Correlates of dysfunctional career thoughts in breast cancer survivors from the Bahamas

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to examine the correlates of dysfunctional career thoughts (DCTs) in a sample of breast cancers survivors. Sample and design: A total of 195 breast cancer survivors from the Bahamas completed a cross-sectional survey. Methods: The Career Thoughts Inventory (CTI) and standard medical and demographic items were administered. Analysis of Variance and logistic regression models were used to examine associations. Findings: Total CTI scores differed by age group, marital status, surgical remedy, and employment prior to diagnosis. The odds of DCT were higher among younger (Odds Ratio [OR] = 4.4), married (OR = 2.4), who were unemployed prior to diagnosis (OR = 3.5). Conclusion: Dysfunctional career thoughts appear to be common in certain breast cancer survivors. Further research is needed to determine whether similar associations are observed in other samples. Implications for Providers: Providers should discuss DCTs after treatment.

Women leaders in higher education: a psycho-spiritual perspective

Demands on women in middle and senior leadership positions in higher education institutions inevitably challenge their well-being. How they manage these demands is strongly related to their sense of coherence and their spirituality, constructs that have demonstrated positive relations with general and work-related well-being. This study aims to explore the construction of sense of coherence and spirituality of women leaders in higher education institutions. It adopts a qualitative research approach, applying constructivist grounded theory. The sample comprises 13 academic and support services women working in higher education, who belong to the Higher Education Resource Services South Africa network, a non-profit organisation that promotes leadership development and representation of women in senior positions in higher education. This study contributes to knowledge on gender-specific well-being concepts by presenting qualitative findings on women leaders’ life-orientation in terms of sense of coherence and spirituality in a higher education institution in South Africa. Themes from the interview data provide key insights on three subcomponents of sense of coherence: manageability, comprehensibility, and meaningfulness. Spirituality furthermore emerged as constructed in inner-connectedness, trans-personality, and a coping resource in the work context. Meaningfulness emerged as central to the life-orientation and spirituality of women leaders in higher education. Finally, a core theoretical idea is presented in proposing an integrated psycho-spiritual perspective, with meaningfulness as central, grounded in a motivational and relational orientation, and facilitating the potential well-being of women leaders in higher education institutions. Recommendations are made for future research and to inform leadership development and well-being interventions targeting women in higher education.

The role of socio-demographic variables and their interaction effect on sense of coherence

Orientation: Socio-demographics play a role in sense of coherence (SOC), indicating the strength of resistance resources available to employees from different socio-demographic groupings.Research purpose: To explore whether and how socio-demographic variables and their interactive effect determine a distinctively high or low SOC.Motivation for the study: Various studies include an exploration of the role of socio-demographic attributes on SOC, yet do not investigate the interactive effect of these socio-demographics on high or low SOC.Research design, approach and method: Quantitative, cross-sectional survey design. The chi-square interaction detection method (CHAID) was applied to a large-scale employee sample (n = 7185). Confirmatory analysis was done by exploring predictor effects on two possible permutations of high or low SOC classifications.Main findings: Results indicated a statistically significant four-factor interactive effect of demographic variables on SOC. Level of income most strongly partitioned high to low SOC ratio groups. Marital status and number of dependants, with level of income, further distinguished statistically distinct high to low SOC ratio groups. Race indicated distinct high to low SOC ratio groups in the higher income group. No statistically significant effects were found for age and gender.Practical/managerial implications: Companies should provide lower income employees with financial counselling and special support for single or divorced employees and employees who are married but the sole household earner. In the middle to high income category employee assistance should cater for employees with dependants and especially for the sole household earners.Contribution/value-add: Establishing whether and how demographic variables predict high to low SOC ratios broadens the theoretical knowledge base of SOC. The study contributes methodologically in its application of CHAID analysis.