Be well: A systems-based wellness intervention using mindfulness in the workplace – A case study

The impact of mindfulness on nurses' perceived professional benefits: the mediating roles of workplace spirituality and work-life balance

This study delves into the effects of mindfulness on workplace spirituality, work-life balance, and perceived professional benefits among nurses operating in the high-pressure environments of hospitals in Jiangxi Province, China. Utilizing a robust sample of 303 valid questionnaires and employing partial least squares (PLS) analysis, the research uncovers a significant positive relationship between mindfulness and workplace spirituality. Furthermore, it demonstrates how both workplace spirituality and work-life balance serve as crucial mediators in enhancing nurses' perception of their professional benefits. The findings illuminate the potential of mindfulness training in substantially elevating job satisfaction and reducing burnout among nurses. The study not only reinforces the value of mindfulness in the healthcare sector but also advocates for its integration into professional development programs and healthcare policies. By doing so, it aims to bolster the overall wellbeing and professional effectiveness of nurses facing the myriad challenges inherent in demanding healthcare environments. This study contributes to the growing discourse on mindfulness in occupational settings, highlighting its pivotal role in enhancing both the personal wellbeing and professional capabilities of healthcare professionals.

How Do Anxiety and Relationship Factors Influence the Application of Childbirth Education Strategies During Labor and Birth: A Bowen Family Systems Perspective

The effectiveness of childbirth education (CBE) has long been debated with studies showing contradictory outcomes for mothers and babies. Understanding how what is learned in CBE is translated into practice during labor and birth is an area that requires investigation as this may be a mediating factor in its effectiveness. Bowen family system theory's concept of differentiation of self, the ability to be guided by and to act from one's beliefs and values, is an organizing principle that may affect how relational factors affect the use and application of CBE at the time of birth. The ability to act with emotional maturity when faced with a stressor, such as childbirth, depends on an individual's capability to separate thoughts from the more reactive feeling process. Recognizing how one's level of differentiation interacts with the anxious responses of others may assist pregnant women and birth partners to make decisions more objectively about how they want to manage the birthing process. For the health professional, understanding the interplay of relationship variables, physiological stress, anxiety and individual reactivity may allow for the provision of more thoughtful evidence-based practice, which may increase objectivity, and aid communication and decision-making for women during birth. Bowen theory, as a comprehensive systems-based approach to understanding human functioning under stress, offers a novel approach to exploring the application of CBE during birth.

"You are either with me on this or not": A meta-ethnography of the influence birth partners and care-providers have on coping strategies learned in childbirth education and used by women during labour

BACKGROUND

Childbirth education, which includes providing information and practical techniques to help manage childbirth, aims to support women and their birth partners. It is unknown how birth partners and care providers influence the utilisation of childbirth education information and techniques during women's labour and birth.

AIM

To explore the literature that investigates the influence that birth partners and care-providers have on the application of childbirth education information and techniques used by women during childbirth.

METHODS

A meta-ethnography was performed using a systematic synthesis of reciprocal translation and refutational investigation. There were 22 papers included in the final synthesis. Quality appraisal was undertaken using the Joanna Briggs Institute Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument (JBIQARI) quality appraisal tool for qualitative studies.

FINDINGS

An over-arching theme of 'you are either with me on this or not' emerged from the data, which expressed the positive and negative influences on the use of childbirth education information and techniques during labour and birth. The influence of birth partners was captured in the themes 'stepping up to their full potential' and 'a spare part'. The themes 'in alignment with the woman' and 'managed by another' were conceptualised from the data in relation to care-providers' influence. A theme, 'the right fit', described organisational and contextual influences.

CONCLUSION

Birth partners and care-providers who are present during a woman's labour have significant potential to influence her use of childbirth education strategies in labour, which provides important insights for translation of evidence into practice.

Presenteeism as a moral hazard problem: Implications for the human resource management

Information asymmetry about the employee's state of health means that workers may decide to work (or not) when they are sick, which turns presenteeism into a principal-agent relationship. From this new perspective, presenteeism can be explained by some distinct and original factors such as implicit incentives related to motivation and a sense of autonomy (empowerment, job usefulness, and recognition) and explicit incentives given by wages and other non-economic benefits (training and career prospects). In a sample of European workers using multilevel (by country) Tobit models, we find that short-term incentives and workers' empowerment increase presenteeism, while long-term incentives reduce it. As expected, supervision is ineffective in controlling presenteeism, while relationships based on trust have a positive impact. Finally, we propose several practices related to incentives, training, monitoring, occupational health and safety and job design specifically intended to manage presenteeism and its consequences in six areas of the human resources function.

From sense of competence to work–life and life–work enhancements of medical doctors: Sen’s capability approach

Purpose

Drawing upon the capability approach, this study aims to investigate the impact of sense of competence on work–life and life–work enhancements. It also examines the mediating roles of mindfulness and flow at work in the above relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 254 medical doctors in various hospitals in Vietnam was surveyed to validate the measures via confirmatory factor analysis and to test the model and hypotheses using structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results demonstrate that mindfulness and flow at work fully mediate the effects of sense of competence on both work–life and life–work enhancements, but sense of competence does not have any direct effect on both.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first to examine the roles of sense of competence, mindfulness and flow at work in work–life and life–work enhancements, adding further insight into the literature on work–life balance. It also offers evidence for the capacity approach in explaining work–life and life–work enhancements in an emerging market, Vietnam.

What exists in academia on work stress in accounting professionals: a bibliometric analysis

This study aims to fill a gap in the literature by conducting the scientific and bibliometric mapping of work stress in accounting professionals, using a methodological trilogy that contributes to this topic, namely the application of the ROC curve, Prisma and R bibliometric tools. Through the analysis of a sample of 103 articles, it was found that, in order to avoid and/or overcome the levels of stress in accountants, the following factors should be taken into account: (1) a high engagement with work, (2) reduced self-efficacy perception in the decision-making process, (3) adverse consequences in the management process, and (4) high-stress levels embedded in the individual's personality. Thus, it will be necessary for the accountant to apply strategies and change the way he/she works and perceives the work, avoiding stress levels and irreversible health damage. In addition, the importance of resilience in the professional context and mindfulness may prevent high levels of stress and maybe the subject of future research.

Occupational Health and Safety Receptivity towards Clinical Innovations That Can Benefit Workplace Mental Health Programs: Anxiety and Hypnotherapy Trends

Anxiety is one of the most common mental health conditions experienced by people in Australia during their working years according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and employers recognising that mental health impacts their organisation’s bottom line are increasingly interested in programs to promote better mental health, well-being, and productivity. Beyond management concern for productivity, statutory protection is necessary to safeguard mental health, under the Australian Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act, organisations have a duty to eliminate or minimise risks to psychological (mental) health by designing effective workplace systems and Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) practitioners are central to the design and responsibility in managing these systems. Despite literature indicating the benefits of OHS workplace mental health initiatives, such as improved overall health, reduced absenteeism, increased job satisfaction and morale, there remains a lack of empirical research around program measurement, and their effectiveness in this area has been brought into question. The OHS function is interested in improving research around the relationship and connection between work performance and mental health but: there are few studies regarding performance outcomes of mental health OHS services within management journals and insufficient information around the prevalence of psychological morbidity in the workplace and its impact. The purpose of this study was to assess OHS perception regarding anxiety and reveal perceptions and receptivity towards alternative therapies and solutions being used in clinical practice to deal with anxiety such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with a focus on Hypnotherapy.