2.2.5. Work stress
Several definitions of stress have been introduced in the literature
yielding different discrete or continuous descriptions of this
variable. In this study, due to the data available in the VI NSWC,
we considered the symptomatic definition used in INSHT (1999).
In the short term, stress can manifest by symptoms of physiological,
behavioral, or psychological nature. The twelve stress-related
symptoms asked for in the VI NSWC included: trouble sleeping or
sleeping poorly, constant feeling of fatigue, headaches, dizziness,
trouble concentrating or staying focused, trouble remembering
things or easily forgetting them, feeling tense or irritable, feeling
emotionally exhausted, always thinking about problems at work,
eating disorders, eye problems, and lack of energy (Question 66
of the VI NSWC). Given the complexity involved in defining stress
fromthese symptoms,the INSHT decided, by consensus,to consider
possible case of stress to any worker with a combination of three
or more symptoms of those considered (INSHT, 1999). A worker
who reported three or more of these symptoms was regarded as
suffering from stress. Therefore, this variable was defined as binary
in this study, with “yes” or “no” possible values.