Dealing with

Computer-Related
Stress
Presented By:

Date of Presentation:
  Stress is caused by varied factors
Background  Irrespective of the factors, stress involves any
Information emotional feeling or physical tension that is caused
when the body reacts to demands or challenges
 It causes a feeling of frustration, nervousness and
or anger whenever it occurs
 Depending on how the body reacts, stress can also
result in positive outcomes especially when it
results in meeting the deadline or eliminating the
challenge
 Can computers cause stress?
 Computers as a stressing factor

 Computers are known to fasten the rate of

doing work and high-quality work
 Like other causes of stress, computers can
also cause stress to users when they fail to
work or does so in an unexpected manner
 Such unexpected functioning or failure to
function impacts frustrations, and anxiety and
can also impact serious health complications
for the users (Thomée et al., 2012)
What are examples of situations that can cause
computer stress?
Situations that lead
to computer stress
i. Internet Failure or failure in internet
connecting cables
ii. Programs taking longer to run
iii. Computers take a longer time to boot or
start-up
iv. Software incompatibility
v. Tedious program installation
vi. Operating system crash
vii. Subscription of important software ends
while doing work
How Computer Stress Develop: Framework

 Consider an example of unresponsive program

 Like Microsoft windows
 The program will display a message to the user about the
problem with options to ‘End’ or ‘Wait’
 A user is likely to choose ‘Wait’ for the program to respond
rather than ‘Ending’
 Waiting may never appear to be completing and in the end,
a combination of time wasted and demand for deliberation
subjects the user to frustrations
Can users just end the program to avoid the frustrations?
 Can Ending Unresponsive Program Minimize
Stress?

 When the option to wait is no longer tenable, users are

compelled to end the program
 Some computer programs fail even when the unresponsive
command prompt is ended (Kraan et al., 2014)
 Ending an unresponsive command prompt can also be a source
of major problems such as operating system crush
 Others will give options that cannot solve the problem with the
immediacy required
 Therefore, the ultimate impact is the development of more stress
What next then, when such situations occur?
 Reducing the instances of
computer stress
 Although computer stress is implicated in the users as a result of
the functionality breach of the system, the users can reduce the
chances of occurrence of situations leading to stress
 Computer stress can be prevented or rather reduced through a
number of remedies (Thomée et al., 2012)
i. Replacing old computers: Old computers are susceptible to
program incompatibility and corresponding breakdowns
ii. Updating computers regularly: Updating software regularly
and removing programs that are not being used is an effective
way of enhancing performance and reducing stress related to
slow performance
 Reducing the instances of
computer stress …
iii. Improving internet access: Internet connectivity can also
impact computer stress due to slow connectivity. It is necessary
to check connectivity or improve internet speed
iv. Training employees on ways of using some programs: Some
computer programs require skills to be effectively operated.
Without such skills, computer stress may be the outcome
v. Monitoring programs within computers: Sometimes failure in
programs do not just occur without warning. As such, programs
should be monitored regularly and appropriate action taken
Managing computer stress

 Despite the methods of reducing computer stress,

sometimes computer functionality-related problems are
inevitable
 As such, computer stress is also inevitable sometimes
(Kraan et al., 2014)
 Thus, there is a need to effectively handle or manage
stress when it comes
 Methods of managing stress vary depending on the
magnitude of stress itself
What are the methods that can be adopted to effectively
manage computer stress?
Effective ways of
managing computer
stress
 Pause periodically to gain freedom from
the digital world thus enhancing the
disconnect to the stressing factor
 Stop depending on unresponsive work-
related technology like phones during
stress. Instead, take a walk and relax
 Talk to the experts to help eliminate the
problem
 Eating well can also limit the stress
related to computer functionality (Kraan
et al., 2014)
Personal experience with computer
stress
 Conclusion

 Computer stress is caused by any unexpected performance by computers

 Computer stress is impacted the users
 Users’ impacts include but are not limited; to frustrations, anxiety, depression,
anger and mental health challenges in the long run
 Computer stress can be prevented/reduced through using newer computers,
updating programs, improving internet access and training users on how to handle
some programs
 Stress management strategies can limit the impact of stress on the users
  Kraan, K., Dhondt, S., Houtman, I., Batenburg, R.,
Kompier, M., & Taris, T. (2014). Computers and types
of control in relation to work stress and learning.
Behaviour & Information Technology, 33(10), 1013-
1026. doi:10.1080/0144929x.2014.916351
References  Thomée, S., Härenstam, A., & Hagberg, M. (2012).
Computer use and stress, sleep disturbances, and
symptoms of depression among young adults – a
prospective cohort study. BMC Psychiatry, 12(1).
doi:10.1186/1471-244x-12-176