Descriptive study of job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction in a sample of Croatian seafarers

Background: Given the general lack of studies on well-being in Croatian seafarers, the aim of this study was to determine the level and sources of their job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction. Materials and methods: This descriptive study was conducted on a sample of Croatian seafarers (n = 530), employed in various functions on cargo ships. Using an online survey, we examined overall job satisfaction, and satisfaction with some specific aspects of work. Participants additionally responded to two open questions relating to the sources of their job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction, and these data were analysed using a qualitative approach. Results and conclusions: The results showed a moderate level of overall job satisfaction, while analysis of the 10 specific facets indicated that the participants are, on average, most satisfied with payment, and least satisfied with the achieved benefits and work organisation on board. The results of the qualitative analysis showed that among the main sources of job satisfaction are: financial stability and security, the ratio of work days to days off, and the quality of days off, and the nature and dynamics of the work. On the other hand, sources of dissatisfaction relate primarily to: separation from home and family, the status of Croatian seafarers in the Republic of Croatia, and working and living conditions on board.

Provjera povezanosti različitih aspekata ugovora i dostupnosti interneta na brodu sa zadovoljstvom poslom i životom te zdravljem pomoraca

The aim of this study was to test for associations between different aspects of contract and on-board internet access and seafarers\u27 satisfaction and health. Altogether 298 Croatian seafarers, all officers, employed on cargo ships, with a minimum work experience of two years with their current shipping company, participated in an online survey. The questionnaire included sociodemographic items, questions relating to their employment contract and internet access, and measures of job satisfaction, life satisfaction, mental health, and gastrointestinal and cardiovascular symptoms. Their job- and life- satisfaction levels were higher for shorter duration on board, favourable ratio of work to non-work days, and compliance with the employment contract regarding the changes to work and non-work days. Mental health differed likewise but only in relation to two aspects of the contract: on-board duration and compliance with the contract. The level of gastrointestinal symptoms was lower in cases of shorter on-board duration and compliance with the contract, and in seafarers who have free, unlimited internet access on board. Lower level of cardiovascular symptoms was found in seafarers with free, unlimited internet access on board. Our findings suggest that in promoting satisfaction and health in seafaring, attention should be given to reducing on-board duration, compliance with the contract, and internet accessibility on board.Cilj ovoga istraživanja bio je provjeriti povezanosti između različitih aspekata ugovora i dostupnosti interneta na brodu sa zadovoljstvom i zdravljem pomoraca. Online upitnik ispunilo je 298 hrvatskih pomoraca časničkoga ranga, zaposlenih na teretnim brodovima s radnim iskustvom u trenutačnoj radnoj organizaciji od najmanje dvije godine. Upitnik je uz pitanja o osnovnim socio-demografskim karakteristikama uključivao pitanja vezana za radni ugovor i dostupnost interneta na brodu te mjere zadovoljstva poslom, zadovoljstva životom, psihičkog zdravlja, gastrointestinalnih i kardiovaskularnih simptoma. Prosječne razine zadovoljstva poslom i životom bile su veće kod kraćih ugovornih razdoblja na brodu, povoljnijeg omjera radnih i neradnih dana te poštovanja ugovora u pogledu izmjena radnih i neradnih dana. Razina psihičkoga zdravlja razlikovala se u istom smjeru, ali samo za dva aspekta ugovora: dužinu razdoblja na brodu i poštovanje ugovora. Razina gastrointestinalnih simptoma bila je manja kod pomoraca koji su na brodu provodili kraća razdoblja i kod kojih je poštovan ugovor te kod pomoraca s neograničenim pristupom internetu na brodu, kod kojih je utvrđena i niža razina kardiovaskularnih simptoma. U promicanju zadovoljstva i zdravlja pomoraca pažnja bi se trebala usmjeriti na smanjivanje ugovornih razdoblja na brodu, poštovanje ugovora te poboljšavanje dostupnosti interneta na brodu

Zufriedenheit mit dem eigenen Leben bei Adoleszenten und Erwachsenen

Zadovoljstvo životom i njemu srodni pojmovi, kao što su subjektivna dobrobit, sreća i kvaliteta života, noviji su konstrukti tzv. pozitivne psihologije koji se nastoje međusobno razlučiti, ispitivati i teorijski objasniti. Zadovoljstvo životom odnosi se na globalnu evaluaciju osobnoga života i smatra se kognitivnom komponentom subjektivne dobrobiti, koju još čini emocionalna komponenta - raspoloženja ili emocije. Većina dosadašnjih istraživanja rezultirala je i nesuglasnim nalazima o odnosu životne dobi i zadovoljstva životom, pa je jedan od ciljeva ovog istraživanja bio i pokušaj utvrđivanja razlika u zadovoljstvu životom između različitih dobnih skupina. Rezultati su pokazali da između skupina ispitanika različite dobi ne postoje razlike u općem zadovoljstvu životom, ali da dobne razlike postoje u procjenama temporalnoga zadovoljstva životom, i to kada se procjene odnose na prošlo zadovoljstvo i očekivanja budućega zadovoljstva. Procjene prošloga zadovoljstva bile su najniže kod osoba srednje životne dobi, dok je očekivano zadovoljstvo budućim životom bilo najveće kod mlađih adolescenata. Razlike su postojale i u procjenama prošlog, ali i sadašnjeg samopoštovanja, pa su bile u smjeru najnižega samopoštovanja kod osoba mlađe adolescentne dobi. Opće zadovoljstvo životom pokazalo je najveću pozitivnu povezanost s varijablama temporalnoga zadovoljstva i temporalnoga samopoštovanja. U skladu i s nekim prijašnjim nalazima, kod svih su se skupina sociodemografske varijable pokazale kao dobri prediktori zadovoljstva životom.Life satisfaction and related constructs such as well-being, happiness and quality of life are newer constructs of, so- -called, positive psychology. The intention of the scientist is to discriminate, investigate and theoretically explain these constructs. Life satisfaction is often conceptualized as one of three key aspects of psychological (or subjective) well-being, the others being positive and negative affect. It stands together with the affective elements to yield a relatively comprehensive picture of psychological well-being. Great numbers of previous researches have not found consistent results about the relation between life satisfaction and age, so one of the aims of this research was to investigate possible age differences. Results have shown that there were no significant differences in general satisfaction with life, but age differences were evident in the temporal satisfaction with life. Satisfaction with earlier life was the lowest in the group of middle-aged subjects, while the expectation of future satisfaction with life was the highest among the group of younger adolescents. Some differences have been observed in self-esteem, as well. Self-esteem was the lowest in the group of younger adolescents. General satisfaction with life has the highest correlation with temporal satisfaction with life and temporal self-esteem. According to some previous research, sociodemographic variables were good predictors of general life satisfaction.Zufriedenheit mit dem Leben und damit verwandte Begriffe wie subjektives Wohlergehen, Glück und Lebensqualität sind neuere Konstrukte der sog. positiven Psychologie, die man gegeneinander abzugrenzen, zu erforschen und auf theoretischer Grundlage abzuklären versucht. Die Zufriedenheit mit dem Leben bezieht sich auf eine allgemeine Beurteilung des eigenen Lebens und wird als kognitive Komponente des subjektiven Wohlergehens betrachtet – neben einer weiteren, emotionalen Komponente, d.h. Stimmungen oder Emotionen. Die meisten bisherigen Untersuchungen resultierten in teils auch voneinander abweichenden Befunden zum Verhältnis zwischen Lebensalter und Zufriedenheit mit dem Leben. Daher gehört es zu den Zielen der vorliegenden Arbeit, einen Versuch zur Ermittlung von Unterschieden zu unternehmen, die sich je nach Altersgruppe bezüglich der Zufriedenheit mit dem eigenen Leben ergeben. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass es hinsichtlich der allgemeinen Zufriedenheit mit dem eigenen Leben keine Unterschiede zwischen den verschiedenen Altersgruppen gibt, sehr wohl aber bei der Einschätzung der temporären Zufriedenheit mit dem Leben, wobei sich diese Einschätzung auf die Vergangenheit und die Zukunft bezieht. Personen mittleren Alters stuften ihre Zufriedenheit mit dem bisherigen Leben am niedrigsten ein, während sich die höchsten Einschätzungen auf die Zukunft bezogen, und das unter jüngeren Adoleszenten. Unterschiede gab es auch bei der Einschätzung des Selbstwertgefühls in der Vergangenheit, aber auch der Gegenwart; am geringsten war das Selbstwertgefühl bei jüngeren Adoleszenten. Es zeigte sich, dass die allgemeine Zufriedenheit mit dem eigenen Leben am stärksten verbunden war mit den Variablen temporärer Zufriedenheit und temporären Selbstwertgefühls. In Übereinstimmung mit den Ergebnissen einiger früherer Umfragen erwiesen sich bei allen Altersgruppen soziodemografische Variablen als gute Prädiktoren für eine Zufriedenheit mit dem eigenen Leben

Big Five Personality Traits, Cognitive Appraisals and Emotion Regulation Strategies as Predictors of Achievement Emotions

In academic settings, emotions can arise in a variety of contexts and have adverse and interfering effects on learning and performance, especially those of negative valence. Thus, the investigation of their personal antecedents and different strategies implemented by students in order to regulate them, are important topics of research. The aim of this study was to examine the unique contribution of Big Five personality traits (as distal personal antecedents of emotions), cognitive control and value appraisals (as their proximal antecedents) and students\u27 tendencies to reappraise or suppress their emotions (as most important emotion regulation strategies) for experiencing academic emotions of unhappiness, anger, anxiety and humiliation. The sample consisted of 500 high school students who completed the self-report questionnaire during their regular scheduled classes. The series of multiple hierarchical regression analyses showed that all groups of predictors have made significant and independent contribution to the explanation of all analysed emotions

What Does a Leader Look Like? An Evolutionary Perspective on Biases towards Leader\u27s Facial Features

Ljudsko je lice spolno dimorfna karakteristika, a morfologija lica povezana je s različitim biološkim markerima. Prilikom percepcije lica druge osobe pojedinci stvaraju dojmove o spolu, dobi, etničkoj pripadnosti, ali i emocionalnim stanjima i osobinama ličnosti te osobe. Ovaj je proces automatski, iznimno brz i uključen je u sve situacije socijalne interakcije. Brojna istraživanja upućuju na to da ljudi imaju pristranosti prema određenim fenotipima lica prilikom donošenja odluke o tome tko bi trebao biti vođa njihove grupe, bilo da je riječ o ekonomskim ili političkim grupama. U ovom će preglednom radu biti prikazani nalazi koji iz perspektive evolucijske psihologije pokušavaju razjasniti nastanak i funkciju spomenutih pristranosti. Kao glavni teorijski okviri bit će predstavljeni: evolucijska teorija vodstva, biosocijalni model kategorizacije vođa te hipoteza evolucijske kontingencije. Nadalje, bit će opisana istraživanja koja pokazuju da ljudi preferiraju vođe s licima koja izgledaju kompetentno, ovisno o kontekstu muževno ili ženstveno, te privlačno. Na koncu, bit će prikazani određeni nedostaci istraživanja u ovom području, zajedno sa smjernicama za buduća istraživanja.Human face is a sexually dimorphic trait, and its morphology is related to various biological markers. During face perception, people make several inferences about others, such as sex, age, ethnicity, emotional state or personality traits. This process is automatic and rapid, and is included in all forms of social interactions. Some studies indicate that people have certain biases towards specific facial phenotypes during decision-making about who is the best candidate to be a group leader in an economic or political context. In this review paper, origins and functions of aforementioned biases will be discussed from an evolutionary psychological perspective. Evolutionary leadership theory, biosocial leadership categorization model and evolutionarycontingency hypothesis will be presented as the main theoretical frameworks in the field. Moreover, findings regarding bias towards perceived facial competence, masculinity-femininity and attractiveness will be described. Lastly, some limitations in the field will be addressed, together with the recommendations for future studies

Life satisfaction, depression and stress in women during pregnancy and first year postpartum - The role of personality traits, marital satisfaction and social support

Trudnoća i postpartalni period za žene su jedna od najvažnijih životnih tranzicija, koja se očituje u brojnim promjenama na osobnom i socijalnom planu. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je ispitati neke značajke psihičkog funkcioniranja žena (N=202) tijekom trudnoće i prve postpartalne godine. S tom svrhom provedeno je istraživanje u kojem su sudjelovale 64 trudnice i 138 majki jednog djeteta dobi od 8 do 10 mjeseci. Upitnicima i skalama samoprocjena ispitani su depresivnost, anksioznost, stres, zadovoljstvo životom i brakom te razina percipirane socijalne podrške. Testirane su razlike između trudnica i majki s obzirom na zadovoljstvo životom, brakom i razinu percipirane socijalne podrške, te razinu stresa, depresivnosti i anksioznosti. Rezultati istraživanja potvrdili su pretpostavku o povećanom stresu te nižem zadovoljstvu brakom kod majki u usporedbi s trudnicama, što je u skladu s prijašnjim istraživanjima tranzicije u roditeljstvo, a protumačeni su u kontekstu modela konflikta uloga. U skupini trudnica, kao značajan prediktor stresa i anksioznosti izdvojila se samo emocionalna stabilnost kao osobina ličnosti, dok je za razinu depresivnosti, pored emocionalne stabilnosti prediktivno i zadovoljstvo brakom. U skupini majki, zadovoljstvo brakom značajan je prediktor svih kriterijskih varijabli.Pregnancy and the postpartum period represent one of the most important life transitions for women which manifests itself in numerous changes at the personal and social level. The aim of this study was to examine some features of the psychological functioning of women (N = 202) during pregnancy and the first year postpartum. The study sample included 64 pregnant women and 138 mothers of one child aged eight to ten months. Depression, anxiety, stress, life satisfaction, marital satisfaction, and the level of perceived social support were assessed by questionnaires and scales. Differences between pregnant women and mothers were tested with regard to life satisfaction, marital satisfaction and level of perceived social support, stress, anxiety and depression. The study results confirmed the hypothesis of increased stress and lower marital satisfaction of mothers in relation to pregnant women. This result is consistent with previous studies of transition to parenthood, and was interpreted in the context of role conflict models. Emotional stability significantly predicted the level of stress and anxiety in pregnant women. Apart from emotional stability, marital satisfaction was also a significant predictor for depression level. For mothers, marital satisfaction significantly predicted results in all of the criterion variables

Hacer o no hacer: Atención y acción de inhibir dependientes del nivel de extraversión

Research into inhibition processes has been very fertile in modern psychology, especially with the more common use of advanced methods such as functional brain imaging. Despite all the advances made many questions still remain concerning the nature of inhibition processes and the very existence of inhibition. The term inhibition is widely used in everyday life with many meanings which is reflected in the many definitions and methods used to investigate inhibition in psychology. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between inhibition processes and extraversion. Participants (N=50) completed the Croatian version of the HEXACO-PI-R personality inventory (60 item version). Cognitive inhibition was measured with a location based inhibition of return task while behavioral inhibition was measured with a nonverbal Stroop-like interference task. Results show an interaction of extraversion and stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) periods whereby extraverts show a greater inhibition effect at the shorter SOA periods (400, 600 ms) compared to introverts while the difference was nonsignificant at the longest SOA period (800 ms). The expected relationship between the two inhibition tasks was not observed. Implications for theories of extraversion and research concerning inibition processes are discussed.Investigaciones en el campo de procesos de inhibición han sido muy fértiles en la psicología moderna, especialmente con el uso más frecuente de métodos avanzados, como la imagen por resonancia magnética funcional. A pesar de todos los avances todavía quedan muchas dudas en cuanto a la índole del proceso de la inhibición y ya su propia existencia. Término inhibición se usa ampliamente en la vida cotidiana con varios significados que se reflejan luego en varias definiciones y métodos usados para investigarla en la psicología. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar la relación entre los procesos de inhibición y la extraversión. Los participantes (N=50) completaron la versión croata del inventario de la personalidad HEXACO-PI-R (versión de 60 ítems). Inhibición cognitiva se midió con la tarea de inhibición de retorno basada en la locación, mientras que inhibición conductual se midió con la tarea de interferencia no verbal de tipo Stroop. Los resultados muestran interacción entre la extraversión y los intervalos entre estímulos (IEE) por lo cual los extravertidos muestran un mayor efecto de inhibición durante intervalos IEE más cortos (400, 600 ms) comparado con los introvertidos, mientras que no hubo mucha diferencia durante los intervalos más largos (800 ms). La relación esperada entre las dos inhibiciones no se ha observado. Se discuten implicaciones para la teoría de extraversión e investigaciones sobre los procesos de inhibición

Socioemotional context of attachment to pets

Kućni ljubimci globalno su raširen fenomen i predstavljaju neizostavni dio svakodnevice kod više od polovine stanovništva. Svrha odnosa vlasnik-kućni ljubimac nije eksplicitno definirana, kao što ni sama uloga vlasnika kućnih ljubimaca nije zahtijevana niti socijalno očekivana od strane okoline, što čini ovo područje znanstveno intrigantnim. Istraživanja pokazuju kako ljudi značajno vrednuju svoje kućne ljubimce, poglavito kada je riječ o psima, pridajući im ulogu članova obitelji te stvarajući s njima jedan bliski afektivni odnos. Skrbništvo nad psima kao vrsti kućnih ljubimaca predstavlja funkcionalan i koristan resurs za čovjeka, gotovo poput zasebne socijalne zalihe. Proučavanja karakteristika odnosa koji ljudi uspostavljaju prema svojim kućni ljubimcima, u posljednje vrijeme napravila su svojevrstan zaokret fokusirajući se na eksploraciju elemenata privrženosti u ovom odnosu. Odrednice kvalitete bliskih odnosa, čini se, igraju ulogu u razvoju privrženosti u odnosu vlasnik-kućni ljubimac, dok mehanizmi djelovanja na čovjekovu dobrobit iziskuju daljnja istraživanja. Sve u svemu, čini se kako bi neke osobne karakteristike vlasnika ljubimaca, od socioemocionalnih aspekata funkcioniranja pa do stavova i vrijednosnih orijentacija, mogle biti osobito bitne pri definiranju kvalitete, a potom i ishodnih implikacija ovog odnosa.Pets are a global phenomenon and represent an inevitable part of everyday life for more than half of the human population. The purpose of pet ownership isn’t explicitly defined, the exact role of pet owner isn’t socially expected, and that makes this research area scientifically intriguing. Research shows that people highly value their pets, especially when it comes to pet dogs, considering them as family members and connecting with them in close affectional bonds. Taking care of pet dogs represents a functional and useful resource for humans, almost as a separate social provision. Lately, research on the characteristics of human-pet animal companionship has focused on exploring the elements of attachment in this relationship. Determinants of quality of close relations seem to have an important role in the development of attachment to pets, while action mechanisms on human well-being need to be explored further. Generally, it seems like some personal characteristics of pet owners, from socioemotional functioning to attitudes and value orientations, could be relevant in defining the quality as well as the outcome implications of human-animal companionship

Big Five Personality Traits, Cognitive Appraisals and Emotion Regulation Strategies as Predictors of Achievement Emotions

In academic settings, emotions can arise in a variety of contexts and have adverse and interfering effects on learning and performance, especially those of negative valence. Thus, the investigation of their personal antecedents and different strategies implemented by students in order to regulate them, are important topics of research. The aim of this study was to examine the unique contribution of Big Five personality traits (as distal personal antecedents of emotions), cognitive control and value appraisals (as their proximal antecedents) and students\u27 tendencies to reappraise or suppress their emotions (as most important emotion regulation strategies) for experiencing academic emotions of unhappiness, anger, anxiety and humiliation. The sample consisted of 500 high school students who completed the self-report questionnaire during their regular scheduled classes. The series of multiple hierarchical regression analyses showed that all groups of predictors have made significant and independent contribution to the explanation of all analysed emotions

Subjective Well-Being of Spouses during the Transition to Parenthood

Roditeljstvo je jedno od najvažnijih iskustava pojedinca koje donosi promjene u svim segmentima života. Većina istraživača i praktičara na području roditeljstva i bliskih odnosa slaže se kako se tranzicija u roditeljstvo odražava na cjelokupno funkcioniranje pojedinca koji postaje roditelj. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je ispitati dolazi li do promjena u subjektivnoj dobrobiti bračnih partnera prilikom tranzicije u roditeljstvo te pridonose li pozitivne osobine ličnosti, zadovoljstvo brakom tijekom trudnoće, zadovoljstvo roditeljstvom i roditeljska kompetentnost većoj subjektivnoj dobrobiti novih roditelja. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 40 bračnih parova (N = 80), koji su ispitani u dvije vremenske točke, tijekom drugog trimestra trudnoće te oko devet mjeseci postpartalno. Primijenjeni su sljedeći instrumenti: Upitnik općih podataka, Skala općeg zadovoljstva životom, Skala zadovoljstva brakom, Skala stresa, Skala roditeljske kompetentnosti te Upitnik za ispitivanje osobina ličnosti. Rezultati su pokazali da rođenje djeteta ne narušava zadovoljstvo brakom, no pridonosi povećanju zadovoljstva životom bračnih partnera, što je objašnjeno u kontekstu psihološke dobiti od roditeljstva, generativnosti te revidirane hijerarhije ljudskih potreba. Zadovoljstvu životom prilikom tranzicije u roditeljstvo pridonosi struktura ličnosti bračnih partnera, posebno osobine ekstraverzije i savjesnosti, dok je najbolji prediktor zadovoljstva brakom devet mjeseci nakon porođaja, zadovoljstvo brakom tijekom trudnoće te zadovoljstvo roditeljstvom kao afektivna komponenta doživljaja roditeljstva.Parenting is one of the most important experiences of individuals which brings changes in all aspects of life. The transition to parenthood is one of the most universal transitions, and most researchers and practitioners in the field of parenting and intimate relationships agrees that the transition to parenthood is reflected in the overall functioning of an individual who becomes a parent. The aim of this study was to determine if there are changes in subjective well-being of spouses during the transition to parenthood, and what the role of positive personality traits, satisfaction with marriage during the pregnancy, parenting satisfaction and parental competence in contribution to subjective well- -being of new parents is. The study included 40 couples (N = 80) that were examined at two time points during the second trimester of pregnancy, and approx. nine months postpartum. The following instruments were used: A questionnaire of general information, General life satisfaction scale, The scale of satisfaction with marriage, Stress scale, Scale of parental competence and Personality traits questionnaire. The results showed that the baby does not violate marriage satisfaction, but contributes to the increase in life satisfaction of spouses, which is discussed in the context of the psychological welfare of parenting, generativity and the revised hierarchy of human needs. Personality traits, especially extraversion and conscientiousness, contribute to life satisfaction during the transition to parenthood. Satisfaction with marriage during the pregnancy and parenting satisfaction, as an affective component of parenting experience, were the best predictors of satisfaction with marriage nine months postpartum