PERCEPTIONS OF ROLE RELATED STRESS IN SENIOR EDUCATIONAL EXECUTIVES AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THEIR HEALTH

How stressful is the role of inspectors of schools and senior educational administrators of a large state department of education? How do they compare with teachers and other professional groups in the perception of their occupational stress? The purposes of this study were (1) to determine the prevalence of self‐reported role related stress in senior educational executives, (2) to examine the influence of biographical characteristics on their perceptions of stress, (3) to investigate the sources of perceived stress, and (4) to test for evidence of ill‐health or other negative coping processes. The paper presents the general findings and reveals some significant relationships between general well being, personality type and physiological symptoms. Four reliable stress factors were extracted: teacher assessment, time management, disruption to family life, and aspects of representing the system. The data also show that this group claims significantly higher levels of affective disturbance than other professional groups. Insights gained from this study provide a guide for remediation that should be undertaken at both organisational and personal levels.