Effectiveness of a Humor-Based Training for Reducing Employees' Distress.

An increasing number of studies have demonstrated that humor can impact interpersonal relationships in organizations and employee well-being. However, there is little evidence coming from intervention studies in organizational settings. In response, we developed a training following the principles of positive psychology that aims at improving employees' adaptive use of humor as a successful mechanism to deal with stress. In this study, we assess the effectiveness of such training and its impact on employee well-being. Results from this one-group intervention study in an emergency ambulance service (N = 58) revealed that the participants reported higher levels of cheerfulness (Z = -3.93; p < 0.001) and lower levels of seriousness (Z = -3.32; p < 0.001) after being exposed to the training. Indeed, the participants reported lower scores on psychological distress after the training (Z = -3.35; p < 0.001). The effect size of the training was medium (r = 0.31 to 0.36), suggesting that interventions to improve adaptive humor at work can be a useful resource to deal with workplace stress and foster employee well-being. These results may have interesting implications for designing and implementing positive interventions as well as for developing healthy organizations.

Validation of a Spanish version of the Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (BEAQ) in clinical population.

BACKGROUND: The Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (BEAQ) has been suggested as the most appropriate instrument for measuring experiential avoidance. However, no Spanish validation has been published. The aim of this study was to validate a Spanish version of the BEAQ in a clinical sample treated at a community mental health unit. METHODS: Participants ( N = 332) completed the BEAQ as well as other self-report measures of experiential avoidance and psychopathology. RESULTS: Internal consistency was satisfactory (α = .82). No statistically significant gender differences were found in the BEAQ scores. The data also showed high test-retest reliability after four to six weeks, acceptable concurrent validity with another experiential avoidance measure and acceptable convergent validity with the psychopathology measure. The principal component analysis, forcing the one factor solution proposed in the original scale, produced indicators similar to the English version of the BEAQ. CONCLUSIONS: These results firmly support the reliability and validity of this Spanish validation, stressing its usefulness as a measure of experiential avoidance in clinical populations.

Steps to Ensure a Successful Implementation of Occupational Health and Safety Interventions at an Organizational Level.

There is increasing meta-analytic evidence that addresses the positive impact of evidence-based occupational health and safety interventions on employee health and well-being. However, such evidence is less clear when interventions are approached at an organizational level and are aimed at changing organizational policies and processes. Given that occupational health and safety interventions are usually tailored to specific organizational contexts, generalizing and transferring such interventions to other organizations is a complex endeavor. In response, several authors have argued that an evaluation of the implementation process is crucial for assessing the intervention's effectiveness and for understanding how and why the intervention has been (un)successful. Thus, this paper focuses on the implementation process and attempts to move this field forward by identifying the main factors that contribute toward ensuring a greater success of occupational health and safety interventions conducted at the organizational level. In doing so, we propose some steps that can guide a successful implementation. These implementation steps are illustrated using examples of evidence-based best practices reported in the literature that have described and systematically evaluated the implementation process behind their interventions during the last decade.

The Role of Psychological Capital and Intragroup Conflict on Employees' Burnout and Quality of Service: A Multilevel Approach.

Previous studies have found a negative association between intragroup conflict and both employees' health and performance, including the quality of service that employees provide. However, some authors have indicated that such negative effects of intragroup conflict depend on how conflict is managed. In addition, at individual level, research is increasingly emphasizing the role of psychological strengths (i.e., psychological capital) as predictors of health and performance. Thus, this research addresses both a main effect at individual level (psychological capital on burnout/quality of service) and a moderated cross-level model (2-2-1: intragroup conflict, conflict management climate and burnout/quality of service) in a cross-sectional survey study (N = 798 workers nested in 55 units/facilities). Results revealed a main effect of psychological capital on both burnout (r = -0.50) and quality of service (r = 0.28). Also, there was an association between intragroup relationship conflict and burnout (r = 0.33). Finally, there was an interaction effect in which conflict management climate buffers the negative association between intragroup conflict and quality of service. Practical implications of these results for developing positive and healthy organizations that prevent potential psychosocial risks at group level while promote individual strengths are discussed.

El efecto de la conservación de recursos sobre la intención emprendedora en el contexto de crisis económica: el rol moderador de la autoeficacia y la creatividad / The effect of conservation of resources on the entrepreneurial intention in the context of economic crisis: the moderating role of the selfefficacy and creativity

Este estudio plantea una línea de investigación del emprendimiento que incorpora el análisis de factores personales y del contexto socioeconómico actual en el marco de la Teoría de la Conservación de Re-cursos. Los objetivos del estudio fueron analizar el efecto que ejercen la pérdida, amenaza de pérdida y ganancia de recursos sobre la intención emprendedora, y determinar el papel moderador de la autoeficacia emprendedora y la percepción de la propia creatividad. Se realizó un estudio transversal en 278 estudiantes universitarios de posgrado. Se comprobó que la pérdida y la ganancia de recursos contribuyeron en la decisión de crear una empresa y que el efecto positivo de ambas variables fue mayor cuando se unía el efecto de la percepción creativa, siendo la autoeficacia emprendedora la variable que presentó mayor fuerza predictiva. Se concluye que la Teoría de la Conservación de Recursos constituye un soporte teórico que permite comprender el emprendimiento en el contexto de crisis económica, si bien se precisa la realización de estudios que permitan clarificar y consolidar los resultados obtenidos, incorporando análisis prospectivos que contemplen, la estructura social, las estrategias de afrontamiento, la perspectiva de género y los tipos de conducta de emprendimiento

This study presents a research line of entrepreneurship incorporating personal factors and current socio-economic context in the framework of the Conservation of Resources Theory. The objectives were to analyze the effect of the loss, threat loss, and gain of the resources on entrepreneurial intention and to determine the moderating role of entrepreneurial self-efficacy and perception of own creativity. A cross-sectional study in 278 university postgraduate students was conducted. It was found that loss and gain of resources contributed in the decision to start a business, the positive effect of both variables was greater when the effect of the creative perception joined. Entrepreneurial self-efficacy showed more predictive power. It is concluded that the Conservation of Resources Theory is a theoretical support for the study of entrepreneurship in the context of economic crisis, however studies are needed to clarify and consolidate the results obtained, incorporating prospective analysis covering social structure, coping strategies, gender perspective and types of entrepreneurial behaviour

Prevalencia y factores predictivos del burnout en docentes de la enseñanza pública: El papel del género / Prevalence rate and predictive factors of burnout among public education teachers: the role of gender

El presente estudio tiene por objetivo examinar posibles diferencias respecto a la prevalencia del burnout y los factores implicados en su desarrollo en función del género. Para ello, se realizó un estudio transversal mediante encuesta en el que participaron 578 profesores de primaria y secundaria adscritos a centros públicos de Andalucía que cumplimentaron el Cuestionario de Burnout para Profesores Revisado (CBP-R; Moreno-Jiménez, Garrosa, & González-Gutiérrez, 2000) y otro de datos sociodemográficos. Los resultados muestran diferencias en la prevalencia del síndrome de estar quemado dependiendo del criterio adoptado para determinar si una persona padece burnout. Además, los datos indican que los hombres perciben mayores niveles de despersonalización y falta de realización personal que las mujeres. Respecto a las fuentes de estrés se observan igualmente diferencias en cuanto al género. De todo ello se derivan implicaciones prácticas a la hora de medir el burnout y desarrollar intervenciones para su prevención (AU)

This study aims to address possible gender differences on the prevalence rate of burnout and the perception of stressors involved in its development. A cross-sectional survey study was conducted, in which 578 teachers from different teaching levels in public schools around Andalusia completed the Teachers’ Burnout Questionnaire-Revised (CBP-R; Moreno-Jiménez et al., 2000) and some socio-demographic questions. Results revealed that differences on the prevalence rate of burnout depended to great extent on the criterion used for labeling a person as burned out. In addition, results showed that men perceived higher levels of depersonalization and lack of professional accomplishment than women. Furthermore, gender explained differences on the perception of several stressors considered as antecedents of burnout in teaching. These findings have important practical implications for measuring burnout and for developing interventions directed to its prevention at work (AU)

Presentación: Dossier temático Entrenamiento en Habilidades Sociales / Presentation: Thematic Dossier focused on Social Skills

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Diferencias del rol desempeñado por la autoeficacia en el burnout percibido por el personal universitario en función de las condiciones de trabajo / Working conditions and differences in the role that self-efficacy plays in the burnout perceived by University staff

El objetivo del presente estudio es analizar el papel que desempeña la autoeficacia en la relación entre condiciones de trabajo y síndrome de estar quemado o burnout en una muestra de profesionales de la Universidad de Sevilla. En concreto, la muestra está compuesta por 194 profesores universitarios (PDI) y 121 personas encargadas de tareas de administración y servicios (PAS). Mediante un diseño transversal se les aplicó un cuestionario sobre condiciones de trabajo de carácter estresante y autoeficacia para afrontar las mismas (Escala Laboral de Estrés) así como el cuestionario de burnout MBI. Tal como apuntaban nuestras hipótesis, las condiciones de trabajo (ambigüedad de rol y sobrecarga laboral) se relacionan positivamente con el burnout, jugando la autoeficacia un papel modulador sólo en los casos en que el individuo puede actuar para modificar las condiciones estresantes. Se discuten las implicaciones a nivel teórico y práctico de los presentes resultados (AU)

The aim of this study is to analyze the role that self-efficacy plays in the relationship between working conditions and burnout in the University context. The sample was composed by 194 teachers and 121 employees from the administrative staff of the University of Seville (Spain). The Job Stress Scale and Maslach Burnout Inventory were used to measure working conditions, self-efficacy and burnout in a cross-sectional design study. According to our hypotheses, there is a positive relationship between stressful working conditions and burnout. In addition, self-efficacy seems to moderate the association between potentially stressful working conditions and burnout. However, the moderating effect of self-efficacy was observed only under the working conditions that can be directly influenced by employees’ behaviour. Theoretical and practical implications for occupational health researchers and practitioners are discussed (AU)