FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Stress in the workplace is a major source of cost for employers and employees alike, resulting in missed work, reduced productivity and increased medical costs, as well as decreased well being for employees. A new book series edited by University of Arkansas professor of management Dan Ganster can promote research in this critical area.

In Exploring Theoretical Mechanisms and Perspectives, Ganster and co-editor Pamela Perrewe of Florida State University have invited seven of the top researchers in the field to each write a chapter that reviews the current research in a specific area of occupational stress and well-being. Topics range from a cultural perspective of social support to the role of emotions in occupational stress and include discussions psychosocial factors and physiological disorders, as well as factors that mediate and moderate stress.

"Questions of work stress span many disciplines and it is increasingly difficult to track, and even harder to integrate, the work from these disciplines," explained Ganster. "Our plan is to allow influential stress writers to critically examine cutting edge research from their respective disciplines."

This is the first volume in a series by JAI, which publishes several prestigious series in the field. The second volume, which is due out next December, will focus on health outcomes and physiological aspects of workplace stress and the third volume will focus on European research.

"Although every volume will have a multidisciplinary and multinational approach, European research is not well represented in American literature, " Ganster said. "This will be an opportunity for American researchers to see what is on the cutting edge of European research."