Assessment of worklife areas, trust in supervisor and interpersonal trust as conditions of severity of stress at work

Objectives The aim of the paper is to present the findings from a study of the relationships between perception of worklife areas and trust in supervisor and interpersonal trust on the one hand, and assessment of the severity of stress at work on the other hand. Material and methods The study involved 1113 individuals working in different Polish organizations. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) was used to measure stress severity. Assessments of worklife areas were measured using the Areas of Worklife Survey, while trust was measured using the Trust in Supervisor Scale and the Interpersonal Trust Measures, a tool for measuring trust in co-workers. Results The regression analysis results prove that stress severity depends to the largest extent on the assessment of worklife areas (workload, reward, and values), as well as trust in the skills and competencies of the supervisor and trust in co-workers, based on cognitive factors. The role of trust in the supervisor, emphasizing the latter’s benevolence and the belief in their integrity and of trust in co-workers, based on emotions, and the relationships of these variables with stress require clarification. The model turned out to be statistically significant, the variables included in the model explain 45% of the variability of the dependent variable. Conclusions Assessment of worklife areas is more significant for stress level prediction than the trust dimensions studied. Conclusions concerning the relationships between trust and stress must be cautious, and the matter should be studied further.