ABSTRACT
The goal of our study was to determine whether some forms of counterproductive work behavior (CWB) may serve to benefit employees. Building on the stressor-strain framework and theories of coping, we investigated whether two forms of CWB, production deviance and withdrawal, serve as a means of coping to mitigate the impact of low distributive and procedural justice on emotional exhaustion. Results from a survey of 295 employed persons from around the United States suggest that production deviance and withdrawal may benefit employees by reducing emotional exhaustion in the face of low distributive justice but not necessarily low procedural justice.
Subject(s)
Adaptation, Psychological , Employment/psychology , Social Behavior , Burnout, Professional , Data Collection , Humans , Motivation , United StatesABSTRACT
This study sought to confirm the literature reports on psychological well-being during radiotherapy treatment using a population across multiple clinical sites, resulting in a larger population (N = 156) than has typically been followed in quality of life descriptive studies of radiotherapy, and a more varied one in terms of diagnosis. This study is unique in its individual differences perspective, whereby it aimed to identify those demographic variables that predict baseline levels of psychological distress as well as changes in distress during treatment. The data used were the control data from a previous study assessing the effectiveness of a stress management intervention. Participants completed the SF-36, STAI-S, and CES-D scales at baseline and after Weeks 1, 2, and 3 of treatment. Consistent with prior studies, this study found that, on average, patients began with a low level of psychological distress, as indicated by the scale norms. However, this study found considerable variation in anxiety levels, with some patients beginning treatment with a relatively high level of anxiety. For those with relatively high levels of baseline anxiety, anxiety decreased during treatment. A patient's baseline psychological distress level was predicted by marital status, diagnosis, gender, education level, and income range. In addition, cancer type, income level, and education level predicted changes in distress levels over treatment.
Subject(s)
Neoplasms/radiotherapy , Radiotherapy/psychology , Attitude to Health , Depression/diagnosis , Depression/drug therapy , Depression/etiology , Depression/psychology , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Psychology , Quality of Life/psychology , Research Design , Severity of Illness Index , Socioeconomic Factors , Stress, Psychological/etiology , Stress, Psychological/psychology , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
PURPOSE: This study sought to continue research on psychosocial interventions for patients being treated with radiation therapy across multiple centers and to replicate positive findings of a single-center study of patients being treated with chemotherapy. The primary objective of this study was to determine if a stress management intervention was effective in improving quality of life and decreasing psychological distress in patients undergoing radiotherapy for cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 310 patients about to begin radiotherapy treatment were randomly assigned to receive usual care only or self-administered stress management training. Quality-of-life assessments occurred at baseline and for 3 weeks after the beginning of radiotherapy treatment. RESULTS: Overall, patients assigned to receive stress management training did not report significantly less psychological distress on the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form (SF-36) Mental Component Summary Scale than did those assigned to usual care. When divided into subgroups based on the SF-36 Mental Component Summary Scale scores immediately after their first radiotherapy treatment, patients with above-average levels of psychological distress (scores < or = 50) who were randomly assigned to the intervention condition reported significant improvement in their distress compared with those assigned to usual care only on the SF-36 Mental Health Subscale and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. CONCLUSION: This study found that self-administered stress management training is effective only in those radiotherapy patients with initially higher levels of psychological distress. Additional research should examine the benefits of stress management training targeted specifically to patients experiencing heightened distress.
