Occupational Stress Among Croatian Speech and Language Pathologists

Profesionalni stres je fenomen koji nastaje zbog neusklađenosti zahtjeva radne okoline i sposobnosti zaposlenika da tim istim zahtjevima udovolji. Podrazumijeva niz, za osobu, štetnih fizioloških, psiholoških i bihevioralnih reakcija na različite stresore unutar njezinog radnog okruženja, a do izražaja posebice dolazi u tzv. pomagačkim profesijama u koje se ubraja i logopedija. S obzirom da do sada u Republici Hrvatskoj nije bilo provedeno istraživanje ovog fenomena unutar logopedske struke, glavni je cilj ovog istraživanja bilo utvrđivanje trenutne razine profesionalnog stresa među hrvatskim logopedima, posebice u odnosu na njihovu dob, godine radnog staža i sustav njihovog zaposlenja. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 273 logopeda – članova Hrvatskog logopedskog društva ispunjavanjem on-line upitnika. U obradi podataka korištene su deskriptivna i neparametrijska statistika. Utvrđeno je postojanje statistički značajnih razlika u ukupnoj razini te pojedinim izvorima profesionalnog stresa između privatnog i svih ostalih sustava zaposlenja, između mlađih i starijih logopeda te između manje iskusnih i više iskusnih logopeda. Najmanje su razine stresa prisutne u privatnom sustavu, dok su najviše prisutne u školskom i socijalnom sustavu zaposlenja. Kada su u pitanju dob i godine radnog staža, mlađi logopedi i logopedi s manje od 15 godina radnog staža prijavljuju najviše razine profesionalnog stresa. Istraživanje je također pokazalo kako su birokratska ograničenja, vremenska i radna ograničenja, ograničenja podučavanja te nedostatak profesionalne podrške najistaknutiji izvori profesionalnog stresa za ispitane logopede. Rezultati ovog istraživanja upućuju na nužnost kvalitetnijeg i sveobuhvatnijeg pristupanja mentalnom zdravlju logopeda te potrebu za daljnjim istraživanjem fenomena profesionalnog stresa unutar logopedske struke.Occupational stress is a phenomenon that results from incompatibility of the work environment demands and the ability of the employees to meet those demands. It implies a series of adverse physiological, psychological and behavioral responses of an individual to various stressors within their work environment which are particularly prominent in the so-called helping professions, speech and language pathology included. Given that research about this particular phenomenon within the speech and language pathology has not been conducted in the Republic of Croatia so far, the main objective of this research was to determine the current level of occupational stress among Croatian speech and language pathologists (SLPs), especially in relation to their age, years of service and employment system. 273 speech therapists - members of the Croatian Logopedic Association participated in the research by completing an online questionnaire. Descriptive and non-parametric statistics were used in the data processing. Statistically significant differences were established in the overall level as well as the individual sources of occupational stress between the private and all other employment systems, between younger and older SLPs and between less experienced and more experienced SLPs. The research found that the least stress levels were present in the private system, while the highest levels were present in the school and social system. When it comes to age and years of service, younger SLPs and SLPs with less than 15 years of service report the highest levels of occupational stress. The study also found that bureaucratic restrictions, time and workload management, instructional limitations, and lack of professional supports were the most prominent sources of occupational stress for the questioned speech and language pathologists. The results of this research suggested that a more qualitative and comprehensive approach to the mental health of speech therapists was needed and that further research into the phenomenon of occupational stress within the speech therapist profession was require