Validation of the German version of the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale and its relation to orientations to happiness and work stress

Career adapt-ability has recently gained momentum as a psychosocial construct that not only has much to offer the field of career development, but also contributes to positive coping, adjustment and self-regulation through the four dimensions of concern, control, curiosity and confidence. The positive psychology movement, with concepts such as the orientations to happiness, explores the factors that contribute to human flourishing and optimum functioning. This research has two main contributions; 1) to validate a German version of the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale (CAAS), and 2) to extend the contribution of adapt-abilities to the field of work stress and explore its mediating capacity in the relation between orientations to happiness and work stress. We used a representative sample of the German-speaking Swiss working population including 1204 participants (49.8% women), aged between 26 and 56 (Mage = 42.04). Results indicated that the German version of the CAAS is valid, with overall high levels of model fit suggesting that the conceptual structure of career adapt-ability replicates well in this cultural context. Adapt-abilities showed a negative relationship to work stress, and a positive one with orientations to happiness. The engagement and pleasure scales of orientations to happiness also correlated negatively with work stress. Moreover, career adapt-ability mediates the relationship between orientations to happiness and work stress. In depth analysis of the mediating effect revealed that control is the only significant mediator. Thus control may be acting as a mechanism through which individuals attain their desired life at work subsequently contributing to reduced stress levels.

The relation of body mass index and abdominal adiposity with dyslipidemia in 27 general populations of the WHO MONICA Project.

The association between adiposity measures and dyslipidemia has seldom been assessed in a multipopulational setting. 27 populations from Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Canada (WHO MONICA project) using health surveys conducted between 1990 and 1997 in adults aged 35-64 years (n = 40,480). Dyslipidemia was defined as the total/HDL cholesterol ratio >6 (men) and >5 (women). Overall prevalence of dyslipidemia was 25% in men and 23% in women. Logistic regression showed that dyslipidemia was strongly associated with body mass index (BMI) in men and with waist circumference (WC) in women, after adjusting for region, age and smoking. Among normal-weight men and women (BMI<25 kg/m(2)), an increase in the odds for being dyslipidemic was observed between lowest and highest WC quartiles (OR = 3.6, p < 0.001). Among obese men (BMI ≥ 30), the corresponding increase was smaller (OR = 1.2, p = 0.036). A similar weakening was observed among women. Classification tree analysis was performed to assign subjects into classes of risk for dyslipidemia. BMI thresholds (25.4 and 29.2 kg/m(2)) in men and WC thresholds (81.7 and 92.6 cm) in women came out at first stages. High WC (>84.8 cm) in normal-weight men, menopause in women and regular smoking further defined subgroups at increased risk. standard categories of BMI and WC, or their combinations, do not lead to optimal risk stratification for dyslipidemia in middle-age adults. Sex-specific adaptations are necessary, in particular by taking into account abdominal obesity in normal-weight men, post-menopausal age in women and regular smoking in both sexes.

De la relation pharmaciens-usagers : reconfigurations et négociations dans une pharmacie suisse

À partir d'entretiens et d'observations réalisés dans une pharmacie de garde de Suisse romande, cette étude explore les relations que les pharmaciens d'officine entretiennent avec les usagers. Dans un contexte de démocratisation des savoirs relatifs à la santé, l'enquête effectuée montre que cette relation se reconfigure, selon la nature du problème de santé, au profit d'une plus grande autonomie des usagers. En effet, dans certaines situations, les usagers peuvent exprimer le désir de se passer de la compétence du pharmacien. Mais, dans d'autres circonstances, bien que s'efforçant de s'adapter aux demandes des usagers, les professionnels peuvent réaffirmer leur autorité d'expert si le problème soulevé ou les médicaments désirés nécessitent plus de vigilance. La relation pharmacien-usager oscille donc dans une négociation constante selon la marge de manoeuvre dont, dans une situation donnée, les uns et les autres disposent.

Quantification of the relation between surface morphodynamics and subsurface sedimentological product in sandy braided rivers

This study uses digital elevation models and ground-penetrating radar to quantify the relation between the surface morphodynamics and subsurface sedimentology in the sandy braided South Saskatchewan River, Canada. A unique aspect of the methodology is that both digital elevation model and ground-penetrating radar data were collected from the same locations in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007, thus enabling the surface morphodynamics to be tied explicitly to the associated evolving depositional product. The occurrence of a large flood in 2005 also allowed the influence of discharge to be assessed with respect to the processproduct relationship. The data demonstrate that the morphology of the study reach evolved even during modest discharges, but more extensive erosion was caused by the large flood. In addition, the study reach was dominated by compound bars before the flood, but switched to being dominated by unit bars during and after the flood. The extent to which the subsurface deposits (the product') were modified by the surface morphodynamics (the process') was quantified using the changes in radar-facies recorded in sequential ground-penetrating radar surveys. These surveys reveal that during the large flood there was an increase in the proportion of facies associated with bar margin accretion and larger dunes. In subsequent years, these facies became truncated and replaced with facies associated with smaller dune sets. This analysis shows that unit bars generally become truncated more laterally than vertically and, thus, they lose the high-angle bar margin deposits and smaller scale bar-top deposits. In general, the only fragments that remain of the unit bars are dune sets, thus making identification of the original unit barform problematic. This novel data set has implications for what may ultimately become preserved in the rock record.

Equipes infirmières somatiques et infirmier psychiatrique de liaison: la question de la relation soignant/soigné

Deux ans après la création du poste d'infirmier au Service de Psychiatrie de Liaison du CHUV à Lausanne, nous proposons de faire le constat de nos réflexions issues de cette nouvelle pratique. Nous voulons, en portant un regard extérieur sur les équipes infirmières, définir notre implication au sujet des difficultés relationnelles qu'elles peuvent rencontrer auprès d'un malade. Nous constatons que ce vécu difficile peut être influencé par des facteurs de stress liés au contexte des soins somatiques aigus, ceux-ci se surajoutant à une problématique relationnelle ou psychiatrique. Nous postulons que la position double du rôle de l'infirmier psychiatrique de liaison, que nous définissons dans cet article, (infirmier tiers pour les équipes infirmières, et infirmier "spécialiste" pour le patient), permet d'offrir des espaces intermédiaires de réflexions quant à une recherche de compréhension d'une relation soignant / soigné et de proposer des outils spécifiques aux équipes infirmières.