A research on determining the effect of positive psychological capital on job stress

The main purpose of the study is to determine the effect of positive psychological capital on work stress. Positive psychological capital, the first variable of the study, is defined as the superstructure formed by the combination of self-efficacy, hope, optimism and resilience dimensions (Luthans, Youssef ve Avolio, 2006: 19). The second variable of the study is work stress. Work stress is defined as psychological problems that the worker lives at work (Turunç and Çelik, 2010: 186) and neutralize the worker's biological and physiological system (Selye, 1974: 26). The positive psychological capital scale was used in the study is a scale consisting of 24 expressions and 4 dimensions developed by Luthans, Youssef and Avolio in 2007. The adaptation of the scale to Turkish was performed by Çetin and Basım in the year 2012. This scale consists of 4 dimensions: optimism, resilience, hope and self-efficacy. The work stress scale was developed by House and Rizzo in 1972 and consists of 7 expressions and one dimension. The adaptation of the scale to Turkish was performed by Efeoğlu with his doctoral thesis in 2006. The universe of the study consists of teachers serve in the high schools in the central district of Kütahya. It has been reached 314 healthy data from the universe by using simple random sampling method from probability based sampling techniques. To analyze the data, differentiation tests, factor analyzes, reliability analysis, correlation analysis and regression analyzes were used by using SPSS and YEM programs. As a result of the analysis it has been came out that positive psychological capital and optimism and resilience –which they are from positive psychological capital dimensions- have a negative directional and significant effect on work stress. Key Words: Positive Psychology, Positive Psychological Capital, Stress, Work Stress.