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

Relational aggressionan overview of the complicated behaviors of girls

Includes bibliographical references

Job-related stress and burnout

Occupational stress is a topic of substantial interest to organizational researchers and managers, as well as society at large. Stress arising from work conditions can be pervasive and significant in its impact on individuals, their families and organizations. There is also a widespread belief that management of job stress is a key factor for enhancing individual performance on the job, hence increasing organizational effectiveness. Sethi and Schuler 1984 outlined four major reasons why job stress and coping have become prominent issues: a concern for individual employee health and well-being; b the financial impact on organizations including days lost due to stress-related illness; c organizational effectiveness; and d legal obligations on employers to provide safe and healthy working environments

The impact of cultural intelligence on communication effectiveness, job satisfaction and anxiety for Chinese host country managers working for foreign multinationals

Cultural intelligence (CQ) is an important construct attracting growing attention in academic literature and describing cross-cultural competencies. To date, researchers have only partially tested the relationship between CQ and its dependent variables, such as performance. In this study, the relationship between CQ and communication effectiveness and job satisfaction is measured in a sample of 225 Chinese managers working for foreign multinational enterprises in China. The results show that CQ plays an important role in reducing anxiety and influencing both communication effectiveness and job satisfaction positively. Another outcome is the unexpected influence of anxiety on job satisfaction but not on communication effectiveness. These findings contribute to the development of theory with regard to the CQ construct

Acceptability and proof of concept of internet-delivered treatment for depression, anxiety, and stress in university students: protocol for an open feasibility trial

BACKGROUND: In recent years, university counseling and mental health services have reported an increase in the number of clients seeking services and in yearly visits. This trend has been observed at many universities, indicating that behavioral and mental health issues pose significant problems for many college students. The aim of this study is to assess the acceptability and proof of concept of internet-delivered treatment for depression, anxiety, and stress for university students. METHODS/DESIGN: The study is an open feasibility trial of the SilverCloud programs for depression (Space from Depression), anxiety (Space from Anxiety), and stress (Space from Stress). All three are 8-module internet-delivered CBT (iCBT) intervention programs. Participants are assigned a supporter who provides weekly feedback on progress and exercises. Participants will complete the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and stress subscale of the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) as the outcome measures for the depression, anxiety, and stress interventions, respectively. Other outcomes include measures of acceptability of, and satisfaction, with the intervention. Data will be collected at baseline, 8 weeks and 3-month follow-up. DISCUSSION: It is anticipated that the study will inform the researchers and service personnel of the programs' potential to reduce depression, anxiety, and stress in a student population as well as the protocols to be employed in a future trial. In addition, it will provide insight into students' engagement with the programs, their user experience, and their satisfaction with the online delivery format

Innovator resilience potential: A process perspective of individual resilience as influenced by innovation project termination

Innovation projects fail at an astonishing rate. Yet, the negative effects of innovation project failures on the team members of these projects have been largely neglected in research streams that deal with innovation project failures. After such setbacks, it is vital to maintain or even strengthen project members’ innovative capabilities for subsequent innovation projects. For this, the concept of resilience, i.e. project members’ potential to positively adjust (or even grow) after a setback such as an innovation project failure, is fundamental. We develop the second-order construct of innovator resilience potential, which consists of six components – self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, optimism, hope, self-esteem, and risk propensity – that are important for project members’ potential of innovative functioning in innovation projects subsequent to a failure. We illustrate our theoretical findings by means of a qualitative study of a terminated large-scale innovation project, and derive implications for research and management

Invisible Wounds: Psychological and Neurological Injuries Confront a New Generation of Veterans

As early as 1919, doctors began to track a psychological condition among combat veterans of World War I known as "shell shock." Veterans were suffering from symptoms such as fatigue and anxiety, but science could offer little in the way of effective treatment. Although there remains much more to learn, our understanding of war's invisible wounds has dramatically improved. Thanks to modern screening and treatment, we have an unprecedented opportunity to respond immediately and effectively to the veterans' mental health crisis. Among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, rates of psychological and neurological injuries are high and rising. According to a landmark 2008 RAND study, nearly 20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans screen positive for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or depression. Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are also facing neurological damage,. Traumatic Brain Injury, or TBI, has become the signature wound of the Iraq War. The Department of Defense is tracking about 5,500 troops with TBIs, but many veterans are not being diagnosed. No one comes home from war unchanged, but with early screening and adequate access to counseling, the psychological and neurological effects of combat are treatable. In the military and in the veterans' community, however, those suffering from the invisible wounds of war are still falling through the cracks. We must take action now to protect this generation of combat veterans from the struggles faced by those returning from the Vietnam War

CHALLENGES AND COPING STRATEGIES OF THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED ADULTS: A BRIEF EXPLORATORY SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

People, unlike most animals are born vulnerable, and they need to be nurtured and raised in a safe environment to thrive and survive. Human development is holistic and complicated. Much of development is dependent on learning through senses such as sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. People need all these senses to learn the world around them. Worldwide about 253 million people have visual impairment (VI) problem (WHO, 2018). Depending on the type of visual problem (congenital or adventitious), VI makes life difficult for people infected compared to sighted people. People with VI face challenges such as unemployment, injuries through falling and accidents, low-self-esteem, isolation, depression, and difficulty in mobility within communities. The purpose of this literature study was to congregate relevant information on VI and coping strategies in South Africa. Articles reviewed were identified through search engines such as JSTOR, Google Scholar, Boloka-NWU Institutional Repository (NWUIR), ProQuest, EBSCOHost, Scopus, Science Direct and Web of Science were the databases and search engines used in the search. The data collected was then further presented and analysed using Atlas Ti-version 8.4.23 software. The results of this literature study found that people with VI face psychological challenges such as depression, low self-esteem, loss of self-worth and emotional distress. The results further point out that physical challenges are also experienced such as frequent falls, lack of societal resources, inability to perform daily living activities such as cooking, and transportation and mobility. Lastly people with VI also experienced social challenges and environmental challenges such unemployment, unable to use technology and poor quality of life. To cope with challenges, people with VI utilize strategies such strategic planning, meaning making, engage in mind stimulating activities, avoidance coping, substance abuse, family acceptance and optimism

Sensation Seeking and Perceived Need for Structure Moderate Soldiers’ Well-Being Before and After Operational Deployment

This study examined associations between sensation seeking and perceived need for structure, and changes in reported well-being among deployed soldiers. Participants (n = 167) were assessed before and after a six-month deployment to south Afghanistan. Results indicated that although well-being declined in the soldier sample as a whole following deployment, the degree of decrease was significantly different among soldiers with different personality profiles. Differences were moderated by soldiers’ level of sensation seeking and perceived need for structure. Results are discussed in terms of a person-environment fit theory in the context of preparation and rehabilitation of deployed military personnel