Satisfaction at work among radiologists

Job Satisfaction Mediates the Relationship between Psychosocial and Organization Factors and Mental Well-Being in Schoolteachers

The study aimed to explore the associations between the psychosocial and organizational factors, job satisfaction, and mental well-being of schoolteachers. A further aim was to examine whether job satisfaction mediated the relationship between these factors and mental well-being. A cross-sectional design was used to collect data using a self-reported questionnaire. Six hundred and nine schoolteachers were included in the final analyses. The relationships between the variables were tested in a path analysis model. The data fit the hypothesized model well. The results demonstrated that organizational justice, efficacy beliefs, and school climate were significantly associated with job satisfaction and that the relationships between these variables and mental well-being were mediated by job satisfaction. The findings have implications for programs targeted at promoting teachers' well-being.

Care for the Carers: An Evaluation of Job Satisfaction of Community Healthcare Workers in Charge of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control in Vietnam

PURPOSE

This study explored job satisfaction and associated factors among community healthcare workers (HCWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 319 HCWs in charge of infectious disease prevention and control activities at all commune healthcare centers in Ho Chi Minh City. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire which included the 36-item Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS).

RESULTS

Most participants were male (56.7%), and the mean age was 34.7 (SD=7.1) years. The overall job satisfaction was relatively low. Among 9 aspects measured, coworker was found to have the highest level of satisfaction (19.6±3.9), followed by supervision (19.3±4.1). In contrast, the lowest level of satisfaction was observed in operating condition (11.4±3.4) and contingent rewards (14.3±3.8). The total score of the JSS indicated that only half of HCWs were satisfied with their job in general. Older male HCWs who were married and those who had higher income reported a higher level of job satisfaction in several aspects measured. However, there was no association between job satisfaction and other HCW's characteristics, including specialty, occupation type, and working experience.

CONCLUSION

Since this is the crucial workforce in the battle against infectious diseases, urgent interventions are needed to increase job satisfaction in this population.

Recovery experiences mediate the effect of burnout on life satisfaction among Chinese physicians: a structural equation modeling analysis

PURPOSE

Recovery experiences not only make it possible for individuals to restore their energy resources and return to pre-stressor levels but also contribute to the formation of their subjective well-being. This paper investigates the effect of burnout on life satisfaction among Chinese physicians who are frequently confronted with a considerable number of work-related stressors and examines the mediating role of recovery experiences in the relationship between burnout and life satisfaction.

METHODS

A total of 642 physicians working in five public tertiary hospitals in China responded to a self-administered questionnaire including demographic information, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Scale, and the Recovery Experience Questionnaire. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted to test the incremental variance of any given set of independent variables. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the presumed relationships between variables involved. Asymptotic and resampling strategies were used to examine the mediating effects of recovery experiences in the relationship between burnout and life satisfaction.

RESULTS

Burnout and recovery experiences were important predictors of life satisfaction and the direct effect of burnout on life satisfaction was statistically significant and negative and the path coefficients of burnout with life satisfaction were significantly decreased when recovery experiences were modeled as mediators.

CONCLUSION

Findings of the study highlight the importance of promoting recovery experiences to reduce burnout and improve life satisfaction among physicians rather than focusing on the less easily modifiable work-related stressors.

Mental and physical well-being in oncology-hematology-unit personnel

Health care workers (HCWs) in university hematology units (UHUs) face high job demand that can have adverse health effects. This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between some job stressors and health-related quality of life among HCWs of 3 UHUs in Rome. Work-related stress was measured with the Demand-Control Questionnaire; health-related functioning with the mental component score (MCS) and physical component score (PCS) of the Short Form 12 Survey; positivity with the Positivity Scale. Data of 201 respondents were analyzed. Job demand was inversely associated with MCS (p = .05) and PCS (p = .049); job control was directly associated with PCS (p < .001) and MCS (p = .024). A high positivity scale score and high decision latitude score predicted high MCS and PCS. High job demand score predicted low MCS and PCS scores. Reduced job stressors and enhanced positive attitudes can improve HCWs' health-related quality of life.

Beyond patient care: the impact of healthcare reform on job satisfaction in the Ethiopian public healthcare sector

BACKGROUND

While healthcare reform has been a central attention for local governments, its impact on job satisfaction is poorly understood. This study aimed to determine the impact of healthcare reform on job satisfaction in the public healthcare sector in Ethiopia.

METHODS

The study was designed as a facility-based cross-sectional survey of healthcare professionals and carried out in all public hospitals in central Ethiopia which have been implementing healthcare reform (n = 5). All healthcare professionals in the hospitals who were involved in the reform from the inception (n = 476) were purposively sourced to complete a self-administered questionnaire adapted from a framework proposed for measuring job satisfaction of health professionals in sub-Saharan Africa. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin and Bartlett's tests were conducted to measure sampling adequacy and sphericity for factor analysis. Likert's transformation formula was used to numerically analyse the satisfaction level of the respondents and to determine the cut-off value of satisfaction levels. Non-parametric and multiple logistic regression analysis were conducted to determine predictors of job satisfaction.

RESULTS

A total of 410 healthcare professionals completed the survey, representing an 88% response rate. The median and mean job satisfaction scores were 50 and 49, respectively, on a scale 1-100, which was equivalent to 'Job dissatisfied' on the Likert scale. Only 25% of respondents perceived job satisfaction due to implementation of the reform. Moral satisfaction (adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 177.65; 95% confidence interval (CI), 59.54-530.08), management style (aOR, 4.02; 95% CI, 1.49-10.83), workload (aOR, 2.42; 95% CI, 0.93-6.34), and task (aOR, 5.49; 95% CI, 2.31-13.07) were the most significant predictors. Job satisfaction results were significantly different among the study hospitals (χ ² = 30.56, p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

The healthcare reform significantly and negatively influences public healthcare professionals' job satisfaction and its overall impact on job satisfaction was poor, which would hinder the 'Health Sector Transformation' movement of Ethiopia. Healthcare reform efforts are contingent on job satisfaction of healthcare professionals, and such efforts should balance the demand and supply of both patients and providers for improved healthcare outcomes.

Teachers’ perceptions of fairness, well-being and burnout

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the validation of the Organizational Justice Index (OJI) by Hoy and Tarter (2004), a self-report questionnaire for teachers’ perceptions of fairness in the operation and administration of schools.

Design/methodology/approach

– In two studies the authors validated the Italian version of the OJI. Study 1 included 164 Italian high school teachers (76.8 percent were female) to test structure and construct validity. Study 2 involved 200 teachers (permanent and temporary teachers) to confirm the structure of the scale, test the construct and criterion validity, and invariance.

Findings

– Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the one-factor solution and that the structure of the scale was the same across teachers. Results revealed high internal reliability. The OJI correlated positively with equity, school climate, and job satisfaction, and negatively with depression and burnout.

Research limitations/implications

– Since the research approach could lead to common method variance issues, it will be important to determine the associations of OJI with non-self-report assessments.

Practical implications

– The OJI can be applied optimally to: assess potential organizational problems prior to conducting major interventions; investigate school dynamic problems; target interventions designed to enhance perception of organizational justice; incorporate evaluation of organizational justice as part of regular employee assessments.

Originality/value

– Overall findings fill the need of standardized measures of organizational justice for specific context. The OJI is a valid instrument to measure organizational justice in school, involving different type of teachers.

Organizational efficacy, job satisfaction and well-being

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the structure, reliability, construct validity, and group invariance of the Italian version of the Bohn Organizational Efficacy Scale (OES), a self-report questionnaire for organizational efficacy assessment in the business context.

Design/methodology/approach

– The first study included Italian employees of a pasta factory (n=120) to test divergent, convergent, and discriminant validity of the OES with existing instruments. The second study combined three hospital (n=180 Italian health workers) to confirm the structure of the scale.

Findings

– Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the three-factor solution (collaboration, sense of mission and future, and sense of resilience), and that the structure of the scale was the same across employees of hospital and pasta factory. Results revealed a high internal reliability. The OES correlated positively with corresponding aspects of organizational functioning, well-being, and job satisfaction. The scale did not correlate with measures of general self-efficacy and personal empowerment. Levels of job satisfaction and well-being resulted higher among people with moderate/high organizational efficacy than among adults with low organizational efficacy.

Research limitations/implications

– Because of the chosen research approach could lead to common method variance issues: it will be important to determine the associations of OES with non-self-report assessments of the same construct.

Practical implications

– The OES can be applied optimally in the empirical study of factors influencing organizational setting and used in training aiming at strengthening employees’ collective skills.

Originality/value

– The OES is a valid instrument to measure organizational efficacy. Findings highlighted a strong relationship between collective efficacy, job satisfaction and well-being.

Work stress and metabolic syndrome in radiologists: first evidence

PURPOSE

Scientific data have amply demonstrated that work stress increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, less attention has been given to the association between stress and metabolic syndrome. In this study, our aim was to investigate the relationship between work stress and metabolic syndrome in a population of radiologists.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Radiologists and radiotherapists taking part in scientific conferences were invited to compile a questionnaire to evaluate work stress and the main parameters for diagnosing metabolic syndrome (obesity, hypertension, elevated cholesterol level, elevated triglycerides, and hyperglycemia).

RESULTS

Most of the doctors taking part in the survey (n = 383, 58.6 %) were found to have at least one pathological component; 47 subjects (7.1 %) had metabolic syndrome. All the variables indicating work stress, whether derived from Karasek's demand/control model or from the effort/reward model devised by Siegrist, were significant predictors of metabolic syndrome components. Radiologists with elevated levels of stress had a significantly higher risk of being affected by metabolic syndrome than colleagues with lower stress levels, whether stress was defined as "job strain", i.e., elevated work load and reduced discretionary power (OR 4.89, 95 % CI 2.51-9.55), or as "effort reward imbalance", i.e., mismatch between effort and reward for the work performed (OR 4.66, 95 % CI 2.17-10.02).

CONCLUSIONS

Should the results of this cross-sectional study be confirmed by a subsequent longitudinal survey, they would indicate the need for prompt organizational intervention to reduce occupational stress in radiologists.

Social Psychiatry in the Waiting Room: What a Physician Can Learn about Occupational Stress from Workers Waiting to Be Examined

Background. Work-related stress is a major problem for mental health. The occupational physician has the opportunity to gather information on the perception of stress from workers in the course of regular medical examinations. Method. 1,231 subjects, engaged in 6 different occupations, were invited to compile the Demand/Control/Support and the Effort/Reward/Imbalance questionnaires. Results. A specific profile of work-related stress emerged for each group of workers. Radiology physicians reported high control over work, but also exceedingly high demand and effort, high overcommitment, low social support, and low rewards from work. Health care workers were often overcommitted but had high levels of reward and social support. Low levels of social support and reward were recorded for mature workers, while special force policemen engaged in law enforcement during the G8 meeting had high levels of social support and regards, so that their resulting stress levels were closer to the reference group of employees in an insurance company with no front-office. Conclusion. The practice of administering questionnaires to groups of workers who are subject to medical surveillance is useful for monitoring mental health and well-being.

Violence against radiologists. II: Psychosocial factors

PURPOSE

Violence against radiologists is a growing problem. This study evaluated the psychosocial factors associated with this phenomenon.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A questionnaire was administered to 992 Italian radiologists.

RESULTS

Physical violence experienced in the previous 12-month period was associated with the radiologist's poor mental health [odds ratio (OR) 1.11] and overcommitment to work (OR 1.06), whereas radiologists in good physical health (OR 0.64), with job satisfaction (OR 0.96) and with overall happiness (OR 0.67) were less exposed. Nonphysical abuse was equally associated with the radiologist's poor mental health (OR 1.10) and overcommitment (OR 1.14) and negatively associated with physical health (OR 0.54), job satisfaction (OR 0.96), happiness (OR 0.81), organisational justice (OR 0.94) and social support (OR 0.80).

CONCLUSIONS

Preventive intervention against violence in the workplace should improve workplace organisation and relationships between workers.