The determinants of Teachers’ Wellbeing: the mediating role of Mental Fatigue

In recent years, many studies have focused on the determinants and consequences of teacher stress. One of the most recent theoretical models concerning stress is the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model. This study examines one process – namely the energetic process – which supposes that high job demands exhaust employees’ mental and physical resources and therefore cause ill health. Particularly, this study examines the mediating role of mental fatigue between three job demands of teachers (workload, inequity and work/family confl ict) and three consequences of stress: psychological and physical symptoms and work satisfaction. An Italian version of the selfreport Questionnaire for Psychosocial Work Environment and Stress (PWSQ) was administered to 697 teachers belonging to a random sample of 17 school organizations. The results showed that mental fatigue has a mediating role in the relationship between work/family confl ict and the three outcomes considered, namely psychological and physical symptoms, and work satisfaction. This study has an important implication for intervention strategy because mental fatigue is a pre-strain condition which arises before more intense outcomes, such as stress-related diseases occur. Identifi cation of this condition allows prevention of the consequences of stress

\u201cWoulda, coulda, shoulda\u201d. Workers\u2019 proactivity in the association between emotional demands and mental health

The present study aimed to explore the mediating role of hostile customer relations in the association between emotional dissonance and workers\u2019 mental health. Moreover, the moderating role of proactive personality as a buffer against hostile customer relations was assessed. Emotional demands become crucial within professions that involve a direct relationship with clients and, if poorly managed, can negatively affect workers\u2019 health and performance. Accordingly, data were collected on a sample of n = 918 mass-retail employees working for one of the leading Italian supermarket companies. Most participants were women (62.7%) with a mean age = 40.38 (SD = 7.68). The results of a moderated mediation analysis revealed that emotional dissonance was related to more hostile customer relations that, in turn, were associated with higher rates of mental health symptoms. Proactive personality emerged as a protecting factor that prevented the onset of conflicts with clients, particularly among workers experiencing high levels of emotional dissonance. The identification of resources enabling management of emotional demands could suggest suitable adaptive strategies for customer-facing roles, thus preventing the occurrence of adverse mental health symptoms

Health, Stress and Technologies : Integrating Technology Acceptance and Health Belief Models for Smartphone-Based Stress Intervention

Work-related stress significantly jeopardizes employees’ physical and mental health due to the considerable time they spend at work. Smartphone-based interventions provide a promising solution, eliminating traditional face-to-face interventions’ barriers. However, the elements that influence workers’ intentions to use this still remain unexplored. This study explores the link between health belief model (HBM) and technology acceptance model (TAM) factors. In this study, 336 Italian workers (64% female) answered an online questionnaire. We employed a structural equation model (SEM) to analyze the data. The results unveiled an indirect relationship: individuals perceiving health risks were more inclined to use stress-management apps, mediated by perceived utility (PU). This study underscores the significant potential of integrating the HBM with the TAM in predicting users’ preparedness for smartphone-based health interventions. These findings not only hold substantial value but also illuminate a path forward for professionals and organizations, offering insights to tailor and optimize smartphone tools for stress management and the promotion of workplace well-being. Ultimately, this research paves the way for the cultivation of healthier work environments, marking a noteworthy contribution to the field

A Cluster Analysis of the Acceptance of a Contact Tracing App — The Identification of Profiles for the Italian Immuni Contact Tracing App

Digital contact tracing apps have been introduced by governments as a strategy to limit the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Digital contact tracking is an alternative to traditional contact tracing performed by human tracers who have to reconstruct each contact an infected person had in the recent past by means of interviews. The Italian government proposed the Immuni digital contact tracking app as a solution. Immuni uses Bluetooth technology to anonymously register all close contacts a person had: if she tests positive for COVID-19 then all registered contacts are notified. The main aim of the paper is to propose a cluster analysis of some factors concerning the possible acceptance of the Immuni app to build behaviour profiles that explain and predict the possible behaviours of the respondents. The factors considered referred to three different pillars: the technological pillar, investigated by considering factors from the technology acceptance models family; the health pillar, where variables of the health belief model were used; and the sociopolitical pillar, where some values of the respondents were considered as possible barriers to or facilitators of the acceptance of this technology. As a result of the cluster analysis, three behavioural profiles were built: the ProApp profile, the Hesitant profile, and the AntiApp profile. The first is the profile grouping the respondents who intend to use the contact tracing app; the second is more about people who are favourable of the use of the app, but some issues such as privacy reduce the strength of their intention; the last profile is about people who are less favourable to use the app. We are confident that the behaviour profiles found would be useful to build more tailored communication campaigns to help promote the use of the app by managing factors that could either be facilitators or barriers

Deficiency in interferon type 1 receptor improves definitive erythropoiesis in Klf1 null mice

A key regulatory gene in definitive erythropoiesis is the transcription factor Krüppel-like factor 1 (Klf1). Klf1 null mice die in utero by day 15.5 (E15.5) due to impaired definitive erythropoiesis and severe anemia. Definitive erythropoiesis takes place in erythroblastic islands in mammals. Erythroblastic islands are formed by a central macrophage (Central Macrophage of Erythroblastic Island, CMEI) surrounded by maturating erythroblasts. Interferon-β (IFN-β) is activated in the fetal liver’s CMEI of Klf1 null mice. The inhibitory effect of IFN-β on erythropoiesis is known and, therefore, we speculated that IFN-β could have contributed to the impairment of definitive erythropoiesis in Klf1 knockout (KO) mice fetal liver. To validate this hypothesis, in this work we determined whether the inactivation of type I interferon receptor (Ifnar1) would ameliorate the phenotype of Klf1 KO mice by improving the lethal anemia. Our results show a prolonged survival of Klf1/Ifnar1 double KO embryos, with an improvement of the definitive erythropoiesis and erythroblast enucleation, together with a longer lifespan of CMEI in the fetal liver and also a restoration of the apoptotic program. Our data indicate that the cytotoxic effect of IFN-β activation in CMEI contribute to the impairment of definitive erythropoiesis associated with Klf1 deprivation

Delta-Globin Gene Expression Is Enhanced in vivo by Interferon Type I

Beta hemoglobinopathies are widely spread monogenic lethal diseases. Delta-globin gene activation has been proposed as a possible approach for curing these pathologies. The therapeutic potential of delta-globin, the non-alpha component of Hemoglobin A2 (α2δ2; HbA2), has been demonstrated in a mouse model of beta thalassemia, while its anti-sickling effect, comparable to that of gamma globin, was established some time ago. Here we show that the delta-globin mRNA level is considerably increased in a Deoxyribonuclease II-alpha knockout mouse model in which type 1 interferon (interferon beta, IFNb) is activated. IFNb activation in the fetal liver improves the delta-globin mRNA level, while the beta-globin mRNA level is significantly reduced. In addition, we show that HbA2 is significantly increased in patients with multiple sclerosis under type 1 interferon treatment. Our results represent a proof of principle that delta-globin expression can be enhanced through the use of molecules. This observation is potentially interesting in view of a pharmacological approach able to increase the HbA2 level

Air- and water-stable and photocatalytically active germanium-based 2D perovskites by organic spacer engineering

There is increasing interest in the role of metal halide perovskites for heterogeneous catalysis. Here, we report a Ge-based 2D perovskite material that shows intrinsic water stability realized through organic cation engineering. Incorporating 4-phenylbenzilammonium (PhBz) we demonstrate, by means of extended experimental and computational results, that PhBz2GeBr4 and PhBz2GeI4 can achieve relevant air and water stability. The creation of composites embedding graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) allows a proof of concept for light-induced hydrogen evolution in an aqueous environment by 2D Ge-based perovskites thanks to the effective charge transfer at the heterojunction between the two semiconductors

New technologies in the workplace : can personal and organizational variables affect the employees’ intention to use a work-stress management app?

Organizations are interested in finding new and more effective ways to promote the well-being of their workers, to help their workers manage work-related stress. New technologies (e.g., smartphones) are cheaper, allow more workers to be reached, and guarantee their anonymity. However, not all employees agree on the use of new technological interventions for the promotion of well-being. Consequently, organizations need to investigate technological acceptance before introducing these tools. By considering the technology acceptance model (TAM) framework, we investigate both the influence of workers’ perceived usefulness and ease of use on their intentions to use apps that help them managing work stress. Moreover, we contribute to the extension of this model by considering both personal (i.e., self-efficacy, personal innovativeness) and organizational (i.e., organizational support for innovation) variables. Our research involved 251 participants who completed an online self-report questionnaire. The results confirm the central hypothesis of the TAM and the influence of other variables that could influence acceptance of new technologies, such as apps that help manage work stress, and the intentions to use them. These results could help organizations ensure technological acceptance and usage by their workers, increasing the effectiveness of new technologies and interventions to promote well-being