Work-Related Stress Experienced by Male Academics in the SADC Region: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Work-related stress exists in various organisations around the globe and academia is no exception. Even though academics have flexible hours, they often find themselves taking work home and trying to finish their outstanding work in the evenings or weekends at the expense of their family time. Thus, this paper was aimed at synthesising the existing literature on work-related stress experienced by male academics in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. The objectives of the study were (1) to identify the key sources of work-related stress among male academics within the SADC region; (2) to provide synthesised literature on the impact of work-related stress on the mental health of male academics; and (3) to map the existing literature on coping mechanisms used by male academics to deal with their work-related stress. A scoping review guided by PRISMA-ScR was used to report on the coverage of the literature. To identify the literature, international databases (PubMed, and ScienceDirect), local database (Sabinet African Journals Online) and hand-search through Google Scholar were used. The collected data was analysed thematically using the thematic analysis by Braun and Clarke. From the databases, it emerged that there is a paucity of studies addressing academic stress with a focus on male academics within the SADC region. The limited data revealed that stress predominantly arises from role ambiguity and gender factors. Whilst, grappling with work-related stress, some academics tend to attribute blame to themselves and turn to substances or drugs to cope with their stress. From the findings, it could be deduced that academics are not immune to work-related stress regardless of their flexible working hours. The study recommends awareness campaigns on mental health issues and stress management in academia. Keywords: Academia, Male Academics, Scoping Review, Work-Related Stress, SADC