Search Results (66)

This study examines the relationships between job satisfaction, overtime hours, perceived stressors, and burnout symptoms among academic mid-level staff at German universities, with a particular focus on gender differences. Drawing on survey data from 1442 academics collected in April/May 2023, this study applies t-tests and regression analyses to examine the effects of structural and personal factors on job satisfaction. The findings suggest that job satisfaction is primarily shaped by psychosocial and institutional conditions. Negative predictors are perceived job insecurity, burnout symptoms, and excessive overtime, whereas a strong dedication to work buffers against these. Variables such as gender, age, parenthood, and participation in structured PhD programs did not show substantial effects. Notably, respondents who postponed having children for professional reasons reported lower job satisfaction, pointing to potential conflicts between career and personal life expectations. Full article

Agricultural workers—individuals employed for labor in agriculture—are at high risk of various negative health outcomes, with many impacted by both the existence of health disparities and stress. While the issue of farm stress and associated psychosocial health outcomes has been studied in the general agricultural population, research investigating these issues specifically within the agricultural worker population is sparse. This study presents data from the United States Western Region Agricultural Worker Stress Survey (N = 354), which gauged workers’ perceived stress levels, sources of stress, desired stress management topics, and preferred methods of receiving information and support services. Long working hours, working in extreme temperatures, and a lack of time emerged as the top three stressors. On average, workers across the Western region of the U.S. are experiencing a moderate level of stress, with younger workers reporting greater stressor pileup than their older counterparts. Retirement planning was cited as the most preferred stress management topic, regardless of demographic. Lastly, workers chose in-person counseling as the support modality that they would most likely utilize. This research provides a variety of stress management recommendations such as working with farm owners to increase the safety of their operation, investing in face-to-face counseling services, and utilizing community health workers as sources of support. Full article

Substance use is a critical public health issue in the U.S., with Black communities, particularly those with criminal justice contact, disproportionately affected. Chronic exposure to stressors can lead to substance use as a coping strategy. This study used data from 1476 Black adults with criminal justice involvement from the National Survey of American Life to examine how psychosocial stress and sleep disturbances relate to lifetime substance use and to determine if there are any sex differences. Sex-separate generalized linear models for a Poisson distribution with a log-link function estimated prevalence ratios and adjusted prevalence ratios (APRs) for lifetime alcohol abuse, lifetime cigarette, and marijuana use. Independent variables include stressors (family, person, neighborhood, financial, and work-related) and sleep problems, with covariates such as age, SES, and marital status. Lifetime alcohol abuse was associated with family stressors (APR = 2.72) and sleep problems (APR = 3.36) for males, and financial stressors (APR = 2.75) and sleep problems (APR = 2.24) for females. Cigarette use was linked to family stressors (APR = 1.73) for males and work stressors (APR = 1.78) for females. Marijuana use was associated with family stressors (APR = 2.31) and sleep problems (APR = 2.07) for males, and neighborhood stressors (APR = 1.72) for females. Lifetime alcohol abuse, as well as lifetime cigarette and marijuana use, was uniquely associated with various psychosocial stressors among Black adult males and females with criminal justice contact. These findings highlight the role of structural inequities in shaping substance use and support using a Social Determinants of Health framework to address addiction in this population. Full article

This sought seeks to find and examine the main stress factors and psychosocial settings that affect ambulance staff, looking at the larger problem of how these stressors impact their mental well-being and work satisfaction. The research collected data from a field survey that identified and assessed stress factors, as well as qualitative insights from interviews that examined staff perceptions of complex work conditions in emergency services. Important findings show that high-stress situations, like dealing with traumatic events, long hours, and insufficient support, are linked to higher anxiety and burnout in ambulance workers. Moreover, the study points out important features of the work environment, such as workplace relationships and organizational culture, that can either reduce or increase stress. These findings are important, as they could guide healthcare policies that seek to improve the well-being of emergency service workers, which is crucial for maintaining a strong and effective workforce in pre-hospital care. By stressing the urgent need for effective approaches and supportive work structures, this research can have wider implications for healthcare, indicating that tackling the psychosocial issues faced by ambulance staff is crucial not just for their own well-being but also for the overall quality of emergency medical services. Full article

Workplace psychosocial hazards pose significant risks to the well-being of health workers (HWs). This study aimed to explore the levels of psychosocial factors experienced by Chinese and international workers and examine associations between psychosocial factors, health-related outcomes (mental problems and general health), and turnover intention across various occupational stages. A cross-sectional study was conducted using stratified cluster sampling methods at four hospitals in southern China. Psychosocial factors, mental health, general health, and turnover intention were assessed using the Chinese version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire III. Multivariate linear and logistic regression analyses were conducted. A total of 1054 HWs participated in this study (response rate: 80.21%). Compared to international samples, Chinese HWs showed significant differences in nine psychosocial dimensions, particularly interpersonal relations, leadership, and the work–individual interface. Senior hospital managers reported significantly higher stress (51.09 ± 23.88, p < 0.001), sleep troubles (53.26 ± 24.92, p = 0.003), and poorer general health (57.61 ± 37.26, p = 0.035) than other occupational stages. Work–life conflict (β = 0.172), emotional demands (β = 0.132), and role clarity (β = −0.132) were the strongest predictors of mental health issues. Hiding emotions demands (β = −0.141) and leadership quality (β = 0.130) most strongly predicted general health. The turnover intention rate was 11.01%, with job satisfaction (OR = 0.964) being the strongest negative predictor. Reducing psychosocial stressors, particularly in work–life balance, role clarity, emotional demand, and leadership quality, could improve HWs’ well-being and reduce turnover intention. Full article

Postpartum depression (PPD) affects 174 million women worldwide and is characterized by profound sadness, anxiety, irritability, and debilitating fatigue, which disrupt maternal caregiving and the mother–infant relationship. Limited pharmacological interventions are currently available. Our understanding of the neurobiological pathophysiology of PPD remains incomplete, potentially hindering the development of novel treatment strategies. Recent hypotheses suggest that PPD is driven by a complex interplay of hormonal changes, neurotransmitter imbalances, inflammation, genetic factors, psychosocial stressors, and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation. This narrative review examines recent clinical studies on PPD within the past 15 years, emphasizing advancements in neuroimaging findings and blood biomarker detection. Additionally, we summarize recent laboratory work using animal models to mimic PPD, focusing on hormone withdrawal, HPA axis dysfunction, and perinatal stress theories. We also revisit neurobiological results from several brain regions associated with negative emotions, such as the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and striatum. These insights aim to improve our understanding of PPD’s neurobiological mechanisms, guiding future research for better early detection, prevention, and personalized treatment strategies for women affected by PPD and their families. Full article

Psychosocial support programs have been increasingly implemented to protect asylum seekers’ wellbeing, though how and why these interventions work is not yet fully understood. This study first uses questionnaires to examine how self-efficacy, satisfaction of basic psychological needs, and adaptive stress may influence wellbeing for a group of asylum-seeking mothers attending a community-based psychosocial program called Welcome Haven. Second, we explore mothers’ experiences attending the Welcome Haven program through qualitative interviews. Analysis reveals the importance of relatedness as a predictor of wellbeing as well as the mediating role of adaptive stress between need satisfaction and wellbeing. Further, attending Welcome Haven is associated with reduced adaptive stress and increased wellbeing, which correspond with the thematic analysis showing that attendance at the workshops fostered a sense of belonging through connection with other asylum seekers and service providers as well as empowerment through access to information and self-expression. The results point to the importance of community-based support that addresses adaptive stress and the promotion of social connection as key determinants of wellbeing. Nonetheless, the centrality of pervasive structural stressors asylum seekers experience during resettlement also cautions that relief offered by interventions may be insufficient in the face of ongoing systemic inequality and marginalization. Full article

Context: Working in the police force is an operationally and organizationally stressful job. Suitable psychometric tools are needed to detect and study the psychosocial risks of these professionals. The original version contains 40 items, which may be too long for clinical use or as a research control measure. The main aim of this study is to validate the Police Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) in German. The secondary objective is to validate a shorter version. Method: After translation and counter translation of the PSQ-G by a committee of experts, 10 participants pre-tested the comprehension of an intermediate version, allowing the development of a final version that was submitted to a psychometric validation plan with 2314 German-speaking officers. Structure, reliability, and convergent, divergent, and discriminant validities were tested for each sample. Results: The German version of the PSQ performed well psychometrically. We have created a short version of 14 items with good psychometric properties, 7 items for each subscale: operational stressors and organizational stressors. Conclusion: This study validated a German version of the PSQ and provides a reliable measure of stress processes in the police force. A short version is now available. Full article

The offshore oil and gas working environment is an inherently dangerous one, with risks posed to physical safety on a daily basis. One neglected field of research is the added psychosocial stressors present in this environment. This research examined the experiences of offshore oil and gas workers through one-on-one online interviews which were recorded and transcribed. Transcripts were analyzed through the qualitative software NVivo, which generated themes and patterns for the responses given to questions that were developed through a focus group. The results of the analysis showed that multiple psychosocial stressors are present in this population, such as fear of speaking up, unsatisfactory company-provided facilities, work–life interference, work status, micromanaging, gender harassment and bullying. In addition, interviews identified that production and time pressures, along with fatigue, can influence accidents and mistakes. Climate factors also cause discomfort. However, these are managed according to best practices by organizations. Due to the timing of the study, COVID-19 was a significant stressor for some, but not all, employees. In conclusion, offshore oil and gas workers face multiple stressors in a dangerous environment that may lead to devastating consequences. Full article

Today, organizations must pay attention to countless aspects of work life to maintain high levels of organizational sustainability. One of the key aspects of organizational sustainability is maintaining low levels of turnover. In line with the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model and environmental psychology, the organizational environment must sustain employee well-being, motivation and performance. However, stressors such as environmental bullying, that is, bullying behaviors involving environmental elements (i.e., not giving colleagues the opportunity to adjust the temperature of the office or making noise near a colleague’s workspace), can have destructive effects on the employee and the organization. The present work aimed to test the impact of environmental bullying on employee turnover intention. In addition, to better understand the underlying psychosocial processes, we observed the mediating role played by secure workplace attachment and satisfaction toward the work environment. Using a cross-sectional design, we conducted a survey of 182 office employees and tested a serial mediation model. Hypotheses were tested using the PROCESS macro. The results show that employees who feel bullied through manipulation of their workspace or workplace have greater intention to leave, and secure workplace attachment and environmental satisfaction play a role in this relationship. The results confirm that while the environmental characteristics of the workplace can play a supportive role by meeting the employee’s needs, environmental bullying behaviors may have an adverse effects by promoting insecure attachment and an intention to leave. To reduce turnover intention, management should carefully consider the physical–spatial characteristics of workplaces as means of developing attachment to the place and environmental satisfaction in employees. Full article

A large number of studies have been conducted to demonstrate that job stress negatively affects construction workers’ physiological safety behaviors, but there is a lack of research on the impact of psychosocial safety behaviors on construction workers, which is an important component of overall workplace safety. This study modeled the effects between three job stressors (the job itself, job insecurity, and family-work conflict) and psychosocial safety behavior sub-dimensions (psychosocial safety compliance and psychosocial safety participation), using psychological resilience as a mediating variable. Data were obtained from 304 construction workers in China. The results showed that there were positive and negative effects between the three job stressors, psychosocial safety behavior sub-dimensions, and psychological resilience. Psychological resilience was mediated differently across the three job stressors and psychosocial safety behavior sub-dimensions. This study reveals the mechanisms by which job stress affects the psychosocial safety behaviors of construction workers and provides more empirical evidence to unravel the relationships between various job stressors and psychosocial safety behavior sub-dimensions. In addition, this paper discusses measures to improve psychosocial safety behaviors based on the perspectives of job stressors and psychological resilience. Full article

The digitization of German hospitals is proceeding continuously, leading to the implementation of new digital technologies, such as electronic health records (EHRs) or other technologies, used for the purpose of medical documentation tasks. Even though the replacement of paper documentation through digitized documentation in general promises to come along with plenty of benefits, the daily utilization of technologies might also lead to stresses and strains among the medical staff, eventually possibly leading to the development of different negative work and health-related outcomes. This study, therefore, aims at identifying persisting digitization-associated stressors and resources among medical hospital staff, examining their influences on different work and health-related outcomes, and finally, identifying potential needs for preventive measures. A quantitative study in the form of an online questionnaire survey was conducted among physicians working in the medical field of neuro- and vascular surgery in German hospitals. The study was carried out between June and October 2022 utilizing an online questionnaire based on several standardized scales, such as the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the technostress model, as well as on several scales from the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ). The study found medium levels of technostress among the participating physicians (n = 114), as well as low to medium levels of persisting resources. The queried physicians, on average, reported low levels of burnout symptoms, generally described their health status as good, and were mostly satisfied with their job. Despite the prevalence of technostress and the low levels of resources among the surveyed physicians, there is little awareness of the problem of digital stress, and preventive measures have not been widely implemented yet in the clinics, indicating a needs gap and the necessity for the strategic and quality-guided implementation of measures to effectively prevent digital stress from developing. Full article

Health and social service workers face high levels of workload and job stressors, which can affect their health and well-being. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the effectiveness of workplace interventions that aim to improve their mental and physical health outcomes. This review summarizes the findings of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that examined the impact of different types of workplace interventions on various health indicators among health and social service workers. The review searched the PubMed database from its inception to December 2022 and included RCTs that reported on the effectiveness of organizational-level interventions and qualitative studies that explored barriers and facilitators to participation in such interventions. A total of 108 RCTs were included in the review, covering job burnout (N = 56 RCTs), happiness or job satisfaction (N = 35), sickness absence (N = 18), psychosocial work stressors (N = 14), well-being (N = 13), work ability (N = 12), job performance or work engagement (N = 12), perceived general health (N = 9), and occupational injuries (N = 3). The review found that several workplace interventions were effective in improving work ability, well-being, perceived general health, work performance, and job satisfaction and in reducing psychosocial stressors, burnout, and sickness absence among healthcare workers. However, the effects were generally modest and short-lived. Some of the common barriers to participation in workplace interventions among healthcare workers were inadequate staff, high workload, time pressures, work constraints, lack of manager support, scheduling health programs outside work hours, and lack of motivation. This review suggests that workplace interventions have small short-term positive effects on health and well-being of healthcare workers. Workplace interventions should be implemented as routine programs with free work hours to encourage participation or integrate intervention activities into daily work routines. Full article

Purpose: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, healthcare professionals were more frequently affected by post-traumatic stress disorder than the general population. The purpose of this historical, prospective study was to determine the influence of occupational stressors and personality traits on the magnitude of post-traumatic stress symptoms in nurses. The secondary objective was to examine the mediating role of protective equipment use on the relationship between exposure to pandemic-related stressors and levels of post-traumatic stress symptoms in nurses. Methods: The study was conducted after the first wave of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic among nurses working at the University Hospital of Split, Croatia. A total of 380 nurses completed the web-based survey. Among them, 217 (57.1%) worked with COVID-19 patients and 163 (42.9%) worked in non-COVID departments. A quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive, and comparative design was used. Results: Personality traits (introversion, neuroticism, and openness), along with exposure to work stressors (public criticism, workplace hazards and harms, and work conflicts) and direct exposure to work with patients suffering from SARS-CoV-2 infection, may serve as significant risk factors for the development of post-traumatic stress symptoms (p < 0.05). The use of protective equipment did not alter the effect of exposure to pandemic-related stressors on the amount of trauma experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: Personality characteristics and levels of work stress are the most important predictors of the development of post-traumatic stress symptoms in nurses who worked during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare facilities and their leaders need to make more efforts to provide better psychosocial support services for nurses. Full article

The study aimed to compare the impact of Role Blurring on mental health and Work-Life Integration in the Brazilian and Spanish populations during COVID-19. Role Blurring, which is related to resources and demands in the work context, affects coping with stressors arising from role overlapping and impacts individuals’ perception of work overload and mental health. The sample consisted of 877 adults from Spain (n = 498) and Brazil (n = 372), and various statistical analyses were conducted to compare the groups. Results showed that Role Blurring is linked to symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress, as well as suicidal ideation. Therefore, it is essential to promote working conditions that limit expectations on availability and favor disconnection from work during leisure time. Public policies that intervene, promote, and prevent psychosocial risk factors in emergent contexts are crucial to prevent suicidal ideation and attempts. Considering the high expected influence of Blurring as a focus of interventions can be reflected in the medium term in the indicators of well-being and satisfaction of companies, institutions and organizations. This can result in the reduction of health costs aimed at cushioning post-COVID-19 impacts on mental health. The study is relevant to understand the impact of the pandemic and technology on mental health and suggests the need for interventions to promote work-life balance and prevent psychosocial risks. Full article