L'impact du soutien social perçu sur l'adaptation des étudiants africains

Cette étude suppose que la capacité des étudiants africains à faire face aux exigences des études supérieures et aux nouvelles situations de vie inhérentes à leur statut d'étranger se manifestera par un état plus ou moins stressé, dont l'effet sur leur adaptation variera en fonction du soutien social qu'ils auront perçu. L'adaptation, mesurée par un indice de dépression, est mise en relation avec une mesure de stress psychologique, et une mesure de soutien social perçu (permettant d'investiguer deux aspects du soutien social: l'intensité et la diversité), de même qu'avec certaines caractéristiques socio-démographiques. Aucune relation n'est observée entre l'un ou l'autre des aspects du soutien et le stress psychologique et la dépression. Toutefois, la répartition des sujets en deux groupes selon le niveau de stress rapporté révèle, pour le groupe stressé, un effet significatif (p< .10) de la diversité du soutien perçu sur les scores au IDB. Parmi les meilleurs prédicteurs de l'adaptation des étudiants africains en milieu québécois, on retrouve les variables sexe et difficulté avec la langue qui expliquent 22% de la variance au IDB et durée de séjour et sexe qui expliquent 31% de la variance au MSP. Par ailleurs, l'examen des sources de soutien perçu par les étudiants africains met en évidence l'importance des confrères africains. Ces résultats sont discutés à la lumière des études dans ce domaine

Motivation, Comportements Organisationnels Discrétionnaires et Bien-être en Milieu Africain : Quand le Devoir Oblige

This study tested with Gabonese employees (N = 146) an organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) model based on the motivational model of job burnout (MMJB). It was hypothesized that the more supervisors will satisfy employee's needs for self-determination, competence, and relatedness, the more employee work motivations will be self-determined. Supervisory style and motivation will then predict job satisfaction which then influences life satisfaction. Work motivation and job satisfaction should also determine OCB and the latter should then influence life satisfaction. Structural equation modeling analyses mostly confirmed the model. One unexpected link was that altruism OCB was negatively predicted by self-determined motivations which then negatively predicted life satisfaction. Results support SDT showing, as such, that a behavior regulated by non-self-determined motivations will negatively affect well-being. Cette étude vérifie auprès d'employés gabonais (N = 146) un modèle de comportements organisationnels discrétionnaires (COD) basé sur le modèle motivationnel de l'épuisement professionnel. Il postule que plus le style de mobilisation du supérieur satisfait les besoins d'autodétermination, de compétence et d'attachement, plus la motivation sera autodéterminée et meilleure sera la satisfaction au travail; en retour, ces variables influenceront positivement l'adoption de COD altruistes et consciencieux, lesquels auront finalement des répercussions positives sur la satisfaction de vie. Des analyses de modélisation confirment dans l'ensemble ce modèle. La motivation autodéterminée était toutefois négativement reliée aux comportements altruistes, lesquels prédisaient d'ailleurs négativement la satisfaction de vie. Ces résultats appuient également la théorie de l'autodétermination selon laquelle les comportements issus d'une motivation non autodéterminée affectent négativement le bien-être.Organizational citizenship behavior, Work motivation, Supervisory style, Well-being, Africa, Self-Determination Theory, Comportements Organisationnels Discrétionnaires, Motivation au travail, Style de supervision, Bien-être, Afrique, Théorie de l'autodétermination

Dynamique Motivationnelle de l'Épuisement et du Bien-être chez des Enseignants Africains

This study examines the links between antecedents and consequences of Gabonese teachers' work motivation (N= 152). The theoretical underpinnings are based on the Motivational Model of Job Burnout (MMJB) and Self- Determination Theory (SDT) which states that the more supervisors will satisfy employee's needs for self-determination, competence, and relatedness, the more their work motivations will be self-determined. The latter will then have an impact on job satisfaction that will then determine life satisfaction. Higher levels of Self-determined motivations will also generate lower emotional exhaustion and psychological distress. The model was confirmed via structural equation modeling and provides support for the validity and generalizability for the MMJB and SDT. Cette étude examine la nature des liens entre des antécédents et conséquences de la motivation au travail d'enseignants gabonais (N = 152). Elle s'appuie sur le modèle motivationnel de l'épuisement professionnel qui soutient que plus le style de mobilisation du supérieur satisfait les besoins d'autodétermination, de compétence et d'attachement, plus la motivation des employés sera autodéterminée. Plus la motivation sera autodéterminée, meilleure sera la satisfaction au travail et, par la suite, la satisfaction de vie; en outre, moins élevé sera l'épuisement professionnel et, par la suite, la détresse psychologique. Le modèle a été confirmé à l'aide d'analyses par équations structurales et présente également un appui à la théorie de l'autodétermination.African teachers, Work motivation, Stress, Burnout, Sup style, Well-being, Self-Determination Theory, Enseignants africains, Motivation, Stress, Épuisement, Style de supervision, Bien-être, Travail, Théorie de l'autodétermination

Psychosocial work factors and social inequalities in psychological distress: a population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Mental health problems (MHP) are the leading cause of disability worldwide. The inverse association between socioeconomic position (SEP) and MHP has been well documented. There is prospective evidence that factors from the work environment, including adverse psychosocial work factors, could contribute to the development of MHP including psychological distress. However, the contribution of psychosocial work factors to social inequalities in MHP remains unclear. This study evaluates the contribution of psychosocial work factors from two highly supported models, the Demand-Control-Support (DCS) and the Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) models to SEP inequalities of psychological distress in men and women from a population-based sample of Quebec workers. METHODS: Data were collected during a survey on working conditions, health and safety at work. SEP was evaluated using education, occupation and household income. Psychosocial work factors and psychological distress were assessed using validated instruments. Mean differences (MD) in the score of psychological distress were estimated separately for men and women. RESULTS: Low education level and low household income were associated with psychological distress among men (MD, 0.56 (95% CI 0.06; 1.05) and 1.26 (95% CI 0.79; 1.73) respectively). In men, the contribution of psychosocial work factors from the DCS and the ERI models to the association between household income and psychological distress ranged from 9% to 24%. No clear inequalities were observed among women. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that psychosocial work factors from the DCS and the ERI models contribute to explain a part of social inequalities in psychological distress among men. Psychosocial factors at work are frequent and modifiable. The present study supports the relevance of targeting these factors for the primary prevention of MHP and for health policies aiming to reduce social inequalities in mental health

Global urban environmental change drives adaptation in white clover

Urbanization transforms environments in ways that alter biological evolution. We examined whether urban environmental change drives parallel evolution by sampling 110,019 white clover plants from 6169 populations in 160 cities globally. Plants were assayed for a Mendelian antiherbivore defense that also affects tolerance to abiotic stressors. Urban-rural gradients were associated with the evolution of clines in defense in 47% of cities throughout the world. Variation in the strength of clines was explained by environmental changes in drought stress and vegetation cover that varied among cities. Sequencing 2074 genomes from 26 cities revealed that the evolution of urban-rural clines was best explained by adaptive evolution, but the degree of parallel adaptation varied among cities. Our results demonstrate that urbanization leads to adaptation at a global scale

Conceptualizing the quality of manager and data analyst relationship in a business intelligence context

Investments in business intelligence and analytics (BI&A) are now at the heart of the decision-making tools used to improve the competitiveness of organizations. However, past literature showed that the lack of trust and collaboration between the manager and the data analyst leads to several conflicts in work teams and prevents the decision maker from having access to the right information, the BI tools developed are underutilized and do not meet the needs of the users, and the delays and costs of carrying out BI projects are increasingly high (Evans, 2004; Luftman & al., 2015; Palonka & Begovic, 2016; Van den Hooff & Winter, 2011). Therefore, the set of strategies implemented in organizations to bring business and IT personnel together need to be rethought. This research aims to propose a new conceptualization the construct of the quality of relationship between manager and data analyst in a BI&A context

Prevalence, characteristics, and predictors of chronic nonanginal postoperative pain after a cardiac operation: A cross-sectional study

ObjectiveThis study was designed to assess the prevalence, characteristics, effect, and predictors of chronic postoperative pain 1 to 3 years after cardiac surgery.MethodsSeven hundred thirty-six patients who underwent coronary artery bypass surgery, valve replacement, or both between 1999 and 2002 were mailed questionnaires (response rate, 79% [n = 579]; 564 questionnaires were analyzed), and their hospital records were reviewed.ResultsNonanginal chronic postoperative pain affected 23% of patients. Eighty percent of them had pain 1 or more days per week. The worst and usual pain intensities during the week preceding the survey reached moderate to severe levels (≥4/10) in more than half of the patients. Thirty-one percent of the patients with chronic postoperative pain had taken analgesic pain medication during that week. During the same period, pain interfered significantly (≥4/10) with various aspects of patients’ daily life (eg, general activity level: 39.1%, sleep: 36.7%). When patients with and without chronic postoperative pain were compared, the former group had significantly higher levels of anxiety and depression, and they perceived their health-related quality of life as more compromised. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that greater analgesic needs in the first few days postoperatively were associated with an increased risk of chronic postoperative pain. The only other significant factor was the time elapsed from surgical intervention to survey: the longer it was, the less likely the patients were to report chronic postoperative pain.ConclusionThe prevalence, severity, and effect of chronic postoperative pain after cardiac surgery should not be underestimated. Longitudinal prospective studies are needed to further evaluate risk factors, including inadequate postoperative pain relief in the acute period

Development of reliable, valid and responsive scoring systems for endoscopy and histology in animal models for inflammatory bowel disease

Background and Aims: Although several endoscopic and histopathologic indices are available for evaluating the severity of inflammation in mouse models of colitis, the reliability of these scoring instruments is unknown. Our aim was to evaluate the reliability of the individual items in the existing indices and develop new scoring systems by selection of the most reliable index items. Methods: Two observers scored the histological slides [n = 224] and endoscopy videos [n = 201] from treated and untreated Interleukin[IL]-10 knock-out and T-cell transferred SCID mice. Intra-rater and interrater reliability for endoscopy and histology scores, and each individual item, were measured using intraclass correlation coefficients [ICCs]. The Mouse Colitis Histology Index [MCHI] and Mouse Colitis Endoscopy Index [MCEI] were developed using the most reliable items. Both were correlated to the colon density and to each other and were evaluated for their ability to detect changes in pathobiology. Results: The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for inter-rater agreement (95% CIs) for the total histology and endoscopy scores were 0.90 [0.87-0.92] and 0.80 [0.76-0.84], respectively. The MCHI and MCEI were highly correlated with colon density, with a Spearman Rho = 0.81[0.75-0.85] and 0.73 [0.66-0.79], respectively, and with each other, Spearman Rho = 0.71 [0.63-0.77]. The MCHI and MCEI were able to distinguish between the experimental groups within the models, with pairwise differences between the treated and untreated groups being statistically significant [p < 0.001]. Conclusions: These histological and endoscopic indices are valid and reliable measures of intestinal inflammation in mice, and they are responsive to treatment effects in pre-clinical studies

Breaking ground in cross-cultural research on the fear of being laughed at (gelotophobia): A multi-national study involving 73 countries

The current study examines whether the fear of being laughed at (gelotophobia) can be assessed reliably and validly by means of a self-report instrument in different countries of the world. All items of the GELOPH (Ruch and Titze, GELOPH46, University of Düsseldorf, 1998; Ruch and Proyer, Swiss Journal of Psychology 67:19–27, 2008b) were translated to the local language of the collaborator (42 languages in total). In total, 22,610 participants in 93 samples from 73 countries completed the GELOPH. Across all samples the reliability of the 15-item questionnaire was high (mean alpha of .85) and in all samples the scales appeared to be unidimensional. The endorsement rates for the items ranged from 1.31% through 80.00% to a single item. Variations in the mean scores of the items were more strongly related to the culture in a country and not to the language in which the data were collected. This was also supported by a multidimensional scaling analysis with standardized mean scores of the items from the GELOPH15. This analysis identified two dimensions that further helped explaining the data (i.e., insecure vs. intense avoidant-restrictive and low vs. high suspicious tendencies towards the laughter of others). Furthermore, multiple samples derived from one country tended to be (with a few exceptions) highly similar. The study shows that gelotophobia can be assessed reliably by means of a self-report instrument in cross-cultural research. This study enables further studies of the fear of being laughed at with regard to differences in the prevalence and putative causes of gelotophobia in comparisons to different cultures