Coping and psychological adjustment among information technology personnel

Abstract

Purpose

Practitioners who work with information technology (IT) are reported to be experiencing rising levels of work‐related stress. The origins of the stress coming from increasing demands from system users, advances in technology, and the growing use of information and communication technologies to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of intra‐ and inter‐organizational business activities. In the field of information systems, stress‐related research has been limited and the way in which IT personnel cope with stress has not been explored. Thus, the research presented in this paper investigates whether coping and affect (both negative and positive) influence adjustment (anxiety, depression and stress) among IT personnel.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 100 IT personnel from Australia completed a questionnaire, which contained measures for adjustment, affect state, and coping strategies. The use of hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that specific individual characteristics influenced the psychological adjustment of the IT personnel sampled.

Findings

IT personnel who engaged in a more problem‐focused style of coping, such as active coping were found to be better adjusted than those who engaged in a more emotion‐focused styles of coping, such as cognitive‐avoidance coping, social coping, accepting responsibility, and self‐controlling coping. Serendipitously, the research revealed that increased depression of IT personnel was associated with positive affect.

Originality/value

The research shows that the psychological adjustment of IT personnel is influenced by the types of coping strategies they use, specific individual demographics and their affect state.

Citation

Love, P.E.D. and Irani, Z. (2007), "Coping and psychological adjustment among information technology personnel", Industrial Management & Data Systems, Vol. 107 No. 6, pp. 824-844. https://doi.org/10.1108/02635570710758743