Burnout and vigor as predictors of the incidence of hyperlipidemia among healthy employees

Exploring the Effectiveness of Self-and Other-Focused Happiness: The Moderating Role of Job Resources

Purpose

This paper aims to redefine happiness goals and explore the conditions and mechanisms through which these redefined happiness goals influence work-related outcomes.

Methods

The study developed and validated scales for self-focused happiness and other-focused happiness through exploratory factor analyses of 244 employees and confirmatory factor analyses of 300 employees. The proposed theoretical model was subsequently tested using a time-lagged analysis with data from 556 supervisor-employee dyads.

Results

The findings provide strong evidence for the categorization of happiness goals into self-focused happiness and other-focused happiness. Furthermore, both self-focused and other-focused happiness significantly contribute to work-related vigor, subsequently influencing employee creativity. Additionally, the impact of these happiness goals on vigor and creativity is contingent upon the availability of job resources.

Conclusion

This study highlights the substantial role of self-focused and other-focused happiness in enhancing employee vigor and creativity. However, the extent of these effects depends on the level of available job resources. These outcomes carry notable implications for the fields of positive psychology, positive organizational behavior, and creativity.

Sex differences in the association of vital exhaustion with regional fat deposition and subclinical cardiovascular disease risk

OBJECTIVE

Vital exhaustion (VE) is more strongly associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk for women than men. This study examined whether sex differences in associations of VE with CVD risk markers are accounted for by unique associations of VE with regional adiposity.

METHODS

The study enrolled 143 persons (18-55 years) without diagnosed conditions. VE was assessed by the Maastricht questionnaire. CVD indices were measured using the euglycemic-hyperinsulinemia clamp, resting blood pressure, and blood draws. Regional adiposity was measured using computed tomography and 2-D echocardiography. This cross-sectional study employed a path analysis approach, including relevant covariates.

RESULTS

Of the cohort, aged 38.7 ± 8.4 years, 65% were men, and 41% were obese. The final model had excellent fit (χ2(36) = 36.5, p = .45; RMSEA = 0.009, CFI = 0.999). For women, but not men, the model indicated paths from VE to: 1) lower insulin sensitivity (B = -0.10, p = .04), and higher total cholesterol to HDL ratio (B = 0.12, p = .09), triglycerides (B = 0.10, p = .08), and C-reactive protein (B = 0.08, p = .09) through visceral adiposity; 2) higher mean arterial pressure (B = 0.14, p = .04), lower insulin sensitivity (B = -0.09, p = .08), and higher C-reactive protein (B = 0.12, p = .07) through subcutaneous adiposity; 3) lower insulin sensitivity (B = -0.07, p = .08) and higher total cholesterol to HDL ratio (B = 0.16, p = .03) through liver adiposity; and 4) higher C-reactive protein (B = 0.08, p = .09) through epicardial adiposity.

CONCLUSION

Results extend prior evidence by showing that the association of VE with CVD risk in women is linked with specific regional adiposity elevation. Further study of adiposity-related mechanisms in women who experience early decline in vitality may inform clinical targets for CVD prevention.

Burnout Status of Italian Healthcare Workers during the First COVID-19 Pandemic Peak Period

The pandemic of 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has burdened extraordinary psychological stress on the healthcare workforce. The present survey aimed to examine the personal resources and psychological symptoms associated with burnout in 933 healthcare workers in Italy during the COVID-19 outbreak period. Sociodemographic and occupational data, depression, anxiety, burnout, and post-traumatic symptoms, as well as psychological well-being, were cross-sectional assessed through an online questionnaire. A considerable part of the sample scored over the clinical levels of depression (57.9%), anxiety (65.2%), post-traumatic symptoms (55%), and burnout (25.61%). Working in the front-line (p < 0.05), being part of the medical staff (p < 0.05), experiencing lower levels of psychological well-being (p < 0.001), and higher levels of post-traumatic symptoms (p < 0.001) independently explained 38% of burnout variance. The healthcare industry, services, and professionals should be aware of the harmful effects of COVID-19 on healthcare workers and take adequate preventive measures.

A cross-sectional survey on occupational stress and associated dyslipidemia among medical staff in tertiary public hospitals in Wenzhou, China

INTRODUCTION

Occupational stress is considered to be a harmful physical and emotional response to an individual's psychological and/or physiological state in the work environment and is highly prevalent among medical staff. However, few epidemiological studies have investigated occupational stress in medical staff. Our study aims to explore the characteristics of occupational stress and its relationship with dyslipidemia in Chinese medical staff at tertiary hospitals and establish the basis for future preventive strategies.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in three tertiary public hospitals in Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China. Data were collected using random sampling procedures to examine demographic characteristics and job-related data. The participants completed the Occupational Stress Inventory-Revised (OSI-R) questionnaires and serum lipids tests. Partial correlation analysis was conducted to explore the relationship between occupational stress and dyslipidemia.

RESULTS

A total of 1,176 medical staff responses to questionnaires were obtained. The occupational stress levels of medical staff were higher than those of normative populations, while their coping resources were lower. Most of the subscales of occupational stress demonstrated higher results for doctors and males than for nurses and females with crude analyses. Each subscale of OSI-R was found to be associated with a different type of blood lipid level.

CONCLUSIONS

The occupational stress level of medical staff in tertiary public hospitals in Wenzhou was high, and occupational stress may contribute to dyslipidemia. An investigation into occupational stress levels and their association with dyslipidemia in this population could draw more attention to medical staff in tertiary public hospitals.

Are You Working Vigorously? Adaptation and Validation of the Thai Version of Shirom-Melamed Vigor Scale

Supporting the application of positive psychology in the workplace, the Shirom Melamed Vigor Scale (SMVS), which assesses vigorous feelings at work, was adapted to the Thai context. The Thai SMVS contains 14 items as in the original scale and was validated using a sample of 585 employed participants in Thailand. Results of a confirmatory factor analysis are consistent with the conceptual model of vigour as consisting of physical strength, cognitive liveliness, and emotional energy, with a suggestion that a 13-item scale can also be used. As expected, vigour has been found to be conceptually distinct from some similar constructs, and independent from job burnout. Vigour also showed unique predictive effects on employees’ health. These results support the previously-proposed conceptual framework of vigour and indicate crucial roles of positive emotion in the work setting. In concordance with a positive organisational psychology approach, applications of the Thai vigor scale are discussed with respect to its potential for enhancing employees’ wellbeing and productivity.

Burnout syndrome and metabolic syndrome: a cross-sectional population-based study

In the population of Primary Health Care Nursing (PHC) professionals, the association between Burnout Syndrome (BS) and Metabolic Syndrome (MS) has not been investigated. The objective was to evaluate the association between BS and MS among PHC Nursing Professionals. A cross-sectional, multicenter, population-based study was conducted in the state of Bahia, Brazil, with 1,125 professionals. The prevalence of BS and MS corresponded to 18.3% and 24.4%, respectively. The prevalence in women of BS was 16.4% and of MS 23.7%, in men 31.6% for BS and 29.4% for MS. Men with BS are 3.23 times more likely to develop MS, and women 1.48 times more. BS was associated between men and women and exhibited a good discriminatory predictive power.

The Effect of Inquiry-Based Stress Reduction on Teacher Burnout: A Controlled Trial

Burnout is a well-known phenomenon with significant social, biological and economic costs. In particular, teacher burnout is associated with unfavorable mental health outcomes and economic costs due to reduced hours and teacher turnover. This study investigated the effect of an Inquiry-Based Stress Reduction (IBSR) cognitive-reframing program on teacher burnout using a quasi-experimental design. Fifty-three teachers participated in a prospective intervention with a passive control group. The intervention group completed a 12-week IBSR program with 4.5 h of weekly engagement. Relative to control, teachers in the intervention group showed greater improvements in emotional exhaustion (18.8 ± 5.2 to 15.9 ± 5.7 vs. 16.0 ± 4.8 to 17.4 ± 4.8; p = 0.01) and personal accomplishment (21.8 ± 5.0 to 24.6 ± 4.3 vs. 21.9 ± 4.5 to 22.8 ± 4.3; p = 0.04). Significant correlations were found between change in emotional exhaustion and negative affect (positive correlation; r = 0.32; p = 0.034) and between personal accomplishment and perceived stress (negative correlation; r = −0.451; p = 0.002). This study demonstrates the potential of IBSR to improve teacher well-being. Future randomized studies are needed to evaluate the causality of IBSR in reducing burnout among teachers and other high-stress workplaces.

Combining Associations Between Emotional Intelligence, Work Motivation, and Organizational Justice With Counterproductive Work Behavior: A Profile Analysis via Multidimensional Scaling (PAMS) Approach

The need for better incorporation of the construct emotional intelligence (EI) into counterproductive work behavior (CWB) research may be achieved via a unified conceptual framework. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to use the Profile Analysis via Multidimensional Scaling (PAMS) approach, and a conceptual framework that unifies motivational process with antecedents and outcomes, to assess differences in EI concerning a variety of constructs: organizational justice, CWB, emotional exhaustion, job satisfaction, and intrinsic motivation. Employing established scales within a framework unifying CWB, intrinsic motivation, EI, organizational justice, and outcome constructs, two EI-based profiles displayed associations with CWB based on responses from 3,293 employees. Both the first core profile, high overall justice and low emotional intelligence, and the second core profile, high emotional intelligence and low work motivation, displayed associations with interpersonal deviance and organizational deviance, as well as emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction. The results are discussed with respect to possible underlying theory and an overarching unified motivation framework that incorporates goal choice, intrinsic motivation, antecedents, and outcomes. We also provide directions for future research and implications for managers in the workplace based on heuristic conceptual frameworks that combine multiple motivational perspectives into a unified model.

Physician Well-Being

Burnout is a work-related condition. Although stress may be a part of emergency medicine, excessive levels of chronic stress can lead to maladaptive behaviors and burnout. Burnout can lead to decreased physician longevity and performance and poorer patient outcomes. The first step is recognizing burnout in providers. Efforts can then be made to identify modifiable or unnecessary sources of stress to help reduce chronic stress and burnout. Solutions should be found to eliminate or ameliorate individual-level and system-level sources of stress.

The Influence of Emotional Intelligence on Job Burnout and Job Performance: Mediating Effect of Psychological Capital

How does emotional intelligence (EI) affect job performance and job burnout? Direct or indirect? What role does psychological capital play? This study surveyed 450 employees of various enterprises through questionnaires. Results are as follows: (1) Employees' EI has a positive predictive effect on psychological capital and job performance, and it is negatively correlated with job burnout; (2) psychological capital has a negative predictive effect on job burnout and a positive predictive effect on job performance; and (3) psychological capital plays a mediating role in the relationship between EI and job burnout/performance. Results of this study may contribute to develop EI theories in organizational behavior field. As for enterprises, improving the EI of employees will help to improve their psychological capital, and high psychological capital will lead to positive job performance and less job burnout.

Burnout Syndrome and Increased Insulin Resistance

OBJECTIVE

Our aim was to measure the association of burnout syndrome with insulin resistance in the context of a workplace health intervention.

METHODS

One-year intervention program (2015 to 2016) within a university workplace. Participants (n=55) were categorized by the presence or absence of burnout syndrome at baseline using the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Insulin resistance was calculated by the triglyceride glucose index (TyG). The Mediterranean Diet adherence score and several fitness tests were completed by the participants.

RESULTS

Although participants with prevalent burnout syndrome at baseline improved their physical fitness and diet scores more than participants without burnout syndrome, multiple linear regression analyses showed that participants with prevalent burnout syndrome at baseline had increased TyG index compared with participants without burnout syndrome (β=0.18; 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.34).

CONCLUSION

Burnout syndrome may be associated with insulin resistance, despite improvements in diet and fitness.

The association between life satisfaction, vitality, self-rated health, and risk of cancer

PURPOSE

Only few prospective studies have been conducted on the contribution of quality of life-related factors to the risk of cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the prospective associations of three quality of life-related factors with the risk of cancer; life satisfaction, vitality, and self-rated health.

METHODS

In 2009-2011, 7189 participants in the Copenhagen Aging and Midlife Biobank were asked to rate their life satisfaction, their vitality, and their health. The study population was followed until the end of 2015 for registration of cancer in the Danish National Patient Register.

RESULTS

During the follow-up period, cancer was diagnosed in 312 individuals. Life satisfaction was not associated with the risk of cancer. Vitality was significantly associated with the risk of cancer, but the association became non-significant after adjustment for age, sex, socioeconomic position, and lifestyle factors. However, when additionally adjusting for life satisfaction, individuals who rated their vitality as low had a hazard ratio of 1.46 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04-2.07) for the development of cancer. Individuals who rated their health as poor had a hazard ratio of 1.70 (95% CI 1.27-2.26) for the development of cancer, compared with individuals with good, very good, or excellent self-rated health. The association remained significant after adjustment for basic confounders, life satisfaction, and vitality.

CONCLUSION

A better grasp of the significance of quality of life-related factors for the risk of cancer may be of great importance to population-based cancer prevention that aims to target early risk factors for development of cancer across widespread cancer sites.

Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Properties of the Shirom-Melamed Vigor Measure (SMVM) With Workers in Spain

Shirom's proposal about engagement focuses on vigor. Under this approach, vigor is considered an affect that mediates the relationship between resources, behaviors, and attitudes related to psychological functioning and health. It is important for occupational health professionals to have adequate measures of this construct. The Shirom-Melamed vigor measure (SMVM) was developed to capture this sense of energy comprising three components (physical strength, emotional energy, and cognitive liveliness). In the absence of a Spanish version of the SMVM, our aim is to perform a cultural adaptation and to further analyze its psychometric properties. In Study 1, we culturally adapt the SMVM in Spanish samples. It incorporates a careful development of a three-step procedure according to the International Test Commission and qualitative analyses to ensure a consensus version. Twenty-six individuals were involved. In Study 2, the responses of 203 workers from different organizations show the validity and reliability of the instrument. Confirmatory factor analyses yield a model with three interrelated dimensions showing good fit indices. Furthermore, concurrent validity is demonstrated. Finally, we discuss the usefulness of the SMVM for occupational health professionals.

Physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout: A systematic review of prospective studies

Burnout is a syndrome that results from chronic stress at work, with several consequences to workers' well-being and health. This systematic review aimed to summarize the evidence of the physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout in prospective studies. The PubMed, Science Direct, PsycInfo, SciELO, LILACS and Web of Science databases were searched without language or date restrictions. The Transparent Reporting of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed. Prospective studies that analyzed burnout as the exposure condition were included. Among the 993 articles initially identified, 61 fulfilled the inclusion criteria, and 36 were analyzed because they met three criteria that must be followed in prospective studies. Burnout was a significant predictor of the following physical consequences: hypercholesterolemia, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, hospitalization due to cardiovascular disorder, musculoskeletal pain, changes in pain experiences, prolonged fatigue, headaches, gastrointestinal issues, respiratory problems, severe injuries and mortality below the age of 45 years. The psychological effects were insomnia, depressive symptoms, use of psychotropic and antidepressant medications, hospitalization for mental disorders and psychological ill-health symptoms. Job dissatisfaction, absenteeism, new disability pension, job demands, job resources and presenteeism were identified as professional outcomes. Conflicting findings were observed. In conclusion, several prospective and high-quality studies showed physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout. The individual and social impacts of burnout highlight the need for preventive interventions and early identification of this health condition in the work environment.

What are the effects of psychological stress and physical work on blood lipid profiles?

Blood lipids disorders are prevalent in the world. Some of their risk factors are modifiable such as mental and physical stress which existed in some places such as work environment.Objective of this study was to determine the effects of psychological and physical stress on the lipid profiles. It was a historical cohort study. The people who were employed as general worker were participated. The study was conducted with flexible interview for getting history, lipid profile examination, and a checklist including occupational and nonoccupational risk factors and using the health issues. According to the type of stress exposures, the study population was divided into 5 groups. Groups were followed for lipid profiles. These groups were exposed to psychological stress, physical stress or both of them; mild psychological stress (group 1), mild physical work without psychological stress (group 2), mild psychological stress and mild physical work (group 3), moderate physical work without psychological stress (group 4), and heavy physical work without psychological stress (group 5). Data were analyzed with SPSS 16. ANOVA, χ, and exact test were calculated with considering P < .05 as significant level. Relative risks were calculated with confidence interval 95%. The means of lipid profiles were in normal ranges. The relative risks for triglycerides more than 200 mg/dL was 1.57 (1.02-2.42) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) more than 130 mg/dL was 14.54 (3.54-59.65) in group 1. The relative risks for high density lipoprotein (HDL) less than 45 mg/dL was 14.61 (8.31-25.68) in group 1 and 16.00 (8.30-30.83) in group 3. After multinomial logistic regression they had significant differences. Psychological stress was a risk factor for lipid disorders, and suitable physical activity was protective in this situation.

Predictors of burnout and health status in Samaritans' listening volunteers

Samaritan listening volunteers provide emotional support to people in distress or suicidal. Samaritans' has high volunteer turnover, which may be due to burnout. This study evaluated the role of demographic and psychosocial factors in predicting Samaritans listening volunteers' burnout and health status. Samaritans' listening volunteers (n = 216) from seven branches across UK completed an online survey to assess their levels of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, personal accomplishment), subjective health status, coping, empathy and social support. Overall, listeners showed low levels of burnout and good health. Regression analysis revealed that higher emotional exhaustion was predicted by younger age and avoidant coping style; higher depersonalisation was predicted by lower empathy fantasy and higher avoidant coping style; lower personal accomplishment scores were predicted by higher empathy personal distress and worse health status was predicted by more hours per week spent on listening duties, lower social support and higher avoidant coping style. Overall, different factors influenced different facets of burnout. However, higher use of avoidant coping style consistently predicted higher burnout and worse health status, suggesting avoidant coping is an important target for intervention.