The identification environment matters: Students' social identification, perceived physical school environment, and anxiety - A cross-level interaction model

The social identity approach to health argues that well-being depends on the psychosocial circumstances of the groups to which individuals belong. However, little is known about how the average level of identification in the group - 'the identification environment' - buffers the negative health consequences of stressors. We used multilevel modelling to investigate whether identification environment in a school modified the association between the students' perceptions of the quality of their school's physical environment and their reported levels of anxiety. In two representative samples of Finnish school students (N = 678 schools/71,392 students; N = 704 schools/85,989 students), weak identification environment was related to increased anxiety. In addition, in schools where identification environment was weaker, the student level relationship between perceived physical environment and anxiety was stronger, and students were more anxious. Our results provide evidence that identification environment needs to be considered when we analyse how group membership affects well-being.

Incongruous identities: Mental distress and burnout disparities in LGBTQ+ health care professional populations

Health care professionals are chronically overworked due to structural workplace demands and institutional challenges [1]. During the COVID-19 pandemic, US biomedical health care professionals experienced additional environmental strain [2]. Health care professionals who occupy socio-politically minoritized identities are more likely to report symptoms of distress and workplace overburden than their counterparts [2]. While minority stress and identity formation theories explain the relationship between socially constructed identity and environmental strain, these theories remain largely unexplored in LGBTQ+ health care professional populations. Furthermore, contemporary investigations into health care professional burnout and mental distress fail to include differential impacts of identity-based stress, particularly within LGBTQ+ groups. This paper proposes a theoretical explanation for differential stress experiences by health care professionals and calls for research to investigate identity congruence as a key aspect of professionalization in medical schools. Health professions researchers need to attend to identity-based stress models to address discriminatory experiences with burnout and mental distress.

My Department or My Company? Group Status, Identity Configurations, and Citizenship Behaviors

Organizations consist of multiple groups nested at different levels, meaning organization members have choices about where to identify and to contribute. We examine whether subgroup status shapes identity configurations, or the pattern of members’ identifications across multiple organizational groups. A military field study used status differences across battalions within brigades to reveal that soldiers from high status battalions identified more with their battalions whereas those from low status battalions identified more with the brigade. Total strength of identification combined across battalion and brigade was associated with citizenship behaviors contributing to both organizational groups. Similarly, a university study found students from high status colleges identified more with their particular colleges, whereas those from low status colleges identified more with the university. Further, students from high status colleges were more likely to choose citizenship behaviors serving their college and those from low status colleges were more likely to serve the university. Linking subgroup status, identity configurations, and citizenship behaviors provides insights into what guides individuals’ choices on where to identify, offers new reasons to consider the importance of identity configurations within organizations, and leads to new suggestions for organizational leaders.

Are we seeing "eye to eye" on qualitative job insecurity in healthcare? Employee-teammates perceptual (in)congruence and individual well-being

Background: In healthcare, employees are exposed to continuous change when new methods are implemented to optimize care. Such changes may result in qualitative job insecurity (QJI), i.e., a fear concerning the potential loss of important job features. QJI is an individual experience; however, it may be shared within a team to a varying extent. This study examines how QJI perceptual (in)congruence between individuals and their teammates relates to individuals' well-being. Method: Healthcare employees (N = 305) from 30 healthcare units completed questionnaires measuring QJI, work engagement, and recovery. Results: Multi-level polynomial regression analyses showed that QJI congruence had a curvilinear relationship with well-being: employees reported higher work engagement when QJI perceptions were in agreement, both when QJI was low and high. We observed a negative relationship between QJI congruence and recovery. Recovery was lower when perceptions of QJI were in agreement and were high (vs. low). Finally, we found support for the effects of perceptual incongruence: when employees reported higher QJI than their teammates, they experienced lower recovery and engagement. Conclusions: To understand how employees' QJI relates to their well-being, it is essential to consider their teammates' perceptions. The social context can augment or reduce individuals' stress reactions to job insecurity.