Occupational Health and Well-being Questionnaire (OHWQ): an instrument to assess psychosocial risk and protective factors in the workplace.

OBJECTIVES: Psychosocial stressors at work have been identified as significant risk factors for several mental and physical health problems. These stressors must be compensated by psychosocial resources to prevent or reduce adverse effects on health. Questionnaires measuring these stressors and resources already exist, but none integrate digital stress, ethical culture, and psychosocial safety climate; factors that are increasingly linked to workers' health. This study aims to develop and establish the psychometric properties of one of the most comprehensive instruments measuring the psychosocial work environment to date: the Occupational Health and Well-being Questionnaire (OHWQ). STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional validation study is proposed to develop the OHWQ and document its psychometric properties. METHODS: The OHWQ was developed from validated instruments to which new items were added. The questionnaire includes psychosocial dimensions, along with indicators of psychological distress, musculoskeletal disorders, and well-being. It was administered to a sample of 2770 participants from a population working in the academic field. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and the calculation of Cronbach's α coefficient were used to identify the variables, items, and, dimensions of the OHWQ and to document its main psychometric properties. RESULTS: The acceptability of the measurement model was evaluated by the reliability of the items, internal consistency between the items, and the convergent and discriminant validity. Construct validity was assessed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Using factor analyses and cut-off rules, the new instrument has 124 items grouped into 22 dimensions. The OHWQ demonstrated satisfactory reliability and validity, as well as reasonable fit indices. The internal consistency of the scales was also good (Cronbach's α = 0.68-0.96, median = 0.85). CONCLUSION: The OHWQ demonstrated good psychometric properties. It could be useful for both research purposes and for workplaces interested in developing concrete action plans aimed at improving the balance between psychosocial work stressors and resources.

Determinants of chronic disability related to low back pain: towards an integrative biopsychosocial model.

PURPOSE: Since the early 1990s, numerous prospective studies have been published on the determinants of chronic disability related to low back pain (LBP) of non-specific origin whose human and financial costs are enormous. The significant contribution of psychosocial factors is being increasingly recognized. However, additional efforts are needed to clarify their role and to improve the interventions. The purpose of this theoretical paper is to propose a coherent organization of the medical and psychosocial determinants identified in prospective studies into a conceptual framework. METHOD: Several models available in the field of pain and disability as well as in health psychology were reviewed. RESULTS: A recent version of the stress coping model was chosen and adapted to the problem. The adapted model suggests that stress, particularly that caused by the pain associated with LBP, could have a negative impact on the outcome either: (1) indirectly through the negative emotional responses that it produces, which can cause biological or behavioural changes; or (2) directly through the biological or behavioural changes, which can in turn negatively affect the emotional response. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed biopsychosocial model assumes that LBP-related chronic disability is possibly, in some cases, a stress-related disorder. Its empirical verification in LBP could particularly improve the understanding of the interrelationships between certain variables.

High-risk sexual behaviors in a context of substance abuse: a focus group approach.

Clinical studies show that heavy and dependant substance users engage with high frequency in high-risk sexual behaviors. To better understand the dynamics of unsafe sexual practices among alcoholics or non-intravenous drug users (IDUs), a series of focus group discussions was conducted with 26 single, sexually active men and women in treatment for substance abuse. Results show that unsafe sexual practices in this subgroup may be explained by three factors: (1) intoxication, (2) negative perceptions of condoms, and (3) cognitive distortions. Furthermore, men's negative perceptions of condoms and women's concerns about not opposing men by fear of being rejected seem to be synergetic to bringing about the negative outcome. Implications for clinical practices are discussed.

[Events anticipated as stress factors]. / Les événements anticipés comme stresseurs.

The majority of research work carried out on stress factors have dealt with life events from a person's past. In this article, the authors also look at the impact of anticipated events. Past events are measured according to Life Events and Difficulties Schedule, or LEDS (Brown and Harris, 1978). The characteristics of anticipated events, namely the number, life domain and valence (positive, negative or neutral), are compared to those of actual events. To illustrate the advances of LEDS in the area of anticipated events, the authors examined the infertility context. Thirty-five couples and seven woman without their spouse, all of whom are trying to have children, were recruited by two clinics of the Québec City region. Results show that anticipated events are fewer than actual events. In addition, the proportion of anticipated negative events is less than the proportion of actual negative events. However, in the last twelve months, the subjects experienced a significantly greater number of negative events as opposed to positive events. The authors discuss the possibility of the sampling having a positive cognitive bias concerning the future, in addition to examining the usefulness of an individual's capacity to anticipate.