ABSTRACT
Abstract Introduction/Objetive: Work orientation includes the individual's beliefs regarding the role of work in his/her life as a whole and what they are searching for in their careers. There are three types of orientation to work: job, career, and vocation. Work orientation has the distinction of examining how work connects with people's lives and is, therefore, an appropriate construct for evaluating the impact of work on human flourishing. The aims of this study are first to explore work orientation in twelve Ibero-American countries; and second, to investigate whether work orientation affects flourishing in the lives of adults in twelve Ibero-American countries. Method: A total of 3000 adults participated in this study. The University of Pennsylvania Work-Life Questionnaire was used to evaluate the type of relationship that employees reported having with their work, according to the distinctions between job, career, and calling. A 12-item version of the Multidimensional Flourishing Scale was used to measure three aspects of flourishing: social, psychological, and emotional well-being. Results: Most participants reported a high level of calling in their work orientation. In most countries, those with a calling orientation reported higher levels of social and psychological well-being than those with a job orientation. The results indicate a clear relationship between a calling orientation and social and psychological well-being. Conclusion: This research is the first to compare the relationship between work-orientation and flourishing in Ibero-America. The findings help us understand that work-orientation is not a secondary aspect of a person's life but has fundamental implications in the lives of workers.
Resumen Introducción/Objetivo: La orientación laboral incluye las creencias del individuo sobre el papel del trabajo en su vida como un todo y lo que está buscando en su carrera. La orientación laboral examina cómo el trabajo se conecta con la vida de las personas y es un constructo apropiado para evaluar el efecto del trabajo en el florecimiento humano. Se propone explorar la orientación laboral en 12 países iberoamericanos; e investigar si la orientación laboral afecta el florecimiento humano. Método: Tres mil adultos participaron en este estudio. Se utilizó el Work-Life Questionnaire para evaluar el tipo de relación que los empleados informan tener con su trabajo, de acuerdo con las distinciones entre trabajo, carrera y vocación. Se utilizó la Escala de Florecimiento Multidimensional para medir tres aspectos del florecimiento: bienestar social, psicológico y emocional. Resultados: La mayoría de los participantes informaron un alto nivel de orientación laboral como vocación. En la mayoría de los países, aquellos que trabajan por vocación informaron niveles más altos de bienestar social y psicológico que aquellos que trabajan solo por una motivación económica. Conclusiones: Esta investigación es la primera en comparar la relación entre la orientación al trabajo y el florecimiento humano en Iberoamérica. Los hallazgos nos ayudan a comprender que la orientación al trabajo no es un aspecto secundario de la vida de una persona, sino que tiene implicaciones fundamentales en los trabajadores.
ABSTRACT
Objective: We examined how relationship satisfaction changed during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, as well as how relationship satisfaction related to public policy support. Background: Conservation of resources (COR) theory suggests that societal-level stressors (such as a global pandemic) threaten familial and individual resources, straining couple relationships. Relationship satisfaction is in turn linked with important individual, familial, and societal outcomes, necessitating research on how COVID-19 impacted this facet of relationships. Method: Drawing from an international project on COVID-19 and family life, participants included 734 married and cohabiting American parents of children under 18 years of age. Results: Findings revealed relationship satisfaction declined moderately compared to retrospective reports of relationship satisfaction prior to the pandemic. This decline was more precipitous for White individuals, women, parents less involved in their children's lives, and those reporting higher levels of depressive symptoms. We also found that higher relationship satisfaction was associated with higher levels of support for family policy, particularly for men. At higher levels of relationship satisfaction, men and women had similarly high levels of support for family policy, while at lower levels, women's support for family policy was significantly higher. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic likely amplified facets of social inequality, which is especially concerning when considering the large socioeconomic gaps prior to the pandemic. Implications: Therapists, researchers, and policy makers should examine how relationship satisfaction may have changed during the pandemic because relationship satisfaction is linked to child and adult well-being and relationship dissolution. Further, the link between relationship satisfaction and support for family policy deserves further scrutiny.
