Processes of task performance as measured by the assessment of motor and process skills (AMPS): a predictor of work-related outcomes for adults with schizophrenia?

Objective: To determine whether the processes of task performance as measured by the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS) would discriminate between the employment levels of adults with schizophrenia. Participants: Twenty adults with schizophrenia who were engaged either in competitive employment, supported employment, prevocational training, or nonvocational activities, participated in this exploratory study. Methods: Each participant completed the AMPS, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Addiction Severity Index (ASI), and theWorker Role Interview (WRI) to gather data about their occupational performance, symptoms, drug / alcohol use, and psychosocial / environmental factors that might influence their work related outcomes. Results: Analysis revealed a moderate correlation between the level of employment and the global scores of the process skills scale in the AMPS. Conclusions: This should be seen as preliminary evidence that beyond the basic cognitive functions, processes of task performance may also be a predictor of work related outcomes for this population. The results also highlighted the importance of considering personal causation and worker roles when assessing the work capacities of these clients. Finally, findings supported the four levels of employment used in this study, which appeared to form a continuum from nonvocational activities, prevocational training, supported employment, through to competitive employment.

Personality and the effort-reward imbalance model of stress : individual differences in reward sensitivity

The Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) model comprises both situational components (i.e. effort and reward) and a person-specific component (overcommitment). The aims of this study were to investigate the role of theoretically and historically linked personality variables (i.e. overcommitment and Type A personality) within the ERI model and to expand and extend the ERI model by investigating the contribution of individual reward components to both psychological (i.e. psychological distress) and attitudinal (i.e. affective commitment) employee strain indicators. A total of 897 police officers from a large Australian police agency participated in the study. The results provided no evidence of an interaction effect of effort or reward with overcommitment. The Type A variables did, however, make significant contributions and were involved in a number of interactions, suggesting that the person-specific component of the ERI model could be extended with the Type A personality profile. The findings also suggest that the esteem component of reward has the greatest relevance to employee outcomes, although tangible aspects of reward are more likely to act as a buffer of perceived work demand.

Use of motivational interviewing to improve return-to-work and work-related outcomes: a review

Work-based return-to-work (RTW) interventions can help to reduce the duration and cost of work disability, and in turn, prevent the negative effects of long-term sickness absence. However, there are a number of complex cognitive, affective and behavioural factors that can impact an individual's confidence, motivation and willingness to RTW that need to be addressed to facilitate effective outcomes. This literature review investigates evidence for the use of motivational interviewing (MI) for improving return-to-work (RTW) and employment outcomes. Whilst evidence for the efficacy of MI in clinical settings to motivate health behaviour change is strong, more research is needed to determine whether MI can be usefully applied to improve RTW and other work-related outcomes. © 2014 The Author(s).

Lack of seasonal and moult-related stress modulation in an opportunistically breeding bird: the white-plumed honeyeater (Lichenostomus penicillatus).

In most vertebrate species, glucocorticoid levels and stress sensitivity vary in relation to season and life-history stage. In birds, baseline corticosterone (CORT) and stress sensitivity are typically highest while breeding and decrease substantially during moult. Because elevated CORT adversely affects protein synthesis, moult-related CORT suppression is thought to be necessary for forming high-quality feathers. Surprisingly, some passerine species lack moult-related CORT suppression, but these are distinguished by having slow rates of moult and being opportunistic breeders. We examined baseline and stress-induced CORT levels in an opportunistically breeding Australian passerine, the white-plumed honeyeater (Lichenostomus penicillatus). Although this species has a slower moult rate than high-latitiude breeders, it differs little from north-temperate passerines. Neither baseline nor stress-induced CORT levels varied with season (winter, spring or summer), sex or moult status in adult birds. While breeding tended to be highest in early spring through late summer, laparotomies revealed only limited reduction in testicular size in males the year round. In all but one sampling period, at least some females displayed follicular hierarchy. Breeding usually coincides with outbreaks of phytophagous insects, which can happen at any time of the year. This results in moult/breeding overlap when infestations occur in late spring or summer. The ability of this species to moult and breed at the same time while having breeding-levels of CORT demonstrates that CORT suppression is not a prerequisite for synthesis of high-quality feathers. An experimental design incorporating moulting and non-moulting phenotypes is suggested to test the functional significance of CORT suppression in other species.

The construct validity of the work-related flow inventory in a sample of Australian workers

The purpose of this study was to examine the construct validity of the WOrk-reLated Flow inventory (WOLF; Bakker, 2008). This instrument was administered to 711 men and women who were working in Queensland, Australia. The results from the confirmatory factor analysis showed that the WOLF has moderately acceptable construct validity, with the three-factor model being a borderline fit to the data. Tests of the convergent validity of the WOLF yielded satisfactory results. However, the analysis of the discriminant validity of the WOLF showed that the instrument poorly discriminated between work enjoyment and intrinsic work motivation. Follow-up exploratory factor analysis, using recommended procedures for determining the number of factors to extract, revealed a two-factor solution, with the work enjoyment and intrinsic work motivation items loading on the same factor. Drawing on literature on psychological flow and motivation, as well as the findings of the present study, questions are raised over the adequacy of the conceptual basis of the three-factor model of work-related flow, the discriminant validity of the WOLF subscales, and the appropriateness of the wording of several of this measure's items. Using alternative methods and measures to investigate flow in work settings is recommended.

Occupational stress and job satisfaction in media personnel assigned to the Iraq War (2003)

This paper investigates occupational stressors amongst media personnel assigned to work on covering the Iraq War via interviews with 54 journalists from the BBC and Reuters, who worked in Iraq between February and April 2003. A range of stressors were identified that could be categorized into three main themes, control over the situation, support from management and grief from the death of colleagues. Journalists not embedded with military units were more likely to report negative physical and emotional health outcomes. The study concludes that hazardous work environments do not, by themselves, cause stress and poor job satisfaction. Rather, organizational factors, the imbalance between the ability to make decisions about how to carry out their job effectively and the perceived rewards of working in such environments appear to have a greater impact on work related stress.

Association between distressing non-work-related events and occupational injuries

The following is a report on a case-control study whose objective was to investigate the association between distressing non-work-related events and occupational injures. Ninety three injured workers (cases) were matched with 372 non-injured controls in a large metallurgical factory in southeastern Brazil. Exposure to distressing non-work-related events was measured through a questionnaire focusing on situations pertaining to personal problems unrelated to work activities. The data were analyzed by adjusting a conditional logistic regression model, where occurrence of the work injury was the dependent dichotomous variable and answers from the questionnaire were independent continuous variables. The analysis showed an association between some distressing non-work-related events and occupational injuries. These findings imply expanding the horizon of preventive measures used in targeting. work injuries which have traditionally been focused on the control of strictly workplace risks.

Fraction of work-related accidents attributable to occupational noise in the city of Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil

Background: Noise is the most common agent of occupational exposure. It may induce both auditory and extraauditory dysfunction and increase the risk of work accidents. The purpose of this study was to estimate the fraction of accidents attributable to noise occupational exposure in a mid-size city located in southeastern Brazil. Materials and Methods: In this population case-control study, which included 108 cases and 324 controls, the incidence rate ratio of work accidents controlled for several covariables was obtained by classifying occupational noise exposure into three levels, as well as determining the prevalence in each level. Results: Based on these data, the attributable fraction was estimated as 0.6391 (95 CI = 0.2341-0.3676), i.e., 63 of the work accidents that took place in the study site were statistically associated with occupational noise exposure. Discussion: The causes of this association as well as its implications in the prevention of work accidents are discussed.

Intraosseous foreign-body granuloma in the mandible subsequent to a 20-year-old work-related accident

The purpose of this article was to describe the clinical and microscopic features of an intraosseous foreign-body granuloma in the mandible that developed after the traumatic implantation of metal fragments during a work-related accident. A 65-year-old male patient had a severe pain in the body of mandible. Clinical examination showed facial asymmetry and a scar, extending to the left mental region. Intraoral examination revealed a soft mass involving the left alveolar bone with normal appearance of the mucosa surface. Panoramic radiographs showed a radiolucent lesion along the mandible extending from the central incisive to the first molar. Computed tomography revealed an osteolytic mass in the same area. His medical history included a work-related accident twenty years prior to evaluation. During the biopsy an important amount of bright metal-like pieces surrounded by soft tissue were found. A microscopic examination showed a foreign body associated with an aggregation of multinucleated giant cells. The final diagnosis was a foreign body granuloma. Even though foreign-body granulomas in the mandible are rare lesions, dentists should be familiar with their features and include them in the differential diagnosis of tissue masses.