Consequences of Job Insecurity on the Psychological and Physical Health of Greek Civil Servants

Job satisfaction and job security as moderators in the relationships among job demands, musculoskeletal symptoms, and work performance

PURPOSE

This study examined whether job satisfaction and job security moderate the path from physical demands and job strain to impaired work performance via musculoskeletal symptoms in the upper extremities (MSUE). Moderation effects on five paths were examined: (1) from job strain to MSUE; (2) from job strain to work performance; (3) from physical demands to MSUE; (4) from physical demands to work performance; (5) from MSUE to work performance.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study of 669 full-time workers from 9 manufacturing and 3 healthcare facilities. Data were collected via health interviews, on-site physical exposure assessments, and computation of the Strain Index by ergonomists, and self-administered questionnaires on psychosocial factors. Structural equation modeling and zero-inflated negative binomial regression analysis were performed to examine the moderation effect on each path.

RESULTS

Job satisfaction moderated the relationship between MSUE and impaired work performance (B = - 0.09, 95% CI: - 0.15, - 0.04) and job security moderated the relationship between physical demands and MSUE (B = - 0.64, 95% CI: - 1.17, - 0.11). Interaction between job satisfaction and MSUE was significant on both the occurrence (OR: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.87, 0.97) and the degrees of impaired work performance (mean ratio: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.97, 0.99), while the interaction between job security and physical demands was significant only on the degrees of MSUE (mean ratio: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.89, 0.99).

CONCLUSION

Job satisfaction and job security can, respectively, mitigate the adverse impacts of working with MSUE and physical demands on work performance. Workplace interventions to improve workers' job satisfaction and job security can contribute to their musculoskeletal health and work performance.

Lower urinary tract symptoms and mental health during COVID-19 pandemic

OBJECTIVE

Coronaviruses (CoVs) are a group of RNA viruses involved in several human diseases affecting respiratory, enteric, hepatic, and neurological systems. COVID-19 was identified in 2020 and was named SARS-CoV-2. To limit worldwide contagion, many countries instituted a lockdown, which conducted to disruption of routine life. In fact, pandemic was associated with several stresses among population, such as loss of employment, deaths of family members, friends, or colleagues, financial insecurity, and isolation. This led to long-lasting psychosocial effects as anxiety and depression, increasing the prevalence of stress and traumarelated disorders in the population. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between lower urinary tracts symptoms (LUTS) and stress/depressive symptoms during COVID-19 pandemic.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An anonymous cross-sectional webbased survey (comprehending anthropometric data, education level, occupation status, smoking and alcohol habits, current therapies, quarantine and COVID-19 infection status) was conducted from March to May 2020 in Italy. LUTS were examined through National Institute of Health-Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI) and Genitourinary Pain Index (GUPI). Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) was utilized to evaluate depressive and anxiety symptoms. Non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis H Test was used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 356 out of 461 subjects fully completed the survey, with a response rate of 77.2%. Data showed that subjects involved in economic difficulties, quarantine measures or with increased HDRS reported a significative statistic worsened urinary symptoms (H(3) = 11.731, p = 0.008), quality of life, (H(3) = 10.301, p = 0.016), total NIH-CPSI/GUPI score (H(3) = 42.150, p = 0.000), and quality of life (H(3) = 48.638, p = 0.000).

CONCLUSIONS

COVID-19 pandemic provoked several alterations in everyday life. Although general lockdown, quarantine and social distancing have been necessary to prevent virus spreading, this had long term effects on all population in terms of mental and physical health. NIH-CPSI and GUPI scores increased linearly with stress and anxiety levels measured at HDRS, confirming worse LUTS in subjects who suffered anxiety and stress from COVID-19 pandemic.

Marriage and quality of life during COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 pandemic has impacted people around the globe. Countries, including Indonesia, implemented large-scale social restrictions. Since marriage is found to be beneficial to people's quality of life (QoL), the study aimed to examine the QoL of married people in Indonesia during a large-scale social restriction of the COVID-19 pandemic. An online cross-sectional survey using Qualtrics was conducted in June 2020. Respondents' sociodemographic data, spouse data (as reported by the respondents), and pandemic-related data were collected, followed by QoL data, measured by WHQOOL-BREF. WHOQL-BREF consists of 26 questions grouped into four domains: physical, psychological, social relationships, and environmental. Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis H and Spearman correlation analyses were employed to compare QoL between groups of sociodemographic characteristics. In total, 603 respondents were recruited. The respondents' mean age is 35.3 years (SD = 7.61), most are females (82%), bachelor degree graduate (95%), Islam (78%), employed (69%), and assigned to work from home during the pandemic (76%). Married men reported better QoL in almost all domains than women; employed respondents reported higher QoL scores than unemployed; higher educated respondents reported higher QoL than those with lower education; respondents with higher income reported higher QoL than those with lower income. We found significant positive correlations between the QoL scores and age, spouse's age, and marriage length, although they were considered small. Compared to Indonesian population normative scores pre-pandemic, our sample reported no difference in physical and social domains, lower in the psychological domain, but higher in the environmental domain. Indonesian married people, especially women, those with low level of education, currently out of work, and below-average financial condition are the ones who reported worse quality of life during the lockdown. These results can help direct the Indonesian government efforts in dealing with psychosocial problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for married couples.

Motivation and job satisfaction among medical and dental college faculty in Pakistan amid the COVID-19 outbreak

BACKGROUND

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has affected economies all over the world. The ability of an organization to grow is heavily influenced by job satisfaction and employee motivation.

OBJECTIVE

This study examines the factors affecting employee motivation and job satisfaction among medical and dental college faculty members in Pakistan, both in the private and public sector, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

Medical and dental college faculty in Pakistan comprised the sample for this multi-centric cross-sectional study. A questionnaire, which was modified from an existing study, was distributed electronically. A student's independent t-test was applied to compare the mean scores of the responses from public and private sector employees.

RESULTS

Of the 466 total respondents, 55 %were female and 45 %male. Public sector faculty reported receiving adequate resources and preferred online teaching. Both public and private sector faculty reported being satisfied with regular workshops and training. Private sector employees demonstrated more satisfaction with workplace safety measures. Public sector faculty highlighted the positive influence of job security and timely salary payments on productivity.

CONCLUSION

Faculty members from both the public and private sector find working from home to be easier and better for handling one's workload. Public sector faculty noted job security, timely salary payments, and an individual's sense of achievement as sources of motivation. Private institutes are more lacking in ensuring their faculty feel content and satisfied. Measures should be undertaken to improve the level of motivation felt by faculty members, especially in the private sector.

Fear of COVID-19 and its associations with perceived personal and family benefits and harms in Hong Kong

Fear of COVID-19 is associated with public health compliance but also with negative well-being; however, no articles have reported associations of such fear with perceived benefits and harms. We assessed the level of fear of COVID-19 in Hong Kong adults and its associations with sociodemographic factors and perceived benefits and harms of COVID-19. In a 6-day population-based cross-sectional online survey in May 2020, 4,890 adults provided data on fear and perceived benefits and harms, personal happiness and family well-being, and sociodemographic characteristics. Linear regression was used to analyze associations. The level of fear was moderate (mean score 6.3/10). Fewer respondents reported perceived benefits (10.6%–21.7%) than harms (13.4%–43.5%). Females, younger age groups, and respondents with lower education or more cohabitants had greater fear. Fear was associated with perceived personal (increased knowledge of personal epidemic prevention) and family benefits (improved family hygiene), both with a very small effect size (Cohen’s d = 0.03). Fear was also associated with lower personal happiness and perceived personal (increased negative emotions, feeling depressed and anxious, decreased income, and decreased work efficiency) and family harms (increased conflicts and negative emotions among family members), with small effect sizes (0.08–0.37). We have first shown sociodemographic differences in the fear of COVID-19 and such fear was associated with both perceived personal and family benefits and harms of COVID-19. Our findings may guide the management of fear to reduce sociodemographic differences, and maximize benefits and minimize harms.

The impact of resilience on anxiety and depression among grass-roots civil servants in China

Background

The grass-roots civil servants are the final implementers and executors of a series of government policies and the fundamental force for social stability and harmonious development. However, the mental health problems of grass-roots civil servants have not got full attention. This study aimed to assess the impact of resilience on anxiety and depression among grass-roots civil servants in China.

Method

From Oct to Dec 2019, 302 civil servants completed a series of questionnaires. The Civil Servants Stress Scale (CSSS) was used to assess the stress of civil servants. The Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) and the Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) were used to evaluate the depression and anxiety of participants, respectively. The resilience of civil servants evaluates by the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RSCI). We conducted the moderating and mediating analysis on the impact of resilience on depression and anxiety in grass-roots civil servants.

Results

There were significant differences in gender, education, position, relationship with coworkers, physical exercise, and monthly income for stress in grass-roots civil servants (P < 0.05). Resilience can negatively regulate the stress of grass-roots civil servants, and an effective mediator and moderator in the relationship between stress and anxiety and depression and the mediating effect ratios of 7.77 and 22.79%.

Conclusion

Resilience has moderating and mediating effects on the relationship between stress and depression, and anxiety. The negative effects of stress on depression and anxiety of grass-roots civil servants can be buffered by resilience as a dynamic moderator directly and indirectly. These findings contribute to society and government better understand the mental health status of grass-roots civil servants and provide references and guidance for the formulation of corresponding management and prevention measures.

COVID-19: The effects of job insecurity on the job engagement and turnover intent of deluxe hotel employees and the moderating role of generational characteristics

COVID-19 has caused an unprecedented crisis in all industries around the world. This study sought to verify that job insecurity, as perceived by deluxe hotel employees, significantly affects their job engagement and turnover intent and to determine the moderating effect of generational characteristics. The finding showed that perceptions of job insecurity had negative effects on the engagement of deluxe hotel employees. Also, employees' job engagement can decrease turnover intent. The engagement of employees fully mediated the relationship between perceptions of job insecurity and turnover intent, and job insecurity caused by COVID-19 had a greater influence on Generation Y than Generation X in reducing job engagement, indicating that the negative impact of job insecurity is higher in Generation Y.

Job Satisfaction and Problems among Academic Staff in Higher Education

The role of a scientist in society is undoubtedly extremely important. This thesis was particularly confirmed by the global events of the beginning of the third decade of the 21st century, when the spread of the COVID-19 virus revealed the helplessness of humanity in the face of a pandemic. Only intensive scientific work, having an interdisciplinary character, gives hope to stop the development of the spread of the virus. It turned out that it is scientists who are necessary to reduce mortality and morbidity, as well as the negative effects of a pandemic on the economy and public health. In this regard, it is worth discussing whether the scientific work of scientists is satisfying for them? Nowadays, the scientist is demanded for immediate effects of scientific research, implementation of inventions tailored to the emerging needs, and quick solutions to the problems of a dynamically changing society. However, along with the growing social expectations towards researchers, is their work increasingly appreciated? The aim of this article is getting to assess the level of satisfaction with scientific work among researchers and to identify the factors that influence its level. The article presents the results of research conducted on a random sample of 763 academics from Poland. The conducted scientific studies have established that: (1) The level of satisfaction of researchers concerning their own scientific work depends on employment conditions, as well as the social significance of the research carried out, (2) the level of satisfaction from work is closely correlated with the scientific opportunities of researchers (that is, the possibility of academic and didactic work, contact with students and co-workers) and negatively correlated with the necessity to carry out administrative work, and (3) the majority of Polish researchers are proud of their scientific achievements and treat their profession as a passion or vocation.

Interaction effect of job insecurity and role ambiguity on psychological distress in Japanese employees: a cross-sectional study

Purpose

We examined the interaction effect of job insecurity (JI) and role ambiguity (RA) on psychological distress in Japanese employees.

Methods

Overall, 2184 male and 805 female employees from two factories of a manufacturing company in Japan completed a self-administered questionnaire comprising the scales measuring JI (Job Content Questionnaire), RA (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Generic Job Stress Questionnaire), psychological distress (K6 scale), and potential confounders (i.e., age, education, family size, occupational class, and work shift). Taking psychological distress as a dependent variable, hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted by gender and employment status (i.e., permanent and non-permanent employees). An interaction term of JI × RA was included in the model.

Results

After adjusting for potential confounders, the main effects of JI and RA on psychological distress were significant regardless of gender or employment status. Furthermore, the significant interaction effect of JI × RA on psychological distress was observed among permanent male employees (β = 0.053, p = 0.010). Post hoc simple slope analyses showed that the simple slope of JI was greater at higher levels of RA (i.e., one standard deviation [SD] above the mean) (β = 0.300, p < 0.001) compared to lower levels of RA (i.e., one SD below the mean) (β = 0.212, p < 0.001). On the other hand, the interaction effect of JI × RA was not significant among permanent or non-permanent female employees.

Conclusions

The present study suggests that higher levels of RA strengthen the association of JI with psychological distress, at least among Japanese permanent male employees.

Stressful Work Trajectories and Depressive Symptoms in Middle-Aged Couples: Moderating Effect of Marital Warmth

OBJECTIVES

The present study investigated the decade-long actor and partner infleunces between husbands' and wives' trajectories of stressful work conditions (SWCs) and their depressive symptoms while also considering the moderation of these influences by spousal warmth.

METHODS

Participants were 330 middle-aged dual-earner couples from the Iowa Midlife Transitions Project. Husbands and wives reported on own SWCs and reported on parenter's warmth in the years of 1991, 1992, and 1994. Depressive symptoms for husbands and wives were measured by the SCL-90-R in 1994 and 2001. Structural equation models, growth curves, and longitudinal data were used to perform our analyses.

RESULTS

For husbands and wives, trajectories of SWCs over early middle years (1991-1994) contributed to depressive symptoms in 1994. Notably, for husbands and wives, the severity (level) of SWCs in 1991 had a persistent influence on depressive symptoms a decade later (2001). For husbands, under conditions of wives' low warmth, SWCs exerted a relatively strong influence on their depressive symptoms. However, under conditions of high warmth from wives, most of these influences were greatly diminished.

DISCUSSION

Results from the current study indicate that contextual life experiences can have a persistent health influences over the life course.

Effect of Job Strain on Job Burnout, Mental Fatigue and Chronic Diseases among Civil Servants in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China

Job strain is a major concern in view of its effects among civil servants associated with job burnout, mental fatigue and chronic diseases. The objective of this study was to assess the job strain level among civil servants and examine the effect of job strain on job burnout, mental fatigue and the resulting chronic diseases. A cross-sectional study with a representative sample consisting of 5000 civil servants was conducted from March to August 2014. Using a structured questionnaire, the job strain level, job burnout and mental fatigue were measured by using the Personal Strain Questionnaire (PSQ), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20), respectively. Overall, 33.8% of the civil servants were found to be afflicted with high and moderate job strain. The characteristics of most of the civil servants with a higher-job strain level were as follows: female, Uygur, lower educational level and job title rank, shorter working experience, married marital status, and lower income level. Civil servants suffering from chronic disease mainly had hypertension and coronary heart disease, which accounted for 18.5% of the diseases. Civil servants with a high-job strain level exhibited higher rates of burnout, mental fatigue scores and incidence of chronic diseases. There was a multiple linear regression model composed of three predictor variables in job burnout, which accounted for 45.0% of its occurrence: female gender, lower-income level, higher-job strain in civil servants, the greater the rate of job burnout was. Four factors—male gender, lower-job title rank, higher-job strain, shorter-job tenure of civil servants—explained 25.0% of the mental fatigue model. Binary logistic regression showed that intermediate-rank employees (OR = 0.442, 95% CI: 0.028–0.634; p < 0.05), job tenure of 10–20 years (OR = 0.632, 95% CI: 0.359–0.989; p < 0.05), and low-job strain (OR = 0.657, 95% CI: 0.052–0.698; p < 0.05) were all associated with significantly lower odds of chronic disease. The risk of chronic disease was higher in civil servants with high-job burnout scores and mental fatigue scores compared with civil servants with lower scores (OR = 1.139, 95% CI: 1.012–3.198; OR = 1.697, 95% CI: 1.097–2.962). These data provide evidence for the effects of job strain on job burnout, mental fatigue and chronic diseases among civil servants.

The decade-long effect of work insecurity on husbands' and wives' midlife health mediated by anxiety: A dyadic analysis

Although the detrimental physical health effects of work insecurity have been noted in previous research, less is known about the mediating processes, such as anxiety symptoms, that link work insecurity to physical health. Even less research has explored these effects at specific life stages and how these effects may impact significant others, even though the impact of this stress may vary across the life course and the mutual influences between married partners may cause dyadic effects stemming from partners' work insecurity. To fill these gaps, the current study incorporates theories that emphasize the stress-work connection, such as stress appraisal theory (Lazarus, 1999) and resource conservation theory (Hobfoll, 1989), into a neurobiological stress-health perspective. This study uses a sample of 330 consistently married, dual-earner husbands and wives who provided data at multiple time points over a 10-year period from 1991 to 2001. Results from a model including growth curves of work insecurity and anxiety symptoms when respondents were in their early middle years and reports of physical illness in their later middle years generally supported the hypothesized model. Both the level and rate of change in work insecurity were related to the change in anxiety symptoms over time. Similarly, the level and rate of change in anxiety symptoms from 1991 to 1994 were linked to subsequent illness years later in 2001. There was only partial support for the existence of partner effects. Findings are discussed as they relate to previous research as well as policy and clinical implications. (PsycINFO Database Record

Burnout and health behaviors in health professionals from seven European countries

OBJECTIVES

Within an underlying health-impairing process, work stressors exhaust employees' mental and physical resources and lead to exhaustion/burnout and to health problems, with health-impairing behaviors being one of the potential mechanisms, linking burnout to ill health. The study aims to explore the associations between burnout and fast food consumption, exercise, alcohol consumption and painkiller use in a multinational sample of 2623 doctors, nurses and residents from Greece, Portugal, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Croatia and Macedonia, adopting a cross-national approach.

METHODS

Data are part of the international cross-sectional quantitative ORCAB survey. The measures included the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Health Behaviors Questionnaire.

RESULTS

Burnout was significantly positively associated with higher fast food consumption, infrequent exercise, higher alcohol consumption and more frequent painkiller use in the full sample, and these associations remained significant after the inclusion of individual differences factors and country of residence. Cross-national comparisons showed significant differences in burnout and health behaviors, and some differences in the statistical significance and magnitude (but not the direction) of the associations between them. Health professionals from Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria reported the most unfavorable experiences.

CONCLUSIONS

Burnout and risk health behaviors among health professionals are important both in the context of health professionals' health and well-being and as factors contributing to medical errors and inadequate patient safety. Organizational interventions should incorporate early identification of such behaviors together with programs promoting health and aimed at the reduction of burnout and work-related stress.