European COMPARative Effectiveness research on blended Depression treatment versus treatment-as-usual (E-COMPARED): study protocol for a randomized controlled, non-inferiority trial in eight European countries.

BACKGROUND: Effective, accessible, and affordable depression treatment is of high importance considering the large personal and economic burden of depression. Internet-based treatment is considered a promising clinical and cost-effective alternative to current routine depression treatment strategies such as face-to-face psychotherapy. However, it is not clear whether research findings translate to routine clinical practice such as primary or specialized mental health care. The E-COMPARED project aims to gain knowledge on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of blended depression treatment compared to treatment-as-usual in routine care. METHODS/DESIGN: E-COMPARED will employ a pragmatic, multinational, randomized controlled, non-inferiority trial in eight European countries. Adults diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) will be recruited in primary care (Germany, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom) or specialized mental health care (France, The Netherlands, and Switzerland). Regular care for depression is compared to "blended" service delivery combining mobile and Internet technologies with face-to-face treatment in one treatment protocol. Participants will be followed up at 3, 6, and 12 months after baseline to determine clinical improvements in symptoms of depression (primary outcome: Patient Health Questionnaire-9), remission of depression, and cost-effectiveness. Main analyses will be conducted on the pooled data from the eight countries (n = 1200 in total, 150 participants in each country). DISCUSSION: The E-COMPARED project will provide mental health care stakeholders with evidence-based information and recommendations on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of blended depression treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: France: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02542891 . Registered on 4 September 2015; Germany: German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00006866 . Registered on 2 December 2014; The Netherlands: Netherlands Trials Register NTR4962 . Registered on 5 January 2015; Poland: ClinicalTrials.Gov NCT02389660 . Registered on 18 February 2015; Spain: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02361684 . Registered on 8 January 2015; Sweden: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02449447 . Registered on 30 March 2015; Switzerland: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02410616 . Registered on 2 April 2015; United Kingdom: ISRCTN registry, ISRCTN12388725 . Registered on 20 March 2015

How job and family demands impact change in perceived stress: A dyadic study

Objectives The aim of this two-wave study has been to test the spillover and crossover of job and family demands on changes in perceived stress at work and in the family. Specifically, we proposed that demands from one domain (work or family) spilled over to another domain through interrrole conflict (work–family/family–work conflict) and context-specific self-efficacy. Additionally, we hypothesized that changes in perceived stress were impacted not only by a person’s own demands through interrole conflict but also by the demands of one’s significant other, in the process of crossover. Material and Methods The study was of dyadic design and it was conducted online, among 130 heterosexual couples, at 2 time points separated by 3 months interval. Hypotheses were verified by means of the path analysis. Results No support was found for the spillover of job and family demands on changes in perceived stress through interrole conflict and self-efficacy, neither for women nor for men. With regard to the crossover, no support was found for the actor effects, i.e., a person’s demands did not impact changes in one’s own work- and family-related perceived stress but partial support was found for the partner effects, i.e., women’s job demands were associated with men’s changes in work and family-related stress through women’s work–family conflict, and men’s family demands were associated with women’s change in family-related perceived stress through men’s family–work conflict. Conclusions The study is a longitudinal test of the Spillover–Crossover model and Work–Home Resources model demonstrating that job and family demands are transmitted across domains and across partners in the intimate relationships through the interrole conflict but the nature of this crossover is different for men and women. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2018;31(2)199–21

A job crafting measure: psychometric properties of the Polish version of the Job Crafting Scale

Wstęp Zmienna przekształcanie pracy (job crafting) od kilkunastu lat jest obiektem rosnącego zainteresowania badaczy i praktyków. Dotyczy ona zachowań polegających na dopasowywaniu właściwości pracy przez pracownika tak, by praca odpowiadała jego zdolnościom i potrzebom. Celem artykułu jest analiza właściwości psychometrycznych polskiej wersji skali Job Crafting Scale (JCS), która służy do pomiaru tej zmiennej. Materiał i metody Skala JCS w wersji oryginalnej składa się z 21 pozycji testowych tworzących 4 podskale: Zwiększanie zasobów strukturalnych, Zwiększanie zasobów społecznych, Zwiększanie wymagań stanowiących wyzwanie oraz Zmniejszanie wymagań stanowiących utrudnianie. Konfirmacyjną analizę czynnikową oraz analizy: spójności wewnętrznej, trafności teoretycznej i stabilności wyników metodą test–retest, przeprowadzono w grupie 249 osób wykonujących pracą biurową i stosujących w codziennych obowiązkach zawodowych technologie informacyjno-komunikacyjne. Wielogrupową konfirmacyjną analizę czynnikową i test równoważności pomiaru przeprowadzono z wykorzystaniem wyników dla próby 228 osób, które także wykonywały pracę biurową, korzystając z narzędzi informatycznych, ale spełniały dodatkowe kryterium pracy w zespole przez większość tygodnia pracy. Wyniki Polska wersja JCS odznacza się satysfakcjonującą spójnością wewnętrzną, trafnością teoretyczną i stabilnością wyników w czasie. Konfirmacyjna analiza czynnikowa potwierdziła 4-czynnikową strukturę skali. Z polskiej wersji JCS zostały wykluczone 4 pozycje testowe o niskich ładunkach czynnikowych. Wyniki testu równoważności pomiaru wskazują, że ładunki czynnikowe dla obu grup są równoważne. Wnioski Polska wersja JCS składa się z 17 pozycji testowych i – podobnie jak skala oryginalna – z 4 podskal. Wskazane jest przeprowadzenie kolejnych badań w celu potwierdzenia struktury wewnętrznej narzędzia i równoważności pomiaru w różnych grupach zawodowych. Med. Pr. 2019;70(4):445–457Background The interest among researchers and practitioners in job crafting has been growing for the last dozen of years. Job crafting refers to behaviors that employees engage in to align aspects of their jobs with their own skills and needs. The aim of this paper was to analyze psychometric properties of the Polish version of a job crafting measure – the Job Crafting Scale (JCS). Material and Methods The original JCS consists of 21 items and has 4 subscales: Increasing Structural Job Resources, Increasing Social Job Resources, Increasing Challenging Job Demands, and Decreasing Hindering Job Demands. Confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency analysis, theoretical validity analysis and test–retest stability analysis were carried out among 249 white collar workers who use information and communication technology (ICT) in their daily work. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis and invariance test were carried out among 228 white collar workers using ICT and additionally working in a team for most of the week. Results The Polish version of the JCS displays satisfactory internal consistency, theoretical validity, and test–retest stability. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis showed a 4-dimensional structure of the JCS. Four items were excluded from the Polish version of the JCS because of low factor loadings. The results of invariance test showed that factor loadings were invariant across groups. Conclusions The Polish version of the JCS consists of 17 items and – like the original scale – has 4 subscales. Additional studies are recommended to confirm the internal structure of the JCS and measurement invariance across different occupational groups. Med Pr. 2019;70(4):445–5

Psychological internet interventions: concepts, applications, and challenges

For over twenty years psychologists have been using information and communication technology to design solutions aimed at improving mental health and quality of life of their clients or patients. One of those solutions are internet interventions. Although these interventions are commonly used in other countries, knowledge about them in Poland is limited. The aim of the article is to introduce to the topic of psychological internet interventions by describing the basic functionalities of internet interventions, the context of their use, their classification, areas where they can be applied and challenges related to their future development and wider implementation

The helpers’ stress: Effectiveness of a web-based intervention for professionals working with trauma survivors in reducing job burnout and improving work engagement

Background: The study aimed at evaluating effectiveness of the web-based intervention, “The Helpers’ Stress,” in reducing job burnout and enhancing work engagement among professionals working with trauma survivors. Material and Methods: Participants were randomly allocated to 1 of the 3 intervention modules: 1 – the self-efficacy enhancement (N = 87), 2 – the social support enhancement (N = 85), or to 3 – the educational module (comparison group, N = 81). Participants completed the online questionnaires before the intervention (T1), immediately after (T2), and 4 weeks after the intervention (T3). Results: Due to high drop-out rate at T2 and T3 in social support enhancement module, we excluded from analysis participants assigned to this condition. Participants assigned to the self-efficacy enhancement module presented higher levels of self-efficacy (at T2 and T3), compared to those assigned to the educational module. Job burnout decreased significantly between T1 and T2, and between T2 and T3, and work engagement increased significantly between T1 and T2, and between T1 and T3, among participants assigned to both modules mentioned above. Self-efficacy (T2) mediated the relationship between the group assignment (educational module vs. self-efficacy enhancement module) and respectively job burnout (T3) or work engagement (T3). Conclusions: The results of our study highlight the role of self-efficacy in reducing job burnout and increasing work engagement. Med Pr 2016;67(2):223–23

I believe I can craft! introducing Job Crafting Self-Efficacy Scale (JCSES).

Job crafting is beneficial for employees and organizations. To better predict these behaviors, we introduce the concept of job crafting self-efficacy (JCSE) and define it as an individual's beliefs about their capability to modify the demands and resources of their job to better fit their needs. This article describes the development and validation of a scale to measure JCSE. We conducted a qualitative study to design and four quantitative studies to test the psychometric properties of this scale among Polish and American employees in both paper-and-pencil and online versions. Three independent (N1 = 364; N2 = 432; N3 = 403) confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated a good fit to a 3-factor solution comprising JCSE beliefs about increasing (a) structural job resources, (b) social job resources, and (c) challenging job demands. The 9-item JCSE Scale had good internal consistency, high time stability, and good validity. It correlated positively with general self-efficacy. JCSE explained unique variance in job crafting behaviors over and above general self-efficacy, and was more important in predicting job crafting than contextual factors. We demonstrate the role of social cognitions in shaping job redesign behaviors and provide a useful tool to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions dedicated to empowering JCSE

Synthesis of Ti3SiC2 Phases and Consolidation of MAX/SiC Composites—Microstructure and Mechanical Properties

The article describes the Ti3SiC2 powder synthesis process. The influence of the molar ratio and two forms of carbon on the phase composition of the obtained powders was investigated. The synthesis was carried out using a spark plasma sintering (SPS) furnace. In addition, using the obtained powders, composites reinforced with SiC particles were produced. The obtained results showed no effect of the carbon form and a significant impact of annealing on the purity of the powders after synthesis. The composites were also consolidated using an SPS furnace at two temperatures of 1300 and 1400 °C. The tests showed low density and hardness for sinters from 1300 °C (maximum 3.97 g/cm3 and 447 HV5, respectively, for composite reinforced with 10% SiC). These parameters significantly increase for composites sintered at 1400 °C (maximum density 4.43 g/cm3 and hardness 1153 HV5, for Ti3AlC2—10% SiC). In addition, the crack propagation analysis showed mechanisms typical for granular materials and laminates

Social support as a mediator for musical achievement

This article focuses on the issue of social support received by students of music schools in the context of their musical achievements. The theoretical part of this article contains the characteristics of factors related to the musical achievements of students; the support they receive from their environment is essential for their success in the process of musical education and their subsequent artistic career, in addition to their musical abilities and traits of personality. The research part is devoted to detailed analysis of the support level received by music school students and its correlation to their level of musical achievement. Social support is analysed with a view to its structure, distinguishing the following kinds of support: emotional, evaluative, informative and instrumental received from people who are significant to the music school student and indicates the essential presence of support in the process of musical achievement. Moreover, as part of the presentation of the study, the authors introduce their original tool for measuring social support tailored to the realities of music schools - the Scale of Social Support of the Students of Music Schools (Gluska, 2011). This tool may be applied in the work of educational psychologists and teachers in music schools