An Exploratory Study of Psychological Adjustment and Coping Among Information Technology Personnel in Australia

Practitioners who work with information technology (IT) are reported to be experiencing rising levels of worked related stress. The origins of the stress coming from increasing demands from system users, advances in technology, and the growing use of information and communication technologies to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of intra and inter-organizational business activities. While a considerable amount of research has been undertaken on work-related stress in the information systems literature, a void has appeared and centres on the need to explore how IT personnel cope with stress. The research presented in this paper investigates whether coping and affect (both negative and positive) influence adjustment (anxiety, depression and stress) among IT personnel. A sample of 100 IT personnel from Australia completed a questionnaire, which contained measures for adjustment, affect state, and coping strategies. The use of hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that specific individual characteristics influenced the psychological adjustment of the IT personnel sampled. Information technology personnel who engaged in a more problem-focused style of coping, such as active coping were found to be better adjusted than those who engaged in a more emotionfocused styles of coping, such as cognitive avoidance coping, social coping, accepting responsibility, and self-controlling coping. The research concludes that the psychological adjustment of IT personnel is influenced by the types of coping strategies they use, specific individual demographics, and their affect state

Personality, Occupational Stress and Wellness Among Prison Officers: The Mediating Role of Self Efficacy and Perceived Fairness

The aim of this research is to examine issues confronting prison officers at work: i) the level of wellness, occupational stress, personality, self efficacy and perceived fairness of prison officers, ii) the difference in wellness, personality and occupational stress variables according to prison officers’ gender, age and tenure, iii) the relationship between wellness, personality, occupational stress, perceived fairness and self efficacy variables, iv) self efficacy and perceived fairness as possible mediators and lastly, v) the model fit of prison officers’ wellness. Respondents were 417 prison officers from eight prison locations. Multistage sampling technique consisting of stratified random sampling and simple random sampling was used. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were performed via Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Analysis of Moments Structures (AMOS). Findings of the study indicated that there were significant correlations between variables in the study. There was a significant difference in wellness according to prison officers’ tenure group. There was also a significant difference in occupational stress according to prison officers’ gender. The study also revealed significant differences in prison officers’ personality domains i.e. neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness, according to their gender. Self efficacy and perceived fairness were revealed as mediators. The finding also showed that the model fitted the data after modification. In conclusion, this study had contributed and further enhanced the knowledge about prison officers’ wellness in relation to their personality, occupational stress, self efficacy and perceived fairness specifically in areas pertaining to organizational behavior, and prison management studies in Malaysia

Work and family: bibliography: 1969 - 1994

1994 was designated by the United Nations as International Year of the Family, with the theme for the year as Family: resources and responsibilities in a changing world. The Year of the Family was intended to stimulate international national and local actions to strengthen families as \u27the smallest democracy at the heart of society\u27... ...Edith Cowan University recognised the International Year of the Family by undertaking a range of activities designed to promote discussion and debate. The range of activities recognised the University\u27s role as an educator, employer and community member. This Bibliography represents just one of the activities undertaken by Edith Cowan University in 1994. The majority of adults, including those with dependent children, are now in paid employment, leading to a new partnership in the income-earning tasks of family is emerging. Of particular significance is the increase in women\u27s participation in the paid workforce over the past three decades. This has generated important national and international research contributions, especially in the areas of employment, careers and family life..

The relationship between job performance, job security, organizational support, rewards and job satisfaction among medical doctors in Pakistan

The defense of necessity has traditionally been conceived as providing a utilitarian justification for what would otherwise be poor performance at working place. In the medical field, hence, the nature of the justification has hitherto been based upon a concern to respect medical doctors’ rights. Recent concern about doctor’s job performance has intensifies interest in public hospitals and private clinics. In Pakistan, medical doctors are facing several problems related with job security, organizational support, and reward and job satisfaction. They are on strikes and demanding their rights. It is important to find out the reason for resolving the persistent issues. This study examined the relationships between job security, organizational support, reward, job satisfaction and medical doctor’s job performance in public hospitals and private clinics in Pakistan. The study also examined the mediating effect of job satisfaction on these relationships. A cross-sectional survey method is used to conduct this study. Questionnaires are distributed to 400 medical doctors in Pakistan, and 275 were returned, giving a response rate of 69 percent. Results of the study revealed that the job security, organizational support, reward and job satisfaction has a significant, positive relationship with job performance. Furthermore, the results showed that job satisfaction has a mediating effect on the relationship between job security and job performance. Job satisfaction has a mediating effect on the relationship between organizational support and job performance. Moreover, job satisfaction has a mediating effect on the relationship between reward and job performance. Based on the results, this study is contribution to policy makers to take some assistance for resolving the existing issues and ensuring the job security organizational support, and reward and job satisfaction for medical doctors which would fetch improvement in medical doctor’s job performance

Transitioning from caregiving to widowhood

Context Older women commonly assume a caregiving role for their husbands at the end of life and are more vulnerable to poorer health, well-being, and social and economic challenges. Objectives The aim of this study was to ascertain older women\u27s experiences of spousal caregiving at the end of life and the ways in which this experience impacts on the transition to widowhood. Methods Longitudinal, in-depth, semistructured interviews were conducted with older women three times over a one-year period after the death of their husbands. This report focuses on the initial interviews that examined the transition from caregiving to widowhood. Transcripts were analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis methods. Participants were community-dwelling women older than 65 years who had recently been caregivers for their husbands who died within the past two years. Results Older women caregivers described their caregiver role as taxing, particularly in light of their own chronic conditions that they failed to prioritize and address. They did not ask for help in managing their roles and health problems, but quietly endured. Hence, they did not communicate their needs or strains explicitly. The degree of perceived adequacy of communication and interaction with health professionals were important factors impacting on their bereavement. Conclusion It is imperative for health professionals to appreciate that older women caregivers may need more supportive interaction and information during the end-of-life caregiving, they may have expectations of communication, and they may deny or fail to focus on their own health issues. A patient/family/carer-centered approach could negate this oversight and improve the outcomes for these women as they transition into widowhood

Psychoeducational interventions in adolescent depression: A systematic review

Background: Adolescent depression is common and leads to distress and impairment for individuals/families. Treatment/prevention guidelines stress the need for good information and evidence-based psychosocial interventions. There has been growing interest in psychoeducational interventions (PIs), which broadly deliver accurate information about health issues and self-management. Objective, methods: Systematic search of targeted PIs as part of prevention/management approaches for adolescent depression. Searches were undertaken independently in PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE, guidelines, reviews (including Cochrane), and reference lists. Key authors were contacted. No restrictions regarding publishing dates. Results: Fifteen studies were included: seven targeted adolescents with depression/depressive symptoms, eight targeted adolescents ‘at risk' e.g. with a family history of depression. Most involved family/group programmes; others included individual, school-based and online approaches. PIs may affect understanding of depression, identification of symptoms, communication, engagement, and mental health outcomes. Conclusion, practice implications: PIs can have a role in preventing/managing adolescent depression, as a first-line or adjunctive approach. The limited number of studies, heterogeneity in formats and evaluation, and inconsistent approach to defining PI, make it difficult to compare programmes and measure overall effectiveness. Further work needs to establish an agreed definition of PI, develop/evaluate PIs in line with frameworks for complex interventions, and analyse their active components

Seeking, accepting and declining help for emotional distress in cancer: A systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative evidence

Many individuals affected by cancer who experience emotional distress report not wanting help. This review aims to understand why individuals affected by cancer seek, accept or decline help for emotional distress and what influences these actions. A systematic review and thematic synthesis of the qualitative literature was conducted. Using pre-defined search terms, four electronic databases were searched from January 2000 to May 2016. Pre-determined inclusion and exclusion criteria were then applied. Identified papers were quality appraised. In total, 32 papers were included in the synthesis. Four themes emerged from data synthesis: attaining normality—the normality paradox; being emotionally literate; perceptions of help; needs-support gap. Attaining normality is ideographic, context dependent and temporally situated; some individuals maintain normality by not seeking/declining help whereas others seek/accept help to achieve a new normality. Thus, attaining normality paradoxically functions to explain both why individuals sought/accepted help or did not seek/declined help. Data indicate that a context dependent, systems thinking approach is merited to enhance psychosocial care. In particular, clinicians must actively explore the personal context of an individual's distress to ensure that help desired and help offered are mutually understood. Further research must address the limitations of the current evidence base to advance theoretical understanding

A Study on Employee Stress in Malaysian Clinical Laboratories

In modern life stress is a common problem. The negative effects of stress affect individuals’health and performance. As a result, individuals have their own stress perceptions and they develop different kinds of strategies in order to manage stressful situations. A study of how stressful job events and task interest are associated with quality of work life was conducted through interviews and questionnaire assessment of 37 members of the laboratories staff at Malaysian hospitals. Factors analyses of the nature of stress revealed five separable factors; one that accounted for the community, family problem, financial problem, health problem, and that identified level of satisfaction with the work context is work allocation. As predicted by a five-factor model, the number of stressful work events correlated with dissatisfactions with the work context but not with satisfaction with the work itself. Level of task interest was associated with higher ratings of satisfaction with the work itself and was uncorrelated with level of work context satisfaction