Predictors of Occupational Stress among the Faculty Members of Private Medical and Engineering Colleges: A Comparative Study

Earlier studies on occupational stress among teachers have focused mainly on school teachers. Stress among teachers in higher education has caught the attention of the researchers only in last few years and especially in the field of medical and engineering education it is still sparse. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to assess the level of occupational stress and perception of various occupational stressors among the faculty members of private medical and engineering colleges. The final sample comprised of 310 faculty members, from seven private colleges (three medical and four engineering) of Uttar Pradesh, India.69 % faculty members reported moderate level of stress. Among the twelve occupational stressors assessed in the study, using Occupational Stress Index, role conflict accounted for maximum variance in the overall occupational stress and under participation emerged as the best predictor. No significant difference was found in the overall perception of stress across gender or between medical and engineering faculty members. However, they differed in the perception of some of the occupational stressors. Implications of this research from the perspective of better stress management among faculty members are discussed.