[Job demands, meaningful work, and turnover intention among nurses]. / Richieste lavorative, significatività percepita del lavoro e intenzione di turnover degli infermieri.

BACKGROUND: The shortage of nurses is a worldwide issue. Since turnover intention (TI) is considered one of the major determinants of turnover behaviour, it is essential to look deeper into the way it operates. OBJECTIVES: This study uses the job demands-resources model to investigate the TI of nurses, on the one hand looking at the relationship that some demands (workload, emotional dissonance and abusive supervision) have on TI and on the other, investigating the role of a specific resource (meaningful work - MW) in terms of its effect on TI and as a potential moderator of the relationship between each demand and TI. METHODS: The research project was carried out in a large hospital in Northern Italy by administering a self-report questionnaire to all nurses; 630 questionnaires were distributed, 423 (67.14%) of which were completed. The statistical analyses were performed with PASW 18. RESULTS: The results highlight a positive relationship between demands and TI and a negative relationship between meaningful work and TI. Moreover, a significant moderating effect of meaningful work on the relationship between emotional dissonance and TI also emerged. No significant moderating effects were found for the relationship between the other two demands and TI. CONCLUSIONS: This research allowed us to verify the importance of constructs such as abusive supervision and meaningful work that have not yet been extensively studied, within the context of nursing staff in Italy; it also offered a range of suggestions for organizational developments and for further investigations in this field.

[Identification of risk factors for work-related stress in a hospital: a qualitative and quantitative approach]. / L'identificazione dei fattori di rischio stress lavoro-correlato in un'Azienda Sanitaria Ospedaliera: un approccio quali-quantitativo.

BACKGROUND: Italian legislation establishes the obligation for the employer to assess any risks to the safety and health of workers, including those relating to work-related stress (WRS). Several studies have proved the existence of a link between WRS and both individual diseases and organizational results. OBJECTIVE: The research aimed at detecting WRS risk factors in a hospital consisting of 53 departments employing 2334 workers. METHODS: A qualitative and quantitative approach was adopted divided into six steps: 1) analysis of the hospital indicators; 2) semistructured interviews of the 53 department heads; 3) preparation of a checklist including 42 WRS risk indicators; 4) observation by shadowing of the 53 departments; 5) setting up of 53 focus groups with staff from each department; 6) distribution of the check-list to a representative sample of 747 employees. RESULTS: Data analysis showed a "low" level of WRS risk regarding the hospital as a whole, a "medium" level regarding six transversal indicators and eight departments. Three indicators considered particularly significant were examined in detail: "workplace and ergonomic conditions", "shift work", "interruptions in work flow". CONCLUSIONS: The results helped to identifj a series of best practices aimed at reducing WRS risk that are applicable to other health care settings. The qualitative and quantitative approach produced a keen involvement of the employees of the hospital which will positively encourage the real efficacy of the measures taken.

[Association between demographic characteristics and psychosocial factors of job stress in a sample of health care workers employed in two Italian hospitals]. / Correlazioni tra variabili demografiche e fattori psicosociali di stress occupazionale in un campione di operatori sanitari di due aziende ospedaliere.

BACKGROUND: Job stress has negative effects on both health care work ers' (HCW) health and on work organization. OBJECTIVES: To assess whether the presence of stressful conditions, individually considered, or combined in the iso-strain model, is significantly associated with specific socio-demographic characteristics, also with the aim of providing organizational tools for management to reduce stress in the working environment according to Italian law 81/2008. METHODS: The extended version of the Job Content Questionnaire was administered to 265 healthy HCW in seven paired wards of two hospitals. The five psychosocial scales Job Demand (JD), Job Control (JC), Social Support (SS), Skill Underutilization (SuS), and Job Insecurity (JI) were calculated. The factors JD, JC, and SS were combined together to separate a group of 33 HCW in iso-strain conditions from another group of 232 HCW not in iso-strain conditions. Several socio-demographic variables were collected. RESULTS: Statistically significant associations were found between socio-demographic characteristics and psychosocial factors, whereas the iso-strain conditions were not related to any socio-demographic parameter. CONCLUSIONS: Data suggest the need for alternative policies to reduce job stress: for example, actions addressed to operative units or HCW with specific socio-demographic characteristics could be effective in improving individual psychosocial factors; however, integrated actions aimed at reorganizing the working environment as a whole should be implemented to correct iso-strain conditions.

[Determining factors of job-satisfaction: presence of work-family conflict in a sample of Italian nurses]. / Le determinanti della soddisfazione lavorativa del personale infermieristico: il ruolo del conflitto lavoro-famiglia.

BACKGROUND: Organization research has shown increasing interest in the dynamics of work-family conflict (w.f.c.). The NEXT study highlights that w.f.c. significantly influences satisfaction for one's job and the decision to quit the nursing profession. OBJECTIVES: This study analyzes w.f.c. in a sample of Italian nurses, with the aim of examining the main differences in relation to personal variables, and understanding the degree to which w.f.c. explains job satisfaction. METHODS: A self-reporting questionnaire was administered to 325 nurses in different hospitals of Northern Italy. Descriptive, reliability and Anova data analysis was performed. The relationships between variables were analyzed through correlations (Pearson's r); the role of w.f.c. in explaining job satisfaction was estimated via multiple regression. RESULTS: W.f.c. appeared to be more critical in subjects who had care responsibilities and in those who had more demanding work assignments. W.f.c. contributed to explaining job satisfaction, even if it was not its principal determining factor. CONCLUSIONS: This area of research appears to be important in that it leads to a better comprehension of the dynamics involved in work satisfaction and can suggest possible initiatives for support and development.

[Job satisfaction among nursing personnel: application of the Italian version of the Stamps Index of Work Satisfaction (1997)]. / La soddisfazione lavorativa del personale infermieristico. Adattamento italiano della scala Index of Work Satisfaction di stamps.

BACKGROUND: A high level of job satisfaction among nurses is related to a feeling of wellbeing, productivity and patient satisfaction. Furthermore job satisfaction is considered capable of reducing turnover and absenteeism. OBJECTIVES: This contribution describes the first application of the Italian version of Stamps' Index of Work Satisfaction (1997), consisting of a 44 item questionnaire used to evaluate job satisfaction among professional nurses operating in healthcare organizations. METHODS: Working in four different hospitals of the Piemdont and Lombardy regions. RESULTS: Analysis of the principal components revealed the presence of seven factors (Autonomy, Professional status, Pay, Job requirements, Work Organization policies, Interaction with physicians, Interaction with nurses) with an elevated internal coherence that explains 52% of the total variance. The first five factors coincided with those defined by Stamps (1997), while the last two were the result of the separation of the original "Interactions" factor. Validity, measured by correlation with a single item of job satisfaction, was good. The reliability of the entire questionnaire and the single sub-scales, measured by Cronbach's alpha coefficient and item-total correlations, was satisfactory and the scores' distribution curves were symmetrical. The sample's job satisfaction levels appeared higher for Professional status, Interaction with nurses and Autonomy factors, but regarding Work Organization policies, Task requirements and Pay factors perceptions of dissatisfaction emerged. The variability of perceived job satisfaction appeared related to age, service seniority and hospital. CONCLUSIONS: Subject to further confirmation of validity and reliability, the questionnaire may be used as a tool to survey the job satisfaction levels perceived by professional nurses operating in healthcare organizations, with the additional purpose of identifying management strategies and target groups in which to carry out specific activities aimed at promoting job satisfaction.