A lifespan perspective on emotion regulation, stress, and well-being in the workplace

Researchers in the field of occupational stress and well-being are increasingly interested in the role of emotion regulation in the work context. Emotion regulation has also been widely investigated in the area of lifespan developmental psychology, with findings indicating that the ability to modify one's emotions represents a domain in which age-related growth is possible. In this chapter, we integrate the literatures on aging, emotion regulation, and occupational stress and well-being. To this end, we review key theories and empirical findings in each of these areas, summarize existing research on age, emotion regulation, and stress and well-being at work, and develop a conceptual model on how aging affects emotion regulation and the stress process in work settings to guide future research. According to the model, age will affect: (1) what kinds of affective work events are encountered and how often; (2) the appraisal of and initial emotional response to affective work events (emotion generation), and; (3) the management of emotions and coping with affective work events (emotion regulation). The model has implications for researchers and practitioners who want to understand and facilitate successful emotion regulation and stress reduction in the workplace among different age groups.

The buffering effect of selection, optimization, and compensation strategy use on the relationship between problem solving demands and occupational well-being: A daily diary study

This study investigated within-person relationships between daily problem solving demands, selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC) strategy use, job satisfaction, and fatigue at work. Based on conservation of resources theory, it was hypothesized that high SOC strategy use boosts the positive relationship between problem solving demands and job satisfaction, and buffers the positive relationship between problem solving demands and fatigue. Using a daily diary study design, data were collected from 64 administrative employees who completed a general questionnaire and two daily online questionnaires over four work days. Multilevel analyses showed that problem solving demands were positively related to fatigue, but unrelated to job satisfaction. SOC strategy use was positively related to job satisfaction, but unrelated to fatigue. A buffering effect of high SOC strategy use on the demands-fatigue relationship was found, but no booster effect on the demands-satisfaction relationship. The results suggest that high SOC strategy use is a resource that protects employees from the negative effects of high problem solving demands.

Links between emotional job demands and occupational well-being: Age differences depend on type of demand

In the growing health care sector, meeting emotional job demands is crucial to organizational outcomes but may negatively affect employees’ well-being. Drawing on the emotional aging literature, we predicted that two common emotional job demands, display demands (expressing positive, negative, and neutral emotions toward clients) and sensitivity demands (knowing what the client is feeling), affect older health care workers’ occupational well-being differently than young workers, as indicated by their job satisfaction and need for recovery. Survey data from employees of senior care homes (N = 141, aged between 17 and 62 years) confirmed the moderating role of age for links between emotional job demands and occupational well-being indicators. Emotional display demands were generally positively associated with emotional dissonance; however, the association between demands to display neutral emotions and emotional dissonance was stronger among young compared with older employees. In contrast, among older but not young employees, emotional dissonance was negatively associated with job satisfaction, and emotional sensitivity demands were positively associated with need for recovery. These findings suggest that age may confer both advantages (facing neutral display demands) and vulnerabilities (facing emotional dissonance and sensitivity demands) in managing emotional job demands.

Micro-breaks matter: A diary study on the effects of energy management strategies on occupational well-being

Organizational researchers and practitioners are increasingly interested in self-regulatory strategies employees can use at work to sustain or improve their occupational well-being. A recent cross-sectional study on energy management strategies suggested that many work-related strategies (e.g., setting a new goal) are positively related to occupational well-being, whereas many micro-breaks (e.g., listening to music) are negatively related to occupational well-being. We used a diary study design to take a closer look at the effects of these energy management strategies on fatigue and vitality. Based on conservation of resources theory, we hypothesized that both types of energy management strategies negatively predict fatigue and positively predict vitality. Employees (N = 124) responded to a baseline survey and to hourly surveys across one work day (6.7 times on average). Consistent with previous research, between-person differences in the use of work-related strategies were positively associated with between-person differences in vitality. However, results of multilevel analyses of the hourly diary data showed that only micro-breaks negatively predicted fatigue and positively predicted vitality. These findings suggest that taking micro-breaks during the work day may have short-term effects on occupational well-being, whereas using work-related strategies may have long-term effects.

Age, Occupational Strain, and Well-Being: A Person-Environment Fit Perspective

We develop a conceptual model, based on person-environment fit theory, which explains how employee age affects occupational strain and well-being. We begin by explaining how age directly affects different dimensions of objective and subjective P-E fit. Next, we illustrate how age can moderate the relationship between objective P-E fit and subjective P-E fit. Third, we discuss how age can moderate the relationships between P-E fit, on one hand, and occupational strain and well-being on the other. Fourth, we explain how age can impact occupational strain and well-being directly independent of P-E fit. The chapter concludes with implications for future research and practice.

Promoting law student well-being – A developing program and the use of animation

It is widely acknowledged that student mental well-being is a critical factor in the tertiary student learning experience and is important to student learning success. The issue of student mental well-being also has implications for effective student transition out of university and into the world of work. It is therefore vital that intentional strategies are adopted by universities both within the formal curriculum, and outside it, to promote student well-being. This paper describes the ongoing development of the ‘I Belong in the LLB’ program at the Queensland University of Technology Law School, and the use of animation to engage students with the importance of mental health.

Unbounding the interaction design problem: The contribution of HCI in three interventions for well-being

In this paper we consider HCI's role in technology interventions for health and well-being. Three projects carried out by the authors are analysed by appropriating the idea of a value chain to chart a causal history from proximal effects generated in early episodes of design through to distal health and well-being outcomes. Responding to recent arguments that favour bounding HCI's contribution to local patterns of use, we propose an unbounded view of HCI that addresses an extended value chain of influence. We discuss a view of HCI methods as mobilising this value chain perspective in multi-disciplinary collaborations through its emphasis on early prototyping and naturalistic studies of use.

Taiwanese migrants in Australia: An investigation of their accultration and well-being

Taiwanese migrants settled in Brisbane, Australia (N=271) completed a questionnaire battery available in both Mandarin and English. A series of multiple and hierarchical regression analyses were used to investigate the factors associated with these migrants’ acculturation and indicators of psychological well-being. Results indicated that various personal factors (age, English language proficiency and duration of stay) were associated with acculturation and indicators of psychological wellbeing. Acculturation was not associated with wellbeing. Social support was associated with the indicators of the participants’ wellbeing. The outcome indicated that although associated with similar personal and environmental factors, acculturation and psychological wellbeing occurred separately. The study highlights the significance of certain personal resources and social support.

Examining spirituality and intrinsic religious orientation as a means of coping with exam anxiety

Spirituality and religiosity have traditionally had a troubled relationship with psychology. However, a new field of study has emerged that is examining the health benefits of spirituality and religion. The current study examined the relationship between spirituality, religiosity and coping among a group of university students facing exams. Participants completed the Spiritual Well-Being Scale, Age Universal Religious Orientation Scale, Spiritual Transcendence Scale, Brief COPE, Test Anxiety Inventory, and State Trait Anxiety Inventory. Regression analyses found that existential well-being as measured by the Spiritual Well Being Scale was the best predictor of reduced anxiety. Maladaptive coping, however, was found to be inversely related to spirituality and religiosity, but highly predictive of elevated anxiety in this sample. Strengths and limitations of this study along with recommendations for further research are made.

Mildura, Victoria : Aboriginal health promotion short course

The Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation’s (VACCHO) Public Health and Research Unit delivered an Aboriginal Health Promotion Short Course in Mildura in 2009. ----- The VACCHO delivered Aboriginal Health Promotion Short Course included current health promotion theory and practice as it specifically relates to Aboriginal people within Victoria. As Aboriginal people have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, the course specifically addressed risk factors for chronic disease including smoking, physical activity, nutrition and mental health and well-being. Hence, a key part of the course involved participants working in groups to plan a health promotion program for one of the key health issues- smoking, physical activity and nutrition, or spiritual health and wellbeing. The aim is for participants to use these programs in their daily work with Aboriginal clients.

The financial life well-lived: psychological benefits of financial planning

As the financial planning industry undergoes a series of reforms aimed at increased professionalism and improved quality of advice, financial planner training in Australia and elsewhere has begun to acknowledge the importance of interdisciplinary knowledge bases in informing both curriculum design and professoinal practice (e.g. FPA2009). This paper underscores the importance of the process of financial planning by providing a conceptual analysis of the six step financial planning process using key mechanisms derived from theory and research in cognate disciplines such as psychology and well-being. The paper identifies how these mechanisms may operate to impact client well-being in the financial planning context. The conceptual mapping of th emechanisms to process elements of financial planning is a unique contribution to the financial planning literature and offers a further framework in the armamentarium of researchers interested in pursuing questions around the value of financial planning. The conceptual framework derived from the analysis also adds to the growing body of literature aimed at developing an integrated model of financial planning.

Getting there, being there, staying and belonging: a case study of two indigenous Australian children’s transition to school

Indigenous Australians are among the most unhealthy populations in the world and yet they reside in a country where the non-Indigenous population enjoys high standards of well-being. Education has been identified as the key mechanism for closing this equity gap. At school commencement many Indigenous children are already at risk of disengagement. This four-year longitudinal study of two Indigenous boys from a socially marginalised community examined key factors affecting transitional trajectories into school. While child characteristics affected level of achievement the critical factors in sustaining positive educational engagement were social support, school practices, inclusion of family and positive expectation.

Gaming well: Links between videogames and flourishing mental health

This paper is a review of the state of play of research linking videogaming and flourishing, and explores the role of videogames and technology to improve mental health and well-being. Its purpose is to develop understandings about the positive intersection of gaming and well-being, to document evidence regarding links between videogames and positive mental health, and to provide guidelines for use by other researchers as they design and use tools and games to improve mental health and well-being. Using Huppert's (Huppert and So, 2013) proposition that to flourish is more than the absence of mental disorder but rather a combination of feeling good and functioning effectively, resulting in high levels of mental well-being, and Seligman's (Seligman, 2011) PERMA theory of well-being, the paper identifies strengths in existing games that generate positive affect, positive functioning, and positive social functioning, contributing to, and supporting mental health and well-being.

Paediatric death and dying: Exploring coping strategies of health professionals and perceptions of support provision

Without question a child’s death is a devastating event for parents and their families. Health professionals working with the dying child and family draw upon their expertise and experience to engage with children, parents, and families on this painful journey. A delicate and sensitive area of practice, it has strong and penetrating effects on health professionals. They employ physical, emotional, spiritual and problem solving strategies to continue to perform this role effectively and to protect their continued sense of well-being. Aim To explore health professionals’ perceptions of bereavement support surrounding the loss of a child. Methods The research was underpinned by social constructionism. Semi-structured interviews were held with 10 health professionals including doctors, nurses and social workers who were directly involved in the care of the dying child and family in 7 cases of paediatric death. Health professional narratives were analysed consistent with Charmarz’s (2006) approach. Results For health professionals, constructions around coping emerged as peer support, personal coping strategies, family support, physical impact of support and spiritual beliefs . Analysis of the narratives also revealed health professionals’ perceptions of their support provision. Conclusion Health professionals involved in caring for dying children and their families use a variety of strategies to cope with the emotional and physical toll of providing support. They also engage in self-assessment to evaluate their support provision and this highlights the need for self-evaluation tools in paediatric palliative care.