1,721,025 research outputs found
Experience of attachment to school: The relevance of a person-centred approach for identifying adjustment difficulties and gender - And age-related differences during early adolescence
No full textFeelings of attachment to school represent one of the main adjustment-related factors during early adolescence. The aim of this study was to identify different patterns of students' experience of attachment to school through a person-centred approach by analysing differences in socio-emotional and academic adjustment scores and gender- and age-related cluster composition. To this end, a self-reported questionnaire was administered to an Italian sample of early adolescents attending 15 public middle schools. In total, 2, 916 students were included in the study. Cluster analysis and multivariate analysis of variance were run to identify patterns of students' attachment and differences in socio-emotional and academic adjustments. Chi-square statistic was developed to detect differences between gender and age groups. The cluster analysis revealed the presence of three clusters which were differently associated with socio-emotional and academic wellbeing, where the more functional attachment profile was associated with better adjustment scores. Moreover, the analysis revealed that females and younger students were in the more functional cluster. These findings highlight the relevance of the person-centred approach for identifying meaningful early adolescents' feelings of attachment to school, which can facilitate identifying adjustment difficulties and assessing the quality of school life
Violence exposure and burnout in healthcare sector: Mediating role of work ability
Full text linkBackground: One of the most difficult problems faced by health care professionals is experiencing verbal and physical abuse from patients and their family members. Some studies have shown that health care workers, es-pecially nurses, are up to 16 times more likely to be subject to violence than other workers. Aims: The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between exposure to violence, work ability and burnout. Methods: Data were collected through a questionnaire to investigate health care workers’ exposure to violence (Violent Incident Form), burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory) and work ability (Work Ability Index). A sample of 300 nurses was obtained for the study. Results: A total of 36% of nurses indicated that they had been a victim of violence in the past 12 months. The data analysis highlighted highly significant differences in work ability, emotional exhaustion and depersonalization between health care workers who had been victims of violence and those who had not experienced violence. Finally, work ability was shown to have a mediating effect on emotional exhaustion (indirect effect: b = 2.7, BCa CI: 1.37–4.33) and depersonalization (indirect effect: b = 1.1, BCa CI: 0.48–1.87). Discussion: This study is one of the first to consider the mediation effect of work ability between workplace violence experienced and burnout in the healthcare sector; it reports the complexity and severity of the consequences of workplace violence in this sector
Nurses between the hammer and the anvil: Analyzing the role of the workplace prevention climate in reducing internal and external violence
No full textThe aim of this study was to test a model including relationships among internal and external violence, workplace violence-prevention climate, exhaustion, and intention to leave (ITL) in a sample of nurses. Data were collected by a self-report questionnaire involving nurses (n = 313) from two multispecialist hospitals in Italy. The survey was cross-sectional and nonrandomized. Path analyses showed the presence of the mediating role of internal violence between workplace prevention climate and exhaustion, as well as the mediating function of both types of violence between workplace prevention climate and ITL. Moreover, an indirect effect through exhaustion between internal violence and ITL was highlighted. These findings suggested that organizations that invest in preventive measures may reduce incidents of violence and, in turn, prevent negative consequences on worker well-being
The relationship between psychosocial characteristics of the work environment and job satisfaction in an Italian public ECE service: A cross-lagged study
No full textThe present study uses a revised version of the Motivation–Hygiene theory as a theoretical framework to examine the cross-lagged associations in a sample of Italian pre-kindergarten (pre-k) teachers between job satisfaction and two types of psychosocial characteristics of the work environment: motivating factors (i.e., job demands, work meaning, and role clarity) and hygiene factors (i.e., work–family conflict, rewards, peer support, and superior support). In total, 349 pre-k teachers employed in a municipal early childhood education system of a city in Northwest Italy completed a questionnaire at two time points one year apart. Cross-lagged path analysis indicated a positive reciprocal relationship between job satisfaction and work meaning. The paths from job demands and superior support at Time 1 to job satisfaction at Time 2 were found to be significant. Finally, the path from job satisfaction at Time 1 to role clarity at Time 2 was positive and significant. The present study confirms the results of previous literature suggesting that motivating factors are more strictly associated than hygiene factors with job satisfaction. Moreover, it expands current knowledge by highlighting the importance of examining both the directionality of associations between the psychosocial characteristics of the work environment and job satisfaction. From a practical point of view, the study findings are important because they help identify possible interventions to promote the quality of work life and improve the quality of the service provided by Italian pre-k teachers. © 2020 Elsevier Inc
Sometimes it drains, sometimes it sustains: The dual role of the relationship with students for university professors
No full textUniversity organizational contexts have been changing significantly in recent years, and academic staff are expected to manage larger workloads at an increased pace. This can threaten their well-being and exacerbate work-related stress—possibly creating negative impacts on their mental and physical states. Surprisingly, academic occupational psychological health is still rarely studied. By referring to the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) conceptual model, this study aimed to analyze the relationship between university teachers’ well-being and job demands and resources, with a particular focus on the role of the relationship with students. Specifically, 550 associate and full professors were studied to determine the impact of job characteristics, quality of relationships in the work environment, and negative and positive relations with students regarding emotional exhaustion and work engagement. Hierarchical multiple regression models allowed us to highlight the fact that emotional exhaustion was positively and significantly associated with workload, conflicts with colleagues, and requests from students, and it was negatively associated with work meaning. Work engagement was positively and significantly associated with work meaning and social support from students. Our study points out that the flexible and renowned JD-R model can successfully be used to analyze the occupational psychological health of academics. Further, our study underscores the fact that, among job demands and resources, the often-neglected relations with external users (the students) can play an important role in university teachers’ perceptions of exhaustion and engagement
Feeling Guilty or Not Guilty. Identifying Burnout Profiles among Italian Teachers
No full textThis study aimed at the assessment of psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Spanish Burnout Inventory (SBI-Ita) in a sample of Italian teachers and the analysis of burnout profiles based on a model that includes four dimensions: Enthusiasm toward job, Psychological exhaustion, Indolence, and Guilt. A self-reported questionnaire was filled out by 689 Italian teachers. Data analyses performed Multi-sample Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis. Results confirmed the hypothesized four-factor structure and the discriminant role of Guilt in differentiating clusters. Results highlights the reliability of the SBI-Ita in the assessment of teachers’ burnout. Furthermore, results evidence for a new typology of burnout that differentiate guilty from non-guilty professionals
Work ability and burnout: What comes first? A two-wave, cross-lagged study among early childhood educators
No full textAlthough previous evidence suggests an association between work ability and burnout, no study has been specifically dedicated at establishing which is the directionality of the relationship between these two important constructs either in educational or in other occupational contexts. Studies shedding light on the directionality of this relationship are essential, as their results may address organizational management and occupational health practitioners in choosing the most proper interventions capable of early interrupting a possible loss spiral initiated by decreased work ability or increased burnout. In view of that, the aim of the present study was to examine the cross-lagged association between work ability and burnout (i.e., exhaustion, enthusiasm toward the job, and cynicism) at a distance of one year. In total, 349 early childhood educators completed a self-report questionnaire at two-time points. Data analyses were performed employing cross-lagged structural equation model (SEM). The findings indicated that work ability positively predicts enthusiasm toward the job and negatively predicts exhaustion. Conversely, work ability did not significantly affect cynicism. Moreover, none of the three-burnout sub-dimensions were found to significantly affect work ability measured at one years of distance. The main contribution of the present study was to have clarified the directionality of the association between work ability and burnout and to have identified the burnout sub-dimensions specifically affected by work ability. From a practical point of view, the present study highlighted the importance of investing in promoting work ability in order to prevent job burnout. © 201
Born in translation: Midwifery practice with pregnant migrants — between stereotypes and empathy
No full textThe paper focuses on the concept of cultural competence and has as the main purpose to explore: a) the perception and representation of Italian midwives regarding the reproductive health and the childbirth cultures of immigrant women; b) strengths and weaknesses of their professional practices. Twenty midwives were interviewed. Data were analyzed using the grounded theory procedures of categorization and codification, integrated with template analysis. Findings highlighted eight thematic areas showing the presence of difficulties related to the relationships and communication between foreign patients and medical staff. The results also revealed the widespread belief that maternity, childbirth, and breastfeeding have a “universal grammar” linked to the female body and reproductive function can lead to an underestimation of the need for culturally competent services; on the other hands, an ideal-typical contrast appears in the participants’ discourse between an apparently egalitarian position of the same service for everyone and a desire for differentiated attention to diversity
Work ability, psycho-physical health, burnout, and age among nursery school and kindergarten teachers: a cross-sectional study
No full textIntroduction: Although well-being and psychophysical health of nursery school and kindergarten teachers have important implications also on the health and well-being of their recipients, studies dedicated to these workers are quite rare, particularly in Italy. Aim: The aim of the study was to observe psychophysical health conditions in a sample of nursery school and kindergarten teachers employed in the Education Services Division of the Municipality of Turin. Method: The study was cross-sectional; 884 self-reporting questionnaires were distributed and 734 teachers (representing 53% of those employed at the Education Services of the Municipality of Turin) correctly filled out the questionnaire. Results: Respectively 53.4% and 50% of participants reported medium or high levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, while 18.5% showed low levels of personal accomplishment. Responders reported moderate levels of work ability in 38.9% and poor levels in 5.6%. The majority of the respondents (98.7%) did not report depressive symptoms; 42.9% of the sample suffered moderate to severe limiting musculoskeletal pain. Age and profession were associated with emotional exhaustion, personal accomplishment, and musculoskeletal pain. However, work ability and depression were only associated with age. No associations were found with depersonalization. Conclusions: The present study shows that health conditions of nursery school and kindergarten teachers were critical and that age contributed to the explanation of these conditions
Concerns about change and employee wellbeing: The moderating role of social support
No full textPurpose – Concerns about change, a measure of the perception about future losses owing to organizational change, have received scarce attention within the organizational change literature. This study aims to address some relevant questions still unexplored regarding, the relationship between concerns about change and employees’ burnout and work engagement. Moreover, it evaluates the buffering role of social support namely, that of colleagues and superiors, during the anticipation stage of an organizational change process. Design/methodology/approach – Six hundred and thirty-two employees of an administrative public sector filled out a self-reporting questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using hierarchical moderated regression to show direct and moderating effects. Findings – Results suggest that concerns about change, measured during the anticipation stage of an organizational change process, relate to higher burnout and lower work engagement. Social support significantly affects the relationship between concerns and outcomes. Originality/value – Overall, the study shows the role exerted from concerns about change in affecting employees’ wellbeing as the early stage of the organizational change process, providing scholars and practitioners in human resources management with new insight regarding the importance of support from colleagues and supervisor to sustain successful change implementation and employees’ wellbeing
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