Causes, effects, and coping mechanisms of techno-stress in public institutions

In line with the advancing technology, the concept of techno-stress has emerged in our lives. The causes, effects, and coping mechanisms for techno-stress vary based on individuals' lifestyles, work environments, knowledge, education, age, and gender. This thesis aims to explore the causes and effects of techno-stress, as well as the mechanisms for coping with it among individuals working in technology-intensive roles within public institutions. Semi-structured interviews conducted with 14 participants (7 men and 7 women) were qualitatively analyzed using the MAXQDA 2020 software. Considering that the causes and effects of techno-stress would be more pronounced, the study group consisted of public sector employees selected through the "criterion sampling" method, which is one of the "purposeful sampling methods." The analysis revealed that the causes, effects, and coping mechanisms for techno-stress among public sector employees largely align with the findings in the literature. Organizational issues were identified as the primary cause of techno-stress, while work-related factors were found to be the most significant effects of techno-stress. The main organizational cause of techno-stress was identified as urgent, time-bound, and new tasks, while the primary effect of work-related techno-stress was discovered to be difficulties in focusing and making healthy decisions, accompanied by panic. To cope with techno-stress, participants preferred to distance themselves from the environment and seek solitude. Keywords: Techno-stress, Causes of Techno-stress, Effects of Techno-stress, Techno-stress in Public Institutions, Coping Mechanisms for Techno-stress