Eustress, distress and their interpretation in primary and secondary occupational stress management interventions: which way first?
Purpose – To develop an argument for the retention of secondary approaches to stress management (those that focus on the individual within the organization) as first interventions, prior to the employment of primary approaches (those that focus on the organization’s processes and structures). This is based on a reconsideration of eustress versus distress and a review of current empirical evidence on the effectiveness of stress management interventions. Design/methodology/approach – Major empirical studies and reviews are critically reviewed and placed within a theoretical framework derived from both early and more recent work in the field. Findings – There is little empirical evidence on which to base recommendations for organization-based stress management interventions as first or sole approaches and therefore the value of these as first or sole approaches is questioned. Instead secondary, individual-focused, approaches are recommended as first-line interventions prior to the adoptio
