Prison Personnel: Burnout, Stress Reactions, and Intent to Quit

The ultimate aim of the present research was to examine well-being of prison Correctional Officers (COs), in particular we have analyzed predictors of burnout and psychosomatic symptoms, and variables affecting job dissatisfaction and intent to quit. 108 self-report questionnaires examining occupational stressors, burnout, psychosomatic symptoms, job dissatisfaction, and intent to quit were collected in an Italian public prison. First of all, the findings revealed that participants showed neither significant burnout nor psychosomatic complaints; this result may be partially explained by the specific-police “macho” culture, the fear of appearing weak which causes the need to show emotions different from the real ones. Furthermore, burnout is mainly affected by the quality of interactions, in terms of stressful contacts, with inmates whereas psychosomatic symptoms by stressful relationships with colleagues and superiors. Finally, the intent to quit the current job, which was found to be rather low, was affected by burnout, in particular by emotional exhaustion. Overall considered, our results suggest some applicative implications, and especially the importance to provide useful strategies, at both organizational and individual level, which may support COs in coping with occupational stressors. In particular, counseling may be effective in preventing emotional distress and in reducing sickness absence caused by the contact with problematic inmates. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n3s1p61

Return to work after coronary revascularization procedures and a patient's job satisfaction: A prospective study

Introduction Research into work reintegration following invasive cardiac procedures is limited. The aim of this prospective study was to explore predictors of job satisfaction among cardiac patients who have returned to work after cardiac rehabilitation (CR). Material and methods The study population consisted of 90 cardiac patients who have recently been treated with coronary angioplasty or heart surgery. They were evaluated during their CR and 12 months after the discharge using validated self-report questionnaires measuring job satisfaction, work stress-related factors, emotional distress and illness perception. Information on socio-demographic, medical and occupational factors has also been collected. Results After adjusting for demographic, occupational and medical variables, baseline job satisfaction (p < 0.001), depression (p < 0.01) and ambition (p < 0.05) turned out to be independent, significant predictors of job satisfaction following return to work (RTW). Patients who had a partial RTW were more satisfied with their job than those who had a full RTW, controlling for baseline job satisfaction. Conclusions These findings recommend an early assessment of patients' psychosocial work environment and emotional distress, with particular emphasis on job satisfaction and depressive symptoms, in order to promote satisfying and healthy RTW after cardiac interventions

The impact of mindfulness on psychosomatic complaints among firefighters: The mediator role of vicarious traumatisation

Firefighters are at risk to develop post-traumatic and psychosomatic symptoms. But in order to face negative health effects they have psychological resources at their disposal, such as mindfulness. This study aims to test the a model by which intrusion predicts general dysphoria in response to mindfulness. Self-report measures were administered to Italian firefighters. Structural equation modelling shown that mindfulness did not directly influence general dysphoria: mediation analyses revealed its meaningful indirect effect via intrusion. The results suggest that mindfulness can lead to reduced symptoms of general dysphoria through low levels of intrusive thoughts

A journey through roses and thorns: becoming a physician by learning from patients with life-threatening illnesses. A qualitative study with international medical students

The medical students' well-being may be threatened by various stressors associated with providing care to different kinds of patients. This study aims to explore students' clinical experiences with patients who suffer from life-threatening illnesses, focusing on potential risk and protective factors. Audio-recorded and face-to-face interviews were conducted and transcribed verbatim. The "Interpretive Description" approach was used to analyse data. Overall, ten medical students with a mean age of 28 years old were interviewed. Well-being promoting factors were the following: therapeutic relationships, work-life balance, social support and communication, perception of improvement in knowledge and availability of advanced directives. Whilst factors that may reduce well-being included death exposure, managing emotions, communication difficulties, internal conflicts and disagreements, lack of knowledge and subjective concerns. These findings shed light on facets that are inherent parts of clinical experience with patients suffering from a life-threatening illness and that may turn in risk or protective factors for the medical students. Understanding the students' subjective experiences may aid in the improvement of the current educational programs, as well as in the development of tailored supportive and preventative interventions to promote well-being and professional competencies among this kind of students

Proactive personality and training motivation among older workers

Purpose – This paper aims at examining the relationship between proactive personality and training motivation among older workers (aged over 55 years) in a context characterized by the growing ageing of the global population. First, the authors hypothesized that proactive personality predicts the motivation to learn among older workers and that this relationship is mediated by goal orientation. In particular, the authors hypothesized that learning goal orientation may mediate the relationship between proactive personality and learning motivation. Design/methodology/approach – The employees of an Italian bank completed an online questionnaire. AMOS 17 was used to carry out confirmatory factor analysis, and the SPSS macro was used to test the meditational model. Findings – The results confirmed both the hypotheses, demonstrating the influence of proactive personality on training motivation of older workers, as mediated by goal orientation and, in particular, by learning goal orientation. Practical implications – From an applicative point of view, this study may have implications for organizations that aim to increase the employability of older people by encouraging them to undertake more training. In particular, interventions aimed at increasing learning goal orientation could contribute in strengthening proactive personality that, in turn, may affect levels of training motivation. Originality/value – Even if proactive personality has already been found as a predictor of learning motivation, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, the present study demonstrates that the relationship between proactive personality and training motivation is mediated by goal orientation among older workers

Emotional dissonance and exhaustion among healthcare professionals: the role of the perceived quality of care

Objectives The aim of this exploratory study was to analyze the association between emotional dissonance and emotional exhaustion among healthcare professionals, and the mediating role of the perceived quality of care in this relationship. Material and Methods Self-report questionnaires were administered to 724 healthcare workers. The measurement model was tested and the mediation hypothesis was verified through hierarchical multiple regression analyses. Bootstrapping was used to construct confidence intervals to evaluate the mediation effects. Results Emotional dissonance was significantly related to emotional exhaustion, and the perceived quality of care was negatively related to emotional exhaustion. The perceived quality of care had a partial mediating effect on the relationship between emotional dissonance and emotional exhaustion. Emotional dissonance had a significant effect on emotional exhaustion, and the perceived quality of care was a mediating factor in this relationship among healthcare professionals. Conclusions The management of the perceived quality of care may be helpful in the prevention of burnout and distress in the workplace. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2019;32(6):841–5

Measurement of psychological entitlement in 28 countries

This article presents the cross-cultural validation of the Entitlement Attitudes Questionnaire, a tool designed to measure three facets of psychological entitlement: active, passive, and revenge entitlement. Active entitlement was defined as the tendency to protect individual rights based on self-worthiness. Passive entitlement was defined as the belief in obligations to and expectations toward other people and institutions for the fulfillment of the individual’s needs. Revenge entitlement was defined as the tendency to protect one’s individual rights when violated by others and the tendency to reciprocate insults. The 15-item EAQ was validated in a series of three studies: the first one on a general Polish sample (N = 1,900), the second one on a sample of Polish students (N = 199), and the third one on student samples from 28 countries (N = 5,979). A three-factor solution was confirmed across all samples. Examination of measurement equivalence indicated partial metric invariance of EAQ for all national samples. Discriminant and convergent validity of the EAQ was also confirmed

Cultural Dimensions of Entitlement (Kulturowe wymiary postaw roszczeniowych)

W oparciu o dane z prób studenckich z 27 krajów (N = 6192) sprawdzano uniwersalność trójwymiarowego modelu postaw roszczeniowych - zarówno w obrębie badanych prób krajowych, jak i na poziomie ponadkulturowym. W artykule przedstawiamy model teoretyczny umożliwiający porównania międzykulturowe w odniesieniu do postaw roszczeniowych oraz związki wyróżnionych postaw ze wskaźnikami rozwoju socjoekonomicznego społeczeństw (w tym funkcjonowania demokracji i gospodarki) oraz wartościami kulturowymi Schwartza. Uzyskane wyniki omawiamy w odniesieniu do modelu ekokulturowego Berry’ego oraz teorii rozwoju ludzkiego Ingleharta.On the basis of findings obtained from students samples from 27 countries (N = 6192) applicability of three-dimensional entitlement model on individual and cultural level were tested. In the article we present theoretical model allowing for cross-cultural comparisons of entitlement attitudes and its relations to socioeconomic development of societies (including functioning of democracy and economy) and cultural values by Shalom Schwartz. Obtained results are discussed in the terms of John Berry’s eco-cultural model and Ronald Inglehart’s human development theory