Job Stress and Presenteeism among Chinese Healthcare Workers: The Mediating Effects of Affective Commitment

Background: Presenteeism affects the performance of healthcare workers. This study examined associations between job stress, affective commitment, and presenteeism among healthcare workers. Methods: To investigate the relationship between job stress, affective commitment, and presenteeism, structural equation modeling was used to analyze a sample of 1392 healthcare workers from 11 Class A tertiary hospitals in eastern, central, and western China. The mediating effect of affective commitment on the association between job stress and presenteeism was examined with the Sobel test. Results: Job stress was high and the level of presenteeism was moderate among healthcare workers. Challenge stress and hindrance stress were strongly correlated (β = 0.62; p < 0.05). Affective commitment was significantly and directly inversely correlated with presenteeism (β = −0.27; p < 0.001). Challenge stress was significantly positively correlated with affective commitment (β = 0.15; p < 0.001) but not with presenteeism. Hindrance stress was significantly inversely correlated with affective commitment (β = −0.40; p < 0.001) but was significantly positively correlated with presenteeism (β = 0.26; p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study provides important empirical data on presenteeism among healthcare workers. Presenteeism can be addressed by increasing affective commitment and challenge stress and by limiting hindrance stress among healthcare workers in China

Health Effects of Air Pollution in China

Background Rapid economic and social development in China has resulted in severe air pollution and consequent adverse impacts on society. The health effects of air pollution have been widely studied. Methods Using information from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) database, we established a hierarchical linear model combining pollution and socioeconomic and psychosocial variables to examine the effects of air pollution on public health in China. Local air pollution was characterized in multiple dimensions. Results The relationship of health to its determinants greatly differed between Eastern and Central/Western China. Higher education, higher income level, better life satisfaction, and long-term marriage were significantly associated with better health status among Chinese. In addition, regional healthcare resources were positively associated with the health of residents. As indicated by the hierarchical model with health as dependent variable, in Central/Western China, longest duration of good air quality in spring/summer was positively associated with health (estimated coefficient = 0.067, standard error = 0.026), while the mean Air Quality Index (AQI) in autumn/winter was inversely associated with health (estimated coefficient = −0.082, standard error = 0.031). Good air quality in the current study is defined as daily average AQI less than 35. Conclusions Duration (in days) of acceptable air quality was particularly important for improving public health. Future policies should target increased duration of good air quality while managing air pollution by controlling or decreasing severe air pollution

The Effect of Social Media-Enabled Mentoring on Online Tacit Knowledge Acquisition within Sustainable Organizations: A Moderated Mediation Model

Tacit knowledge is an important strategic resource to the sustainable development of organizations. Although scholars and practitioners have noticed the growing use of social media in transferring tacit knowledge, extant empirical research has been fairly mute about this phenomenon. This study is novel in that it explores when and how social media used for mentoring (i.e., an emerging electronic mentoring) promotes tacit knowledge acquisition in sustainable organizations. This study develops a framework and proposes six hypotheses, which predict how social media-enabled mentoring promotes tacit knowledge acquisition through two mediators. Furthermore, two social media characteristics moderate the two mediating processes. The authors conducted a three-wave longitudinal survey in 45 sustainable companies and obtained 156 valid cases. All of the hypotheses are supported. The findings show that the effects of social media-enabled mentoring on tacit knowledge acquisition are mediated by both an affective learning mechanism (i.e., liking) and cognitive learning mechanism (i.e., shared mental model). Moreover, the two mediation processes are moderated by two capabilities of social media (i.e., social presence and synchronicity). This research bridges extant e-mentoring literature and sustainable TK management literature. It also enlightens managers to effectively integrate social media and mentoring to improve TKA in sustainable organizations

Effect of Stress on the Work Ability of Aging American Workers: Mediating Effects of Health

We examined how stress affects the work ability of an aging workforce, how health mediates this relationship, and how the effects of stress on work ability differ in relation to social status. We analyzed data from the Health and Retirement Survey, namely, 2921 observations in 2010, 2289 observations in 2012, and 2276 observations in 2014. Ongoing chronic stress, social status, health status, and associations with individual work ability were assessed with ordinary least squares regression. Stress was significantly inversely associated with work ability. Health may function as a mediator between individual stress and work ability. The effects of stress and health on work ability decreased as social status increased. To cope with the challenges of aging workforces, future policy-makers should consider job resources and social status

SARS-Cov-2 trajectory predictions and scenario simulations from a global perspective: a modelling study

The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 emerging from Wuhan, China has developed into a global epidemic. Here, we combine both human mobility and non-pharmaceutical interventions (social-distancing and suspected-cases isolation) into SEIR transmission model to understand how coronavirus transmits in a global environment. Dynamic trends of region-specific time-variant reproduction number, social-distancing rate, work-resumption rate, and suspected-cases isolation rate have been estimated and plotted for each region by fitting stochastic transmission processes to the real total confirmed cases reported of each region. We find after shutdown in Wuhan, the reproduction number in Wuhan greatly declined from 6·982 (95% CI 2·558–14·668) on January 23rd, 2020 to 1.130 (95% CI 0.289–3.279) on February 7th, 2020, and there was a higher intervention level in terms of social-distancing and suspected-cases isolation in Wuhan than the Chinese average and Western average, for the period from the shutdown in Wuhan to mid-March. Future epidemic trajectories of Western countries up to October 10th, 2020, have been predicted with 95% confidence intervals. Through the scenario simulation, we discover the benefits of earlier international travel ban and rigorous intervention strategies, and the significance of non-pharmaceutical interventions. From a global perspective, it is vital for each country to control the risks of imported cases, and execute rigorous non-pharmaceutical interventions before successful vaccination development

Job Stress and Presenteeism among Chinese Healthcare Workers: The Mediating Effects of Affective Commitment

Background: Presenteeism affects the performance of healthcare workers. This study examined associations between job stress, affective commitment, and presenteeism among healthcare workers. Methods: To investigate the relationship between job stress, affective commitment, and presenteeism, structural equation modeling was used to analyze a sample of 1392 healthcare workers from 11 Class A tertiary hospitals in eastern, central, and western China. The mediating effect of affective commitment on the association between job stress and presenteeism was examined with the Sobel test. Results: Job stress was high and the level of presenteeism was moderate among healthcare workers. Challenge stress and hindrance stress were strongly correlated (β = 0.62; p < 0.05). Affective commitment was significantly and directly inversely correlated with presenteeism (β = −0.27; p < 0.001). Challenge stress was significantly positively correlated with affective commitment (β = 0.15; p < 0.001) but not with presenteeism. Hindrance stress was significantly inversely correlated with affective commitment (β = −0.40; p < 0.001) but was significantly positively correlated with presenteeism (β = 0.26; p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study provides important empirical data on presenteeism among healthcare workers. Presenteeism can be addressed by increasing affective commitment and challenge stress and by limiting hindrance stress among healthcare workers in China

Use of Silica Fume and GGBS to Improve Frost Resistance of ECC with High-Volume Fly Ash

Fly ash (FA) has been an important ingredient for engineered cementitious composite (ECC) with excellent tensile strain capacity and multiple cracking. Unfortunately, the frost resistance of ECC with high-volume FA has always been a problem. This paper discusses the influence of silica fume (SF) and ground-granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) on the frost resistance of ECC with high volume of FA. Four ECC mixtures, ECC (50% FA), ECC (70% FA), ECC (30% FA + 40% SL), and ECC (65% FA + 5% SF), are evaluated by freezing-thawing cycles up to 200 cycles in tap water and sodium chloride solution. The result shows the relative dynamic elastic modulus and mass loss of ECC in sodium chloride solution by freeze-thaw cycles are larger than those in tap water by freeze-thaw cycles. Moreover, the relative dynamic elastic modulus and mass loss of ECC by freeze-thaw cycles increase with FA content increasing. However, the ECC (30% FA + 40% SL) shows a lower relative dynamic elastic modulus and mass loss, but its deflection upon four-point bending test is relatively smaller before and after freeze-thaw cycles. By contrast, the ECC (65% FA + 5% SF) exhibits a significant deflection increase with higher first cracking load, and the toughness increases sharply after freeze-thaw cycles, meaning ECC has good toughness property

How job stress influences job performance among Chinese healthcare workers: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Objectives Public service motivation refers to the idea of commitment to the public service, pursuit of the public interest, and the desire to perform work that is worthwhile to society. This study investigates how challenge stress and hindrance stress influence job performance among healthcare workers in Chinese public hospitals. It has also examined the mediating effect of public service motivation. Methods Data of 1594 healthcare workers were obtained from typical public hospitals in eastern, central, and western China. To test our hypotheses, we used descriptive statistical analysis, correlation analysis, structural equation modeling, and subgroup analysis to investigate the sample. Results Challenge stress and hindrance stress were strongly correlated among healthcare workers in Chinese public hospitals (β = 0.59; p < 0.001). Challenge stress was significantly positively associated with public service motivation (β = 0.14; p < 0.001) and job performance (β = 0.13; p < 0.001). Hindrance stress was significantly negatively associated with public service motivation (β = − 0.27; p < 0.001) and job performance (β = − 0.08; p < 0.05). Public service motivation was directly positively associated with job performance (β = 0.58; p < 0.001), and it indirectly mediated the association between job stress and job performance. Conclusions This study provides important empirical evidence on the effects of job stress and public service motivation on job performance among healthcare workers in Chinese public hospitals. Job performance may be raised by limiting hindrance stress, which provides moderate challenge stress and increases public service motivation

Do Challenge Stress and Hindrance Stress Affect Quality of Health Care? Empirical Evidence from China

Severe job stress has adverse effects on the health of Chinese healthcare workers. We investigated associations between job stress, health, and quality of health care among Chinese healthcare workers. To analyze associations between stress, health, and quality of health care among healthcare workers in 74 Chinese hospitals, we surveyed 2426 healthcare workers of primary, secondary, and tertiary hospitals in Western, Central, and Eastern China in 2017. Structural equation modelling was used to examine relationships between job stress, health, and quality of health care. The mediating effect of health on the association between job stress and quality of health care was examined with the Sobel test. In the final model, health had a moderate direct positive effect on the quality of health care (&beta; = 0.24; p &lt; 0.001). Challenge stress had a direct inverse effect on health (&beta; = &minus;0.05; p &lt; 0.05) and a significant direct positive effect on the quality of health care (&beta; = 0.26; p &lt; 0.001). Hindrance stress had a significant inverse effect on health (&beta; = &minus;0.37; p &lt; 0.001) and a moderate inverse effect on the quality of health care (&beta; = &minus;0.19; p &lt; 0.001). The correlation between challenge stress and hindrance stress was significant and positive (&beta; = 0.59; p &lt; 0.001). A partial mediation effect was in the final model. The health status of healthcare workers is an important concern at all levels of Chinese hospitals. To improve quality of healthcare, appropriate challenge stress is recommended among young staff, and interventions targeting hindrance stress should be developed and implemented in all hospital departments

Supervisor Support, Coworker Support and Presenteeism among Healthcare Workers in China: The Mediating Role of Distributive Justice

Healthcare workers in China are exposed to extremely high job stress and inequitable work conditions, and the Healthy China 2030 blueprint has made them an important focus of policymakers. To examine the importance of distributive justice in Chinese medical reform, we analyzed data from 1542 healthcare workers employed in 64 primary, secondary and tertiary hospitals in 28 Chinese cities in Western, Central and Eastern China in 2018. Supervisor support, coworker support, distributive justice, and presenteeism were assessed with the supervisor support scale, coworker support scale, distributive justice scale and perceived ability to work scale, respectively. Structural equation modeling was used to examine relationships among variables. The mediating effect of distributive justice on associations between supervisor support, coworker support, and presenteeism was examined with the Sobel test. The results revealed that significant indirect effects between supervisor support and presenteeism and between coworker support and presenteeism were significantly mediated by distributive justice. Better supervisor and coworker support might improve distributive justice among healthcare workers in Chinese hospitals, thereby increasing their performance