Technology-Enhanced Learning and Well-being: a Contribution to the Validation of a Measure to Assess University Students' Technostress in the Italian Context.

COVID-19 has forced many universities to adopt widely technology-enhanced learning (TEL), highlighting the role of technostress as a risk factor for detrimental outcomes that may be prevented through the assessment with reliable tools. Thus, the present study aimed to test the psychometric characteristics of the Italian validation of the technostress scale by Wang, Tan, and Li. A self-report online questionnaire was completed by 915 participants (aged 18-33 years) attending an online university course during the health emergency. A subsample of 301 subjects (M Age = 20.91, SD = 1.93) filled out the same questionnaire after a 3-month time interval to evaluate the test-retest reliability. Confirmatory factor analysis verified the one-factor structure of the scale, which was confirmed across academic courses considered (first-year and senior students). Moreover, the findings showed significant associations with the Italian Technostress Creators Scale and the Italian Mental Health Continuum-Short Form, as well as a satisfactory test-retest coefficient value supporting its validity and reliability. In light of the above, the study provides a useful instrument to evaluate technostress related to TEL and indications to implement preventive interventions for this type of stress by improving students' experience with learning technologies.

Technology-Enhanced Learning and Well-being: a Contribution to the Validation of a Measure to Assess University Students’ Technostress in the Italian Context

COVID-19 has forced many universities to adopt widely technology-enhanced learning (TEL), highlighting the role of technostress as a risk factor for detrimental outcomes that may be prevented through the assessment with reliable tools. Thus, the present study aimed to test the psychometric characteristics of the Italian validation of the technostress scale by Wang, Tan, and Li. A self-report online questionnaire was completed by 915 participants (aged 18–33 years) attending an online university course during the health emergency. A subsample of 301 subjects (MAge = 20.91, SD = 1.93) filled out the same questionnaire after a 3-month time interval to evaluate the test–retest reliability. Confirmatory factor analysis verified the one-factor structure of the scale, which was confirmed across academic courses considered (first-year and senior students). Moreover, the findings showed significant associations with the Italian Technostress Creators Scale and the Italian Mental Health Continuum–Short Form, as well as a satisfactory test–retest coefficient value supporting its validity and reliability. In light of the above, the study provides a useful instrument to evaluate technostress related to TEL and indications to implement preventive interventions for this type of stress by improving students’ experience with learning technologies.

Mental Well-Being and Job Satisfaction of Hospital Physicians during COVID-19: Relationships with Efficacy Beliefs, Organizational Support, and Organizational Non-Technical Skills.

The COVID-19 outbreak has led worldwide governments to take preventive measures to contain the spread of the virus and its extraordinary demands upon healthcare workers. Consequently, healthcare workers have been under high pressures, putting them at risk of developing adverse outcomes. The present study aims to investigate the psychological and organizational factors that contributed to physicians' well-being during the pandemic. A total of 78 Italian physicians participated in the study. They completed a self-report questionnaire measuring efficacy beliefs, orientation towards patient engagement, job satisfaction, non-technical skills, organizational support, sense of belonging to the hospital, job satisfaction, and mental well-being. Physicians' sense of belonging to their hospital, efficacy beliefs about their organizations and communication with patients, as well as non-technical skills related to communication and risk awareness were positively associated with job satisfaction. In addition, the latter and sense of belonging to own hospital were positively associated with mental well-being. These findings may guide policymakers and healthcare organizations managers to consider the potential psychosocial factors related to physicians' well-being and the required preventive measures that can help in enhancing their human and organizational resources to cope with stressful situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Impact of University-Related Variables on Students’ Perceived Employability and Mental Well-Being: An Italian Longitudinal Study

The COVID-19 outbreak has had a disruptive impact on the academic context and labor market. Indeed, the pandemic shock in such fields has been related to several changes with implications for young people’s careers and well-being. This two-wave longitudinal study, conducted in Italy, aimed to explore the predictiveness of some individual and organizational factors on students’ perceived employability and well-being. A total of 301 Italian students, aged between 18 and 33 (M = 20.63, SD = 1.99), completed a self-report questionnaire measuring career ambition, university reputation, university commitment, technostress related to technology-enhanced learning, perceived employability, and mental well-being at both time points. A path analysis showed that career ambition, university reputation, and organizational commitment positively predicted employability, which, in addition to such variables, positively affected well-being. In contrast, technostress was identified as a risk factor both for students’ perceptions of finding a job and for their well-being. These findings provide a theoretical contribution to a better understanding of the factors involved in undergraduates’ perceived employability and well-being. Moreover, they suggest the need to improve academic-related variables to enhance individuals’ resources in coping with the pandemic challenges.

Perceived Employability, Academic Commitment, and Competency of University Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Exploratory Study of Student Well-Being.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has led to the closure of schools and universities, which forced students to reorganize their daily and academic lives. The pandemic has thus impacted the well-being of students in various ways. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the perceived employability, self-efficacy, ambition, organizational commitment, and career planning of students, as well as mental well-being, student engagement, and academic burnout during the pandemic. A total of 269 Italian university students participated in an online questionnaire. Our results highlight that students experienced high levels of uncertainty about their employability and career planning. In contrast, however, they reported healthy levels of mental well-being and student engagement, high career ambitions, and strong self-efficacy, despite the impact of COVID-19. We suggested that intervention and supportive programs should be offered to students over the long term in order to minimize the negative impact of the pandemic.

Smart Working and Well-Being before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review.

The purpose of this scoping review focused on the relationship between smart working, a conception of job centered on the flexibility and autonomy of the worker, and well-being/illness in an organizational context before and during COVID-19. The literature review, conducted using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis for qualitative synthesis) method for qualitative synthesis, considered studies published from 2014 to 2020. From the analyses conducted by three independent coders, three main areas of interest in the literature emerged: (1) smart working and work engagement, (2) smart working and technostress, and (3) mediators of the relationship between smart working and well-being. The review highlights the need for an organizational culture increasingly oriented towards agile working practices in conjunction with organizational support and training.