Occupational stressors and psychiatric disorders were studied in a sample of 101 male software engineers. Psychiatric diagnosis was based on DSM-III (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition). The results can be summarized as follows:
1) More than 30% of the subjects were not satisfied with their work.
2) Occupational stressors ascertained in the interview could be classified into “quantity of job, ” “quality of job, ” “role in organization, ” “relations with others, ” “work conditions, ” “career development, ” “reward, ” “organizational structure and climate, ” “low social support, ” and “lack of decision making.” “quality of job” (35%), “quantity of job” (30%), and “role in organization” (33%) were the most common stressors for the subjects.
3) Among the occupational stressors, only “quantity of job” was significantly related to psychiatric disorders (p<0.05).
The results suggest that many software engineers are not satisfied with their work and that “quantity of job” has the greatest influence on their mental health. Some measures should be taken to avoid potential health hazards, for the research findings indicate a relationship between occupational stressors and mental health in software engineers.
