New nurses' practice environment, job stress, and patient safety attitudes: a cross-sectional study based on the job demands-resources model.

BACKGROUND: Patient safety is paramount for all healthcare agencies. Health professionals' lack of patient safety competencies threaten patients' lives, and increase patients, families, hospitals, and social burdens. The new nurse-related patient safety issues have particularly attracted much attention. The aim of this study was to examine the impacts of practice environment and job stress on new nurses' patient safety attitudes by employing the job demands-resources model. METHODS: The study used a cross-sectional structural equation modeling (SEM). A convenience sample of 370 new nurses was recruited from seven tertiary hospitals in Anhui province, China, from April 2022 to August 2022. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires including the Chinese version of the Nurse Job Stressors Scale, the Practice Environment Scale, and the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire. RESULTS: New nurses' patient safety attitudes scores were moderate (126.99 ± 14.39). Practice environment had a significant direct effect on job stress (ß = -0.337, t = 6.120), patient safety attitudes (ß = 0.604, t = 13.766), practice environment had an indirect effect on patient safety attitudes through job stress (ß = 0.066, t = 3.690), and the indirect effect accounted for 9.9% of the total effect. This model was able to explain 48.3% of patient safety attitudes with moderate prediction accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: This study emphasizes the importance of improving new nurses' attitudes toward patient safety. Hospital administrators should develop policies and strategies to address job characteristics, and establish a favorable work environment to reduce new nurses' job stress as well as to improve patient safety.

Countering technostress in virtual work environments: The role of work-based learning and digital leadership in enhancing employee well-being.

Virtual work has been highlighted as an important business trend nowadays. Technostress caused by information and communication technology threatens employee well-being in a virtual context. We integrate insights from the Job Demands-Resources theory to explore the impact of technostress on employee well-being and examine work-based learning and digital leadership capability as buffers of this negative impact via the attenuating effect of work exhaustion. We collected multi-wave survey data from 300 virtual employees to test the theoretical model. Results revealed a significant negative impact of technostress on employee well-being. However, work-based learning and digital leadership capability buffered employees' well-being from this negative effect by reducing their work exhaustion. Our findings extend our understanding of work design and shed light on how to cope with virtual work demands.

Mechanisms Explaining the Longitudinal Effect of Psychosocial Safety Climate on Work Engagement and Emotional Exhaustion among Education and Healthcare Professionals during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the education and healthcare sectors were severely affected. There is a need to investigate the ways in which these workers in at-risk sectors can be protected and through what mechanisms. The aims of this research are, therefore, (1) to assess the mediating role of job demands and resources in the relationship between psychosocial safety climate (PSC) and work engagement and emotional exhaustion, and (2) to test for sector-specific differences among education and healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the study, which employed a longitudinal design including three measurement times, 70 education professionals and 69 healthcare professionals completed a questionnaire measuring PSC, psychological demands, social support, recognition, work engagement, and emotional exhaustion. The results show that PSC was significantly higher among education professionals than among healthcare professionals. When considering both job sectors together, mediation analyses show that social support mediates the PSC-work engagement relationship, while psychological demands mediate the PSC-emotional exhaustion relationship. Moderated mediation analyses show that job sector is a moderator: among education professionals, colleague support and recognition mediate the PSC-work engagement relationship, and psychological demands mediate the PSC-emotional exhaustion relationship. PSC is associated with more balanced job demands and resources, higher work engagement, and lower emotional exhaustion among education and healthcare professionals. The study of these two sectors, which are both vital to society but also more exposed to adverse work conditions, shows the importance that managers and executives must attach to their mental health by improving their respective working conditions.

Evaluation of two study demands-resources-based interventions: a randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: Higher education students experience significant levels of exhaustion in their studies, yet there are limited evidence-based support programs available. Therefore, this study evaluated a novel intervention approach by testing the effectiveness of two online interventions based on the study demands-resources framework. These interventions aimed to balance demands and resources. Derived from the theoretical assumptions of the framework, we hypothesized that the interventions would increase study and personal resources, engagement, and study crafting, and decrease study demands, exhaustion, and self-undermining. Additionally, we hypothesized that demands and resources would mediate the effects of the intervention on engagement, exhaustion, study crafting, and self-undermining. Methods: Conducted as a randomized controlled trial with a waitlist control group (n = 71), the study involved participants in two intervention groups who engaged with the interventions for 2 weeks. Intervention group 1 (n = 64) focused on adapting demands, while intervention group 2 (n = 70) focused on increasing resources. The design allowed for a comparison of the effectiveness of these different approaches. Participants completed questionnaires before and after the intervention, and at a 5-week follow-up. Results: Results of the analyses of variance with repeated measures revealed that the interventions had significant positive effects on the personal resource mindfulness, two study crafting strategies, self-undermining, and exhaustion. Notably, intervention group 2 exhibited more positive outcomes. The hypothesized mediation effects through mindfulness were partially supported. Discussion: The study demonstrates the considerable potential of interventions based on the study demands-resources framework for higher education institutions in supporting student well-being.

The impact mechanism of telework on job performance: a cross-level moderation model of digital leadership.

Traditional enterprise management believes that telecommuting activities are out of the enterprise's control, which may reduce staff performance. We use the extension of job demand-resource theory and work embeddedness theory to develop and test the intermediary mechanism of embedded in and out of work in telework. Moreover, it judges the mediating effect of job embeddedness on telecommuting → job performance. With the help of family conflict theory, we have revealed the possible performance changes in telework and the impact of family on telework. We predict embedding outside of work may reduce job performance. However, this worry will not happen under the adjustment of digital leadership and job insecurity. We collected survey data from 36 enterprise teams and 328 members. We have confirmed that work performance will not be reduced by telecommuting. Digital leadership magnifies the embedding of telecommuting resources into employees' work to a certain extent and inhibits the embedding problem outside work caused by telecommuting requirements. The telecommuting requirement may become a positive factor for employees staying home and avoiding workplace conflicts. We confirmed the inhibitory effect of job embeddedness on turnover rate and expanded the antecedent model of job embeddedness theory.

WORKING AT THE TOP OF THEIR CAPABILITIES: HOW TEAMWORK SUPPORT ATTENUATES LEADER ROLE CONFLICT.

Objective: To understand whether team member support reduces team leader stress. Method: In Phase 1, we used hierarchical linear modeling with survey data and administrative records from 45 Veterans Health Administration teams (73 providers and 228 associated members) to investigate how teamwork support mitigates leader stress. In Phase 2, we adopted a parallel/simultaneous mixed methods design, utilizing open- and closed-ended responses from 267 additional Veterans Health Administration providers. With the mixed methods design we first analyzed open-ended responses using directed content analysis and hypothesis coding. Next, we transformed our codes into counts and compared them with closed-ended responses to understand whether teamwork support allows leaders to engage in work aligned with their qualifications. Results: As predicted, providers' role conflict corresponded with decreased performance under low teamwork support, but this negative relationship was attenuated with high teamwork support as such support allows leaders to focus on tasks they are uniquely qualified to perform. Conclusions: These findings emphasize the facilitative nature of teams in supporting leaders: followers provide teamwork support that helps leaders navigate role conflict by allowing leaders to work on tasks consistent with their qualifications.

Childhood Maltreatment and Adult Work Absenteeism: Work Meaningfulness as a Double-Edged Sword.

The adverse impacts of childhood maltreatment (CM) on an individual's health and economic welfare are widely recognized, yet its occupational and organizational effects remain less explored. Employee absenteeism, known as absenteeism, is often a sign of workplace maladjustment and may be linked to a history of CM. Some individuals in the helping professions, who exhibit a strong sense of purpose in their employment and pursue it in demanding environments, are CM survivors. This study investigates whether a heightened sense of meaningfulness in their work is associated with increased absenteeism among this subgroup. We recruited 320 helping professionals from a variety of social and mental health settings, one third of whom reported experiencing CM. As hypothesized, CM was positively correlated with work absenteeism. Furthermore, the relationship between work meaningfulness and absenteeism was moderated by their CM history: among those with CM experiences, greater work meaningfulness was associated with higher absenteeism rates. Our findings highlight the possibility that work meaningfulness may operate as a double-edged sword, and the importance of better understanding the challenges that high-functioning survivors of CM face within organizational contexts.

How Transformational Leadership Affects the Off-work Recovery of Daily Personal Energy Resources via Work Engagement: Resource and Demand-based Pathways.

This study focuses on the transformational leadership-work engagement relationship by investigating resource and demand pathways for daily off-work recovery and employee wellbeing (EWB). While previous research highlighted how transformational leadership energizes employees to engage at work, energy is a finite resource requiring daily restoration for EWB. Yet, how the leader's energizing effect relates to daily employees' recovery remains unknown. Following job demands-resource-recovery theory, we test two pathways that relate the transformational leadership-work engagement relationship to daily employee recovery: (a) Resource-based via resource-building, (b) demand-based via increased demands. Utilizing a 10-day, two daily measurement (N = 88) study, multilevel path analyses revealed: transformational leadership predicted via work engagement (b = .17, p < .05) role clarity (b = .56, p < .01), then positive (b = .39, p < .01), and negative work-nonwork spillover (b = -.38, p < .01). Positive work-nonwork spillover predicted recovery positively (b = .25, p < .01), negative work-nonwork spillover negatively (b = -.40, p < .01). Recovery predicted EWB for positive (b = .38, p < .01) and for negative (b = -.43, p < .01) affect. Work engagement predicted workload (b = .35, p < .01), further negative (b = .33, p < .01) and positive work-nonwork spillover (b = -.16, p < .01), hampering EWB. As one pathway effect might cancel the other, the main effect of transformational leadership on EWB was not significant in the integrative model (p > .05). Results highlight dark and bright sides of the transformational leadership-work engagement relationship regarding daily recovery.

Emotional Exhaustion and Emotional Contagion: Navigating Turnover Intention of Healthcare Personnel.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the role of personal emotions and emotional contagion within organizations on the behavior and attitudes of healthcare personnel. This study is expected to provide a theoretical foundation for reducing resignation behaviors and improving healthcare quality. Materials and Methods: This study adopted a quantitative research method with a cross-sectional survey through an online questionnaire. The bootstrap method with 5000 iterations was used to validate the role of variables within a 95% confidence interval. SPSS 26.0 and Model 5 in Process 3.4 for SPSS were used for the data analysis. Results: This research involved 459 healthcare personnel, whose levels of role overload (3.821±0.925), emotional exhaustion (3.436±1.189), and turnover emotional contagion (3.110±1.099) were notably high. Role overload was positively related to turnover intention, with emotional exhaustion as a mediator. Notably, turnover emotional contagion exerted a positive moderating effect. Conclusion: This study emphasizes the adverse effects of emotional exhaustion and turnover emotional contagion in the Chinese context, offering practical recommendations for medical organizational managers to navigate turnover intention among healthcare personnel. This study suggests paying attention to the emotional state of healthcare personnel and providing adequate support resources. Managers should routinely assess and track turnover emotional contagion within the organization, fostering a positive emotional atmosphere.

Unmasking the Unrecognized: Exploring Registered Pharmacy Technicians' Stressors During COVID-19 Through a Demands-Resources Inquiry and Looking Ahead.

Canadian registered pharmacy technicians (RPTs) were vital in supporting pharmacy operations during the pandemic. However, they have received little attention during or pre-pandemic. This study aimed to identify and understand the stressors experienced by Canadian RPTs during the pandemic and gain insights on lessons learned to help improve the profession. Through a descriptive qualitative design, virtual semi-structured focus groups were conducted with RPTs who were recruited through various sampling methods across Canada. Data were inductively analyzed and then deductively; themes were categorized using the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model. We reached data saturation after 4 focus group sessions with a total of 16 participants. As per the JD-R model, job demands included: (1) increased work volume and hours to meet patient demand; (2) drug shortages and managing prescriptions increased due to influx of orders coinciding with restricted access to medications; (3) fear of the unknown nature of COVID-19 met with frequent change in practices due to protocol changes and ineffective communication; and, (4) the pandemic introduced several factors leading to increased staff shortages. Themes pertaining to resources included: (1) poor incentives and limited access to well-being resources; (2) limited personal protective equipment delaying work operations; (3) and a general lack of knowledge or appreciation of the profession impacting work morale. Lessons learned from the pandemic were also provided. Overall, our findings revealed an imbalance where RPTs experienced high job demands with limited resources. Improved leadership within pharmacies, including improved communication between team members, is required. Furthermore, efforts to highlight and recognize the work of RPTs to the public is important to help improve enrollment, especially with their recent scope of practice expansion.

Factors Associated with Israeli Social Workers' Intention to Stay in the Profession.

The phenomenon of social workers leaving the profession occurs frequently, underscoring the importance of understanding factors contributing to the intention to stay (ITS) in the profession. Based on the job demands-resources theory (JD-R), this study examined selected social worker workplace "demands" (i.e., their organizational sector of employment and level of work-family conflict) and "resources" (i.e., levels of meaning, locus of control, and salary satisfaction at work). Online survey data were obtained from 407 Israeli social workers. The findings showed that higher levels of meaning and salary satisfaction at work, greater professional seniority, and lower levels of work-family conflict were associated with greater ITS in the profession. Data were gathered during the COVID-19 pandemic, enabling examination of variables contributing to the ITS during times of crisis. These findings confirm that meaning at work is the main factor that motivates social worker ITS in the profession. Salary satisfaction was also found to be an essential factor, highlighting the recent escalation in social worker demands for fair compensation in Israel. Greater work-family balance also contributed to ITS. These findings should be considered by governmental decision makers and welfare service providers wishing to preserve this essential workforce, not just in Israel but also in other countries.

Implementing coaching programmes for healthcare professionals-A review of the barriers and facilitators.

BACKGROUND: The European Union faces severe and worsening personnel shortages in healthcare. Coaching has emerged as a human-centred strategy to enhance sustainable employment and retention. While the number of efficacy studies on coaching continues to grow, knowledge about the barriers and facilitators to implementing coaching interventions among healthcare professionals (HCPs) remains scarce. OBJECTIVES: This systematic review aimed to describe common barriers and facilitators to the implementation of coaching interventions for HCPs. METHODS: In April 2023, five databases were searched for eligible articles. Barriers and facilitators were systematically identified and mapped onto the constructs of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Directed content analysis yielded thematic areas and a reporting frequency. RESULTS: A total of thirty (n = 30) studies were included in this review, representing twenty-five (n = 25) distinct coaching programmes. Implementation determinants were clustered under two CFIR domains: the Inner Setting (8 facilitators, 5 barriers) and Implementation Process (6 facilitators, 1 barrier). Barriers included (i) limited organisational capacity, (ii) lack of psychological safety, (iii) competing work demands, and (iv) insufficient leadership buy-in, while facilitators were the (i) allocation of protected time for participants and coaches, (ii) promotion through opinion leaders, (iii) embeddedness in existing Continuous Professional Development programmes, and (iv) programme co-creation. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study provide practical insights to guide the future implementation of coaching interventions at an organisational level. In particular, the identified barriers and facilitators suggest, for optimal efficacy and sustainment, coaching interventions must be implemented within a safe, supportive organisational climate.

Can Measurement-Based Care Reduce Burnout in Mental Health Clinicians?

Burnout is a syndrome characterized by mental and emotional fatigue or exhaustion, depersonalization, and a lessened sense of personal accomplishment and efficacy. Burnout leads to negative consequences for mental health clinicians and for mental health care organizations. Measurement-based care (MBC) is a clinical process in which clinicians and clients use patient-generated data, also called treatment feedback, to collaboratively monitor mental health care and to inform goal-setting and treatment planning. We propose that MBC may improve the experience of care for both clients and clinicians, and ultimately protect against each of the three components of burnout. When combined with other organizational changes, adoption of MBC may support organizational level efforts to reduce burnout in mental health services.

Receiving help at work mitigates the negative consequences of performance pressure: implications for depletion and citizenship behavior.

Drawing from job-demands resources theory and conservation of resources theory, this study examines the effect of performance pressure on interpersonal citizenship behavior through exhaustion. We also explore the extent to which receiving help mitigates the exhaustion caused by performance pressure. In a critical incident design of employees from various industries (N = 268), performance pressure was positively associated with exhaustion. Subsequently, employee exhaustion decreased the tendency to perform acts of interpersonal citizenship. The relationship between performance pressure and exhaustion was weakened among employees who had received help from their colleagues. Thus, these results, supported by moderated mediation analyses, suggest that receiving help can mitigate the deleterious effects of performance pressure on interpersonal citizenship behavior through exhaustion. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Extending the job demands-resources model to understand the effect of the interactions between home and work domains on work engagement.

Scholars have extensively used the job demands-resources model to explain the dynamics underlying work engagement and proposed several versions of the model. However, in theoretical terms, nonwork elements have not been incorporated into the model. This study investigated the roles of home demands and resources in the model by testing the boost/buffer hypotheses for work engagement from the perspective of the work-home interface. We demonstrated that (1) the demands of a domain boost the positive impact of resources drawn from another domain on work engagement, (2) the resources of a domain buffer the negative impact of demands derived from another domain on work engagement; and (3) the buffering and boosting effects of home demands and resources impact work engagement. We conducted a diary study on a group of coffee shop employees in Ireland. The results partially supported the proposed hypotheses but nevertheless indicated support for the cross-domain boost/buffer hypotheses with regard to work engagement. The proposed model may serve as a theoretical foundation for research on issues related to the impact of work and nonwork domains on work engagement.

Boredom and engagement at work: do they have different antecedents and consequences?

This study aimed to demonstrate the empirical distinctiveness of boredom at work and work engagement in relation to their potential antecedents (job demands and job resources) and consequences (psychological distress and turnover intention) based on the Job Demands-Resources model. A three-wave longitudinal survey was conducted among registered monitors of an Internet survey company in Japan. The questionnaire included scales for boredom at work, work engagement, psychological distress, and turnover intention as well as participants' job characteristics and demographic variables. The hypothesized model was evaluated via structural equation modeling with 1,019 participants who were employed full-time. As expected, boredom at work was negatively associated with quantitative job demands and job resources and positively associated with psychological distress and turnover intention. In contrast, work engagement was positively associated with job resources and negatively associated with turnover intention. Thus, boredom at work and work engagement had different potential antecedents and were inversely related to employee well-being and organizational outcomes. However, contrary to expectations, qualitative job demands were not significantly associated with boredom at work. Further investigation is needed to understand the relationship between boredom and qualitative job demands, which require sustained cognitive load and the use of higher skills.

La Teoría de las Demandas y Recursos Laborales: Nuevos Desarrollos en la Última Década / [Job Demands-Resources theory: New developments over the last decade]

Este artículo realiza una descripción general de la teoría de las demandas y recursos laborales (DRL). Se describen los supuestos básicos y se destacan los nuevos hallazgos empíricos e innovaciones teóricas en relación con la teoría. Se analizan cuatro innovaciones principales de la última década, a saber: (a) el enfoque persona × situación de la DRL, (b) la teoría DRL multinivel, (c) nuevos enfoques proactivos en dicha teoría y (d) el modelo de recursos trabajo-hogar. Después de examinar las implicaciones prácticas, se profundiza en las posibles investigaciones futuras que incluyan intervenciones desde la teoría DRL, enfoques de equipo y demandas y recursos de otros ámbitos de la vida.(AU)

This article gives an overview of Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theory. We outline the basic propositions and highlight new empirical findings and theoretical innovations in relation to the theory. We discuss four major innovations of the past decade, namely (a) the person × situation approach of JD-R, (b) multilevel JD-R theory, (c) new proactive approaches in JD-R theory, and (d) the Work-Home Resources model. After discussing practical implications, we elaborate on opportunities for future research, including JD-R interventions, team-level approaches, and demands and resources from other life domains.(AU)

High prevalence of burnout syndrome in Czech general practitioners: A cross-sectional survey.

Objective: A wide range in prevalence rates of burnout among general practitioners (GPs) has been reported in various regions, with an increasing trend. This nationwide cross-sectional study aimed to estimate the prevalence and associated determinants of burnout in Czech GPs. Methods: 1000 randomly selected physicians from the Czech Society of General Practitioners (through a pseudorandom number generator) were emailed an online survey based on the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey. Data collection was performed between January and February 2023. Results: 331 questionnaires were obtained (227 females and 104 males, mean age - 49.9 years, the mean number of registered patients - 1951). 21.8 % of GPs scored a high level of burnout in all three of its dimensions and 23.9 % in no dimension at all. The most prevalent dimension was reduced personal accomplishment (PA, 56.2 %) followed by emotional exhaustion (EE, 50.2 %) and depersonalization (DP, 40.5 %). Reaching burnout in all three dimensions was significantly more frequent in males and in GPs registering a number of patients above the median. Increasing age and years of practice were protective factors for DP but risk factors for reduced PA. Employed GPs had lower EE scores than GP practice owners. The respondents' basic characteristics reflected their presence among Czech GPs, which testifies against selection bias. Conclusions: The high rate of burnout (∼22 %) should be addressed by promoting personal resources along with the perception of the importance of GPs in society. A sufficiently dense network of GPs should allow them to register a lower number of patients.

Factors Associated With Work Engagement of Nurses During the Fifth Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan: Web-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the prevalence of mental health issues among nurses. Work engagement (WE) is a concept that describes work-related positive psychological states and is of importance within mental health measures. There is, however, a lack of research on factors associated with the WE of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine which factors are associated with WE among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic using the job demands-resources (JD-R) model as a framework. METHODS: A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among nurses working in acute care and psychiatric institutions in the prefectures of Chiba and Tokyo in Japan. The survey period occurred between August 8 and September 30, 2021, during a time when the number of patients with a positive COVID-19 infection increased. The 3-item version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-3) was used to measure WE. Factors such as age, gender, years of experience, affiliated ward, COVID-19-related stress, financial rewards from the government and hospital, encouragement from the government and patients, and workplace social capital were assessed. A total of 187 participants were included in the final analysis. Multiple regression analysis was performed to examine the factors related to WE. Partial regression coefficients (B), 95% CI, and P values were calculated. RESULTS: The mean overall score for the UWES-3 was 3.19 (SD 1.21). Factors negatively associated with UWES-3 were COVID-19-related stress on work motivation and escape behavior (Β -0.16, 95% CI -0.24 to -0.090; P<.001), and factors positively associated with UWES-3 were affiliation of intensive care units (Β 0.76, 95% CI 0.020-1.50; P=.045) and financial rewards from the government and hospital (Β 0.40, 95% CI 0.040-0.76; P=.03). CONCLUSIONS: This study examined factors related to WE among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic using the JD-R model. When compared with findings from previous studies, our results suggest that nurses' WE was lower than before the COVID-19 pandemic. Negative motivation and escape behaviors related to COVID-19 were negatively associated with WE, while there were positive associations with financial rewards from the government and hospital and affiliation with an intensive care unit. Further research into larger populations is needed to confirm these findings.

"Few things in life are easy and worth doing": how the bi-directional relationships between meaningful work and work-related stress can both help and hinder wellbeing.

Introduction: Meaning is a key part of psychological wellbeing, and the benefits of meaningful work are widely acknowledged. Many people seek meaning from their work, and some organizations aim to facilitate this through interventions. In parallel, work-related stress has become a significant occupational risk. This study seeks to understand the perspectives of those who find their work to be both meaningful and stressful, and to explore the relationships between these concepts. Methods: Eleven women and six men, aged 34-61, primarily based in the UK, from the private, public, and third sectors were interviewed about their experiences of meaning and stress in their work. Using a social constructivist grounded theory approach, data collection and analysis ran in parallel. Results: Findings indicate that meaningful work and work-related stress are inherently connected, with bi-directional relationships that can support and hinder wellbeing. Meaningfulness can both alleviate and exacerbate stress, and stress can both reinforce and reduce meaningfulness. Meaningfulness and stress can even feel co-dependent, depending on how participants perceive and make sense of their experience. Discussion: With many individuals seeking greater meaningfulness from their work, the results suggest that they- and their employers-would benefit from understanding more about the potential harmful effects of meaningfulness, including implications for stress and possible knock-on consequences for health and work.