ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Resilience and optimism have been proposed as psychological resources which may help to cope better with work demands, preventing negative consequences of stress, whereas external locus of control (ELC) is considered an intra-psychic vulnerability factor associated with increased burnout. Noteworthy, the specific role of these overlapping constructs on the prevention of burnout and promotion of work engagement, respectively, remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: The main aim of this study was to compare the differential significance of resilience and optimism, joined with ELC, on the prediction of burnout and work engagement. METHOD: A sample of 265 professional caregivers of dependent older adults was assessed using an extensive standardized protocol. Optimism and ELC were measured using the Palenzuela's Battery of Generalised Expectancies of Control, and the Connor-Davidson Scale was used to estimate resilience. Moreover, the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale were used to measure burnout and work engagement, respectively. Different hierarchical regression models were conducted with burnout and work engagement as dependent factors. RESULTS: The results showed that more than half (51%) variance in resilience was accounted by grounded optimism scores. The ELC was the main explanatory factor of burnout, whereas optimism and resilience were the best predictors of work engagement. Finally, even after controlling the effect of resilience, the effect of optimism remained significant for predicting work engagement. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support distinctive role resilience and optimism, two closely related psychological constructs, for promoting work engagement and reducing burnout in professional caregivers of older adults.
Subject(s)
Burnout, Professional , Resilience, Psychological , Adaptation, Psychological , Aged , Burnout, Professional/epidemiology , Caregivers , Humans , Optimism , Surveys and Questionnaires , Work EngagementABSTRACT
Los técnicos en orientación profesional necesitan herramientas especializadas para medir la motivación de búsqueda de empleo. Entre los elementos que motivan a una persona a buscar trabajo destacan sus expectativas. Con el objetivo de evaluarlas, se creó la escala de Expectativas de Control Percibido de Búsqueda de Empleo (ECPBE) partiendo del modelo de Expectativas Generalizadas de Control (EGC) de Palenzuela. Se estudia la validez convergente-discriminante, la fiabilidad (consistencia interna y homogeneidad) y la validez factorial. Se obtienen correlaciones con las subescalas próximas teóricamente significativas y se confirma la presencia de cuatro factores para los ítems de autoeficacia, expectativas de éxito, locus de control interno y locus de control externo. Se puede considerar la ECPBE como una escala válida para medir las expectativas propuestas desde el modelo de EGC adaptado a la situación de búsqueda de empleo, presentando un adecuado nivel de homogeneidad y consistencia en la medida (AU)
Experts in career guidance need specialised tools to measure motivation for job search. Among the remarkable elements that motivate a person to search for a job are their own expectations. Aiming at evaluating expectations, the Perceived Control Expectations in Job Search (PCEJS) scale has been created based on Palenzuela's model of Generalized Expectancies of Control (GEC). Convergent-discriminant validity, reliability (internal consistency and homogeneity), and factorial validity are addressed in this study. Correlations are found among theoretically closed sub-scales, and the presence of 4 factors for the items of self-efficacy, expectations of success, internal locus of control and external locus of control is substantiated. The PCEJS can be considered a valid scale to measure expectations as proposed by the GEC model when adapted to a job search situation, showing an appropriate level of homogeneity and consistency in the measurement (AU)
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Employment/methods , Employment/standards , Job Application , Job Satisfaction , Occupations/standards , Self Efficacy , Social Desirability , Data Analysis/methods , Factor Analysis, StatisticalABSTRACT
We examined whether grounded optimism and external locus of control are associated with admission to dementia day care centers (DCCs). A total of 130 informal caregivers were recruited from the Alzheimer's Association in Salamanca (northwest Spain). All caregivers completed an assessment protocol that included the Battery of Generalized Expectancies of Control Scales (BEEGC-20, acronym in Spanish) as well as depression and burden measures. The decision of the care setting at baseline assessment (own home vs DCC) was considered the main outcome measure in the logistic regression analyses. Grounded optimism was a preventive factor for admission (odds ratio [OR]: 0.34 and confidence interval [CI]: 0.15-0.75), whereas external locus of control (OR: 2.75, CI: 1.25-6.03) increased the probabilities of using DCCs. Depression mediated the relationship between optimism and DCCs, but this effect was not consistent for burden. Grounded optimism promotes the extension of care at home for patients with dementia.
Subject(s)
Caregivers/psychology , Day Care, Medical , Dementia/therapy , Depression/psychology , Family/psychology , Optimism/psychology , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Depression/diagnosis , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , SpainABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to investigate the predictors of burden for informal caregivers of patients with dementia. Based on a multidimensional approach of the optimism model proposed by Palenzuela, we assessed the moderating role of generalized expectancies of control (GEC) between caregiver stress and burden. A total of 130 patients with dementia and their main family caregivers were assessed from different rural areas of the province of Salamanca (Spain). Patients with dementia underwent a protocol to assess dementia stage, cognitive-functional impairment and behavioural symptoms. Meanwhile, the 20-item Battery of Generalized Expectancies of Control Scales of Palenzuela was completed by the family caregivers. Clinical variables of patients with dementia (progression and behavioural disorders) and GEC (success, self-efficacy, contingency, helplessness and luck) were considered as potential predictors of burden in the hierarchical regression analysis. The Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) Scale was used as an outcome measure. The results indicated that the clinical variables could not predict burden in caregivers significantly; however, beliefs in personal abilities (self-efficacy) and internal locus of control (contingency) explained up to 32% of the variance in the ZBI scores. Family caregivers with high expectancies of self-efficacy and contingency are less vulnerable to stress. This research supports a base for interventions with informal caregivers and further study.
Subject(s)
Caregivers/psychology , Cost of Illness , Dementia/nursing , Internal-External Control , Aged , Attitude , Family Health , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Models, Psychological , Self EfficacyABSTRACT
Se analiza el papel de tres expectativas generalizadas de control (EGC) -autoeficacia, locus de control y éxito- en el afrontamiento y ajuste psicológico (ansiedad y depresión) en mujeres con cáncer de mama. La muestra inicial de 52 mujeres fue dividida en dos grupos a partir de las puntuaciones en la BEEGC-28 -una medida de las EGC- configurando un Patrón cognitivo de Expectativas Generalizadas de Control (PCEGC) con dos niveles: alto y bajo (altas y bajas puntuales en EGC, respectivamente), quedando la muestra reducida a 27 mujeres. Se encontró que un PCEGC alto estaba asociado a un mayor uso de las estrategias de búsqueda de apoyo social, planificación de solución de problemas, distanciamiento y reevaluación positiva, y menor uso de la estrategia de escape-evitación. Además, las mujeres con un PCEGC alto mostraron niveles bajos de ansiedad y depresión, lo que sugiere que dicho patrón puede estar actuando como un mecanismo de protección ante la respuesta de estrés (AU)
The role of three generalized expectancies of control (GEC) -self-efficacy, locus of control and success- on coping and psychological adjustment (anxiety and depression) in women with breast cancer was analysed. A total of 52 women participated in this research. Sample was split in two groups from their scores in the BEEGC.28, a measure of the GEC. A Generalized Expectancies of Control Cognitive Pattern (GECCP) with two levels, high and low (high and low scores in GEC, respectively), was generated. The sample contributing to the analyses was of 27 women. Results show that a high GECCP was associated with a more use of seeking social support, planful problem solving, distancing and positive reappraisal strategies, and less use of the escape-avoidance strategy. Moreover, women with a high GECCP showed low levels of anxiety and depression, which may lead to suggest that this pattern may be acting as a mechanism of protection for stress response (AU)
