Features of professional stress of coders

Pimenova Viktoria Olegovna ORCID: 0000-0002-1466-4911 counseling psychologist 34 Kutuzovsky ave., Moscow, Moscow region, 105005, Russia psy.mos@ya.ru

Introduction

The relevance of the study is due to the fact that the problem of occupational stress requires increasing attention due to the increase in its manifestation among employees of strategically important industries, including information technology specialists – programmers.

When studying the issues of professional stress among programmers as specialists in the field of information technology, it seems advisable to take into account the specifics of their activities. In addition to the factors common to professional stress, a specific one may appear in the activities of programmers — caused by situations related to the violation of information processing and transformation, as well as the intensity of the information load in the workplace, the suboptimality of presenting information for the characteristics of the human psyche, technical errors and overlaps — information stress. Modern studies emphasize the importance of its influence on the formation of the severity of professional stress among programmers, however, today there are no sufficient grounds to consider this type of stress as leading in the professional activities of programmers.^[1]

The specifics of professional stress among programmers.

In accordance with the categorization of Klimov E.A., the profession of a programmer as a profession in the field of information technology can be classified into the following categories (by subject of work): "man - sign system" and "man-technique", the category "man-man" is also mentioned, due to the fact that the professional activity of modern programmers is often associated with work in the team; ^[2] is saturated with communications with other people, not only with colleagues and representatives of their profession, but also with customers, representatives of partner companies whose field of activity is not directly related to programming or the field of information technology. Thus, along with the growth of technical requirements, the requirements for the communicative competence of programmers are growing, which can be considered as a factor potentially associated with an increase in the severity of communicative stress among programmers. ^[3]

Prolonged exposure to occupational stress can form an emotional burnout syndrome. It is worth noting that despite the fact that previously the problem of burnout of specialists was mainly studied in the context of professions of the social circle ^[4], for a number of modern studies, the topic of the phenomenon of burnout in such a profession as a programmer is becoming more relevant. ^{[5, 3]}

Uncomfortable working conditions for programmers can lead to the same professional deformations as any other work activity - type A behavior, workaholism, procrastination, and burnout syndrome. ^[6] Burnout is a typical stress syndrome that develops gradually in response to prolonged stress, physical, mental and emotional stress. ^[7] The problems of burnout and professional stress among programmers have recently been actively considered by foreign authors ^[8-11], Russian researchers, despite the relatively small number of publications at the moment, are also paying more and more attention to this topic. ^{[3, 5-7, 12, 20]}

Occupational stress can be characterized by a whole range of symptoms: from physiological manifestations to personal deformities. Subjectively significant professional stressors can have a pronounced effect on the formation of professional stress, but at the same time, subjective causes of stress can be considered as a resource for developing skills of resistance to stress factors. The mechanisms of the stress formation process, identification of the main stressors, types of stress reactions to major loads and difficulties, adaptation and identification of possible ways to overcome and prevent stress are among the key areas in the study of occupational stress. ^{[13, 14]}

This article presents some of the results of a study conducted to study the peculiarities of the manifestation of professional stress in programmers. A study of the severity of occupational stress was conducted on a sample of programmers with higher technical education working in domestic companies in the Russian Federation.

To conduct the study, the following methods were used: the method of "Integral diagnosis and correction of occupational stress ("IDIX") by A.B. Leonova; the method of "Assessment of occupational stress" by K. Weissman (questionnaire by K. Vaisaman); V.V. Boyko's method of diagnosing emotional burnout. ^{[15, 16, 17]}

The results of the study of the severity of professional stress among programmers

Based on data obtained empirically through the use of the Integrated Diagnosis and correction of occupational stress (IDIKS) methodology Leonova A.B., the following conclusions can be drawn:

the extremely high level of severity of professional stress according to the indicator "general stress index", which gives a resultant assessment of the level of stress development on all major scales, is observed in 32% of the surveyed programmers, a high level — in 24% and a pronounced level — in 24%; low and moderate levels were detected in 20% of respondents. Figure 1 shows the percentage distribution according to the degree of severity of occupational stress according to the indicator "general stress index" for programmers.

Next, we turn to the analysis of the data obtained on the main scales of the IDIX methodology.

Fig. 1. The results of the percentage distribution of the severity of professional stress among programmers according to the main scales of the IDIX methodology.

The respondents demonstrated the most overestimated indicators of the level of occupational stress on three main scales:

according to the scale "subjective assessment of difficulties in the work situation", reflecting the peculiarities of the subjective assessment by the subjects of the work tasks performed by them, corresponding to the main components of the image of the professional situation; ^[15]

according to the "remuneration for work/ social climate" scale, which includes the nature of the evaluative attitude to the adequacy of pay and remuneration for work, social relations in the group or with management, the degree of control over the performance of work duties and the productivity of feedback, as well as the motivational and evaluative attitude of the employee to work; ^[15]

 "experiencing acute stress", characterizing the severity of stress as a current state, reflected in manifestations of physiological discomfort, changes in cognitive and emotional components of activity, general well-being, characteristic difficulties in general well-being. ^[15]

According to the data obtained during the study, aspects related to working conditions and organization, such as the characteristics of potential risk factors and causes of stress on the scale of "working conditions and organization" inherent in a specific work situation from the side of working conditions, intensity of loads, features of the content and organization of work, are the least stressful for the respondents. ^[18]

For a more complete interpretation of the results, let's consider the data obtained on the subscales of each of the main scales of the IDIX methodology (see Fig. 2).

Fig. 2. Percentage distribution of the severity of occupational stress on the scale of "working conditions and organization" of the IDIKS methodology.

Among the data on the subscales of the scale "working conditions and organization", there is a relatively uniform distribution of severity levels among respondents in three of the four subscales — "working conditions", "intensity of workloads" and "organization of the labor process"; the features of the labor content is the most unaffected by stress factors indicator for our sample — none of the subjects There was no extremely high stress level for this subscale, and the number of respondents with a low level of severity of occupational stress was 62%, which is the highest indicator of the "low" level among all other subscales of the methodology. Based on the above, it can be concluded that shortcomings in the conditions, organization and features of the content of work do not significantly affect the level of severity of occupational stress among the respondents surveyed.

Fig. 3. Percentage distribution of the severity of occupational stress on the scale of "subjective assessment of difficulties in a work situation" of the IDIKS methodology.

Indicators of the subscales included in the scale "subjective assessment of difficulties in a work situation" are the most stressful; a high and extremely high level of severity of professional stress accounts for 36% to 48% of respondents for each of the subscales of the scale "subjective assessment of difficulties in a work situation", which emphasizes the influence of subjectively significant professional stressors on the formation of professional stress in the study sample.

Fig. 4. Percentage distribution of the severity of occupational stress on the scale of "remuneration for work, social climate".

According to the data presented in Fig. 4, it can be seen that the stress level exceeding "pronounced" was detected in approximately the same number of respondents for each of the subscales. It is interesting to note that the "social conflicts" subscale is characterized by the largest (within the framework of the "remuneration for work, social climate" scale) number of respondents with a "low" level of stress severity (36%). At the same time, for slightly more than a third of the surveyed programmers, significant stressful factors are the peculiarities of subjective attitude to the adequacy of pay/remuneration for work, to the degree of productivity of feedback and control over the performance of duties.

Fig. 5. Percentage distribution of the severity of occupational stress on the scale of "experiencing acute stress" of the IDIX methodology.

Indicators of the subscales "cognitive tension" and "general well-being" (see Fig. 5) are characterized by a strong degree of severity of occupational stress among the respondents; it should be emphasized separately that no respondents have been identified with moderately pronounced stress indicators for these subscales;  the number of respondents with an extremely high level of severity of occupational stress on the "general well–being" scale is 78%, which is the maximum indicator of the "extremely high" level among all other subscales of the IDIX methodology. Thus, it can be concluded that manifestations of acute stress have a pronounced effect on the overall stress level of the sample.

Fig. 6. Percentage distribution of the severity of occupational stress on the scale of "experiencing chronic stress".

The degree of manifestation of aspects of occupational stress in all indicators of the subscales of the scale "experiencing chronic stress" is pronounced (see Figure 6). According to the subscale "aggression", the largest proportion of the sample (compared with the distribution on other subscales of the scale "experiencing chronic stress") — 26% of respondents — have a "low" severity level This indicates that increased aggressiveness (frequent occurrence of feelings of discontent, anger, unfair resentment, increased irritability towards others, gratuitous outbursts of anger and rage) does not have a significant effect on a quarter of the respondents surveyed. According to the subscales "anxiety", "depression", "psychosomatic reactions", "sleep disorders", the indicators obtained as a result of the study, in general, have approximately the same percentage distribution according to the proportion of respondents for each level of severity of occupational stress; at the same time, the levels of severity "low" and "moderate" for these subscales were found in a minority respondents. It can be concluded that, in general, manifestations of chronic stress make a significant contribution to the formation of the overall level of occupational stress in the study sample.

Fig. 7. Percentage distribution of the severity of occupational stress on the scale of "personal and behavioral deformations".

As can be seen on the histogram of the percentage distribution on the scale of "personal and behavioral deformations" shown in Fig. 7, according to the subscale "type A behavior", respondents have the most pronounced indicators ("high" level — 56% and extremely high — 10%), which indicates that a fixed attitude to achieving success (focus on getting results at any cost, constant lack of time, the desire to be "first", the difficulty of switching from work to rest, inability to relax, etc.) have a pronounced effect on the level of professional stress of the study sample.

Signs of burnout syndrome reached high levels in slightly more than a third of the surveyed programmers — 28% ("extremely high" level) and 8% ("high" level); in general, the picture of the severity of the burnout syndrome (feeling of emptiness, frustration at work, irritation about even ordinary work situations, dislike when communicating with colleagues or clients, etc.), identified by the subscale "burnout syndrome" according to the IDIX method, is similar to the picture identified by the method of diagnosing emotional burnout Boyko V.V. in the "resistance" phase.

Below are the results obtained by applying the methodology for diagnosing the level of emotional burnout by V.V. Boyko, ^[17] which was used to study the degree of formation of symptoms of emotional burnout syndrome in programmers.

Figure 8 shows a histogram reflecting the interpretation of the results of the diagnosis of the level of emotional burnout according to the Boyko V.V. method. The unformed phases are marked in green, the phases in the formation stage are yellow, and the formed phases of emotional burnout are highlighted in red.

Fig. 8. The results of the diagnosis of the formation of phases of the syndrome of emotional burnout according to the method of Boyko V.V.

During the analysis of phases ("tension", "resistance" and "exhaustion") on the subject of formation, it was revealed that the most formed phases of the surveyed respondents are "resistance" (the phase is formed in 46% of respondents) and "tension" (the phase is also in the formation stage in 46% of respondents), while the data on the "exhaustion" phase seem to be the most favorable – this phase is not formed in 56% of respondents, at the stage of formation – 20%, and only 24% of respondents have already formed. Interestingly, the results of our study of the distortion of the phases of emotional burnout partially coincide with the data previously conducted by other authors of the study of the severity of emotional burnout in programmers: the formation of the "resistance" phase dominates the indicators of the formation of the "tension" and "exhaustion" phases ^[19] According to the data obtained as a result of the application of the Boyko V.V. methodology, all three phases only 14% of the sample are fully formed.

The methodology of K. Weissman's "Occupational Stress Assessment" was used to determine the level of professional stress among programmers. As a result of the interpretation of the data obtained according to the key to processing the results, it was revealed that less than a third of the respondents were diagnosed with a low level of occupational stress — 26% of respondents, 60% had an average level of occupational stress (while the majority of respondents had upper thresholds of indicators) and a high level – 14% of the surveyed programmers (fig. 9).

Fig. 9. Percentage distribution of the severity of occupational stress (according to the method of "Assessment of occupational stress" by K. Weissman)

It is interesting to note that the indicators corresponding to the "low" level according to the "Assessment of occupational stress" method are close to the same indicator of the sample on the "general stress index" scale (IDIX) – 12% of the respondents have a "low" level of severity of occupational stress on this scale (see Fig. 2).

Prevention and correction of professional stress among programmers

The choice of a strategy for overcoming occupational stress depends on its sources and the nature of its manifestations. Two main areas of work with professional stress are described in the literature: at the organizational level (diagnosis, prevention, prevention, correction) and at the personal level (formation of self-regulation skills, awareness, self-education on stress). [13. 20] Based on the results obtained using the data of the preventive part of the IDIKS methodology, it is possible to distinguish a number of recommendations, including both preventive measures and correction of occupational stress; it is important to emphasize that the selection of a set of measures recommended to respondents is carried out in accordance with the identified specifics of stress syndrome. Recommendations may vary depending on the severity of occupational stress in the subject and the goals: prevention, correction, reduction of stress levels, the need to restore optimal condition.

An integral part of studying the topic of occupational stress is a set of measures to prevent its occurrence and the process of overcoming it. Among the main vectors of work, according to the diagnostic part of the IDIX methodology, the following main directions can be distinguished for the study sample:

with a moderate level of professional stress:

- training in self-control and self-reflection skills;

- trainings: training for constructive dialogue with employees in conflict situations; training for decision-making in situations with uncertain outcome; group training for conflict resolution; group training for various forms of emotional response to situations involving elements of game therapy;

- conducting group discussions on the problems of long-term development, indicating the possibilities of career growth of employees; including the preparation of proposals for optimizing the work and rest regime.

Respondents who have been found to have a pronounced stress level and need to take the first measures to reduce it and restore an optimal state:

- conducting an individual conversation in order to establish conflicting personal dispositions, followed by the preparation of an individual plan of preventive measures;

- training of decision-making in a situation with an uncertain/multiple outcome; training of effective interpersonal communication; game therapy;

- training in delegation of authority skills;

- training in skills of relieving neuropsychic tension and relaxation, techniques for relieving stress in the workplace;

- organization and implementation of healthy lifestyle programs.

With a high and extremely high level of professional stress:

- psychotherapeutic conversation with an exit to the removal of a conflict attitude to the situation, frustration and anxiety; analysis of a stressful situation with the identification of complexes of the main acting stress factors;

- training in the skills of self-reflection and constructive internal assessment of the situation;

- group work and trainings: group analysis of conflict situations; group training in role behavior and communication; group training in self-regulation skills; training in emotional response to situations;

- the use of behavioral psychotherapy methods, in particular, systematic desensitization to remove fixation on stressful events, phobias, neurotic manifestations; the use of cognitive therapy techniques for depression and anxiety-depressive states. ^[15]

Conclusion

Summing up, we can formulate a number of the following conclusions. In accordance with the data obtained as a result of the application of methods for diagnosing occupational stress, high levels of severity of occupational stress were revealed in the majority of respondents, which emphasizes the relevance of the topic under study. The resulting assessment of the stress level according to the main scales of the IDIX methodology showed that the majority of the interviewed programmers have a pronounced, high and extremely high level of professional stress.

The most overestimated indicators of the severity of occupational stress were identified on three scales reflecting the subjective assessment of difficulties arising in the work situation, the specifics of remuneration for work and the social climate, as well as some aspects of the respondents' experience of acute stress.

Work on the correction and prevention of occupational stress seems to be as effective as possible with complex activity both on the part of the subject himself and on the part of representatives of the organization (enterprise). Recommendations for the sample on correction and prevention of further development of occupational stress may vary depending on the level of severity of occupational stress and the specifics of its manifestation.