An examination of resilience: Its relationship to work stress among accountants practicing in Barbados

Work stress can have a detrimental effect on worker performance and productivity. Though work stress has been studied widely in the literature, there is limited research on the role of individual difference variables in the stress process (Jex et al., 2001). This quantitative study utilized a correlational cross-sectional design to examine the relationship between the individual difference variable of resilience and work stress among accountants practicing in Barbados. Two self-report scales were used to measure the study's variables: the Resilience Scale (Wagnild & Young, 1993) was used to measure resilience, and resilience factors of personal competence and acceptance of self and life, and the Job Stress Survey (Vagg & Spielberger, 1998) was used to measure work stress. This study was conducted to expand the literature on accountants and the role of resilience in the workplace in a developing nation context. Correlational analyses were used to examine the relationship between the resilience factors and work stress, and multiple regression analyses were used to examine the extent to which the resilience factors of personal competence and acceptance of self and life predicted work stress. Although the results were not statistically significant, the findings of this study will inform future research into the role of resilience in the workplace. The implications of findings and further research are discussed.