Attachment security, values, and prosocial attitudes.

The objective of this study was to determine whether individuals with different attachment styles held different prosocial values and attitudes given their different models of self and of others. A sample of 717 university students completed the ECR-S (Experiences in Close Relationships-Spanish) and the PVQ (Portrait Values Questionnaire), and evaluated different prosocial attitudes. The results showed that secure individuals reported higher scores on self-transcendence and in the value self-directions of the dimension openness to change, whereas insecure individuals had higher scores on conservation and self-enhancement. No differences were found in the attitudes of individuals with different attachment styles. These findings show a link between the dimensions of the universal values theory, and the models of self and of others.

Perceived Benefits and Costs of Romantic Relationships for Young People: Differences by Adult Attachment Style.

Bowlby's attachment theory suggested that the attachment experiences of early childhood influence adult approaches to close relationships. As a result of these experiences, the child develops typical mental schemas or internal working models. The aim of this study was to analyze how young people with different attachment styles perceive the benefits and costs involved in spending as much time as possible with their partner, and to determine whether their beliefs reflect the internal working models associated with their attachment style. A sample of 1,539 university students responded to the Relationship Questionnaire (Bartholomew & Horowith, 1991), and to a questionnaire about behavioral beliefs (perceived benefits and costs). Results show that young people with different attachment styles hold different beliefs about the consequences derived from engaging in a specific behavior in romantic relationships. Secure and preoccupied individuals perceived more benefits than costs associated with the behavior, whereas dismissing and fearful individuals perceived more costs than benefits. Furthermore, secure and preoccupied individuals rated those behavioral consequences leading to enhanced intimacy or closeness more positively than avoidant individuals, whereas dismissing individuals rated more negatively those consequences that involved a loss of independence. These results confirm that a congruity exists between the beliefs associated with the behavior studied and the internal working models related to each adult attachment style.

Descriptive Epidemiology of Somatising Tendency: Findings from the CUPID Study.

Somatising tendency, defined as a predisposition to worry about common somatic symptoms, is importantly associated with various aspects of health and health-related behaviour, including musculoskeletal pain and associated disability. To explore its epidemiological characteristics, and how it can be specified most efficiently, we analysed data from an international longitudinal study. A baseline questionnaire, which included questions from the Brief Symptom Inventory about seven common symptoms, was completed by 12,072 participants aged 20-59 from 46 occupational groups in 18 countries (response rate 70%). The seven symptoms were all mutually associated (odds ratios for pairwise associations 3.4 to 9.3), and each contributed to a measure of somatising tendency that exhibited an exposure-response relationship both with multi-site pain (prevalence rate ratios up to six), and also with sickness absence for non-musculoskeletal reasons. In most participants, the level of somatising tendency was little changed when reassessed after a mean interval of 14 months (75% having a change of 0 or 1 in their symptom count), although the specific symptoms reported at follow-up often differed from those at baseline. Somatising tendency was more common in women than men, especially at older ages, and varied markedly across the 46 occupational groups studied, with higher rates in South and Central America. It was weakly associated with smoking, but not with level of education. Our study supports the use of questions from the Brief Symptom Inventory as a method for measuring somatising tendency, and suggests that in adults of working age, it is a fairly stable trait.

Classification of neck/shoulder pain in epidemiological research: a comparison of personal and occupational characteristics, disability, and prognosis among 12,195 workers from 18 countries.

To inform case definition for neck/shoulder pain in epidemiological research, we compared levels of disability, patterns of association, and prognosis for pain that was limited to the neck or shoulders (LNSP) and more generalised musculoskeletal pain that involved the neck or shoulder(s) (GPNS). Baseline data on musculoskeletal pain, disability, and potential correlates were collected by questionnaire from 12,195 workers in 47 occupational groups (mostly office workers, nurses, and manual workers) in 18 countries (response rate = 70%). Continuing pain after a mean interval of 14 months was ascertained through a follow-up questionnaire in 9150 workers from 45 occupational groups. Associations with personal and occupational factors were assessed by Poisson regression and summarised by prevalence rate ratios (PRRs). The 1-month prevalence of GPNS at baseline was much greater than that of LNSP (35.1% vs 5.6%), and it tended to be more troublesome and disabling. Unlike LNSP, the prevalence of GPNS increased with age. Moreover, it showed significantly stronger associations with somatising tendency (PRR 1.6 vs 1.3) and poor mental health (PRR 1.3 vs 1.1); greater variation between the occupational groups studied (prevalence ranging from 0% to 67.6%) that correlated poorly with the variation in LNSP; and was more persistent at follow-up (72.1% vs 61.7%). Our findings highlight important epidemiological distinctions between subcategories of neck/shoulder pain. In future epidemiological research that bases case definitions on symptoms, it would be useful to distinguish pain that is localised to the neck or shoulder from more generalised pain that happens to involve the neck/shoulder region.

Disabling musculoskeletal pain in working populations: is it the job, the person, or the culture?

To compare the prevalence of disabling low back pain (DLBP) and disabling wrist/hand pain (DWHP) among groups of workers carrying out similar physical activities in different cultural environments, and to explore explanations for observed differences, we conducted a cross-sectional survey in 18 countries. Standardised questionnaires were used to ascertain pain that interfered with everyday activities and exposure to possible risk factors in 12,426 participants from 47 occupational groups (mostly nurses and office workers). Associations with risk factors were assessed by Poisson regression. The 1-month prevalence of DLBP in nurses varied from 9.6% to 42.6%, and that of DWHP in office workers from 2.2% to 31.6%. Rates of disabling pain at the 2 anatomical sites covaried (r = 0.76), but DLBP tended to be relatively more common in nurses and DWHP in office workers. Established risk factors such as occupational physical activities, psychosocial aspects of work, and tendency to somatise were confirmed, and associations were found also with adverse health beliefs and group awareness of people outside work with musculoskeletal pain. However, after allowance for these risk factors, an up-to 8-fold difference in prevalence remained. Systems of compensation for work-related illness and financial support for health-related incapacity for work appeared to have little influence on the occurrence of symptoms. Our findings indicate large international variation in the prevalence of disabling forearm and back pain among occupational groups carrying out similar tasks, which is only partially explained by the personal and socioeconomic risk factors that were analysed.

The CUPID (Cultural and Psychosocial Influences on Disability) study: methods of data collection and characteristics of study sample.

BACKGROUND: The CUPID (Cultural and Psychosocial Influences on Disability) study was established to explore the hypothesis that common musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and associated disability are importantly influenced by culturally determined health beliefs and expectations. This paper describes the methods of data collection and various characteristics of the study sample. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A standardised questionnaire covering musculoskeletal symptoms, disability and potential risk factors, was used to collect information from 47 samples of nurses, office workers, and other (mostly manual) workers in 18 countries from six continents. In addition, local investigators provided data on economic aspects of employment for each occupational group. Participation exceeded 80% in 33 of the 47 occupational groups, and after pre-specified exclusions, analysis was based on 12,426 subjects (92 to 1018 per occupational group). As expected, there was high usage of computer keyboards by office workers, while nurses had the highest prevalence of heavy manual lifting in all but one country. There was substantial heterogeneity between occupational groups in economic and psychosocial aspects of work; three- to five-fold variation in awareness of someone outside work with musculoskeletal pain; and more than ten-fold variation in the prevalence of adverse health beliefs about back and arm pain, and in awareness of terms such as "repetitive strain injury" (RSI). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The large differences in psychosocial risk factors (including knowledge and beliefs about MSDs) between occupational groups should allow the study hypothesis to be addressed effectively.

Differences between men and women with a dismissing attachment style regarding their attitudes and behaviour in romantic relationships.

Research to date has revealed that the association between gender, attachment and the quality and functioning of intimate relationships is complex. This study examined the relationship between gender and attachment styles in attitudes to communication with one's partner and in the number of past relationships in a sample of 746 Spanish undergraduates. The Relationship Questionnaire was administered to them to determine the adult attachment style. The results revealed the existence of differences according to the adult attachment style and gender with regard to the two measured variables, and a significant effect of the interaction between gender and attachment. Dismissing men reported the highest average scores in the number of past relationships, with significant differences appearing when they were compared with secure and preoccupied men. However, dismissing women did not differ from the rest of the women with other attachment styles. When men and women with the same attachment styles were compared in this variable, the only significant differences were found between dismissing men and women (with the latter reporting fewer partners). In the case of attitudes to expressing feelings to one's partner, dismissing men reported the most negative attitudes, compared with secure and preoccupied men. Dismissing women, unlike the men, did not differ in their attitudes either from preoccupied or fearful women. Moreover, clear differences were shown between dismissing men and women in these attitudes (more negative in the case of men).

An experimental study about the congruence between type A behavior pattern and type of task.

This paper is an experimental study, the basic aim of which is to check whether the congruence between personality characteristics and task characteristics has positive effects for performance and satisfaction on individuals. The results obtained reveal that Type A behavior pattern individuals get better results in cases of congruence than in cases of incongruence, while the performance of Type B behavior pattern individuals is not related to the (in)congruence between personal needs/aims and the task's demands. Besides, we have found that Type A behavior pattern individuals also have greater levels of satisfaction in cases of congruence than in cases of incongruence. However, Type B behavior pattern individuals show the same levels of satisfaction in both cases.

Efecto de la congruencia entre el patrón de conducta tipo A y el tipo de tarea en el rendimiento y la satisfacción / Effect of congruence between Type A Behavior pattern and type of task on performance and satisfaction

This paper is an experimental study whose basic aim is to check whether the congruence between personality characteristics and task characteristics has positive effects for performance and satisfaction in individuals. The results reveal that Type A Behaviour Pattern individuals get better results in cases of adjustment or congruence than in cases of disadjustment or incongruence, whereas the performance of Type B Behaviour Pattern individuals is not related to the adjustment or disadjustment between personal needs / aims and the task’s demands. In addition, we have found that Type A Behaviour Pattern persons also have greater levels of satisfaction in cases of congruence than in cases of incongruence. However, Type B Behaviour Pattern persons show the same level of satisfaction in both cases.

El presente trabajo es un estudio experimental cuyo objetivo es comprobar si la congruencia entre las características del individuo y las características de la tarea tiene consecuencias positivas para el rendimiento y la satisfacción. Los resultados obtenidos ponen de manifiesto que los individuos con patrón de conducta tipo A obtienen mejores resultados en los casos de ajuste o congruencia que en los casos de desajuste o incongruencia, mientras que el rendimiento de las personas con patrón de conducta tipo B no está relacionado con el ajuste/desajuste entre sus necesidades-metas personales y las demandas de la tarea. Además, las personas con patrón de conducta tipo A también presentan mayores niveles de satisfacción en los casos de congruencia que en los casos de incongruencia. Sin embargo, las personas con patrón de conducta tipo B presentan los mismos niveles de satisfacción en ambos casos.

Valores hacia el trabajo del personal de enfermería. Un análisis descriptivo / Values toward the infirmary personnel's work: a descriptive analysis

La moderna gestión de los servicios de salud de la comunidad hace necesarios reajustes y modificaciones de la cultura organizacional para lograr una mayor cohesión de los equipos de trabajo que repercuta positivamente en los usuarios de estos servicios. En este sentido, uno de los factores a tener en cuenta, por sus implicaciones en el clima laboral y en el desarrollo de los objetivos de la organización, sería la congruencia entre los valores hacia el trabajo de supervisores y profesionales a su cargo. Sobre esta base, el presente trabajo se plantea como objetivos, por una parte, identificar el perfil de valores en el trabajo que presentan los supervisores y sus respectivos equipos de enfermeros y, por otra, comprobar si existe congruencia entre los perfiles de valores de ambos grupos. Para ello, se ha seleccionado una muestra de 53 enfermeros y 4 supervisores de cuatro áreas distintas de enfermería de un hospital de la comunidad andaluza. Todos ellos contestaron el cuestionario de valores laborales EVAT-30. Los resultados obtenidos indican que supervisores y enfermeros establecen jerarquías de valores semejantes y, por tanto, con un alto grado de congruencia. Por otra parte, las dimensiones de orden superior más valoradas por ambos grupos han sido las de Auto-promoción y Conservación (AU)

El estado actual de la investigación sobre la congruencia persona-ambiente. Propuesta de aplicación de un diseño experimental / No disponible

En el presente trabajo se hace una revisión del estado actual de la investigación sobre la congruencia persona-ambiente, analizando los principales problemas conceptuales y metodológicos que existen en esta línea de investigación, así como las críticas que recibe uno de los modelos más representativos del momento: el modelo de la elección vocacional de Holland. Según este autor, los individuos suelen elegir profesiones que son congruentes con sus características personales, y este ajuste tiene repercusiones positivas tanto para el rendimiento como para la satisfacción en el trabajo. Además, existen otros modelos que han sido propuestos desde diferentes perspectivas (el estrés laboral, socialización laboral, ajuste laboral...). Teniendo en cuenta los inconvenientes que presentan la mayoría de los estudios empíricos realizados, se plantea la posibilidad de abordar el tema desde el paradigma experimental sugiriendo un diseño que permite solventar, o al menos minimizar, dichos problemas (AU)

The aim of this paper is to review the present state of the person-environment congruence research. We analyze the main conceptual and methodological problems that this research have and the cristicisms that one of the most representative model receives: Holland’s vocational choices model. This author suggests that the individuals tend to choose occupations that are congruent with their personal characteristics, and that this fi t (or adjustment) has positive implications both for the performance and job satisfaction. On the other hand, models from other approaches have also been proposed (work stress, work socialization, laboral fit (or adjustment...). Taking into account the inconvenients that most of these kind of studies have, the possibility of start on this subject from an experimental paradigm suggesting a design that may solve or reduce these problems is proposed (AU)

Importancia del valor Salud frente a otros valores sociales. En una muestra de adolescentes / Importance of the value Health as opposed to other social values in a sample of adolescents

La adolescencia se considera una etapa fundamental en la adquisición de hábitos que, saludables o no, van a condicionar el futuro de los jóvenes. De acuerdo con distintos autores, adolescentes y jóvenes muestran menor interés que los adultos en comportarse de forma "saludable", lo que ha llevado a considerarlos un grupo de alto riesgo en relación con la salud. Por otra parte, los estilos de vida y las pautas de conducta que afectan a la salud de los jóvenes, van a estar influidos por sus creencias y valores en relación con el entorno social en el que desarrollan su vida. Desde estos supuestos, cabría pensar que, en el sistema de valores de los jóvenes, el valor salud ocuparía un espacio reducido si se comparara con otros valores, a los que parece darse mayor importancia en esta etapa de la vida (libertad, amistad, paz, por citar algunos). Con el fin de comparar si efectivamente esto es así, en el presente trabajo se pidió a una muestra de 653 adolescentes, entre 13 y 15 años, que estimaran la importancia de los siguientes valores como guías de comportamiento en su vida: educación, igualdad, felicidad, libertad, trabajo, amor, paz, amistad, seguridad, justicia, religiosidad, prestigio, riqueza y salud. Para ello, cada uno de estos valores, iba seguido de una escala de siete puntos, en la que debían situarse de acuerdo con su valoración: desde 1 (nada o muy poco importante) hasta 7 (muy importante). Los resultados indican que el valor considerado más importante por los adolescentes es el valor salud. Realizados análisis posteriores para comprobar si había diferencias entre chicas y chicos en la valoración otorgada a los respectivos valores, nó aparecieron diferencias significativas entre ambos grupos (AU)