Stress among university teachers from the health care area

Abstract

The objectives of this research are knowing the perception of stress within the university teaching staff from the health care area, determining the stress factors with higher impact on this population, identifying the referred symptoms and evaluating the level of stress they go through. 68 teachers were interviewed from 1999 to 2001 who revealed that they perceive stress through tiredness, anxiety and loss of balance. Regarding stress factors with higher impact, they mentioned: inadequate wage, payment deduction, lack of material and long meetings. The most frequent stress signs and symptoms were cold fingertips and anxiety, among others. The stress level, in general, varied from mild (61%) to moderate (32%).