Health-related quality of life and well-being in adults with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy.

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and well-being are concepts that attempt to objectively capture a person's subjective perceptions of vitality and energy. Our objectives were to determine HRQoL and well-being in adult patients diagnosed with inflammatory myopathy who attended at our outpatient clinic and to investigate clinical and biological correlations with these concepts. Sixty-two patients (52 women), with a mean age of 50.7 years, were evaluated in this cross-sectional study-47 with dermatomyositis and 15 with polymyositis. Disease damage and activity were assessed with the International Myositis Assessment and Clinical Studies-validated instruments. Manual muscle testing was used to evaluate muscle strength. Quality of life was evaluated with the WHO instrument (WHO Quality of Life Measure (WHOQOL-BREF)), adapted for use in the Spanish population, and well-being with the WHO-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5). t tests were conducted to examine differences in HRQoL and well-being outcomes in relation to several disease- and patient-related variables. Correlation analyses were performed with the Pearson correlation coefficient. None of the clinical or biological variables analyzed was significantly associated with a poorer HRQoL or well-being. No differences in HRQoL or WHO-5 well-being score were found between the two myositis subgroups (dermatomyositis vs. polymyositis). Disease activity and muscle weakness were negatively associated with the physical and environmental domains of the HRQoL, respectively (p < 0.002), but not with well-being. Disease duration did not have a significant impact on HRQoL or well-being. In adult patients with myositis, disease activity and muscle weakness are associated with poorer HRQoL in the physical health and environmental domains, respectively.

Categorization and hierarchy of workplace bullying strategies: a Delphi survey.

This paper reports a study of the characteristics of psychological abuse strategies deployed in the workplace (mobbing or workplace bullying). Based on a literature review, the aim of the present study is two fold: firstly to propose a new taxonomy of mobbing strategies and to provide an operational definition for each of them, and secondly, to assess this taxonomy with the aid of several experts, by using a Delphi survey, and to evaluate the severity of each of the mobbing strategies. The experts were asked to evaluate the adequacy and the severity of the definitions for each mobbing strategy. Thirty experts working in various professions (psychology, medicine, law, sociology, etc.) participated in a two-round Delphi survey. The experts estimated that the new taxonomy and the operational definitions were appropriate, establishing content and construct validity. They ranked the workplace bullying strategies in terms of descending importance: strategies of direct nature, followed by indirect strategies. Theoretical implications of the study, its limitations and future research are discussed.

Categorization and hierarchy of workplace bullying strategies: a delphi survey

This paper reports a study of the characteristics of psychological abuse strategies deployed in the workplace (mobbing or workplace bullying). Based on a literature review, the aim of the present study is two fold: firstly to propose a new taxonomy of mobbing strategies and to provide an operational definition for each of them, and secondly, to assess this taxonomy with the aid of several experts, by using a Delphi survey, and to evaluate the severity of each of the mobbing strategies. The experts were asked to evaluate the adequacy and the severity of the definitions for each mobbing strategy. Thirty experts working in various professions (psychology, medicine, law, sociology, etc.) participated in a two-round Delphi survey. The experts estimated that the new taxonomy and the operational definitions were appropriate, establishing content and construct validity. They ranked the workplace bullying strategies in terms of descending importance: strategies of direct nature, followed by indirect strategies. Theoretical implications of the study, its limitations and future research are discussed (AU)

Este estudio psicosocial analiza las estrategias de abuso psicológico que se aplican en el lugar de trabajo (mobbing o bullying laboral). A partir de una revisión de la literatura científica, el primer objetivo pretende proponer una nueva clasificación de las estrategias del mobbing y dotar de una definición operativa a cada una de dichas estrategias. El segundo objetivo trata de evaluar esta clasificación y la severidad de las estrategias de mobbing a través del juicio de un panel de expertos utilizando para ello un estudio Delphi. Los expertos tuvieron que juzgar la adecuación de las estrategias y sus definiciones, y evaluar cuantitativamente la severidad de cada estrategia en el conjunto del mobbing. Treinta expertos de diferentes profesiones (psicólogos, médicos, abogados, sociólogos, etc.) participaron en el estudio Delphi de dos pasaciones. Los expertos juzgaron la nueva categorización y sus definiciones operativas como apropiadas estableciendo de este modo, validez de contenido y de constructo. Además, jerarquizaron las estrategias de mobbing resultando en su conjunto con mayor severidad las de naturaleza más directa, por encima de aquéllas más indirectas. Finalmente, se discuten los resultados y las limitaciones de esta investigación, así como las implicaciones teóricas y prácticas que pueden derivarse de ella (AU)