Work stress on rise? Comparative analysis of trends in work stressors using the European working conditions survey

Decision made, good feelings fade? How noise and multitasking affect decision confidence and well-being

Objectives. This study aimed to examine the influence of office noise and multitasking on decision confidence, overconfidence, satisfaction, calibration and affective well-being. Detrimental effects of noise and multitasking on perceived annoyance and concentration are well documented. Little is known about whether decision confidence and well-being during decisions are also affected. Methods. The study was a between-subjects laboratory experiment (n = 109) involving a noise condition with office noise presented through headphones (A-weighted equivalent sound pressure level of LAeq = 60 dB), a multitasking condition with an email-sorting task as the primary task and a control condition. Results. Compared to the control condition, subjects in the noise and multitasking conditions exhibited overestimation of confidence. There was also a significant decrease in well-being for people in the noise condition. Calibration was not affected. Conclusion. In the case of noise, well-being is affected even before the thresholds of workplace legislation are reached. Undue overconfidence can have detrimental effects upon subsequent decisions and risk-taking. Findings suggest that there should be greater consideration of environmental influences during decision-making in work environments.

[Healthier at work for longer? Trends in life years free of cardiovascular and musculoskeletal diseases in the employed and general population based on health insurance claims data]

BACKGROUND

Our study focuses on the development of disease-free life years of two disease groups with high public health relevance: musculoskeletal diseases (MSD) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Against the backdrop of prolonged working lives, the development of disease-free life years in the working-age population is compared with the trend in the employed population. Differences between occupational groups are also examined.

METHODS

The study is based on data from the statutory health insurance provider AOK Lower Saxony (N = 2,001,225). Incident cases were identified based on the diagnosis data. The expected years free of MSD and CVD were calculated using multistate life table analysis for three periods between 2006 and 2018. The occupational group is identified via the occupational key. Three groups are distinguished: unskilled and semi-skilled workers, skilled workers and specialists, and highly skilled workers.

RESULTS

Life years free of MSD clearly decreased in the general population and among the employed population. The decrease was strongest in the higher-skilled occupational groups. Life years free of CVD increased in the general population. The increase was weaker among the employed population. The only occupational group showing increases were men in unskilled and semi-skilled occupations.

DISCUSSION

The study shows that disease-free life years among employed persons developed in some cases worse than in the general population. For the analysed disease groups MSD and CVD, there are clear inequalities between occupational groups, which decreased somewhat over time. The inequalities and the decrease in years free of MSD highlight the high public health relevance and the need for effective prevention strategies to prevent CVD and MSD in working age.

Trends in burnout and related sick leave duration in working-age adults followed in general practices in Germany between 2012 and 2022

AIMS

This study investigated burnout trends and related sick leave duration in working-age adults followed in general practices in Germany.

METHODS

Participants were aged 20-65 years and were diagnosed with burnout in one of 442 general practices in this country in 2012-2014, 2016-2018, and 2020-2022. The prevalence of burnout and the duration of sick leave in all practices were compared between 2012-2014 and 2016-2018 and between 2016-2018 and 2020-2022. The association between diagnosis years (i.e., 2012-2014, 2016-2018, and 2020-2022) and long-term sick leave (i.e., more than 42 days of sick leave) was investigated using adjusted logistic regression.

RESULTS

The study included 39,793, 46,708, and 50,721 patients diagnosed with burnout in the periods from 2012 to 2014, 2016-2018, and 2020-2022, respectively, and the prevalence of burnout in all patients was 3.6%, 3.8%, and 3.6% during these three periods. This prevalence increased significantly in people aged 61-65 years and those with a Charlson Comorbidity Index of ≥1. The mean (SD) sick leave duration in the population of people with burnout rose from 24.1 (41.9) days in the period of 2012-2014 to 36.2 (65.6) days in the period from 2020 to 2022. Finally, compared with 2012-2014, burnout diagnosed in 2016-2018 and 2020-2022 was associated with higher odds of long-term sick leave.

CONCLUSIONS

In view of these findings, it is clear that public health measures are urgently needed to improve burnout prevention in Germany.

Work-related stress is associated with low work ability, but not with poor self-rated health: A cross-sectional study in primary healthcare

BACKGROUND

People seeking care at primary healthcare centres may be exposed to work-related stress, increasing the risk of future sick leave. Thus, it is important to identify work-related stress, and to explore how stress relates to work ability and health.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association between work-related stress and a) work ability, and b) self-rated health, among working women and men seeking care for physical or mental health complaints.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study analyzed baseline data (n = 232) from a randomized controlled trial investigating the effects of a brief intervention to prevent sick leave. Data regarding work-related stress, work ability and self-rated health were analyzed using binary logistic regression models.

RESULTS

In models adjusted for age, gender and education, high work-related stress measured by the Work Stress Questionnaire was significantly associated with low work ability. The highest odds ratio (OR 3.27, 95% CI 1.66-6.42) was found between the domain "interference between work and leisure time" and work ability, suggesting a more than three times higher odds for low work ability when perceiving that work interferes with leisure time. No significant association was found between work-related stress and self-rated health.

CONCLUSION

Health professionals should explore patients' work-related stress when they seek care for physical or mental complaints in primary healthcare. Patients' perceived balance between work and leisure time seems particularly important to address. Increased awareness might facilitate timely, relevant strategies to reduce stress and promote work ability.

Socioeconomic inequalities, psychosocial stressors at work and physician-diagnosed depression: Time-to-event mediation analysis in the presence of time-varying confounders

OBJECTIVES

There is evidence that both low socioeconomic status (SES) and psychosocial stressors at work (PSW) increase risk of depression, but prospective studies on the contribution of PSW to the socioeconomic gradient of depression are still limited.

METHODS

Using a prospective cohort of Quebec white-collar workers (n = 9188 participants, 50% women), we estimated randomized interventional analogues of the natural direct effect of SES indicators at baseline (education level, household income, occupation type and a combined measure) and of their natural indirect effects mediated through PSW (job strain and effort-reward imbalance (ERI) measured at the follow-up in 1999-2001) on incident physician-diagnosed depression.

RESULTS

During 3 years of follow-up, we identified 469 new cases (women: 33.1 per 1000 person-years; men: 16.8). Mainly in men, low SES was a risk factor for depression [education: hazard ratio 1.72 (1.08-2.73); family income: 1.67 (1.04-2.67); occupational type: 2.13 (1.08-4.19)]. In the entire population, exposure to psychosocial stressors at work was associated with increased risk of depression [job strain: 1.42 (1.14-1.78); effort-reward imbalance (ERI) 1.73 (1.41-2.12)]. The estimated indirect effects of socioeconomic indicators on depression mediated through job strain ranged from 1.01 (0.99-1.03) to 1.04 (0.98-1.10), 4-15% of total effects, and for low reward from 1.02 (1.00-1.03) to 1.06 (1.01-1.11), 10-15% of total effects.

DISCUSSION

Our study suggests that PSW only slightly mediate the socioeconomic gradient of depression, but that socioeconomic inequalities, especially among men, and PSW both increase the incidence of depression.

Social inequalities, stressful work and non-fatal cardiovascular disease: follow-up findings from the CONSTANCES Study

BACKGROUND

Studies show that a disadvantaged socioeconomic position (SEP) and psychosocial stress at work are both independently associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). But it is not clear if the effect of stress at work on CVD varies by SEP.

METHODS

We used baseline and follow-up data from the French population-based cohort study CONSTANCES, including 48 383 employed women and men aged 30-70 years. Three SEP indicators (education, income, occupation), stressful psychosocial work as measured by effort-reward imbalance, pre-existing CVD and confounders were assessed at baseline, and incident non-fatal CVD events reported during annual follow-up (up to five follow-ups) were used as outcomes. The effect modification hypothesis was both investigated on an additive and multiplicative scale.

RESULTS

SEP was inversely associated with CVD risk (eg, for low vs high income, OR 1.28 (95% CI 1.12 to 1.46)), and for all three components of stressful work CVD risks were significantly increased (eg, for effort-reward ratio OR 1.26 (95% CI 1.17 to 1.36)). Employees with a disadvantaged SEP showed moderately increased effect sizes of stressful work on CVD. However, no clear evidence of an effect modification was found.

CONCLUSIONS

Disadvantaged SEP and stressful work contribute to higher CVD risk in this cohort. Despite moderately increased effect sizes for disadvantaged SEP groups, no evidence was found to support an effect modification hypothesis.

Feasibility and efficacy of a digital resilience training: A pilot study of the strengths-based training RESIST

Background

Work-related stress is a risk factor for a number of adverse health and work outcomes. Resilience trainings are a promising approach for adequately dealing with work stress and keeping employees mentally healthy. However, results of previous resilience trainings have been heterogeneous, ranging from null findings to large effects. Existing digital resilience interventions show a lack of consistency in terms of an underlying theoretical framework and methods used to foster resilience. Positive Appraisal Style Theory of Resilience offers an innovative conceptualization of resilience. Strengths-based cognitive behavioral therapy is a corresponding therapeutically method reflecting resilience as a resource-oriented process of dealing with stress. Based on this background, a new hybrid web-and app-based digital resilience intervention for employees named RESIST was developed.

Objective

The first aim of the study was to investigate the feasibility of the newly developed training RESIST regarding its usability, user behavior, user experience and motivation to use. Second, the study sought to explore preliminary effects of the intervention on reducing stress and enhancing resilience by conducting a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Methods

The feasibility study was conducted in three phases. First, the usability of the app was investigated in a pre-test with five participants using a thinking-aloud method. Second, the preliminary efficacy of the training was examined in a pilot randomized controlled trial. A sample of 30 employees were randomized either to receive the resilience training (n = 15) or to be member of a control group (n = 15). The primary outcome was measuring perceived stress. Secondary outcomes included measures of resilience and depressive symptoms. Third, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with six participants of the resilience training group on training content, motivation for use, and user experience.

Results

Overall, results indicate that RESIST can be a feasible training for resilience promotion and stress reduction with high user satisfaction. Analysis of covariance showed that, relative to controls, participants who received RESIST reported significantly lower stress scores at post-intervention (F1,27 = 16.91, p < 0.001; Cohen's d = 1.57; 95 % CI 0.71-2.43) than controls. Significant differences, with moderate-to-large effect sizes, were also detected for general resilience and various resilience factors.

Conclusions

Results are promising and provide hope that a hybrid web- and app-based resilience intervention based on strengths-based cognitive behavioral therapy can have a positive impact on dealing adequately with stress and improve resilience of employees.

Stress and Workload Assessment in Aviation-A Narrative Review

In aviation, any detail can have massive consequences. Among the potential sources of failure, human error is still the most troublesome to handle. Therefore, research concerning the management of mental workload, attention, and stress is of special interest in aviation. Recognizing conditions in which a pilot is over-challenged or cannot act lucidly could avoid serious outcomes. Furthermore, knowing in depth a pilot's neurophysiological and cognitive-behavioral responses could allow for the optimization of equipment and procedures to minimize risk and increase safety. In addition, it could translate into a general enhancement of both the physical and mental well-being of pilots, producing a healthier and more ergonomic work environment. This review brings together literature on the study of stress and workload in the specific case of pilots of both civil and military aircraft. The most common approaches for studying these phenomena in the avionic context are explored in this review, with a focus on objective methodologies (e.g., the collection and analysis of neurophysiological signals). This review aims to identify the pros, cons, and applicability of the various approaches, to enable the design of an optimal protocol for a comprehensive study of these issues.

Work stressors and their controllability: Content analysis of employee perceptions of hindrances to the flow of work in the health care sector

High levels of work stress are prevalent today, and the underlying working conditions need to be tackled urgently. In this study, our aim was to identify the range of factors that employees themselves perceive as hindrances to the flow of work, that is, hindrance stressors. We analysed the open-ended questionnaire responses of 4766 employees working in the health care sector using semi-automated content analysis. We then used more detailed conventional content analysis to compare the responses of the groups that reported high (n = 1388) and low (n = 833) levels of subjective stress. Finally, we interpreted and categorised the stressors raised by the respondents from the viewpoint of controllability, to shed light on where to target interventions. The main hindrance stressors reflected inadequate staffing, work overload, time pressure, and management-related issues, of which the responses revealed concrete examples. Interruptions and problems related to cooperation and instructions were also commonly mentioned. The respondents in the high stress group emphasised work overload and issues related to management and clients. Our results suggest that the major hindrances to daily work are beyond employees' control and require decisions and resources at the level of supervisors, managers, directors, and policymakers. Future studies on work stress should explore the controllability of common stressors in more detail and include the appraisal of controllability in explanatory models. Avoiding overemphasis of psychological coping and instead targeting harmful working conditions and the organisational actors who can influence these could make workplace stress management interventions more effective.

Mediation of lifestyle-associated variables on the association between occupation and incident cardiovascular disease

The main aim was to examine the association between occupational groups and incident cardiovascular disease (CVD), and to which extent associations are mediated by lifestyle-associated variables (cardiorespiratory fitness, smoking, BMI, exercise, and diet). A total of 304,702 participants (mean age 42.5 yrs., 47% women), who performed a health profile assessment in Sweden between 1982 and 2019, were included in the analyses. CVD incidence was obtained from national registers. All participants were free from CVD prior to the health profile assessment. Occupational group was defined using the Swedish Standard Classification of Occupations and analyzed separately (13 different occupational groups) as well as after aggregation into four occupational groups (white-collar high-skilled, white-collar low-skilled, blue-collar high-skilled and blue-collar low-skilled). Cardiorespiratory fitness, BMI, exercise, smoking, and diet were included as mediators and analyzed separately in single models and simultaneously in one multiple mediation model. All mediation analyses were adjusted for sex, age, length of education and calendar time. White-collar high-skilled was set as reference in all analyses. Blue-collar and low-skilled occupation had a higher risk of incident CVD compared to the reference. Cardiorespiratory fitness, BMI, exercise, smoking, and diet mediated 48% to 54% of the associations between reference and the other aggregated occupational groups. In the single model, the strongest mediators were cardiorespiratory fitness, smoking and BMI. In conclusion, blue-collar and low-skilled occupations had a significantly higher risk for incident CVD compared to white-collar high-skilled workers, with the association mediated to a large extent by variation in lifestyle-associated variables.

Changes in work-related stressors before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: differences by gender and parental status

PURPOSE

The COVID-19 pandemic changed people's working conditions worldwide and research suggests increases in work stressors. However, it is not known to what extent these changes differ by gender or parental status. In the present study, we investigate trends in work stressors and whether these differ by gender and parental status.

METHODS

We used cross-sectional time series data of the European Working Conditions Survey of 2015 and Living, Working and COVID-19 survey of spring 2020 to examine trends in work stressors by gender and parental status. Work stressors were working in leisure time, lack of psychological detachment and work-life conflict. We applied three-way multilevel regressions reporting prevalence ratios and reported predicted probabilities and average marginal effects to show trends and differences in changes in work stressors.

RESULTS

Our multilevel regression results showed elevated prevalence ratios during the pandemic for working leisure time (PR: 1.43, 95% CI 1.34-1.53), psychological detachment (PR: 1.70, 95% CI 1.45-1.99) and work-life conflict (PR: 1.29, 95% CI 1.17-1.43) compared to before the pandemic. Except for working in leisure time, the increase was more significant among women and mothers. The proportion of work-life conflict in 2020 was 20.7% (95% CI 18.7-22.9) for men and 25.8% (95% CI 24.0-27.6) for women, equalling a difference of 5.1% (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

There is evidence that work stressors increased disproportionately for women and mothers. This needs to be monitored and addressed to prevent widening gender inequalities in the quality of work.

Trends in Activity Limitations From an International Perspective: Differential Changes Between Age Groups Across 30 Countries

Objectives: Examine trends in limitations among young (15–39), middle-aged (40–64) and older age-groups (>=65) and their socioeconomic differences. Methods: Population-based European Social Survey data ( N = 396,853) were used, covering 30 mostly European countries and spanning the time-period 2002–2018. Limitations were measured using a global activity limitations indicator. Results: Age-differential trends in limitations were found. Activity limitations generally decreased in older adults, whereas trends varied among younger and middle-aged participants, with decreasing limitations in some countries but increasing limitations in others. These age-differential trends were replicated across limitation severity and socioeconomic groups; however, stronger limitation increases occurred regarding less-severe limitations. Discussion: Functional health has improved in older adults. Contrarily, the increasing limitations in younger and middle-aged individuals seem concerning, which were mostly observed in Western and Northern European countries. Given its public health importance, future studies should investigate the reasons for this declining functional health in the young and middle-aged.

Authentic leadership and personal and job demands/resources: A person-centered approach and links with work-related subjective well-being

The job demands-resources theory considers an open group of personal and job demands and resources. Thus, it allows us to include personal resources not yet covered (i.e., vigor at work) or less explored (i.e., emotional abilities), as well as personal demands not yet explored (i.e., overcommitment). Additionally, from this theory, it is proposed that leaders may influence employee wellbeing. Therefore, of particular interest is to analyze positive leadership styles, such as authentic leadership (AL). This study addresses three research objectives: 1) to identify profiles of employees from a person-centered approach, combining personal resources (self-perception of emotional abilities, vigor at work and self-efficacy) and personal demands (overcommitment) with job resources and demands; 2) to analyze the relation of the identified profiles with indicators of work-related subjective well-being; and 3) to acknowledge whether the AL style determines the pertaining to a profile probability. A large heterogeneous sample of Spanish employees (N = 968) responded to a questionnaire. Data were analyzed by adopting a person-centered approach using latent profile analysis. The results revealed five patterns of job and individual characteristics: Profile 5 (very low personal resources, and low job resources and demands); Profile 4 (low resources and high demands); Profile 3 (mid-level personal resources, high job resources and low demands); Profile 2 (high personal resources, mid-level job resources and high demands); and Profile 1 (high resources and low demands). Analyses showed that workers differed significantly in well-being depending on their profile membership, with Profile 1 having the highest well-being. Profiles that yielded the worst outcomes were Profile 4 and Profile 5, especially the latter. Finally, the results indicated that AL increased the probability that a profile would show a high well-being level.

Working Time Control and Variability in Europe Revisited: Correlations with Health, Sleep, and Well-Being

Working time control (WTC) and working time variability (WTV) are two important dimensions of working times, especially with regard to the dynamics of irregular working hours in a changing world of work. Both dimensions are closely related, and the terms are sometimes used synonymously. However, a high degree of WTC does not automatically lead to variable or irregular working hours. On the contrary, WTV is often imposed by the employer and does not necessarily occur in conjunction with high WTC. This article gives an overview of different European WTC and WTV regimes using a typological approach. Based on the European Working Conditions Survey 2015 (EWCS, n = 27,607), four employee groups are compared: those with (1) high WTC and high WTV, (2) high WTC and low WTV, (3) low WTC and high WTV, and (4) low WTC and low WTV. Firstly, the analyses aim to assess whether WTC and WTV vary across European countries due to different working time regimes and in different occupational sectors, i.e., hospitality, retail, and health and social work. Secondly, multi-level analyses are used to describe correlations with health (self-rated health, psychosomatic complaints), sleep (sleep problems), and well-being (WHO-5-Scale). The analyses suggest that WTC and WTV differ between European countries: in the northern countries, high WTC/high WTV is most prevalent, whereas low WTV/low WTC is more common in the other countries. As far as employee health and sleep are concerned, high WTV is associated with poor health, i.e., a greater number of psychosomatic health complaints, worse self-rated health status, and more sleep problems. However, the correlation appears to be weaker for psychosomatic health complaints when employees have high WTC. Significant correlations could not be found for WTC. Low WTC and high WTV is more common in occupational sectors in hospitality, retail, and health and social care; however, these occupational sectors show the same correlations regarding health, sleep, and well-being. The analyses indicate that it is crucial to consider WTV and WTC together in order to understand the dynamics of irregular working hours and health.

Analysis of occupational stress and its correlation with oxidative-antioxidant levels among employees of a power grid enterprise in Guangdong

BACKGROUND

Occupational stress and its health effects on occupational populations have attracted extensive attention from researchers in public health. The stressors faced by employees of power grid enterprises are increasing progressively, which is easy to cause occupational stress. The balance of the body's oxidative-antioxidant levels plays an essential role in maintaining the body's health status. This study aims to explore occupational stress and its correlation with oxidative-antioxidant levels in employees of a power grid enterprise.

METHODS

A cluster random sampling method was used to investigate the basic information of 528 employees in a power grid enterprise and investigate the two occupational stress models of employees by using the Job Content Questionnaire based on the job demand-control-support (JDC) model, and the Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire based on the effort-reward imbalance (ERI) model, respectively. Peripheral blood samples were collected from the employees to measure the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and superoxide dismutase (SOD). The correlation between different models of occupational stress level and the body's oxidation-antioxidation level was further explored.

RESULTS

The detection rate of high JDC model occupational stress was 50.6% and the detection rate of high ERI model occupational stress was 50.9%. The JDC model occupational stress was significantly associated with high-temperature and high-altitude operation, visual display terminal operation, monthly income, and exercise (all P < 0.05). The ERI model occupational stress was significantly associated with visual display terminal operation (all P < 0.05). The results of the generalized additive model showed that SOD levels had a non-linear relationship with the D/C ratio as well as the E/R ratio. With the D/C ratio close to 1, SOD levels raised rapidly. When the E/R ratio exceeded 1, the SOD level raised rapidly (all P<0.05) . TAC levels were negatively associated with the E/R ratio (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The detection rates of occupational stress in both models among employees in a power grid enterprise are higher. ERI model occupational stress was associated with body TAC and SOD levels, and JDC model occupational stress was associated with body SOD levels.

Delegation and consultation on operational and tactical issues: Any difference in their potentialities for a healthier psychosocial work environment?

Background

Despite the growing number of studies on direct participation labor‐management practices, little is known about the role of their different discretionary degrees (delegation or consultation) and topics in their relationship with the psychosocial work environment by occupational groups.

Methods

Cross‐sectional study on the relationship between direct participation and work‐related psychosocial risks (using COPSOQ‐ISTAS21 v3) on a representative sample of the salaried and wage‐earning employees in Spain (n = 1807). Prevalence ratios were calculated using adjusted Poisson regression models, controlling for 10 other labor‐management practices, sex, and age, and stratified by occupational group.

Results

The use of direct participation was either associated consistently with a healthier psychosocial work environment (mostly in manual occupations, which presented twice as many positive associations as nonmanual occupations, and of greater strength, mostly in the control and social support dimensions) or there were no significant associations (mostly among nonmanual occupations and in relation to work pace). More frequent and stronger associations were observed when consultation and delegation were used in combination. If used separately, consultation achieved better results among manual occupations and delegation among nonmanual occupations. Direct participation topics were not important for results in manual occupations whereas results were better on tactical (vs. operational) issues in nonmanual occupations.

Conclusions

Direct participation does not change power structure, but it may be a useful intervention at the company level to reduce work‐related psychosocial exposures and associated diseases among workers in manual occupations, and consequently for decreasing occupational exposures and health inequalities.

Managerialism: A workforce health hazard in human service settings

BACKGROUND

This study assesses the relationship between managerialism and health among human service workers.

METHODS

A total of 2154 New York City human service workers participated in an electronic survey that included validated measures of a system of work organization (the Organizational Commitment to Managerialism scale [OCTM]) and a work stressor (the Effort Reward Imbalance scale [ERI]), and single items about physical, mental, and behavioral health. Controlling for demographic variables, logistic regression models were used to predict health outcomes assess the potential role of ERI as a mediator.

RESULTS

Managerialism was associated with increased risk of high blood pressure, neck and back pain, gastrointestinal difficulties, sleeping disorders, anxiety, and depression. Mediation analyses suggested that the effects of managerialism on health were partially explained by ERI.

CONCLUSIONS

Managerialism in human service agencies significantly increased the risk of adverse physical and mental health. Increased levels of a work stressor helped to explain part of this association.

Work Stressors and Occupational Health of Young Employees: The Moderating Role of Work Adaptability

Work adaptability refers to the work experience, habits, and skills that enable an individual to adapt to current or changing work tasks and situations. It is a coping resource that individuals use to mitigate various types of stress. Adopting the interaction model of work stress, this study investigated 168 young employees in 20 organizations in Zhejiang Province through interview research and a questionnaire survey. The results show that work adaptability has a significant main effect on occupational health. The work adaptability of employees plays a moderating role in the relationship between occupational health and lack of work meaning stress, role conflict stress, interpersonal relationship stress, negative organizational atmosphere stress, and total score of work stressors. Young employees with high work adaptability have worse occupational health under high-level stress situations due to a lack of work meaning. For promoting occupational health in young employees, organizations should have this group of workers complete meaningful jobs or inform them of the importance of their jobs, reduce role conflict, and create a supportive organizational atmosphere. For management, it is imperative to eliminate high-level stress that stems from a lack of work meaning in order to retain young employees with high work adaptability. These findings shed light on how work adaptability helps young employees deal with stress and improve their occupational health. In organizational and self-stress management, it is beneficial to improve employees’ work adaptability continuously as a means of effectively resisting stress and maintaining occupational health.

Nature and Mindfulness to Cope with Work-Related Stress: A Narrative Review

In recent years, work-related stress has grown exponentially and the negative impact that this condition has on people's health is considerable. The effects of work-related stress can be distinguished in those that affect workers (e.g., depression and anxiety) and those that affect the company (e.g., absenteeism and productivity). It is possible to distinguish two types of prevention interventions. Individual interventions aim at promoting coping and individual resilience strategies with the aim of modifying cognitive assessments of the potential stressor, thus reducing its negative impact on health. Mindfulness techniques have been found to be effective stress management tools that are also useful in dealing with stressful events in the workplace. Organizational interventions modify the risk factors connected to the context and content of the work. It was found that a restorative workplace (i.e., with natural elements) reduces stress and fatigue, improving work performance. Furthermore, practicing mindfulness in nature helps to improve the feeling of wellbeing and to relieve stress. In this paper, we review the role of mindfulness-based practices and of contact with nature in coping with stressful situations at work, and we propose a model of coping with work-related stress by using mindfulness in nature-based practices.

Long-term trends in psychosocial working conditions in Europe-the role of labor market policies

Background

Employees have witnessed rising trend in work stress over the last few decades. However, we know a little about country differences in those trends. Our article fills this gap in the literature by examining heterogeneities in trends in working conditions by country groups defined by their amount of investment into labor market policy (LMP) programs. Additionally, we provide findings on differences in occupational inequalities between country groups.

Methods

We use comparative longitudinal data of the European Working Conditions Surveys including cross-sectional information on employees from 15 countries surveyed in Waves 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015. Estimation results are provided by three-way multilevel models with employees nested within country-years nested within countries. Our work stress measure is the proxy version of job strain based on the demand-control model.

Results

Our regression results indicate that for employees in countries with the least LMP spending job strain increased by 10% from 1995 to 2015 compared to a smaller and insignificant change in middle- and high-LMP countries. In low-LMP countries, inequalities in job strain also widened during the studied period: the gap in job strain between the highest- and lowest-skilled increased by 60% from 1995 to 2015. This contrasts a stable gap in middle- and high-LMP countries.

Conclusions

Our results direct the attention to the vulnerable position of the least skilled and highlight that LMP investments may buffer some of the adverse impacts of globalization and technological changes and effectively improve the labor market situation of the least skilled.

Implications of COVID-19 Mitigation Policies for National Well-Being: A Systems Perspective

The ongoing COVID-19 crisis and measures aimed at curbing the pandemic have a widespread impact on various aspects of well-being, such as housing, social connections, and others. Moreover, COVID-19 does not affect all population groups equally. This study analyzes the impact of major COVID-19 non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) on a set of national well-being indicators from the most recent version of the OECD Well-Being Framework. Using causal loop diagrams (systems maps), we consider direct and indirect effects of these policies on various components of the national well-being system. Our results show that business closures directly and/or indirectly impact more national well-being components than any other policy. The most affected national well-being components by all policies are life satisfaction, perceived health, and prevalence of depressive symptoms. In addition, we specify how the impact of the anti-pandemic measures differs for various population strata, using the degree of income and employment loss as key stratifying variables. Our insights can be helpful to identify and promote measures that can alleviate the adverse effects of the COVID-19 crisis on the national well-being.

Rewards of Compassion: Dispositional Compassion Predicts Lower Job Strain and Effort-Reward Imbalance Over a 11-Year Follow-Up

Dispositional compassion has been shown to predict higher well-being and to be associated with lower perceived stress and higher social support. Thus, compassion may be a potential individual factor protecting from job strain. The current study examines (i) whether dispositional compassion predicts job strain and effort-reward imbalance (ERI) or does the predictive relationship run from job strain and ERI to dispositional compassion and (ii) the effect of dispositional compassion on the developmental trajectory of job strain and ERI over a 11-year follow-up. We used data from the Young Finns study (n=723) between 2001 and 2012. The direction of the predictive relationships was analyzed with cross-lagged panel models. Compassion’s effect on the trajectories of job strain, ERI, and their components was examined with multilevel models. First, the cross-lagged panel models demonstrated there was no evidence for the predictive pathways between compassion and job strain or its components. However, the predictive pathways from high dispositional compassion to low ERI and high rewards had better fit to the data than the predictive pathways in the opposite direction. In addition, multilevel models showed that high compassion predicted various job characteristics from early adulthood to middle age (lower job strain and higher job control as well as lower ERI and higher reward). Compassion did not predict job demand/effort. The findings were obtained independently of age, gender, and socioeconomic factors in childhood and adulthood. These findings indicate that compassion may be beneficial in work context. Further, compassion might be useful in the management or prevention of some aspects of strain. Our study provides new insight about the role of compassion in work life.

Work Resumption after a Fixed-Term Disability Pension: Changes over Time during a Period of Decreasing Incidence of Disability Retirement

The incidence of disability retirement in Finland has sharply decreased over the last ten years. At the same time, the share of fixed-term pensions has increased to cover more than half of all new disability pensions. This study examined the efficiency of fixed-term disability pensions under these changing circumstances with the aim of addressing the following research questions: are fixed-term disability pensions more often converted to permanent pensions, and how have the changes affected return to work? The study was based on register data of Finnish residents aged 25-62 whose fixed-term disability pension started in 2006 (n = 10,177) or 2015 (n = 7918). Of the fixed-term disability pensions starting in 2006, 58 percent were converted to a permanent disability pension within the next four years. In 2015, the corresponding figure was 41 percent. Return to work increased from 24 to 30 percent. In addition, ending up in some other state (most often unemployment) increased, and, more often, fixed-term disability pensions continued for more than four years. Transferring to a permanent disability pension decreased more among the younger, those with a lower education, and those suffering from mental disorders. The results were not notably affected by changes in the characteristics of fixed-term disability pension recipients (e.g., demographic and occupational characteristics and rehabilitation) or the selection of applicants into a fixed-term or a permanent pension. Return to work increased more among men, the older age groups, those with a fixed-term disability pension due to somatic diseases, and those who had received vocational rehabilitation. Adjusting for the composition of fixed-term disability pensioners increased the differences between the study years, and controlling for the selection into a fixed-term pension further widened the differences. In conclusion, a decreasing proportion of fixed-term disability pensions are converted to permanent pensions, but this is only partly reflected in increased return to work. Further efforts are needed to support work resumption after a fixed-term disability pension to avoid the situation where people drop out from disability pension but are resting on unemployment and other benefits.

Study for the Design of a Protocol to Assess the Impact of Stress in the Quality of Life of Workers

(1) Background: Work stress is one of the most relevant issues in public health. It has a significant impact on health, especially the development of mental disorders, causing occupational imbalance. There is a growing interest in the development of tools with a positive effect on workers. To this end, wearable technology is becoming increasingly popular, as it measures biometric variables like heartbeat, activity, and sleep. This information may be used to assess the stress a person is suffering, which could allow the development of stress coping strategies, both at a professional and personal level. (2) Methods: This paper describes an observational, analytical, and longitudinal study which will be set at a research center in A Coruña, Spain. Various scales and questionnaires will be filled in by the participants throughout the study. For the statistical analysis, specific methods will be used to evaluate the association between numerical and categorical variables. (3) Discussion: This study will lay the foundation for a bigger, more complete study to assess occupational stress in different work environments. This will allow us to begin to understand how occupational stress influences daily life activity and occupational balance, which could directly enhance the quality of life of workers if the necessary measures are taken.