Perceived Collective Use of Selection, Optimisation, and Compensation: Associations with Work Ability

Background: Individual use of selection, optimisation, and compensation (SOC) is positively associated with work ability; however, this association has never been explored at the group or leadership levels.Aim: The aim of this study is to explore the strength of associations between employee-rated use of SOC at the individual, group, and leadership levels and self-rated work ability among nurses. Method: A random sample of 2000 nurses were invited to participate in a questionnaire survey, among whom 785 responded.Results: Employee-rated use of SOC at the individual and group levels was positively associated with self-rated work ability when controlling for psychosocial working environment factors and health. The association was strongest at the group level.Conclusion: Efforts to enhance the collective use of SOC may prove beneficial to maintain the work ability of nurses and retain them in the profession

Oplevelser af psykisk nedslidning

Atrition of psychological resources is a concept that is being used yet more frequently in the public debate and also among employees in the Danish elderly care sector. Still, there is little conceptualization of this phenomenon in a scientific context. The purpose of this article is to discuss and reflect upon the content and meaning of the concept of attrition of psychological resources, as it is being used by senior employees in the Danish elderly care sector. The article is based on data from 17 focus group interviews, carried out among senior employees in the elderly care sector in four different Danish municipalities. The analysis of the empirical data is based on Grounded Theory. By using an open and inductive approach, emphasis has been laid on the understandings and meanings, as they are being expressed by the employees themselves. The article shows that the employees use the concept of attrition of psychological resources to describe a number of experiences, reactions and conditions, which all relate to the working conditions. Based on analysis of the data, three categories of working conditions are identified, relating to work content, the management and organisation and/or relations to the clients. The employees describe a number of problems and difficulties connected to the working conditions that prevent them from providing a care for the elderly recipients that is adequate from a professional perspective. The analysis shows that the attrition of psychological resources initially manifests in the working sphere through experiences of frustration, mistrust, low job satisfaction and feelings of bad conscience towards the care recipients. Continuous experiences of attrition of psychological resources in the working sphere may subsequently spill over into the personal sphere through experiences of lack of energy, fatigue, dissatisfaction and – also here – feelings of bad conscience. Furthermore, in order to assess whether the concept of attrition of psychological resources contributes with new knowledge it is compared to the concepts of burnout and stress. It is concluded that the concept of attrition of psychological resources cannot be fully contained in these two concepts, and accordingly, the concept of attrition of psychological resources appears to contribute with a new perspective on the consequences of adverse working conditions. Attrition of psychological resources can be considered a central cause of job change, sickness absence and – voluntary or involuntary – retirement, and must accordingly be dealt with in order to be able to meet the future demands for labour in the elderly care sector.Psykisk nedslidning er et begreb, der stadig oftere anvendes i diskussionen af arbejdsvilkårene i forskellige brancher, herunder ældreplejen. Begrebet anvendes dog uden at der eksisterer en fælles forståelse eller egentlig definition af begrebet. I artiklen forsøges-med udgangspunkt i en række fokusgruppeinterviews med seniormedarbejdere i ældreplejen-at indkredse hvilke betydninger medarbejderne lægger i begrebet 'psykisk nedslidning', samt hvilke forhold i arbejdet, medarbejderne kæder sammen med begrebet. Medarbejderne anvender begrebet til at beskrive en række forskellige oplevelser, reaktioner og tilstande, der relaterer sig til deres arbejdsbetingelser. Endelig vurderes det, om begrebet tilføjer noget nyt i belysningen af arbejdsmiljøet i den danske ældrepleje-eller om der er tale om en ny betegnelse af gammelkendt indhold

Health and Sickness Absence in Denmark: A Study of Elderly-Care Immigrant Workers

The objective of this study is to investigate patterns of sickness absence in light of health status among immigrants. Cross-sectional data from 2005 was used and the study population consisted of 3,121 healthcare assistants and healthcare helpers working in the elderly-care sector in Denmark. A multinomial logistic regression was employed to investigate the relationship between health indicator, sickness absence and being an immigrant. Our findings show that, on one hand, immigrants have worse health status, but on the other, they have significantly lower sickness absence than their Danish counterparts, even after factors such as age and gender are controlled for. The results show that the relationship between being an immigrant and sickness absence differs according to health status. Our findings are in line with Steer and Rhode’s theoretical framework, according to which attendance to work is a function of ability and motivation to be at work

The predictive effect of fear-avoidance beliefs on low back pain among newly qualified health care workers with and without previous low back pain: a prospective cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Health care workers have a high prevalence of low back pain (LBP). Although physical exposures in the working environment are linked to an increased risk of LBP, it has been suggested that individual coping strategies, for example fear-avoidance beliefs, could also be important in the development and maintenance of LBP. Accordingly, the main objective of this study was to examine (1) the association between physical work load and LBP, (2) the predictive effect of fear-avoidance beliefs on the development of LBP, and (3) the moderating effect of fear-avoidance beliefs on the association between physical work load and LBP among cases with and without previous LBP.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A questionnaire survey among 5696 newly qualified health care workers who completed a baseline questionnaire shortly before completing their education and a follow-up questionnaire 12 months later. Participants were selected on the following criteria: (a) being female, (b) working in the health care sector (n = 2677). Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the effect of physical work load and fear-avoidance beliefs on the severity of LBP.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>For those with previous LBP, physical work load has an importance, but not among those without previous LBP. In relation to fear-avoidance beliefs, there is a positive relation between it and LBP of than 30 days in both groups, i.e. those without and with previous LBP. No moderating effect of fear-avoidance beliefs on the association between physical work load and LBP was found among cases with and without LBP.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Both physical work load and fear-avoidance beliefs matters in those with previous LBP. Only fear-avoidance beliefs matters in those without previous LBP. The study did not find a moderating effect of fear-avoidance beliefs on the association between physical work load and LBP.</p