Keywords
Cybersecurity Professionals
Burnout
Coping Strategies
Occupational Health Psychology
Workplace Well-Being
Information Technology Professionals,
How to Cite
Abstract
The rapid growth of the information technology (IT) sector and the increasing complexity of
cybersecurity threats have intensified psychological demands on technology professionals.
Continuous monitoring, high workloads, evolving threat landscapes, and expectations for
uninterrupted system performance expose IT and cybersecurity professionals to elevated
levels of occupational stress and burnout. Despite growing global concern regarding
employee well-being in technology-intensive occupations, limited empirical research has
examined these issues within the Indian context.
The present study investigated occupational stress, burnout, and coping strategies among IT
and cybersecurity professionals working in Bengaluru, India. A cross-sectional quantitative
research design was employed using a sample of 120 professionals, comprising 70 IT
professionals and 50 cybersecurity professionals. Data were collected using the Perceived
Stress Scale (PSS-10), Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), and Brief COPE Inventory.
Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, correlation analysis,
independent-samples t-tests, and multiple regression.
The findings revealed moderate-to-high levels of occupational stress among participants, with
cybersecurity professionals reporting significantly higher stress levels than their IT
counterparts. Occupational stress demonstrated a positive relationship with burnout, while
maladaptive coping strategies were associated with increased stress and burnout symptoms.
Adaptive coping strategies showed a protective influence on psychological well-being,
although their predictive effect was comparatively weaker. Qualitative findings highlighted
workload pressure, on-call responsibilities, threat management demands, and insufficient
recovery time as major contributors to occupational stress.
The study contributes to occupational health psychology by extending the Job
Demands–Resources model and the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping to
contemporary technology professions. Practical implications include the need for structured
stress-management interventions, mental-health support systems, workload optimization, and
sustainable on-call practices within technology organizations.
References
Ahmad, A., Maynard, S. B., & Park, S. (2023). Cybersecurity professionals' occupational
stress and organizational resilience: Emerging challenges in digital workplaces.
Journal of Information Security and Applications, 74, 103481.
Arora, S., & Hastings, J. D. (2024). A survey-based quantitative analysis of stress factors and
their impacts among cybersecurity professionals. arXiv.
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2409.12047
Ayyagari, R., Grover, V., & Purvis, R. (2011). Technostress: Technological antecedents and
implications. MIS Quarterly, 35(4), 831–858.
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2017). Job demands–resources theory: Taking stock and
looking forward. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22(3), 273–285.
Bakker, A. B., Hetland, J., Olsen, O. K., & Espevik, R. (2020). Daily strengths use and
employee well-being: The moderating role of personality. Journal of Occupational
Health Psychology, 25(2), 144–156.
Biggs, A., Brough, P., & Drummond, S. (2017). Lazarus and Folkman's psychological stress
and coping theory. In C. L. Cooper & J. C. Quick (Eds.), The handbook of stress and
health (pp. 351–364). Wiley.
Brough, P., O'Driscoll, M., & Kalliath, T. (2005). The ability of family-friendly
organizational resources to predict work-family conflict and job stress. Stress and
Health, 21(4), 223–234.
Brougham, D., & Haar, J. (2020). Technological disruption and employee well-being: The
role of coping strategies. Personnel Review, 49(1), 113–132.
Carver, C. S. (1997). You want to measure coping but your protocol's too long: Consider the
Brief COPE. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 4(1), 92–100.
Carver, C. S., & Connor-Smith, J. K. (2010). Personality and coping. Annual Review of
Psychology, 61, 679–704.
Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., & Mermelstein, R. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress.
Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24(4), 385–396.
Compas, B. E., Jaser, S. S., Bettis, A. H., Watson, K. H., Gruhn, M. A., Dunbar, J. P.,
Williams, E., & Thigpen, J. C. (2017). Coping, emotion regulation, and
psychopathology in childhood and adolescence. Psychological Bulletin, 143(9),
939–991.
D'Arcy, J., Herath, T., & Shoss, M. K. (2023). Vigilance fatigue and occupational stress
among cybersecurity professionals. Computers & Security, 127, 103112.
Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. B., Vardakou, I., & Kantas, A. (2021). The convergent validity of
two burnout instruments: A reconsideration. European Journal of Psychological
Assessment, 37(2), 132–145.
Demerouti, E., Mostert, K., & Bakker, A. B. (2019). Burnout and work engagement: A
thorough investigation of the independence of both constructs. Journal of
Occupational Health Psychology, 24(1), 95–107.
Folkman, S. (2020). Stress, coping, and hope. Psycho-Oncology, 29(4), 577–578.
Ganster, D. C., & Rosen, C. C. (2013). Work stress and employee health. Journal of
Management, 39(5), 1085–1122.
Halbesleben, J. R. B., Neveu, J. P., Paustian-Underdahl, S. C., & Westman, M. (2023).
Getting to the COR: Understanding resource loss and burnout in contemporary
organizations. Journal of Management, 49(4), 1143–1165.
Hakanen, J. J., Bakker, A. B., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2006). Burnout and work engagement
among teachers. Journal of School Psychology, 43(6), 495–513.
Hobfoll, S. E., Halbesleben, J., Neveu, J. P., & Westman, M. (2018). Conservation of
resources in the organizational context. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology
and Organizational Behavior, 5, 103–128.
International Information System Security Certification Consortium. (2024). Cybersecurity
workforce study 2024. ISC².
Jena, L. K., & Pradhan, S. (2018). Workplace stress and employee outcomes among
information technology professionals. Global Business Review, 19(3), 643–658.
Kaur, P., & Sharma, R. (2021). Occupational stress and work-life balance among information
technology professionals in India. Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental
Medicine, 25(2), 78–85.
Kniffin, K. M., Narayanan, J., Anseel, F., Antonakis, J., Ashford, S., Bakker, A. B.,
Bamberger, P., Bapuji, H., Bhave, D. P., Choi, V. K., Creary, S., Demerouti, E., Flynn,
F. J., Gelfand, M., Greer, L., Johns, G., Kesebir, S., Klein, P., Lee, S., & Van Vugt, M.
(2021). COVID-19 and the workplace: Implications for future research and action.
American Psychologist, 76(1), 63–77.
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer.
Lee, R. T., & Ashforth, B. E. (1996). A meta-analytic examination of burnout correlates.
Journal of Applied Psychology, 81(2), 123–133.
Lesener, T., Gusy, B., & Wolter, C. (2020). The Job Demands–Resources model: A meta-
analytic review. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 29(1),
1–18.
Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2021). Understanding burnout: New perspectives and practical
implications. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 30(2), 103–109.
Maslach, C., Jackson, S. E., & Leiter, M. P. (2018). Maslach Burnout Inventory manual (4th
ed.). Mind Garden.
Montgomery, A., Panagopoulou, E., Kehoe, I., & Valkanos, E. (2023). Burnout in digital
work environments: A contemporary review. Occupational Medicine, 73(4), 201–210.
Nahrgang, J. D., Morgeson, F. P., & Hofmann, D. A. (2019). Safety, stress, and burnout in
high-demand occupations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 104(2), 267–289.
Parent-Lamarche, A., & Marchand, A. (2022). Work stress and psychological well-being:
Longitudinal evidence from contemporary workplaces. Occupational Health Science,
6(1), 55–74.
Park, Y., Fritz, C., & Jex, S. M. (2022). Daily coping and occupational well-being among
knowledge workers. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 27(3), 242–256.
Pflügner, K., Wiesche, M., & Krcmar, H. (2024). Burnout, stress, and turnover intentions
among cybersecurity professionals. Computers & Security, 137, 103633.
Quick, J. C., & Henderson, D. F. (2016). Occupational stress: Preventing suffering, enhancing
wellbeing. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health,
13(5), 459.
Riedl, R. (2023). Technostress in the digital workplace: Antecedents, consequences, and
interventions. Information Systems Journal, 33(4), 621–648.
Salvagioni, D. A. J., Melanda, F. N., Mesas, A. E., González, A. D., Gabani, F. L., &
Andrade, S. M. (2017). Physical, psychological and occupational consequences of
burnout. PLoS ONE, 12(10), e0185781.
Schaufeli, W. B. (2021). Burnout assessment tool (BAT): Development, validity, and future
directions. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health,
18(18), 9495.
Schaufeli, W. B., De Witte, H., & Desart, S. (2020). Manual for the Burnout Assessment Tool.
KU Leuven.
Sonnentag, S., & Fritz, C. (2015). Recovery from job stress: The stressor-detachment model.
Journal of Organizational Behavior, 36(S1), S72–S103.
Spector, P. E., & Jex, S. M. (1998). Development of four self-report measures of job stressors.
Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 3(4), 356–367.
Tarafdar, M., Cooper, C. L., & Stich, J. F. (2019). The technostress trifecta: Techno eustress,
techno distress and design. Information Systems Journal, 29(1), 6–42.
Venz, L., & Pundt, A. (2021). Job demands and occupational stress: A longitudinal
investigation. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 30(4),
546–559.
Wang, X., Zhang, Y., Liu, H., & Chen, L. (2024). Technostress, cognitive overload, and
burnout among information technology professionals. Information & Management,
61(2), 103892.
Westman, M., Hobfoll, S. E., Chen, S., Davidson, O. B., & Laski, S. (2004). Organizational
stress through the lens of conservation of resources theory. Applied Psychology, 53(1),
34–56.
World Health Organization. (2019). Burn-out an occupational phenomenon: International
classification of diseases (11th revision). World Health Organization.
World Health Organization. (2022). Mental health at work: Policy brief. World Health
Organization.
Yener, M., Arslan, A., & Kilinç, S. (2022). Workplace resilience and employee well-being in
high-demand occupations. Current Psychology, 41(9), 6170–6182.
Zacher, H., & Rudolph, C. W. (2021). Individual differences and occupational well-being
during periods of uncertainty. Applied Psychology, 70(1), 13–42.
Zhou, M., & Lin, W. (2023). Digital transformation, work overload, and psychological well-
being among technology employees. Journal of Business Research, 164, 113934.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Cortexplore