title: Association of quality of life and job stress in occupational workforce of India: Findings from a cross-sectional study on software professionals.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is limited scientific evidence on the relationship of job stress with quality of life (QoL).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to explore different domains of job stress affecting IT/ITES professionals and estimate the levels of stress that these professionals endure to reach positive levels of QoL given that other determinants operating between these two variables are accounted for.
  
  
  METHODS
  We estimated levels of stress that software professionals would have endured to reach positive levels of QoL considering that other factors operating between these two variables are accounted for. The study participants comprised 1071 software professionals who were recruited using a mixed sampling method. Participants answered a self-administered questionnaire containing questions on job stress, QoL, and confounders.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All the domains (physical, psychological, social, and environmental) of QoL showed statistically significant positive associations with increasing stress domains of autonomy, physical infrastructure, work environment, and emotional factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The respondents clearly found the trade-off of higher stress to be acceptable for the improved QoL they enjoyed. It is also possible that stress might actually be responsible for improvements in QoL either directly or through mediation of variables such as personal values and aspirations. Yerkes-Dodson law and stress appraisal models of Folkman and Lazarus may explain the plausible positive association.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Foundation of India, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India; Department of Epidemiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
authors.forename: Giridhara R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Babu
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Psychology, NIMHANS, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Paulomi M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Sudhir
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
authors.forename: Tanmay
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mahapatra
authors.affiliation: Bihar Technical Support Program, CARE India Solutions for Sustainable Development, Patna, Bihar, India.
authors.forename: Aritra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Das
authors.affiliation: Institute of Mental Health, University of Nottingham, Jubilee Campus, Nottingham, NG7 2TU, UK.
authors.forename: Mohanbabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rathnaiah
authors.affiliation: Hergest Unit, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor, North Wales, UK; Abraham Cowley Unit, Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Trust, Chertsey, UK.
authors.forename: Indiresh
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Anand
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Detels
keywords: Developing countries; eustress and distress; job stress; quality of life