Interpersonal and attitudinal factors in women's work role: Cross-cultural comparison

The last four decades have seen a dramatic increase in the number of women entering employment. This is particularly true in Europe and although more European women are working outside the home, the patterns of female employment have changed very little. An analysis of these patterns is presented. It was found that women continue to dominate specific fields, particularly teaching and service providing. An investigation of the interpersonal behavior differences among 117 American women from the southeastern United States in three work roles--homemakers, women in traditional occupations, and in nontraditional occupations--was conducted and the sex-role orientation, attitudes toward success, and demographic indicators were examined in order to consider the interplay of these variables with female occupational role and interpersonal behavior. A second focus of the study is on the cross-cultural comparison of the psychological and work variables in women of two different cultures: America and Portugal. Thirty-one Portuguese women were a preliminary comparison sample. The American results showed significant differences between groups in self-perceived interpersonal behaviors and the findings contradicted current stereotypes. The cross-cultural data, although preliminary, indicates differences between the countries in social desirability, aggressive and assertive behaviors, and in sex-role attitudes, which seem to reflect the different stages of economic development. (MKA

A relação entre o stress e os estilos de vida nos estudantes de medicina da Faculdade de Medicina do Porto

Different studies have demonstrated that there are significant changes in the health and habits/life-style of university students, and it seems that Medical students also reveal a significant vulnerability to the adoption of health risk behaviours. The present study aims to (1) characterize the main sources of academic stress of the Medical School students of the University of Porto as well as the intensity with which they are experienced, (2) investigate the variations in academic stress and psychosocial variables, due to gender, year of course and displacement from home and (3) contribute, for the first time, to the understanding of stress and life-style of medical students in Portugal. The empirical study included a sample of 251 students from all 6 years of the course (160 females and 91 males), evaluated by the following instruments: (1) The Inventory of Sources of Academic Stress in Medical Education (ISASME), and the Portuguese versions of (2) the Brief Personal Survey (BPS), (3) the General Health Questionnaire 12 (GHQ-12), and (4) the Interpersonal Behaviour Survey-Brief (ICI- Brief). In terms of overall levels of stress (GHQ-12), a prevalence of 58.2% of clinically significant stress symptoms was found, with the students from the basic cycle and those who are living away from home, presenting higher levels of stress. In terms of life-style, 47% of the students revealed health risk behaviours, with eating habits, physical exercise, alcohol and drug consumption, and body image being the main problem areas. Gender and year of course seem to have a significant influence on the variables studied, being the female students those who present higher levels of academic stress, stress responses (pressure/overload, physical distress, anxiety, anger/ frustration, inefficiency, depression and loss of control), and low levels of coping confidence; the students of the basic cycle reveal higher levels of stress in managing their life-style (academic stress), general stress symptoms and stress responses. This study calls attention for the need of preventive intervention with medical students in order to prevent negative consequences of stress and improve their life-style by promoting individual and social resources.Diferentes estudos têm vindo a demonstrar que há mudanças significativas ao nível dos hábitos/estilos de vida dos estudantes do ensino superior e, verifica-se que, os estudan- tes de Medicina também evidenciam uma significativa propensão para a adopção de estilos de vida de risco para a saúde. Neste sentido, o presente trabalho pretende (i) caracterizar as principais fontes de stress académico dos estudantes da Faculdade de Medicina do Porto (FMUP) e a intensidade com que são experienciadas, (ii) investigar as variações com o sexo, ciclo de formação e deslocação da residência de origem, no stress académico e variáveis psicossociais associadas e, (iii) contribuir, pela primeira vez, para o estudo aprofundado do stress e estilos de vida dos estudantes de Medicina em Portugal. O estudo empírico contou com uma amostra de 251 estudantes dos sextos anos do Plano de Estudos da Licenciatura em Medicina da FMUP (160 do sexo feminino e 91 do sexo masculino), avaliados através dos seguintes instrumentos: (a) o Inventário de Fontes de Stress Académico no curso de Medicina (IFSAM), o Inventário de Respostas e Recursos Pessoais (IRRP), (b) o Questionário de Hábitos de Saúde, (c) o General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) e (d) o Inventário de Comportamento Interpessoal-breve (ICI- breve). Verificou-se uma prevalência de 58,2% de sintomas clínicos de stress e 47% dos estudantes revelam comportamentos de risco para a saúde, sendo as áreas de maior preocupação os hábitos alimentares, a prática de exercício físico, o consumo de álcool e tabaco, e a imagem corporal. O sexo e o ciclo de formação revelam uma influência signifi- cativa nas variáveis estudadas, sendo as estudantes do sexo feminino as que apresentam maiores níveis de stress académico, respostas de stress e baixa confiança na sua capaci- dade de coping; já os estudantes do ciclo básico revelam maiores níveis de stress geral, stress na gestão dos estilos de vida e nas respostas de stress. Este estudo poderá contri- buir para alertar para a necessidade de intervir junto dos estudantes de Medicina, no sentido de prevenir as consequências negativas do stress académico e melhorar o bem- estar e estilo de vida dos estudantes de Medicina, promovendo recursos individuais e sociais importantes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Psychological factors predict an unfavorable pain trajectory after hysterectomy: a prospective cohort study on chronic postsurgical pain

Chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) is a well-recognized potential complication with negative personal, social, and health care consequences. However, limited data exist on CPSP and on the course of pain over time after hysterectomy. Using data from a prospective cohort study on a consecutive sample assessed at 4 time points, presurgery (T1), 48 hours (T2), 4 months (T3), and 5 years postsurgery (T4), we sought to examine women's PSP trajectories using assessments of pain at T3 and T4. In addition, this study aimed to investigate presurgical and postsurgical risk factors associated with an unfavourable pain trajectory (PT). Based on pain data collected at T3 and T4, 3 distinct trajectories of PSP emerged: no CPSP (PT1; n = 88), prolonged PSP (PT2; n = 53), and CPSP (PT3; n = 29). Moreover, reported CPSP prevalence at 5 years was 17.1%. Multinomial logistic regression models controlling for age, presurgical pain, and type of hysterectomy tested for baseline and acute postsurgical predictive variables. Membership in PT2 and PT3 was predicted by presurgical anxiety (odds ratio [OR] = 1.131, P = 0.015; OR = 1.175, P = 0.009, respectively), emotional representation of the surgical disease (OR = 1.155, P = 0.034; OR = 1.213, P = 0.020, respectively), and pain catastrophizing (OR = 1.079, P = 0.043; OR = 1.143, P = 0.001, respectively). Furthermore, acute PSP intensity and frequency determined membership of women in PT3 (OR = 1.211, P = 0.033; OR = 3.000, P = 0.029, respectively), and postsurgical anxiety (OR = 1.182, P = 0.026) also played a key predictive role. This study identified factors that can be easily screened before and after surgery and are amenable to change through carefully designed timely and tailored interventions for women at risk of an unfavorable PSP trajectory posthysterectomy.This work was supported by 2 grants (SFRH/BD/36368/2007 and SFRH/BPD/103529/2014) from the Portuguese Foundation of Science and Technologyinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A comparison of predictors and intensity of acute postsurgical pain in patients undergoing total hip and knee arthroplasty

Background: Acute pain is an expected result after surgery. Nevertheless, when not appropriately controlled, acute pain has a very negative impact on individual clinical outcomes, impairing healing and recovery, and has clear consequences on health care system costs. Augmenting knowledge on predictors and potentially modifiable determinants of acute postsurgical pain can facilitate early identification of and intervention in patients at risk. However, only a few studies have examined and compared acute pain after total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The aim of this study was to compare THA and TKA in acute postsurgical pain intensity and its predictors. Methods: A consecutive sample of 124 patients with osteoarthritis (64 undergoing THA and 60 TKA) was assessed 24 hours before (T1) and 48 hours after (T2) surgery. Demographic, clinical, and psychological factors were assessed at T1, and acute postsurgical pain experience was examined at T2. Additionally, the same hierarchical regression analysis was performed separately for each arthroplasty type. Results: TKA patients reported higher levels of acute postsurgical pain compared with THA (t=8.490, p=0.004, d=0.527, 95% confidence interval, 0.196-0.878). In the final THA predictive model, presurgical pain was the only variable approaching significant results (t[57]=1.746, beta=0.254, p=0.086). In the final TKA predictive model, optimism was the only predictor of pain (t[51]=-2.518, beta=-0.339, p=0.015), with emotional representation ( t[51]=1.895, beta=0.254, p=0.064) presenting a trend toward significance. Conclusion: The current study is the first examining THA and TKA differences on acute postsurgical pain intensity and its predictors using a multivariate approach. Results from this study could prove useful for the design of distinct interventions targeting acute postsurgical pain management depending on whether the site of arthroplasty is the hip or the knee. Finally, the current results also support the argument that these two surgeries, at least with regard to acute pain, should be approached separately.This work was supported by two grants (SFRH/BD/36368/2007 and SFRH/BPD/103529/2014) from the Portuguese Foundation of Science and Technologyinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The effort-reward imbalance model as predictor of Portuguese nurses’ stress responses and job attitudes

Work-related stress among health professionals has been identified as an important health problem around the world, including Portugal. This study sought to test the variables of the Effort-Reward Imbalance model (ERI) as predictors of stress responses and organizational outcomes amongst Portuguese nurses. The role of overcommitment for work place health is also considered. The sample consists of 310 female hospital-based nurses, from the northern region of Portugal (Age: M = 33.83; SD = 8.70). Measures were a Socio-demographic and Professional Questionnaire, and the Portuguese versions of the Effort Reward Imbalance Inventory (ERI), to assess job effort and reward, effort-reward imbalance ratio and overcommitment; the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and the Brief Personal Survey-Revised (BPS-R), to measure stress responses; and the Organizational Climate Questionnaire (QuACO) to measure job attitudes regarding organizational climate. A subgroup of 59 nurses were also assessed using biological indicators of stress, i.e. salivary cortisol levels at the time of awakening (e.g. Ct(+0), Ct(+30), CAR, TMCR). Data from GHQ-12 revealed clinical levels of psychological distress in 75.8% of the total sample (2/3 cut off). The ERI model produced significant independent effects for both nurses’ stress responses (e.g. psychological distress, pressure overload) and job attitudes (e.g. global satisfaction with meetings and work environment). Overcommitment emerged as a significant moderator of the relationship between perceived occupational stress and nurses’ stress responses (e.g. pressure overload). It was also an important predictor of salivary cortisol measures: Ct(+0) (ß = .28) and TMCR (ß = .26). The total variance explained by all predictors and hierarchical tested models ranged from 3.5% to 29.0%. Results highlight the incidence of psychological distress in Portuguese nurses and point to the relevance of the ERI model variables in explaining stress responses and job attitudes in this context. Findings can guide intervention development to improve occupational health for women in the nursing profession.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologi