Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Research in Humanities and Social Sciences
Year: 2024
DOI:
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Correlational Study of Perceived Stress, Sleep Quality and Ergonomic Factors Among Office Workers
Agastya Rishi Bhardwaj
ABSTRACT:
Office workers today suffer from many issues related to sleep quality and stress. A contributing factor to this is the ergonomics of their office environment. Inadequate ergonomic environments can disrupt an individual’s circadian rhythm causing sleep disruptions. The study utilised a correlational research design to investigate the links between perceived stress, sleep quality and ergonomic factors among office workers. Data was collected via the standardised questionnaires: Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Perceived Stress Scale, and BOSSA Time-Lapse survey, from 73 respondents within India. The results revealed that younger employees and employees with fewer working years had higher stress levels and poorer sleep quality, perhaps since they have less experience and hence aren’t able to manage stress as well, leading to a disrupted circadian rhythm. Further, employees in the consultancy sector had higher stress levels, poorer sleep quality and poorer ergonomics than employees in the IT sector. The study revealed a strong positive correlational relationship between perceived stress and sleep quality, while a negative relationship was found between sleep quality and ergonomic factors. Perceived stress and ergonomic assessment also reported a significant negative correlation. These findings highlight the need for offices to create ergonomically adept working environments so that employee’s circadian rhythms aren’t disturbed. Also, employees themselves should aim to practice good sleep habits.
keywords: Office workers; Sleep quality; Perceived stress; Ergonomics; Circadian rhythm