Arbeitsbezogene Ressourcen, Stressoren und Beanspruchung bei klinischen und nicht-klinischen Personen

Trotz einer zunehmenden Relevanz psychischer Erkrankungen im Gesundheitssystem und einer bedeutenden psychosozialen Funktion der Arbeit gibt es bisher wenige Studien, die sich explizit einer Untersuchung des Zusammenhangs von psychischer Erkrankung und Arbeitsplatzproblemen widmen. Noch weniger Befunde gibt es zu einem Vergleich von klinischen und nicht-klinischen Personen bezüglich arbeitsrelevanter Faktoren. In der hier vorliegenden Studie erfolgte erstmals eine Überprüfung der Karasek-Modelle gleichzeitig an klinischen und nicht-klinischen Personen. Insgesamt nahmen 160 Personen an der Studie teil, jeweils 40 befanden sich in stationärer bzw. ambulanter psychotherapeutischer Behandlung; zu all diesen Personen wurden insgesamt 80 nicht-klinische Personen untersucht, die der Patientenstichprobe in Beruf, Geschlecht und Alter glichen. Alle Personen gaben Auskunft per Fragebogen und berichteten in einem etwa einstündigen Interview von Stressoren und Ressourcen am Arbeitsplatz. Diese Untersuchung ergab, dass sich die Arbeitsplatzprobleme klinischer Personen in der Qualität nicht von denen nicht-klinischer Personen unterschieden, jedoch berichteten klinische Personen eine höhere Anzahl an Arbeitsplatzproblemen. Die positiven Faktoren am Arbeitsplatz unterschieden sich weder qualitativ noch quantitativ zwischen klinischen und nicht-klinischen Personen. Die klinischen Personen setzten häufiger ungünstige Stressverarbeitungsstrategien ein und zeigten teilweise einen ungünstigeren Umgang mit der Arbeit. In der Gesamtstichprobe gelang eine Bestätigung des Job-Demand-Control-Modells sowie des Job-Demand-Control-Support-Modells (ohne Interaktionseffekte); Personen mit geringer Kontrolle, hohen Anforderungen und geringer sozialer Unterstützung am Arbeitsplatz wiesen die höchsten Erschöpfungswerte auf (38.8% der Varianz der Erschöpfungswerte konnte so erklärt werden). Innerhalb der klinischen Stichprobe und bei Personen mit hoher Internalität erbrachten die Modelle höhere Vorhersageleistungen, mögliche Ursachen werden diskutiert. Die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit gehen über bisherige Befunde hinaus. Sie unterstreichen die Wichtigkeit der Berücksichtigung arbeitsrelevanter Faktoren in der Psychotherapie und unterstützen die aktuelle Entwicklung der zunehmenden gesundheitsrelevanten Hilfsangebote für Arbeitnehmer (z.B. Coaching-Sitzungen) in großen Unternehmen.

Effects of traffic loads on reinforced concrete railroad culverts

In the context of the present conference paper culverts are defined as an opening or conduit passing through an embankment usually for the purpose of conveying water or providing safe pedestrian and animal crossings under rail infrastructure. The clear opening of culverts may reach values of up to 12m however, values around 3m are encountered much more frequently. Depending on the topography, the number of culverts is about 10 times that of bridges. In spite of this, their dynamic behavior has received far less attention than that of bridges. The fundamental frequency of culverts is considerably higher than that of bridges even in the case of short span bridges. As the operational speed of modern high-speed passenger rail systems rises, higher frequencies are excited and thus more energy is encountered in frequency bands where the fundamental frequency of box culverts is located. Many research efforts have been spent on the subject of ballast instability due to bridge resonance, since it was first observed when high-speed trains were introduced to the Paris/Lyon rail line. To prevent this phenomenon from occurring, design codes establish a limit value for the vertical deck acceleration. Obviously one needs some sort of numerical model in order to estimate this acceleration level and at that point things get quite complicated. Not only acceleration but also displacement values are of interest e.g. to estimate the impact factor. According to design manuals the structural design should consider the depth of cover, trench width and condition, bedding type, backfill material, and compaction. The same applies to the numerical model however, the question is: What type of model is appropriate for this job? A 3D model including the embankment and an important part of the soil underneath the culvert is computationally very expensive and hard to justify taking into account the associated costs. Consequently, there is a clear need for simplified models and design rules in order to achieve reasonable costs. This paper will describe the results obtained from a 2D finite element model which has been calibrated by means of a 3D model and experimental data obtained at culverts that belong to the high-speed railway line that links the two towns of Segovia and Valladolid in Spain

Effect of economic recession on psychosocial working conditions by workers' nationality

Background: Several publications have documented the effects of economic recessions on health. However, little is known about how economic recessions influence working conditions, especially among vulnerable workers. Objective: To explore the effects of 2008 economic crisis on the prevalence of adverse psychosocial working conditions among Spanish and foreign national workers. Methods: Data come from the 2007 and 2011 Spanish Working Conditions Surveys. Survey year, sociodemographic, and occupational information were independent variables and psychosocial factors exposures were dependent variables. Analyses were stratified by nationality (Spanish versus foreign). Prevalence and adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) of psychological job demands, job control, job social support, physical demands and perceived job insecurity were estimated using Poisson regression. Results: The Spanish population had higher risk of psychological and physical job demand (aPR = 1.07, 95% CI = [1.04–1.10] and aPR = 1.05, 95% CI = [1.01–1.09], respectively) in 2011 compared to 2007. Among both Spanish and foreign national workers, greater aPR were found for job loss in 2011 compared to 2007 (aPR = 2.47, 95% CI = [2.34–2.60]; aPR = 2.44, 95% CI = [2.15–2.77], respectively). Conclusion: The 2008 economic crisis was associated with a significant increase in physical demands in Spanish workers and increased job insecurity for both Spanish and foreign workers.

Implementing the Next Generation Science Standards: How Instructional Coaches Mediate Standards-Based Educational Reforms to Teacher Practice

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-06

The moderating role of individual differences in the relation between transformational/transactional leadership perceptions and organizational identification

In this study, we examined the relationship between transformational/transactional leadership perceptions and organizational identification and further explored the moderating role of individual difference variables, such as separateness-connectedness self-schema, and positive and negative affectivity. Data from 502 services employees indicated significant positive effects of transformational and transactional leadership perceptions on organizational identification. Regarding the moderating role of individual differences, our data showed that the positive relationship of transformational leadership and organizational identification was stronger for individuals of low positive affectivity as well as for employees of high negative affectivity. In addition, results indicated that transactional leadership had a stronger positive effect on organizational identification for individuals characterized by a connected self-schema. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Perceptions of organizational change: A stress and coping perspective

Few organizational change studies identify the aspects of change that are salient to individuals and that influence well-being. The authors identified three distinct change characteristics: the frequency, impact and planning of change. R. S. Lazarus and S. Folkman's (1984) cognitive phenomenological model of stress and coping was used to propose ways that these change characteristics influence individuals' appraisal of the uncertainty associated with change, and, ultimately, job satisfaction and turnover intentions. Results of a repeated cross-sectional study that collected individuals' perceptions of change one month prior to employee attitudes in consecutive years indicated that while the three change perceptions were moderately to strongly intercorrelated, the change perceptions displayed differential relationships with outcomes. Discussion focuses on the importance of systematically considering individuals' subjective experience of change.

How innovation can alleviate negative consequences of demanding work contexts:The influence of climate for innovation on organizational outcomes

This study examines climate for innovation as a method by which negative organizational consequences of demanding work may be lessened. It was expected that a climate for innovation would enable employees to develop coping mechanisms or improved work-related processes which counteract negative consequences of work demands. Extending the job demands-resource model (Karasek, 1979), we predicted and found that among the sample of 22,696 respondents from 131 healthcare organizations, organizational climate for innovation alleviated the negative effects of work demands on organizational performance. Thus, this study informs climate theories and guides practitioners' efforts to support the employees. © 2007 The British Psychological Society.

Are HRM practices related with patient mortality in NHS hospitals?:A study examining the underlying reasons for such an association

This thesis will report details of two studies conducted within the National Health Service in the UK that examined the association between HRM practices related to training and appraisal with health outcomes within NHS Trusts. Study one represents the organisational analysis of 61 NHS Trusts, and will report training and appraisal practices were significantly associated with lower patient mortality. Specifically, the research will show significantly lower patient mortality within NHS Trusts that: a) had achieved Investors in People accreditation; b) had a formal strategy document relating to training; c) had tailored training policy documents across occupational groups; d) had integrated training and appraisal practices; e) had a high percentage of staff receiving either an appraisal or updated personal development plan. There was also evidence of an additive effect where NHS Trusts that displayed more of these characteristics had significantly lower patient mortality. Study one in this thesis will also report significantly lower patient mortality within the NHS Trusts where there was broad level representation for the HR function. Study two will report details of a study conducted to examine the potential reasons why HR practices may be related to hospital performance. Details are given of the results of a staff attitudinal survey within five NHS Trusts. This study examined will show that a range of developmental activity, the favourability of the immediate work environment (in relation to social support and role stressors) and motivational outcomes are important antecedents to citizenship behaviours. Furthermore, the thesis will report that principles of the demand-control model were adopted to examine the relationship between workplace support and role stressors, and workplace support, influence, and an understanding of role expectation help mitigate against the negative effects of work demands upon motivational outcomes.

From ideal to real:a longitudinal study of the role of implicit leadership theories on leader-member exchanges and employee outcomes

The results of the present longitudinal study demonstrate the importance of implicit leadership theories (ILTs) for the quality of leader-member exchanges (LMX) and employees' organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and well-being. Results based on a sample of 439 employees who completed the study questionnaires at 2 time points showed that the closer employees perceived their actual manager's profile to be to the ILTs they endorsed, the better the quality of LMX. Results also indicated that the implicit-explicit leadership traits difference had indirect effects on employee attitudes and well-being. These findings were consistent across employee groups that differed in terms of job demand and the duration of manager-employee relation, but not in terms of motivation. Furthermore, crossed-lagged modeling analyses of the longitudinal data explored the possibility of reciprocal effects between implicit-explicit leadership traits difference and LMX and provided support for the initially hypothesized direction of causal effects.

Gesundheitsrisiken bei Unternehmern

An einer Studie zum Zusammenhang zwischen der Gesundheit von Unternehmern, deren Arbeitsmerkmalen und deren Erfolg nahmen 53 klein- und mittelständische Unternehmer teil. Erfasste Arbeitsmerkmale waren: Handlungs-/Entscheidungsspielraum, Arbeitsintensität, Arbeitszeit, Konkurrenzdruck und Prognose über die Auftragsentwicklung. Der Unternehmenserfolg wurde über das Mitarbeiterwachstum, die Möglichkeit des Unternehmers, von seiner Firma abwesend zu sein (Urlaubstage), und dem erlebten Unternehmenserfolg operationalisiert. Gesundheitsindikatoren waren Depression, Angst, vitale Erschöpfung, Schlafstörungen und Bluthochdruck. Im Vergleich zur Gesamtbevölkerung wiesen die Unternehmer in allen untersuchten Gesundheitsvariablen häufiger Beeinträchtigungen auf. Regressionsanalysen ergaben, dass lange Arbeitszeiten und Konkurrenzdruck mit einer verzögerten Rückstellung des systolischen Blutdrucks (SBD) in der Freizeit und Nacht einhergingen. Alle untersuchten Erfolgsmerkmale waren für die Gesundheit prädiktiv. So war Mitarbeiterwachstum negativ mit dem SBD während der Arbeit sowie Schlafstörungen assoziiert. Je mehr Unternehmenserfolg erlebt wurde, desto geringer waren die Werte für vitale Erschöpfung und Depression. Die Urlaubsdauer war negativ mit Angst und vitaler Erschöpfung korreliert. Insgesamt hatte von den Arbeitsmerkmalen nur die Dauer der Arbeitszeit einen Effekt auf die Gesundheit von Unternehmern. Daneben existieren aber offensichtlich weitere Faktoren, die mit der Unternehmergesundheit in Beziehung stehen. Dies sind neben dem Konkurrenzdruck am Markt insbesondere Indikatoren des Unternehmenserfolgs. The relationship between health and workload as well as entrepreneurial success was analyzed in 53 entrepreneurs. Workload data (decision latitude, job demand, working time, competition, market development) were determined by using structured interviews and Karasek's job content questionnaire. Firm success was operationalized by employee growth, the possibility of absence from the company (days of holiday), and perceived success. Health was measured by questionnaires for sleep disturbances, vital exhaustion, depression, and anxiety, and by 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Regression analyses showed that working time and strength of competition within the market were predictive for systolic blood pressure (SBP) during leisure time and night, but not during work. All variables measuring entrepreneurial success were predictive for health. Employee growth was related to decreasing SBP during work and to fewer sleep disturbances. The duration of holidays was negatively related to vital exhaustion and anxiety. Perceived company success was negatively related to depression and vital exhaustion. In conclusion, only the relationship between working time and bad health conformed to findings reported for the relationship between work and health in employees. However, there were additional indicators, especially indicators of competition and entrepreneurial success, that affected the health of entrepreneurs.

Leadership and organisational outcomes in healthcare

This research examined to what extent and how leadership is related to organisational outcomes in healthcare. Based on the Job Demands-Resource model, a set of hypotheses was developed, which predicted that the effect of leadership on healthcare outcomes would be mediated by job design, employee engagement, work pressure, opportunity for involvement, and work-life balance. The research focused on the National Health Service (NHS) in England, and examined the relationships between senior leadership, first line supervisory leadership and outcomes. Three years of data (2008 – 2010) were gathered from four data sources: the NHS National Staff Survey, the NHS Inpatient Survey, the NHS Electronic Record, and the NHS Information Centre. The data were drawn from 390 healthcare organisations and over 285,000 staff annually for each of the three years. Parallel mediation regressions modelled both cross sectional and longitudinal designs. The findings revealed strong relationships between senior leadership and supervisor support respectively and job design, engagement, opportunity for involvement, and work-life balance, while senior leadership was also associated with work pressure. Except for job design, there were significant relationships between the mediating variables and the outcomes of patient satisfaction, employee job satisfaction, absenteeism, and turnover. Relative importance analysis showed that senior leadership accounted for significantly more variance in relationships with outcomes than supervisor support in the majority of models tested. Results are discussed in relation to theoretical and practical contributions. They suggest that leadership plays a significant role in organisational outcomes in healthcare and that previous research may have underestimated how influential senior leaders may be in relation to these outcomes. Moreover, the research suggests that leaders in healthcare may influence outcomes by the way they manage the work pressure, engagement, opportunity for involvement and work-life balance of those they lead.

"Minimálbér-paradoxon" versenyzői munkaerőpiacon? ("Minimum-wage paradox" in a competitive labour market? Lessons from an experimental line of thought)

A versenyzői munkaerőpiac hagyományos kereslet-kínálati modellje az egyensúlyi bérszintet meghaladó minimálbér következményeként az egyensúlyi bérszint mellettinél alacsonyabb foglalkoztatást jósol; minél magasabb a minimálbér, annál alacsonyabbat. Empirikus vizsgálatok szerint ugyanakkor a minimálbér-emelés nem feltétlenül csökkenti a foglalkoztatást - ezt nevezik minimálbér-paradoxonnak -, ami legkézenfekvőbben a munkáltatók munkaerő-piaci monopszonerejével látszik magyarázhatónak. Ezzel szemben az a gondolatkísérlet, amelyről ez a cikk beszámol, általánosabb érvényű, versenyzői munkaerőpiacot feltételező magyarázat kidolgozására irányul. / === / In the conventional textbook demand/supply model of competitive labour markets, the introduction of a minimum wage above market-clearing level must reduce employment. Empirical findings suggest, however, that this may not always be the case, a finding most readily explained by monopsonistic competition in the labour market. The experimental line of thought reported here explores an alternative root, interpreting the "minimum-wage paradox" as the outcome of a competitive labour market that displays friction.

Mellanchefers upplevelser av psykosocial arbetsmiljö inom distributions- och logistikverksamhet – en pendling mellan hög aktivitet och låg stress?

Forskarnas genuina intresse för den psykosociala arbetsmiljön med koppling mellanchefer gav upphov till att dyka djupare inom området och belysa centrala delar i form av krav, kontroll och socialt stöd. Framåtskridandet går mot en ökad medvetenhet kring den psykosociala arbetsmiljön, då ohälsan i arbetslivet ökar och Arbetsmiljöverkets nya föreskrift om organisatorisk och social arbetsmiljö är i fokus. I linje med en ökad medvetenhet som sker kring den psykosociala arbetsmiljön vill vi rikta ett särskilt fokus till mellanchefer som bör ha en förmåga att hantera krav både uppifrån och ned. Studien har främst utgått från Robert Karaseks och Töres Theorells Krav – kontroll – stödmodellen. Syftet är att undersöka mellanchefers upplevelse med fokus på den psykosociala arbetsmiljön i ett privat företag inom distributions- och logistikverksamhet. Metoden har bestått av en kvalitativ metod i form av en fallstudie där semistrukturerade intervjuer ligger som grund med åtta respondenter ifrån distributionscentret. Resultatet uppvisar att mellancheferna har en hög grad av inflytande, upplevelsen av arbetskrav varierar men i koppling till befattningen är kraven rimliga. Det sociala stödet upplevs som bra på arbetsplatsen och anses av funktionscheferna som en viktig och central del i arbetet. Slutsatser som har uppnåtts är att funktionscheferna har rimliga krav och upplever en bra nivå av kontroll i arbetet, men att ha en alltför hög kontroll i arbetet kan leda till negativ stress. En balans i pendlingen mellan aktiva arbeten och lågstressarbeten anses vara en fördel för att bevara en god psykosocial arbetsmiljö. Detta för att motverka de negativa effekterna som kan uppstå av att befinna sig inom varje komponent för länge. I studien har det påvisats att företaget anses ha en god psykosocial arbetsmiljö och därmed kan ses som ett gott exempel i arbetslivet.

Dette publique, développement monétaire international et demande de monnaie : une analyse à partir des tests de cointégration et du modèle à correction d'erreurs

Résumé : Ce document examine l'effet de la dette publique et du développement monétaire étranger (taux de change et taux d'intérêt étranger) sur la demande de monnaie de long-terme. Le déficit budgétaire est utilisé comme mesure de la dette publique. Cette étude est menée sur cinq pays industrialisés: le Canada, les États-Unis, l'Allemagne, le Royaume-Uni et la France. Le modèle multivarié de cointégration de Johansen & Juselius (1990) est utilisé pour établir le lien entre ces trois variables et la demande de monnaie. Ce modèle examine indirectement deux effets: les effets du déficit budgétaire sur le taux d'intérêt et du développement monétaire étranger sur le taux d'intérêt, à travers la demande de monnaie. L'évidence d'une relation de cointégration entre la demande de monnaie et les dites variables est vérifiée pour la plupart de ces pays. Le test d'exclusion des variables de la relation de long-terme nous révèle que toutes ces variables entrent de façon significative dans la relation de cointégration. Ces résultats suggèrent donc aux autorités monétaires, l'importance de tenir compte à la fois du déficit bugétaire et du développement monétaire étranger dans la formulation de la politique monétaire.||Abstract : This paper examines the impact of both public debt and foreign monetary developments (exchange rate and interest rate) on the long-run money demand. The budget déficit is used as a measure of public debt. Five industrial countries are considered, Canada, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and France. The multivariate cointegration model of Johansen & Juselius (1990) is used to establish the relationship between this tree variables and the money demand. This model indirectly examines two effects, the effect of budget déficits on interest rates and the effect of foreign monetary developments on the interest rates, both through money demand. Evidence of long-run relationship between the money demand and the defined variables are found for almost every country. The long-run exclusion test shows that ail these variables significantly enter into the cointegration relation. This suggests that, in formulating monetary policies, policy makers should take into account the influence of both budget déficit and foreign monetary developments on the money demand.

Psychosocial and occupational risk perception among health care workers: a Moroccan multicenter study.

International audience