Prevalence and Causes of Stress among Employees in Tanzanian Local Government Authorities: An Experience from Chemba District Council

Abstract

Workplace stress has increasingly been reported to be an issue of concern in the
global, regional and local workforce. Several studies have contributed to
knowledge on stress especially on effects of stress in several specific sectors
leaving prevalence level and causes of stress with scanty information. This paper
applied Conservation of Resources (COR) theory to address two study objectives
mainly; to determine the prevalence of stress among employees and to examine
the causes of stress among employees at Chemba District Council. The study
employed a Cross-sectional research design and collected data from 14 key
informants and from 60 respondents through interview and questionnaire
methods respectively. The study collected both qualitative data and quantitative
data which were analysed by content analysis method and descriptive statistics
method respectively. The findings reveal that a good number of employees
accounting to 80% have at least experienced stress whereby, huge workload,
work deadlines, family challenges, financial challenges and job insecurity are
significantly causing stress among employees at Chemba District Council. It is
concluded that, the revealed prevalence of stress among employees as a result of
several stressors needs supportive policies and mental health initiatives to
address adverse effects. It is recommended that Chemba District Council should
implement stress management programs like workshops, mindfulness training
and relaxation techniques to help employees cope with stress.