IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/rnd/arimbr/v17y2025i3p105-110.html

A Study on the Causes of Work Stress Among the Malaysian Civil Defense Force Personnel

Author

Listed:
  • Khamarul Arifin Bin Mohd Zainal Abidin
  • Maliza Delima Kamarul Zaman
  • Nor Intan Adha Hafit
  • Suhaila Mohamed

Abstract

The frustrations, expectations, and deadlines of modern life have, for many, become a default setting. Stress occurs when we receive signals that upset our equilibrium or pose potential danger. Its seriousness is evident, as most working individuals between 2021 and 2022 experienced work-related illnesses primarily linked to stress, depression, and anxiety. Stress is an unavoidable part of life, and workplace stress, particularly in Malaysia, has risen since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous studies examined stressful occupations in Malaysia and identified key predictors of such conditions. During the pandemic, the Malaysian government mobilized the Malaysia Civil Defense Force (MCDF), or Angkatan Pertahanan Awam Malaysia, whose demanding work highlighted stress as a critical issue. This thesis investigates the relationship between work stress and its organisational, operational, and lifestyle causes among personnel at the MCDF Kuala Lumpur District Office. Using Pearson Product Correlation Coefficient and Multiple Regression Analysis, the study found significant correlations between work stress and both organisational and operational causes, while lifestyle factors showed no significant link. The findings emphasize the need to address stressors to improve employee well-being and productivity. Recommendations for MCDF include strengthening psychological support, enhancing occupational health and safety measures, and fostering clear communication within the organisation. Additionally, future research should expand to broader sample areas and employ multi-method data collection. Understanding these dynamics is essential for strategic decision-making and creating a supportive environment in high-stress government agencies like the MCDF.

Suggested Citation

  • Khamarul Arifin Bin Mohd Zainal Abidin & Maliza Delima Kamarul Zaman & Nor Intan Adha Hafit & Suhaila Mohamed, 2025. "A Study on the Causes of Work Stress Among the Malaysian Civil Defense Force Personnel," Information Management and Business Review, AMH International, vol. 17(3), pages 105-110.
    • Handle: RePEc:rnd:arimbr:v:17:y:2025:i:3:p:105-110
    DOI: 10.22610/imbr.v17i3(I).4655
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ojs.amhinternational.com/index.php/imbr/article/view/4655/3067
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://ojs.amhinternational.com/index.php/imbr/article/view/4655
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.22610/imbr.v17i3(I).4655?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Joel Goh & Jeffrey Pfeffer & Stefanos A. Zenios, 2016. "The Relationship Between Workplace Stressors and Mortality and Health Costs in the United States," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 62(2), pages 608-628, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nagler, Markus & Winkler, Erwin, 2026. "Minimum Wages and Work Pressure," IZA Discussion Papers 18398, IZA Network @ LISER.
    2. Claire Duchene, 2023. "Le travail est-il bon pour la santé ?," Dulbea Policy Brief 23.01, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    3. Saravanan Kesavan & Susan J. Lambert & Joan C. Williams & Pradeep K. Pendem, 2022. "Doing Well by Doing Good: Improving Retail Store Performance with Responsible Scheduling Practices at the Gap, Inc," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(11), pages 7818-7836, November.
    4. Argyro Avgoustaki & Hans T. W. Frankort, 2019. "Implications of Work Effort and Discretion for Employee Well-Being and Career-Related Outcomes: An Integrative Assessment," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 72(3), pages 636-661, May.
    5. Sheppard, Leah D. & O'Reilly, Jane & van Dijke, Marius & Restubog, Simon Lloyd D. & Aquino, Karl, 2020. "The stress-relieving benefits of positively experienced social sexual behavior in the workplace," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 38-52.
    6. Mia B. Russell & Prince A. Attoh & Tyrone Chase & Tao Gong & Jinhee Kim & Girvin L. Liggans, 2020. "Examining Burnout and the Relationships Between Job Characteristics, Engagement, and Turnover Intention Among U.S. Educators," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(4), pages 21582440209, November.
    7. van Dalen, Hendrik Peter & Henkens, C.J.I.M., 2020. "The COVID-19 pandemic : Lessons for financially fragile and aging societies," Other publications TiSEM 334fdc87-e5e7-411f-818b-7, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    8. Argyro Avgoustaki & Hans T. W. Frankort, 2023. "All work intensity is not created equal: Effort motives, job satisfaction and quit intentions at a grocery chain," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 61(4), pages 869-894, December.
    9. Florencio F. Portocarrero & Vanessa C. Burbano, 2024. "The Effects of a Short-Term Corporate Social Impact Activity on Employee Turnover: Field Experimental Evidence," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 70(9), pages 5871-5895, September.
    10. Senhu Wang & Lambert Zixin Li, 2023. "Double Jeopardy: The Roles of Job Autonomy and Spousal Gender Ideology in Employed Women’s Mental Health," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(1), pages 473-490, February.
    11. Monika Bhoir & Vinita Sinha, 2024. "Employee well-being human resource practices: a systematic literature review and directions for future research," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 10(1), pages 1-18, December.
    12. Alice Tontodimamma & Emiliano del Gobbo & Mariangela Corbo & Antonio Aquino, 2024. "How to improve academic well-being: an analysis of the leveraging factors based on the Italian case," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 58(2), pages 1425-1445, April.
    13. Katherine Sang & Jen Remnant & Thomas Calvard & Katriona Myhill, 2021. "Blood Work: Managing Menstruation, Menopause and Gynaecological Health Conditions in the Workplace," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-16, February.
    14. Claire Duchene & Ilan Tojerow & Benoît Bayenet, 2023. "Policy brief :Le travail est-il bon pour la santé ?," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/357233, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    15. I. P. L. Png & Charmaine H. Y. Tan, 2021. "Cost of Cash: Evidence from Cashiers," Service Science, INFORMS, vol. 13(2), pages 88-108, June.
    16. Yaminette Díaz‐Linhart & Thomas Kochan & Arrow Minster & Dongwoo Park & Duanyi Yang, 2025. "Does Voice Gap Influence Workers’ Job Attitudes and Well‐Being? Measuring Voice as a Dimension of Job Quality," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 63(3), pages 429-444, September.
    17. Jensine Paoletti & Jaye L. Derrick & Christopher P. Fagundes & Kenneth E. Leonard, 2022. "The Effects of Strain-Based Work–Parenting Conflict on Dual Income Couples’ Energy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-13, July.
    18. Tinglong Dai & Sridhar Tayur, 2020. "OM Forum—Healthcare Operations Management: A Snapshot of Emerging Research," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 22(5), pages 869-887, September.
    19. Ulya Tsolmon & Dan Ariely, 2022. "Health insurance benefits as a labor market friction: Evidence from a quasi‐experiment," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(8), pages 1556-1574, August.
    20. Qiong Jia & Liyuan Wei & Xiaotong Li, 2019. "Visualizing Sustainability Research in Business and Management (1990–2019) and Emerging Topics: A Large-Scale Bibliometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-37, October.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:rnd:arimbr:v:17:y:2025:i:3:p:105-110. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Muhammad Tayyab (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://ojs.amhinternational.com/index.php/imbr .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.