Burnout Disrupts Anxiety Buffer Functioning Among Nurses: A Three-Way Interaction Model

The Impact of Career Plateau on Job Burnout in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Moderating Role of Regulatory Focus

This study reviewed the mental health problems experienced by office workers exposed to new kinds of work stress, career plateau, and job burnout, due to no-contact teleworking during the COVID-19 pandemic. Human beings tend to evaluate their own qualities to determine their own superiority by comparing themselves with others. Appropriate social comparison helps to promote self-understanding and boost self-esteem. However, in the case of no-contact remote working, where the amount of time spent alone is drastically increased, the information obtained from such social comparisons is naturally insufficient, resulting in the perception of reaching a career plateau. Prolonged anxiety and a sense of helplessness have been shown to cause job burnout; however, so far, few studies have examined career plateau as an antecedent factor for job burnout. This study also considered the moderating effect of regulatory focus in order to closely examine the effect of career plateau on job burnout. According to the regulatory focus theory, differences appear in various psychological processes, such as human choices, judgments, motivations, and attitudes, determined by whether individuals adopt a promotion focus or a prevention focus. This study aimed to verify whether regulatory focus operates in a conditional context, in the process of job burnout following career plateau, to change the magnitude and direction of the influence of career plateau. To this end, a hierarchical regression analysis was performed by collecting data from 202 people working for three Korean companies. As a result of the analysis, it was found that the career plateau had a significant effect on job burnout. This direct effect was still significant even after considering the interaction with regulatory focus. In addition, promotion focus was found to have a negative moderating effect, while prevention focus had no effect on the influence of career plateau on job burnout. This study demonstrated that the negative effects of career plateau, which have been presented in various ways in academia, lead to job burnout under the non-face-to-face teleworking systems implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and suggested that promotion focus can play a positive role in alleviating this dynamic.

Organizational and Personal Factors That Boost Innovation: The Case of Nurses during COVID-19 Pandemic Based on Job Demands-Resources Model

Since 2019, the world has been experiencing a pandemic period due to the COVID-19 virus, which has brought the need for organizations in general, healthcare organizations and their professionals in particular, to focus on innovation as a way to fight an utterly unknown virus. Thus, this study aims to understand how nurses and their personal factors (stress, anxiety, work engagement, organizational support) impact their innovative behaviour and innovation outputs, contributing to innovation in the current pandemic period through changes in thoughts, values, behaviours and relationships among healthcare professionals and their organizations. For this purpose, the Job Demands-Resources model was used as a reference, and the measurement instrument was applied to 738 nurses working in healthcare units in Portugal. Therefore, it was found that the nurses’ personal factors have a positive effect on the nurses’ innovative behaviour and innovation outputs, with the innovative behaviour having the most significant impact on innovation outputs, which will benefit healthcare organizations and the healthcare provided to patients during the pandemic, through innovative behaviours and products. It is also possible to understand how the available resources and the demands imposed on nurses interfere with their innovative behaviour (Job Demands-Resources model).

Experiences and attitudes of midwives during the birth of a pregnant woman with COVID-19 infection: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has become one of the most important threats to global health. Midwives are at the core of the response to the pandemic. Women still need midwifery support and care. The work of midwives is acknowledged as emotionally demanding, and their welfare may be compromised by a range of workplace and personal stress factors.

AIM

To investigate the experiences and attitudes of midwives who have provided pregnancy and childbirth care to women with a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection.

METHODS

A qualitative phenomenological study was carried out in two Spanish tertiary hospitals. Fourteen midwives were recruited by purposive sampling technique. Data were collected through individual in-depth interviews and analysed using Giorgi's descriptive method.

FINDINGS

Three themes emerged: "challenges and differences when working in a pandemic", "emotional and mental health and wellbeing" and "women's emotional impact perceived by midwives". Midwives pointed to several factors tied to a safe, supportive and empowering work place: support from staff and managers, access to adequate personal protective equipment, and reliable guidelines. They also dealt with professional and personal challenges during the pandemic, showing feelings of fear, anxiety, uncertainty, discomfort, lack of support, and knowledge. Finally, midwives expressed their concerns about the feelings of pregnant women with COVID-19, such as fear, anxiety, and loneliness.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study show some of the challenges for midwives during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the value of a good communication, emotional support, and stress management, to provide woman-centred care.

Effects of Holy Name Meditation on the Quality of Life of Hospital Middle Manager Nurses in Korea: A 6-Month Follow-Up

BACKGROUND

Nurses experience poor quality of life due to workload and role stress. In this study, a spirituality-based intervention was administered to nurse managers.

METHOD

A total of 45 nurse managers participated in the study; 24 were assigned to the experimental group, and 21 were assigned to a control group. The Holy Name Meditation Program was provided solely to the experimental group. Pretest, posttest 1 (5 weeks after the intervention), posttest 2 (12 weeks after the intervention), and posttest 3 (24 weeks after the intervention) data were gathered on seven variables, including spiritual well-being, spiritual needs, job satisfaction, leadership, burnout, depression, and self-efficacy.

RESULTS

The experimental group showed significant improvement in spiritual well-being (p < .001), spiritual needs (p = .029), and job satisfaction (p = .005) until the 24-week follow-up. Burnout (p < .001), depression and anxiety (p = .034), and self-efficacy (p = .024) showed significant improvement until the 12-week follow-up. Depression and anxiety (p = .053) showed decreasing tendency until the 24-week follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Evidence suggests this program promotes spiritual and psychosocial well-being of nurse managers. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2020;51(5):215-224.].

Job Stress and Burnout Among Employees Working in Terrorist-Ridden Areas

This article examines the relationship of effort-reward imbalance (ERI) on employee stress by considering job burnout (BO), organizational (in)justice (OJ), and sensitivity to terrorism (STT). This study uses the effort-reward imbalance (ERI) framework as a job stress model. After describing terrorism and a brief discussion on organizational justice and some of its challenges, we introduced "sensitivity to terrorism" as a moderator in the ERI framework. Using a 432 sample size of questionnaire data collected from two big cities where terrorist attacks are rampant and received during a period when terrorist attacks were at a peak. After analyzing data in EFA, results from the hierarchical regression analysis provided support for our developed model. Overall, the statistical model is significant (p < 0.05). We found significant relationships between ERI and facets of BO. Organizational (in)justice mediated the influence of ERI on facets of BO. We also found that STT significantly moderated ERI and facets of burnout. The article concludes with some implications and guidelines for future research.

Risk and Protective Factors of Well-Being among Healthcare Staff. A Thematic Analysis

The purpose of this study was to identify physical and psychosocial working conditions to improve well-being at work among healthcare staff. This is a potent area of inquiry given the relationship between healthcare staff well-being and service quality and other key organizational characteristics. However, while numerous studies in this area have used a quantitative methodology, very few have applied qualitative methodologies gathering subjective descriptions of the sources of well-being, providing in so doing significant data to explore in depth the factors that influence well-being in healthcare systems. We gathered qualitative data analyzing open-ended questions about risk and protective factors of well-being at work. The sample was made of 795 professionals answering an online questionnaire. Answers were coded and analyzed using the thematic analysis with an inductive approach (data-driven). We identified four themes strongly affecting professional well-being in health-care staff: Interactions, Working Conditions, Emotional Responses to Work, and Competence and Professional Growth. Our findings suggest possible strategies and actions that may be effective in helping to calibrate case-specific support and monitoring interventions to improve health and well-being of healthcare staff. We also discuss the implications of the study and suggest possible avenues for future empirical research.

Burnout Syndrome in Paediatric Oncology Nurses: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Purpose: To determine levels of burnout among paediatric oncology nurses, and the risk factors that may influence its development. Method: A literature review with meta-analysis was conducted, via a search in the PubMed, CINHAL, Scopus, ProQuest (Health and Medical Complete), Scielo and PsycINFO databases, using the search equation: "Nurs* AND burnout AND oncology AND pediatric". Results: The final sample of selected studies was of eight articles. All were quantitative studies of paediatric oncology nurses, using the Maslach Burnout Inventory, written in English or Spanish. No search restrictions were established on the year of publication. The eight studies reported moderate-high levels of burnout in each of its three dimensions. These dimensions were all related to the characteristics of the profession, in terms of complexity, shifts and workload, and to sociodemographic variables such as marital status, work experience, age and gender. The prevalence meta-analytical estimation for a sample of n = 361 nurses were 37% for high emotional exhaustion, 16% for high depersonalisation and 27% for low personal fulfilment. Conclusions: Most paediatric oncology nurses present moderate-high levels of burnout. Therefore, strategies and interventions should be identified and implemented to protect these workers from the syndrome.

Italian Validation of the Touch Avoidance Measure and the Touch Avoidance Questionnaire

Social touch is essential in relationships and well-being, but the unique personal experience of touch is not assessed and taken into account in health and social care services. The pleasantness of gentle stroking is influenced by gender, toucher genre, toucher familiarity, culture, and age. Moreover, pleasantness is influenced by touch avoidance, the attitude toward interpersonal touch. The aim of this article is to present the translation, adaptation, and validation in Italian of two scales to measure touch avoidance. For translation and validation, we selected the most used scale, the Touch Avoidance Measure (TAM) and a more recent scale, the Touch Avoidance Questionnaire (TAQ). Confirmatory factor analyses reported good model fit for the TAM [comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.947, Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) = 0.940, root-mean-square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.065] and excellent model fit for the TAQ (CFI = 0.954, TLI = 0.950, RMSEA = 0.058). Internal consistency was high for all subscales, except the TAQ "Stranger" subscale. One-month test-retest reliability ranged from 0.67 to 0.90 for each subscale. Lastly, convergent validity between the TAM and TAQ was also found to be high. We conclude that the TAM and TAQ can be used to assess touch avoidance with Italian samples. The instrument can be used to support healthcare professionals and to assess attitudes toward touch in individuals with interpersonal difficulties.

Occupational Well-Being in Sexual Assault Victims and Survivors

Purpose: While researchers have established that sexual assault may adversely affect successful employment and academic achievement, little is known about the barriers and facilitators of occupational well-being from the perspective of sexual assault survivors. This study assessed the barriers and facilitators of occupational well-being. Design: Constructivist grounded theory. Method: Digitally recorded, semistructured interviews were used to collect data. Data were collected from 22 adult female sexual assault survivors. Analysis consisted of coding, creation of data matrices, and within and across case analysis. Findings: Theoretical saturation was achieved after interviews with 22 participants. Barriers to occupational well-being were mental health symptoms and diagnoses, substance abuse, inflexible attendance policies, and workplace bullying. Facilitators to occupational well-being were personal coping strategies, and organizational and social support. Conclusions: Sexual assault has significant effects on the occupational well-being of women. The work or academic environment can exacerbate the harms of sexual assault or facilitate healing in sexual assault survivors. To facilitate the occupational well-being of sexual assault survivors, workplaces and academic institutions can adopt a trauma-informed approach, create policies that allow for time off to deal with sequela of sexual assault, implement anti-bullying programs, and make resources for gendered violence available.

Addressing Risks of Violence against Healthcare Staff in Emergency Departments: The Effects of Job Satisfaction and Attachment Style

Violence in the workplace is one of the most serious issues affecting the healthcare sector. The incidence of violent behaviour towards healthcare workers is increasing worldwide. It is difficult to assess the extent of the problem, however, as violent incidents are underreported. In fact, many doctors and nurses see violence-perpetrated primarily by patients and visitors (friends and relatives of patients)-as a part of their job. Several studies indicate that violent behaviour against healthcare workers has serious consequences for the professionals involved, as well as for the wider healthcare system. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the prevalence of patient and visitor violence in a number of emergency departments in northeastern Italy and to explore the relationship between violence and certain psychosocial factors (adult attachment style, age, and job satisfaction). Data were collected using an online questionnaire. Our results demonstrate that patient and visitor violence in emergency departments is a serious risk for nurses and doctors and that it is affected by several factors relating to both patient pathologies and the way the workplace and work patterns are organised. Previous studies indicate that the most common form of violence experienced in these contexts is emotional violence and that nurses are more likely than doctors to suffer emotional and physical violence. Based on multiple regression analysis of the data, it appears that greater age and higher scores in secure attachment are associated with reduced experience of emotional violence from patients and visitors. Furthermore, our results show that the relationship between secure attachment and the amount of patient-and-visitor-perpetrated emotional violence experienced is mediated by levels of job satisfaction. We also discuss the potential implications of these results in terms of using staff training to prevent and manage patient and visitor violence and improve the safety of healthcare professionals.

More Time Spent, More Job Search Success?: The Moderating Roles of Metacognitive Activities and Perceived Job Search Progress

Taking a self-regulatory perspective, we examined the within-person relationships between time spent in job search and search outcomes (i.e., the number of job interviews/offers received), focusing especially on the moderating roles of metacognitive activities and perceived job search progress. Data collection was conducted with 12 semiweekly surveys among a sample of 132 job seekers from a university in Southern China. Our results showed that time spent in job search does not necessarily lead to more interviews, and metacognitive activities moderated this relationship. Specifically, the positive effect of time spent in job search on the number of job interviews was stronger among job seekers with low levels rather than high levels of metacognitive activities. Nevertheless, after including perceived job search progress, the moderating role of metacognitive activities was stronger among seekers with low rather than high-perceived job search progress. We found that when individuals engaged in low levels of metacognitive activities and perceived low levels of job progress, they relied on time spent in job search to obtain job interviews and offers. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Factores psicosociales, estrés psicológico y burnout en enfermería: un modelo de trayectorias

Introducción: El personal de enfermería se enfrenta cotidianamente a diferentes eventos asociados al estrés, factores psicosociales y otros mecanismos que afectan su salud mental. Objetivo: Evaluar la correlación entre la demanda psicológica, el control laboral, el apoyo social, el estrés psicológico, y las dimensiones del Síndrome de Burnout (ilusión por el trabajo, desgaste psíquico, indolencia y culpa), en un modelo de trayectorias en enfermeras mexicanas. Metodología: Estudio transversal, observacional, analítico, conducido en 357 profesionales de enfermería de Morelos, México, seleccionados por conveniencia. Los datos fueron colectados empleando tres cuestionarios, la Escala de Estrés Percibido, el Cuestionario del Contenido del Trabajo y el Cuestionario para la Evaluación del Síndrome de Quemarse por el Trabajo. Los programas SPSS 19 y LISREL 8.3 fueron empleados para el procesamiento y modelaje de los datos. Resultados: En el modelo de trayectorias, se especificó como variable mediadora de los factores psicosociales y de las dimensiones del Síndrome de Quemarse por el Trabajo (SQT), al estrés psicológico. Los índices de ajuste fueron aceptables. Se encontraron altos niveles de apoyo social, control laboral e ilusión por el trabajo; grados moderados de demanda psicológica y estrés psicológico; y bajos niveles de desgaste psíquico, indolencia y culpa. Conclusión: Implicaciones para la disciplina, se propone implementar estrategias de intervención efectivas para mantener en el personal de enfermería bajos niveles de demandas psicológicas, altos niveles de control laboral, altos niveles de apoyo social, y niveles moderados de estrés, para prevenir, el SQT.

Life satisfaction, job satisfaction, life orientation and occupational burnout among nurses and midwives in medical institutions in Poland: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

To assess life satisfaction, job satisfaction, life orientation and the level of professional burnout in a group of professionally active nurses and midwives.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study.

SETTING

This study was conducted between March and October of 2017 during specialisation training at the European Centre for Postgraduate Education in Wroclaw, Poland.

PARTICIPANTS

A group of 350 professionally active nurses (n=293) and midwives (n=57) were enrolled in the study.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Associations between burnout and selected life-related and job-related outcomes using (1) the Satisfaction With Job Scale, (2) the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), (3) the Life Orientation Test-Revised, (4) the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Authors' Designed Questionnaire regarding sociodemographic factors. The level of statistical significance was set at p≤0.05 (with a CI of 95%).

RESULTS

The vast majority of participants were those in the ages of 41-50 years old (40.57%), women (96.86%) and people with bachelor's degree (46.29%). The average overall rate for occupational burnout was 34.67 per 100 points. Assessment of occupational burnout subscale showed that the most significant factor was emotional exhaustion at 39.14 points (SD=28.15). Job satisfaction, life satisfaction and life orientation assessed with SWLS significantly affects each of the occupational burnout subscales (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The level of occupational burnout in nurses and midwives appeared to be low. It has been revealed that such determinants as life satisfaction, job satisfaction and life orientation do not allow for developing an occupational burnout.