Background: Stress affects not only our physical health but our mental well being, too. To successfully manage stress in everyday lives, individual can learn to relax and enjoy life. The best way to manage stress is to prevent it. This may not be always possible. So, the next best things are to reduce stress and make life easier. Stress refers to any environmental, organizational and individual or internal demands, which require the individual to readjust the usual behavior pattern. Degree of stress results from events or situations that have potential to cause change. Stimuli or situations that can result in the experience of stress are called stressors. There are three major sources of stress environmental, individual and organizational. Objectives of the Study
1. To assess the level of stress among working women.
2. To assess the level of stress among non working women.
3. To compare the level of stress between working and non working women.
4. To associate the level of stress among working women with selected demographic variables.
5. To associate the level of stress among non working women with selected demographic variables.
Methodology: The conceptual framework used in the study is Pender’s health Promotional Model. The research design adopted for the present study was descriptive design. The study was conducted in Bangalore. Non probability Purposive Sampling technique was used. The sample comprised of 30 working women and 30 non working women. A self structured questionnaire consists of two sections A & B. section A consists of demographic profile and Section B consists of 60 open ended questions to assess the level of stress among women.
Result: The overall mean of the level of stress was 104.53 (± 6.653) for working women and 145.83 (± 8.76) for non working women. The calculated ‘t’ value was 20.57 which was statistically significant at P<0.001. There was significant association of level of stress with the demographic variable ‘occupation’ for both working and non working women which was statistically significant at P><0.001. Interpretation and Conclusion: The study concluded that there was significant difference between the levels of stress among working and non working women. The study revealed that working women need to have guidance on effective stress management measures.>
