Coping Mechanisms to Mitigate Occupational Stress by Women in Accra Metropolis

Abstract

Everyone experiences stress in different life situations. In particular, occupational stress affects the performance of employees positively or negatively depending on their perception and the personality traits. This paper addresses how women in managerial positions in the Accra Metropolis manage the occupational stresses they experience in the discharge of their duties. The convenient purposive sampling technique was used to select 10 females from 150 women in managerial positions in government institutions in the Accra Metropolis. A structured interview guide based on Occupational Stress Inventory-Revised OSI-R was used to collect data from the 10 women and analysed using factor analysis. The study revealed that respondents managed their stresses by employing recreation, social support, and self-care. Even though, some of the women unknowingly adopted rationalization or rational-cognitive defence mechanisms to cope with the stresses they experience, none of them used popular stress reducing techniques such as yoga and physical exercise to cope with their stresses. The resilience of these women coupled with the formulation and implementation of formidable policies, provision of conducive working environment and the requisite resources by employers will go a long way to alleviate the women’s stresses while promoting their good health and productivity. This research paper addresses the strategies adopted by Ghanaian women in managerial position to manage their stresses and proposes that individual differences and religiosity of persons should be taken into consideration when counselling people on stress management.