The spillover effects of coworker,supervisor, and outsider workplace incivility on work‐to‐family conflict: A weekly diary design

This study used an experience sampling design to examine the spillover effects of experienced workplace incivility from organizational insiders (coworkers and supervisors, respectively) and organizational outsiders (patients and their visitors) on targets' work‐to‐family conflict and to test the mediating effect of burnout and the moderating effect of display rules. Data collected over five consecutive weeks from 84 full‐time nurses showed that within individuals, weekly experiences of coworker incivility and outsider incivility were positively related to weekly experience of work‐to‐family conflict, and burnout mediated these relationships while controlling for initial level of burnout before participants started a week's work. In addition, display rules, defined as the extent to which individuals perceive they are expected to display desired positive emotions and suppress negative emotions at work, moderated the relationship between outsider incivility and burnout; specifically, the positive relationship between weekly outsider incivility and burnout was stronger for individuals who perceived a higher level of display rules. Our findings contribute to the literature by demonstrating the mediating effect of burnout and the moderating effect of perceived display rules in the relationship between workplace incivility from multiple sources and work‐to‐family conflict from a resource perspective.     

高危岗位矿工工作倦怠影响因素的结构方程模型

为探索高危岗位矿工工作倦怠形成机制,寻求合理的干预对策,在文献研究和实地调研基础上,提出矿工工作倦怠假设模型。采用多阶段分层随机抽样法,对1 800名高危岗位矿工进行问卷调查,并借助结构方程模型(SEM)技术验证假设模型。研究表明:组织管理和角色压力均正向影响工作倦怠,工作特征仅正向影响生理疲乏;社会支持是工作压力源到工作倦怠的中介变量;消极应对是工作压力源到工作倦怠的部分中介变量,其中介效应较社会支持大很多;工作压力源通过影响社会支持再影响应对方式进而正向影响工作倦怠。通过有效干预组织管理和角色压力可减缓工作倦怠。     

Coping patterns as predictors of burnout: The function of control and escapist coping patterns

The paper attempts to bring concepts developed in cognitive approaches to stress and coping to a model which predicts burnout as a function of organizational demands and resources. Workers in a mental hospital (N = 177) provided information regarding coping patterns, burnout, and organizational commitment as well as various demands and resources in the work environment. A LISREL analysis confirmed that burnout is best considered a function of coping patterns as well as a function of organizational demands and resources. Control coping cognitions and actions were associated with decreased burnout, while escapist coping strategies were associated with increased burnout. The analysis indicated relationships of coping patterns with organizational commitment could be operating indirectly through the relationships of both coping patterns and commitment with the burnout. The paper discusses implications of these findings for interventions designed to alleviate or prevent burnout.     

Work-home conflict among nurses and engineers: Mediating the impact of role stress on burnout and satisfaction at work

Using structural equation modeling, this paper compares a more traditional, unmediated model of work-based role stress and its consequences on job satisfaction and burnout to two models in which the role stress-affective work outcome relationship is mediated (partially and completely) by work-home conflict across two samples of public sector professionals: engineers and nurses. The findings indicate that a model in which role conflict and overload have both direct and indirect effects—via work-home conflict—on job burnout and satisfaction (‘Partial Mediation’ model) achieves a better overall ‘fit’ than two alternative models. Furthermore, the findings suggest that while the two groups perceive many aspects of the work-home relationship differently, for both groups, work-based role conflict is an important antecedent of work-home conflict, and increased burnout an important direct consequence of work-home conflict. Finally, on the basis of the findings, the authors conclude that perspectives which view the work and non-work realms as independent must be reconsidered, and that the nature of the work-home relationship may, to a great extent, be contingent upon the way different occupational groups perceive their work situations.     

Occupational stress among health care workers: A test of the job demands-control model

Models of occupational stress have often failed to make explicit the variable of control over the environment, as well as the role of job socialization in shaping personality characteristics and coping behaviours. This neglect has helped maintain the focus of stress reduction interventions on the individual. A new model of occupational stress developed by Robert Karasek incorporates control and socialization effects and has successfully predicted the development of heart disease and psychological strain. A survey instrument derived from the model was distributed to 771 hospital and nursing home employees in New Jersey, and 289 (37.5 per cent) were returned. Respondents did not significantly differ from non-respondents by age, sex, job tenure, union membership status, job satisfaction, job perceptions and attitude towards employer and union. The results support the hypothesis that reported job strain (job dissatisfaction, depression, psychosomatic symptoms) and burnout is significantly higher in jobs that combine high workload demands with low decision latitude. This association remained significant after controlling for age, sex, education, marital status, children, hours worked per week and shift worked. Other job characteristics (job insecurity, physical exertion, social support, hazard exposure) were also associated with strain and burnout. The survey instrument also identified high strain jobtitles in the surveyed workplaces. The results are discussed in relation to directions for future research, research on stress in nursing, and approaches to stress reduction.     

Correlates of burnout among public service lawyers

Several hypotheses suggested by the theoretical literature on burnout were empirically tested in an attempt to identify the organizational conditions associated with employee burnout. Public service lawyers in the U.S. (N= 391) completed a survey designed to assess (a) three components of burnout, namely, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and feelings of low personal accomplishment; (b) perceptions of several job conditions predicted to be associated these three components of burnout, including workload, role conflict, social support, decision-making policies, and autonomy; and (c) organizational commitment. Results indicate that emotional exhaustion is most strongly associated with role conflict and quantitative workload. Feelings of personal accomplishment were associated with supervisory social support and job level. Depersonalization was associated with role conflict and decision-making policies. Finally, each burnout component is significantly related to organizational commitment.     

The role of dispositions,entry stressors,and behavioral plasticity theory in predicting newcomers' adjustment to work

This longitudinal field study examined the combined effects of dispositions, entry stressors, and behavioral plasticity theory in predicting newcomers' adjustment to work after four and 10 months of organizational entry. Recent graduates completed a questionnaire prior to entry that measured two dispositions (negative affectivity and general self‐efficacy), and a questionnaire four months after entry that measured four entry stressors (role conflict, role ambiguity, role overload, and unmet expectations). Measures of work adjustment were taken after four and 10 months. Based on behavioral plasticity theory, it was expected that the effects of the entry stressors would be most negative for the adjustment of newcomers with low general self‐efficacy. Limited support was found for behavioral plasticity theory. Those interactions that were significant indicated that increasing levels of role conflict were associated with lower organizational commitment and identification for newcomers with low general self‐efficacy. The results also provided weak support for a dispositional theory of work adjustment. The dispositions only predicted three of seven adjustment variables at four and 10 months. However, the entry stressors significantly predicted all seven adjustment measures. The results are discussed in terms of the predominant role played by the organizational setting in predicting newcomers' adjustment to work. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The relationship of organizational politics and support to work behaviors,attitudes, and stress

The purpose of this paper is to report two studies that investigated the consequences of organizational politics and organizational support on two separate samples of employees. Study 1 surveys 69 full-time employees, while Study 2's sample includes 185 part-time workers. Four major findings were observed. First, the present studies replicated prior findings concerning the relationships of politics and support to such variables as withdrawal behaviors, turnover intentions, job satisfaction and organizational commitment. In general, politics is related to negative work outcomes while support is related to positive ones. Consistent results were obtained within both the full- and part-time samples. Second, we elaborated upon previous work concerning the relationship of politics and support to job involvement. Third, we found in both samples that politics and support did predict above and beyond each other, suggesting that they should be viewed as separate constructs rather than opposite ends of a single continuum. Lastly, Study 2 extended the research on politics and support by analyzing their relationships to four work stress variables: job tension, somatic tension, general fatigue, and burnout. Each of these four variables was predicted by both politics and support. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Crossover of stress,strain and resources from one spouse to another

The main focus of the study was the crossover of burnout and of coping resources from husbands to wives and vice versa. The study was carried out on 101 couples, male military officers and their wives, who were randomly selected by the Israel Defense Force computer. They filled out questionnaires that measured their level of burnout, job stress, work support, family support concerning work problems, and their sense of control. Findings reveal that the husbands' sense of control and burnout were positively related to the corresponding variables measured for their wives. To establish the crossover effect, the theoretical model was tested by structural equation analysis (LISREL), which showed a positive effect of wives' burnout on husbands' burnout, after controlling for the husbands' own job stress and coping resources. The husbands' burnout likewise affected their wives' burnout. Thus, a crossover of burnout was exhibited from husbands to wives and vice versa. Furthermore, for both sexes, sense of control had the highest impact on their own burnout and on their spouse's burnout, after controlling for their own job stress and resources. Thus, the spouse's sense of control was found to be an additional resistance resource working to the benefit of the other partner. The relevance of these findings to burnout prevention is discussed.     

The role of burnout syndrome as a mediator for the effect of psychosocial risk factors on the intensity of musculoskeletal disorders: a structural equation modeling approach

This study examined the hypothesis that burnout syndrome mediates effects of psychosocial risk factors and intensity of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among hospital nurses. The sample was composed of 415 nurses from various wards across five hospitals of Iran's Hamedan University of Medical Sciences. Data were collected through three questionnaires: job content questionnaire, Maslach burnout inventory and visual analogue scale. Results of structural equation modeling with a mediating effect showed that psychosocial risk factors were significantly related to changes in burnout, which in turn affects intensity of MSDs.     

Burnout and sense of coherence among residential real estate brokers

Burnout is a multidimensional syndrome that occurs primarily in professions where practitioners are subjected to stress associated with direct interpersonal contact with clients. Previous research indicates that working as a real estate broker is a particularly stressful form of work. Considering the potentially harmful effect of burnout on real estate brokers, resulting in a range of negative impacts, it is important to identify those factors emanating from either the individual or their work environment that contribute to this syndrome. The paper presents a study that used a questionnaire survey to determine the individual demographics, work and intrapersonal characteristics that affect burnout in real estate brokers. A sample of 305 real estate brokers was obtained in Western Australia. Hierarchical regression was then employed to identify predictors of burnout (i.e. emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and personal accomplishment) and sense of coherence (SOC). The analysis revealed the following: emotional exhaustion was associated with lower age, higher numbers of hours worked, and lower SOC; higher depersonalisation was associated with lower age and SOC; higher personal accomplishment was associated with a greater number of visits to clients per week, the presence of postgraduate qualification and a high SOC. The results provide insight to guide health promotion for real estate brokers so as to enhance their psychological and physical well-being, thus making a contribution to improving their overall performance levels and effectiveness.     

Structural equation modelling of lower back pain due to whole-body vibration exposure in the construction industry

Whole-body vibration (WBV) exposure is a health hazard among workers, causing lower back pain (LBP) in the construction industry. This study examines key factors affecting LBP due to WBV exposure using exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modelling. The results confirm five key factors (equipment, job related, organizational, personal, social context) with their 17 associated items. The organizational factor is found the most important, as it influences the other four factors. The results also show that appropriate seat type, specific training programme, job rotation, workers’ satisfaction and workers’ physical condition are crucial in reducing LBP due to WBV exposure. Moreover, provision of new machines without proper training and good working condition might not help reduce LBP due to WBV exposure. The results help the construction companies to better understand key factors affecting LBP due to WBV exposure, and to plan for a better health improvement programme.     

The costs,benefits, and limitations of organizational level stress interventions

Models of organizational stress posit that a number of undesirable employee states and behaviors, such as lower levels of well‐being and performance, and higher levels of absence and turnover are caused by organizational stress. It is often suggested that organizational level interventions which aim to reduce stress, such as job redesign, will therefore reduce or eliminate these states and behaviors. This suggestion is, however, based on two unsupportable assertions. The first is that these states and behaviors are caused by organizational stress. While there is some limited evidence for the role of stress, the quality of this evidence is severely compromised by numerous methodological and conceptual problems. The second assertion is that organizational level interventions aimed at changing some of these states and behaviors will actually have an effect, and that these effects will be uniformly positive. However, the available evidence suggests that these interventions often have little or no effect, and where they do have effects, these may be both positive and negative., The implications of this analysis for future work on organizational level stress interventions are discussed. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Shiftwork and department-type related to job stress,work attitudes and behavioral intentions: A study of nurses

The present study examined the relationship of shiftwork and department-type with employees' job stress, stressors, work attitudes and behavioral intention. Data were collected by means of a structured questionnaire from nurses (N = 1148) working in eight hospitals in a large, metropolitan city in eastern Canada. One-way ANOVA, MANOVA and two-way ANOVA were used to analyze data. Results generally support the prediction that nurses working on fixed shifts were better off than nurses working on rotating shifts in terms of the dependent variables of the present study. The prediction that nurses working in non-intensive care departments were better off than nurses working in intensive care departments received mixed support at best. A few interaction effects of shiftwork × department-type on dependent variables were also noted. The impact of socio-demographic variables — age, marital status, cultural background (English- versus French-speaking) — on the above relationships were also analyzed. Results are discussed in light of the previous empirical evidence on shiftwork and department-type.     

Violence breeds violence: burnout as a mediator between patient violence and nurse violence

The present study examines whether patient-perpetrated violence triggers anger, hatred and other negative emotions that, under certain circumstances, might motivate nurses to behave violently with patients. In doing so, this study considers burnout as a mediator in the patient violence–nurse violence relationship. To test the causal paths, data were collected from 182 nurses working in two government-sector teaching hospitals of Pakistan's Punjab province. Results confirm that patient violence toward nurses leads to nurse violence toward patients through the mediating effect of burnout. The study advises hospitals to provide wellness and stress management programs to nurses who regularly experience events involving patient violence. Hospitals may consider allowing nurses to take short breaks after an encounter with violently behaving patients. In addition, hospitals should conduct empathy-promoting training, emotional intelligence training and ‘lens of the patient’ training programs to sensitize their nursing staff.     

Association between perceived demands and musculoskeletal disorders among hospital nurses of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences: a questionnaire survey.

Excessive demands on nurses may result in high rates of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). This study was conducted among hospital nurses of Iran's Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS) to determine the prevalence of MSDs and to examine the relationship between perceived demands and reported MSDs. In this study, 641 randomly selected nurses from 12 SUMS hospitals participated. The Nordic musculoskeletal disorders questionnaire and Job Content Questionnaire were used as collecting data tools. The results showed that 84.4% of the participants had experienced some form of symptoms of MSDs during the past 12 months. Lower back symptoms were found to be the most prevalent problem. Perceived physical demands were significantly associated with MSDs (OR = 1.5-2.7). No association was found between perceived psychological demands and reported symptoms. It was concluded that any intervention program for preventing MSDs among SUMS hospital nurses had to focus on reducing physical demands, particularly excessive postural demands.     

Age group differences in collision risk

Introduction

The purpose of the current study was to examine differences in factors associated with self-reported collision involvement of three age groups of drivers based on a large representative sample of Ontario adults. Method: This study was based on data from the CAMH Monitor, an ongoing cross-sectional telephone survey of Ontario adults 18 years and older from 2002 to 2005. Three age groups were examined: 18-34 (n = 1,294), 35-54 (n = 2,428), and 55+ (n = 1,576). For each age group sample, a logistic regression analysis was conducted of self-reported collision involvement in the last 12 months by risk factor measures of driving exposure (kilometers driven in a typical week, driving is stressful, and driving on busy roads), consuming five or more drinks of alcohol on one occasion (past 12 months), cannabis use (lifetime, and past 12 months), and driving after drinking among drinkers (past 12 months), controlling for demographics (gender, region, income, and marital status). Results: The study identified differences in factors associated with self-reported collision involvement of the three age groups of adult drivers. The logistic regression model for the youngest group revealed that drivers who reported that driving was stressful at least some of the time, drank five or more drinks on an occasion, and drove after drinking had an increased risk of collision involvement. For the middle age group, those who reported using cannabis in the last 12 months had significantly increased odds of reporting collision involvement. None of the risk factor measures showed significant associations with collision risk for older drivers (aged 55+). Impact: The results suggest potential areas for intervention and new directions for future research.     

A detailed analysis of musculoskeletal disorder risk factors among Japanese nurses

INTRODUCTION: Although Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD) represent a common occupational problem, few epidemiological studies have investigated MSD risk factors among Asian nurses, particularly those in Japan. METHOD: We administered a modified Japanese-language version of the Standardized Nordic Questionnaire to 1,162 nurses from a large teaching hospital. MSD categories focused on the neck, shoulder, upper back, and lower back regions. RESULTS: A total of 844 completed questionnaires were analyzed (response rate: 72.6%). The 12-month period-prevalence of MSD at any body site was 85.5%. MSD was most commonly reported at the shoulder (71.9%), followed by the lower back (71.3%), neck (54.7%), and upper back (33.9%). Alcohol consumption, tobacco smoking, and having children were shown to be significant risk factors, with adjusted Odds Ratios of 1.87 (95%CI: 1.17-2.96), 2.45 (95%CI: 1.43-4.35), and 2.53 (95%CI: 1.32-4.91), respectively. Workplace risk factors included manually handling patients (OR: 2.07 to 11.97) and undertaking physically laborious work (OR: 2.09 to 2.76). Nurses reporting pre-menstrual tension were 1.66 and 1.94 times more likely to suffer from lower back and upper back MSD, respectively. High mental pressure was also identified as a significant risk factor for MSD of the neck (OR: 1.53) and shoulder (OR: 2.07). IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: The complex nature of MSD risk factors identified during this study suggests that remediation strategies which focus only on manual handling tasks would probably be suboptimal in reducing MSD among nurses. Therefore, to help alleviate their considerable MSD burden, a greater emphasis will need to be placed on job satisfaction, work organization, and occupational stress, as well as the more traditional hazard reduction strategies such as manual handling, work tasks, and other occupational factors.     

Stress‐related aftermaths to workplace politics: the relationships among politics,job distress,and aggressive behavior in organizations

In light of the growing theoretical and practical interest on organizational politics, especially its probable impact on work outcomes, two stress‐related aftermaths of influence and politics in organizations were examined. On the basis of a model by Ferris, Russ, and Fandt ( 1989b ) the idea was pursued that workplace politics may have a long‐range impact on employees' job distress and aggressive behavior in and around organizations. Three samples (n1 = 155, n2 = 184, n3 = 201) were used to examine direct and indirect/mediating relationships among the research variables. Participants were Israeli employees from the private, public, and third sectors. Findings showed that: (1) job distress was an immediate response to organizational politics across the three types of organization, and (2) job distress proved a possible mediator between organizational politics and aggressive behavior as enacted by the employees themselves. Several theoretical and practical implications of the findings that may extend our knowledge on various stress‐related aftermaths of organizational politics are noted. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ergonomics intervention on an alternative design of a spinal board

Nurses are often obliged to work in a 12-hr shift work system. We have decided to check whether such a working system constitutes an excessive load for nurses. On the basis of a questionnaire survey among nurses working in an 8-hr daytime shift system (169 nurses) and in a 12-hr shift (536 nurses), the amount of physical workload, work stress, and after-work activities were compared. Data analysis has shown that a 12-hr shift system is characterized by less significant physical workload but greater mental load. The nurses working in a 2-shift system were more tired after work, but they could spend more time on leisure activities and do housework. The data suggest that there are no significant contraindications for nurses to work in a 2-shift system.