-72.
Grzywacz, J. G., Butler, A. B., & Almeida, D. M. (2008). Work, family, and health: Work–family balance as a protective factor against stresses of daily life. The changing realities of work and family: A multidisciplinary approach, 194-215.
Haddock, S. A., Zimmerman, T. S., Ziemba, S. J., & Curent, L. R. (2001). Ten adaptive strategies for family and work balance: Advice from successful families. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 27(4), 445-458.
Johnson, N., Veletsianos, G., & Seaman, J. (2020). US Faculty and Administrators' Experiences and Approaches in the Early Weeks of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Online learning, 24(2), 6-21.
Jensen, J. M., Patel, P. C., & Messersmith, J. G. (2013). High-performance work systems and job control: Consequences for anxiety, role overload, and turnover intentions. Journal of management, 39(6), 1699-1724.
Kalliath, P., Hughes, M., & Newcombe, P. (2012). When work and family are in conflict: Impact on psychological strain experienced by social workers in Australia. Australian Social Work, 65(3), 355-371.
Kowal, M., Coll‐Martín, T., Ikizer, G., Rasmussen, J., Eichel, K., Studzińska, A., ... & Ahmed, O. (2020). Who is the most stressed during the COVID‐19 pandemic? Data from 26 countries and areas. Applied Psychology: Health and Well‐Being, 12(4), 946-966.
Kausar, R. (2010). Perceived stress, academic workloads and use of coping strategies by university students. Journal of behavioural sciences, 20(1).
Lerman, S. E., Eskin, E., Flower, D. J., George, E. C., Gerson, B., Hartenbaum, N., ... & Moore-Ede, M. (2012). Fatigue risk management in the workplace. Journal of occupational and environmental medicine, 54(2), 231-258.
Meky, F. A., Wahid, A., Gamal, A., & Youssef, Y. (2015). Management of stress among primary school teachers in Ismailia city. An intervention study. Egyptian Journal of Community Medicine, 33(1).
Michel, J. S., Kotrba, L. M., Mitchelson, J. K., Clark, M. A., & Baltes, B. B. (2011). Antecedents of work–family conflict: A meta‐analytic review. Journal of organizational behavior, 32(5), 689-725.
Ohadomere, O., & Ogamba, I. K. (2021). Management-led interventions for workplace stress and mental health of academic staff in higher education: a systematic review. The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice, 16(1), 67-82.
Oliveira, G., Grenha Teixeira, J., Torres, A., & Morais, C. (2021). An exploratory study on the emergency remote education experience of higher education students and teachers during the COVID‐19 pandemic. British Journal of Educational Technology, 52(4), 1357-1376.
Ozamiz-Etxebarria, N., Idoiaga Mondragon, N., Bueno-Notivol, J., Pérez-Moreno, M., & Santabárbara, J. (2021). Prevalence of anxiety, depression, and stress among teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a rapid systematic review with meta-analysis. Brain sciences, 11(9), 1172.
Santamaría, M. D., Mondragon, N. I., Santxo, N. B., & Ozamiz-Etxebarria, N. (2021). Teacher stress, anxiety and depression at the beginning of the academic year during the COVID-19 pandemic. Global Mental Health, 8, e14.
Shen, P., & Slater, P. (2021). Occupational Stress, Coping Strategies, Health, and Well-Being among University Academic Staff--An Integrative Review. International Education Studies, 14(12), 99-124.
Shrivastava, A., & Shukla, N. (2017). A critical review on occupational stress factors affecting faculty members working in higher educational institutions in India. Pacific Business Review International, 10(3), 129-138.
Starcke, K., & Brand, M. (2012). Decision making under stress: a selective review. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 36(4), 1228-1248.
Vladut, C. I., & Kallay, E. (2010). Work stress, personal life, and burnout. Causes, consequences, possible remedies: a theoretical review. Cognition, Brain, Behavior, 14(3), 261.
Winurini, S. (2020). Bencana Covid-19: Stresor bagi pasangan suami istri di Indonesia. Aspirasi: Jurnal Masalah-masalah Sosial, 11(2), 185-198.
Wolever, R. Q., Bobinet, K. J., McCabe, K., Mackenzie, E. R., Fekete, E., Kusnick, C. A., & Baime, M. (2012). Effective and viable mind-body stress reduction in the workplace: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of occupational health psychology, 17(2), 246.
Yang, C., Chen, A., & Chen, Y. (2021). College students’ stress and health in the COVID-19 pandemic: The role of academic workload, separation from school, and fears of contagion. PloS one, 16(2), e0246676.
Yeo, R. K., & Li, J. (2022). Blurring of boundaries between work and home: the role of developmental relationships in the future of work. In HRD Perspectives on Developmental Relationships: Connecting and Relating at Work (pp. 305-332). Cham: Springer International.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Siti Patimah, Yuyun Yunita
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
