Assessing Occupational Stress, Strain, and Coping for North American Teachers in Kuwait

Abstract

In this study, differences in levels of occupational stress and strain experienced by North American local ( n = 24) and expatriate ( n = 43) teachers working in Kuwait were investigated by married ( n=34) and single status ( n=31) and by male ( n = 30) and female ( n = 47) sex. All teachers self-administered the Occupational Stress Inventory-Revised. No differences appeared among measures of stress or strain between male and female teachers or between married and single teachers. However, locally hired teachers reported higher role insufficiency and interpersonal strain than expatriate teachers. Some significant differences in coping styles also appeared between these groups. None of the measures used revealed any significant correlations between age and years of service.