Burned out or engaged at work? The role of self-regulatory personality profiles

Work engagement among health professionals in public health facilities of Bench-Sheko zone, southwest Ethiopia

BACKGROUND

The level of health professional work engagement affects retention, burnout, job satisfaction, patient satisfaction, and outcomes; however, there is a paucity of evidence that benefit health professional work engagement. Therefore, this study aimed to assess work engagement and associated factors among health professionals at public health facilities in the Bench-Sheko zone in southwest Ethiopia.

METHODS

Facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 605 health professionals from 29 March to 29 April 2021. A simple random sampling technique was used to select the participants. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Linear regression was fitted and those variables with p-value < 0.2 in simple linear regression were entered into multiple linear regression analysis. Unstandardized β-coefficient with 95% CI and p-value < 0.05 were used as the cut of points to determine the factors associated with work engagement.

RESULTS

Mean score percentage of work engagement was 71.8%. Health center staff (β = 0.31; 95% CI: 0.22, 0.40), married professionals (β = 0.10; 95% CI: 0.005, 0.17), co-worker support (β = 0.06; 95% CI: 0.004, 0.11), role clarity (β = 0.14; 95% CI: 0.07, 0.21), reward (β = 0.10; 95% CI: 0.05, 0.15), resilience (β = 0.14 95%; CI: 0.07, 0.21), self-efficacy (β = 0.24; 95% CI: 0.16, 0.31) and optimism (β = 0.20; 95% CI: 0.15, 0.26) were positively associated with work engagement. On the contrary, cognitive demand (β= -0.06; 95% CI: -0.11, -0.01) was negatively associated with work engagement.

CONCLUSION

In this study, health professionals had a moderate level of work engagement. Health facilities shall improve their culture of co-worker support, role clarity, reward, resilience, self-efficacy, and optimism to enhance work engagement. Future researchers shall be done further studies to evaluate the relationship between cognitive demand and work engagement among health professionals.

Validity and reliability of a Chinese version of the Bergen Work Addiction Scale

Background

Work addiction (WA), which can impair personal relationships, engagement in recreational activities, and/or health, is a behavioral addiction. A tool for the early detection of WA in China is needed.

Objective

The aim of this study was to develop and determine the validity and reliability of a Chinese version of the Bergen Work Addiction Scale (C-BWAS).

Methods

Two hundred social workers who provided post-discharge services for adolescents with non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) were enrolled in this study. The construct validity of the C-BWAS was assessed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Criterion validity was assessed by conducting Pearson correlation analyses of C-CWAS scores with Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-D) and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A) scores. Cronbach's α and the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) were used to evaluate the reliability of the C-BWAS.

Results

CFA confirmed a one-dimensional structure of the C-BWAS with good construct validity indices [comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.964, Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) = 0.951, root-mean-square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.079, and minimum discrepancy Ĉ/degrees of freedom (Cmin/DF) = 0.362]. The standardized regression weights ranged from 0.523 to 0.753. All C-BWAS items loaded on one major factor (loading weights, 0.646-0.943). Coefficients of correlation between C-BWAS scores and HAM-D and HAM-A scores were 0.889 and 0.933, respectively. The Cronbach's α coefficient and ICC for the instrument was 0.837 and 0.905, respectively.

Conclusion

The presently developed C-BWAS showed very good reliability and acceptably validity. It can be employed as a useful tool for assessing WA severity in social workers who provide post-discharge services for adolescents with NSSI.

Examining what Mental Toughness, Ego Resiliency, Self-efficacy, and Grit measure: An exploratory structural equation modelling bifactor approach

Despite conceptual similarities among the established non-cognitive constructs of Mental Toughness, Ego Resiliency, Self-efficacy, and Grit, preceding research typically considered these as adversary rather than complementary and potentially additive. Subsequently, comparatively few studies have examined these together. This paper, via two independent studies, examined commonality within Mental Toughness, Ego Resiliency, Self-efficacy, and Grit. This identified key elements that contribute to a broad, non-cognitive, resource-based construct. Study 1 (N = 2137) assessed shared variance among the non-cognitive constructs relative to a general factor. Study 2 (N = 1148) evaluated the replicability of the results from Study 1 and examined measurement invariance. Respondents completed established self-report measures indexing the study variables. Exploratory structural equation modelling bifactor analyses consistently revealed that Mental Toughness, the Ego-Resiliency Optimal Regulation subscale, and Self-efficacy loaded highly on a general factor, which the authors labelled as Non-Cognitive Adaptive Resourcefulness (NCAR). Invariance analyses supported the stability of this model across study context. This paper advanced conceptual understanding of the core shared features of independent non-cognitive constructs. The authors discuss the potential of NCAR and advocate the need for further research.

Work engagement and associated factors among dental nurses in China

BACKGROUND

Work engagement is affected by many factors. The level of work engagement among dental nurses is unknown.

METHODS

A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among 215 dental nurses. The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, Chinese Nurse Stressors Scale, Work-related Acceptance and Action Questionnaire, Multi-dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and General Well-Being Schedule were applied to measure Chinese nurses' work engagement, job stress, psychological flexibility, perceived social support and subjective well-being, respectively. Univariate analysis was used to identify the relationships of work engagement with demographic and psychological characteristics. Hierarchical linear regression analysis was applied to test the variance in work engagement accounted for by factors related to work engagement in the univariate analysis.

RESULTS

The level of work engagement among Chinese dental nurses was moderate or above. Work engagement was positively associated with perceived social support, psychological flexibility and subjective well-being but negatively correlated with job stress. The hierarchical regression analysis showed that age, job stress, psychological flexibility and subjective well-being were significantly correlated with work engagement, though perceived social support was not, all of those psychological variables together explained 34.7% of the variance in work engagement.

CONCLUSIONS

Dental nurses in China had an acceptable level of work engagement in terms of vigour, dedication and absorption. Increased job stress resulted in lower work engagement. Nurses who had higher levels of perceived social support, psychological flexibility and subjective well-being also had higher work engagement. It is necessary to understand the job stress of nurses, strengthen nurses' social support, relieve nurses' job stress, improve nurses' psychological flexibility and subjective well-being, which will improve nurses' work engagement levels.