Background and Aim: Considering the importance of job stress and its effects on the performance of military forces, this study investigated the level of occupational stress and its relationship with demographic and employment parameters in Iranian Navy personnel.
Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was performed on a group of Navy personnel in southern of Iran in 2013. Samples were selected by cluster sampling. The Osipow Job Stress Questionnaire and Demographic Questionnaire was used for data gathering. Data were analyzed using SPSS 18 software.
Results: There were 384 Navy personnel with mean age of 29.6±4.2 years. The mean score of job stress in all subjects was 163.2 ± 26.1, which is the normal level of job stress. Overall, 13.3% of subjects had no stress, 85.2% had normal stress, 1.3% had moderate stress and 0.3% had severe stress. Severe stress was recorded among senior officers and those employed in official hiring. The highest level of job stress was related to physical environment with average of 68.8% and the lowest level of job stress was in ambiguity role with average of 24.2%.
Conclusion: Although 85% of Navy personnel experience a normal level of stress, severe stress was recorded in senior officers and those employed in official hiring. Also, the highest level of stress was in the physical environment, which required measures to improve work environment conditions and reduce stress in this area.