Validity and reliability of a job factors questionnaire related to the work tasks of physical therapists

Physical therapists engage in work tasks that expose them to occupational risk factors related to musculoskeletal disorders. Due to the gap in the literature on instruments focused on those workers, this study adapted a job factors questionnaire to physical therapists, and assessed its psychometric properties. The questionnaire was adapted and its content validity was established. The psychometric properties were evaluated among 142 physical therapists. Reliability was verified using the temporal-stability design and internal consistency. Construct validity was assessed with the known-groups technique. Test-retest results demonstrated intraclass correlation coefficients between .82 and .90 (p < .001). Cronbach's α of .91 verified the reliability of the questionnaire. The known-groups technique demonstrated a statistically significant difference on the scores of the items when physical therapists were compared to office workers. The results indicated that the adapted questionnaire had acceptable psychometric properties for assessing problematic job factors among physical therapists working in hospitals.     

The impact of mandatory versus voluntary participation in the Alberta ignition interlock program

Research has demonstrated that participation in an interlock program significantly reduces the likelihood of subsequent driving while intoxicated (DWI) convictions at least so long as the interlock device is installed in the vehicle. Despite the growing number of jurisdictions that allow interlock programs and the demonstrated success of these programs, the proportion of DWI offenders who actually have the device installed is minimal. In an effort to increase the proportion of offenders using interlocks, some jurisdictions require offenders to install an interlock as a condition of license reinstatement whereas others merely offer offenders a reduction in the period of hard suspension if they voluntarily participate in an interlock program. The objective of the present study was to determine the extent to which voluntary interlock participants are more or less successful in terms of subsequent recidivism than those for whom interlock program participation has been mandated. The issue was addressed using data from the interlock program in Alberta, Canada, which provides for both mandatory and voluntary participation. The recidivism experience of voluntary and mandatory interlock participants was examined both during and after the period of interlock installation. Cox regression revealed that, after controlling for (or equating) the number of prior DWI offenses, the survival rates of DWI offenders who were ordered to participate in the interlock program did not differ from those of voluntary participants. These results suggest that further use of mandatory interlock programs should be just as successful as voluntary programs when offenders share characteristics with those studied in Alberta.     

An investigation of driver attitudes and behaviour in rural and urban areas in Norway

This study aimed to investigate differences in self-reported driver attitudes and behaviour in rural, peri-urban and urban areas in Norway. Age, gender and education were controlled for. An additional aim was to investigate the relations between demographics, personality variables, driver attitudes and behaviour in the complete sample and across the different geographical areas. To obtain these aims, a questionnaire was distributed by mail to a randomly selected sample from the Norwegian population registry (N = 6203). Of the distributed questionnaires the response rate was 30%. Differences in attitudes and self-reported behaviour were significant due to type of geographical area. However, the results showed that gender, age and education caused stronger differences than type of geographical area in attitudes to driving and driver behaviour. SEM-analysis failed to reject the notion that the strength of the structural relations was similar in the geographical areas. This could imply that demographic characteristics, and their compositions in rural, peri-urban and urban areas, are more important for differences in driver behaviour and attitudes than characteristics of the traffic environment.     

A longitudinal assessment of the determinant relationship between employee commitments to the occupation and the organization

A review of the research literature suggested that occupational commitment may be an antecedent to employees' commitment to the organization. Although several studies have assessed the general relationship between occupational and organizational commitment, none have attempted to establish the causal priority between the two constructs. In the present study, occupational commitment was viewed as a causal antecedent to organizational commitment. Based on longitudinal data from 100 management information systems professionals, this view was supported through cross-lagged analysis. Further, we examined a longitudinal causal model of the turnover process in which occupational commitment was placed as an antecedent to organizational commitment. Structural equation analysis supported the fit of this model to the data. Implications of the findings are discussed.