Gender Differences in the Usefulness of Goal-Directed Coping for Middle-Aged and Older Workers

Worker aging, control, and well-being: A specification curve analysis

Among the many work (and life) characteristics of relevance to adult development and aging, various forms of control are some of the most extensively and diversely studied. Indeed, "control," whether objectively held (i.e., "actual" control), perceived, or enacted through self-regulation, is a concept central to our understanding of person-environment interactions, development, and well-being within and across life domains. However, variability in conceptualization and analysis in the literature on control presents challenges to integration. To partially address these gaps, the present study sought to explore the effects of conceptual and analytical specification decisions (e.g., construct types, time, covariates) on observed control-well-being relationships in a large, age-diverse, longitudinal sample (Midlife in the United States I, II, and III datasets), providing a specification curve analysis (SCA) tutorial and guidance in the process. Results suggest that construct types and operationalizations, particularly predictor variables, have bearing on observed results, with certain types of control serving as better predictors of various forms of well-being than others. These findings and identified gaps are summarized to provide direction for theoretical clarification and reconciliation in the control and lifespan development literatures, construct selection and operationalization in future aging and work research, and inclusive, well-specified interventions to improve employee well-being.

Psychological and physiological stress and burnout among maternity providers in a rural county in Kenya: individual and situational predictors

Background

Stress and burnout among healthcare workers has been recognized as a global crisis needing urgent attention. Yet few studies have examined stress and burnout among healthcare providers in sub-Saharan Africa, and even fewer among maternity providers who work under very stressful conditions. To address these gaps, we examined self-reported stress and burnout levels as well as stress-related physiologic measures of these providers, along with their potential predictors.

Methods

Participants included 101 maternity providers (62 nurses/midwives, 16 clinical officers/doctors, and 23 support staff) in western Kenya. Respondents completed Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale, the Shirom-Melamed Burnout scale, and other sociodemographic, health, and work-related items. We also collected data on heart rate variability (HRV) and hair cortisol levels to assess stress-related physiologic responses to acute and chronic stress respectively. Multilevel linear regression models were computed to examine individual and work-related factors associated with stress, burnout, HRV, and cortisol level.

Results

85% of providers reported moderate stress and 11.5% high stress. 65% experienced low burnout and 19.6% high burnout. Average HRV (measured as the root mean square of differences in intervals between successive heart beats: RMSSD) was 60.5 (SD = 33.0) and mean cortisol was mean cortisol was 44.2 pg/mg (SD = 60.88). Greater satisfaction with life accomplishments was associated with reduced stress (β = − 2.83; CI = -5.47; − 0.18), while motivation to work excessively (over commitment) was associated with both increased stress (β = 0.61 CI: 0.19, 1.03) and burnout (β = 2.05, CI = 0.91, 3.19). Female providers had higher burnout scores compared to male providers. Support staff had higher HRV than other providers and providers under 30 years of age had higher HRV than those 30 and above. Although no association between cortisol and any predictor was statistically significant, the direction of associations was consistent with those found for stress and burnout.

Conclusions

Most providers experienced moderate to high levels of stress and burnout. Individuals who were more driven to work excessively were particularly at risk for higher stress and burnout. Higher HRV of support staff and providers under age 30 suggest their more adaptive autonomic nervous system response to stress. Given its impact on provider wellbeing and quality of care, interventions to help providers manage stress are critical.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-021-10453-0.

Midwifery Professional Stress and Its Sources: A Mixed-Methods Study

INTRODUCTION

Professionally-related stress among midwives has been demonstrated in a global context to have deleterious effects on their professional, physical, and psychological health. Despite global interest in the subject, there has been no study about professional stress in a cohort of US midwives.

METHODS

A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was used. The Job-Related Tension Index (JRTI) survey was administered to a self-selected sample of certified nurse-midwives and certified midwives in clinical practice in the United States via email solicitation of the American College of Nurse-Midwives' membership. A single qualitative open-ended question was also included in the survey.

RESULTS

A total of 644 midwives participated in this study. The mean (SD) score on the JRTI across all midwife participants was 38.3 (9.65); the possible range of scores was 15 to 75. Midwives who were biologically older and/or had practiced longer and who had higher levels of education were shown to have higher levels of job-related tension. Those who believed their stress levels had negatively affected patient care showed higher job-related tension scores than those who did not. Call hours did not significantly affect tension scores in this study sample. Nearly all midwives in the cohort (97.1%) had experienced traumatic birth. Seven themes were identified after content analysis. These included the following: I'm SO tired, conflict with colleagues, selling your midwifery soul, leaving midwifery, non-respectful maternity care, balancing work and personal life, and medicolegal fears.

DISCUSSION

Systems should recognize and validate midwives' levels of work-related tension and develop specific interventions to help alleviate it. Because of the size and racial homogeneity of the sample, further studies are recommended to identify stress levels and their contributing factors in a larger, more diverse population of midwives. Qualitative themes should be more fully explored to identify specific contributors to midwifery stress.

Sex Differences in Coping Behavior: A Meta-Analytic Review and an Examination of Relative Coping

We used meta-analysis to examine recent studies of sex differences in coping. Women were more likely than men to engage in most coping strategies. The strongest effects showed that women were more likely to use strategies that involved verbal expressions to others or the self—to seek emotional support, ruminate about problems, and use positive self-talk. These sex differences were consistent across studies, supporting a dispositional level hypothesis. Other sex differences were dependent on the nature of the stressor, supporting role constraint theory. We also examined whether stressor appraisal (i.e., women's tendencies to appraise stressors as more severe) accountedfor sex differences in coping. We found some support for this idea. To circumvent this issue, we provide some data on relative coping. These data demonstrate that sex differences in relative coping are more in line with our intuitions about the differences in the ways men and women cope with distress.

The Impact of Economic Perceptions on Work-Related Decisions

The most recent economic downshift demands that researchers gain a better understanding of the type of decisions individuals are making regarding work and the basis for those decisions. The state of the economy over the past few years warrants further examination, as the economic downturn has resulted in a dramatic shift in the availability of jobs in the workforce. The current study examined the impact of the economic downturn on the emotional and cognitive processing of individuals in regard to the decisions they make about work in two separate studies ( N = 179 and N = 82), using two measures (Perceptions of Economy [POE] scale and Work Decisions scale) that allowed us to assess economic perceptions and work-related decisions quantitatively. Results indicated support for the instruments and that POEs account for 5% of the variance in work-related decisions.

Affective Well-Being in Old Age

Abstract. This study investigated the relationships between tenacious goal pursuit (TGP) and flexible goal adjustment (FGA), two fundamental modes of self-regulation suggested by Brandtstädter and colleagues, and positive and negative affect (PA, NA). This was done in general terms and by considering the developmental constraint of perceived age-related visual decline. Data stem from 751 community-dwelling elders (55-98 years, 372 women, 379 men). Results support the hypothesis of differential associations of TGP and FGA, respectively, with affect: TGP was positively related to PA, and FGA was negatively related to NA. Moreover, differential moderator effects of TGP and FGA, respectively, on the relationship between subjective vision and affect emerged. FGA independently moderated the inverse relationship between subjective vision and NA. The moderator effect of TGP, however, was dependent on FGA: TGP did not alter the relationship between subjective vision and PA until FGA was high, too. It is concluded that both TGP and FGA are necessary for an adaptive self-regulation.

Self-reported changes in clinical behaviour by undergraduate dental students after video-based teaching in paediatric dentistry

Four cohorts of undergraduate students (n = 113) were filmed on video tapes whilst performing paediatric treatments. Selected parts of these tapes were shown the day after. Thus, within one term each student was able to view his performance on a videotape as well as those of fellow students. After completion of the clinical course in paediatric dentistry students were asked by means of a questionnaire about behavioural changes in their clinical work regarding different topics. Considerable changes in behaviour were reported for various topics. Most of the students emphasised the viable role of the video for changing their behaviour. This was especially true for aspects of verbal and non-verbal communication where mainly female students benefited. Moreover, video was thought to have been useful for improving capacities to deal with patients in fear or pain and for ergonomics. About two-thirds of the students (64.6%) thought that watching the video had made it easier for them to put theoretical knowledge into action. Video does not seem to play an important role for confirmation and maintenance of behaviour patterns. In conclusion however, it can be stated that video has a high impact on the modification of behaviour patterns of undergraduate students for many aspects of clinical work. The use of video can thus attribute to dental education in an effective way.