Survivors' Dilemma: Young Adult Cancer Survivors' Perspectives of Work-Related Goals.

BACKGROUND: Young adult cancer survivors have significant work-related challenges, including interruptions to education and employment milestones, which may affect work-related goals (WRGs). The study purpose was to explore posttreatment perspectives of WRGs in a sample of young adult hematologic cancer survivors. METHODS: This qualitative descriptive study used social media to recruit eligible cancer survivors (young adults working or in school at the time of cancer diagnosis). Data were collected through telephone semi-structured interviews and analyzed using directed content analysis, followed by thematic content analysis to identify themes. FINDINGS: The sample (N = 40) were mostly female (63.5%), White (75%), and diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma (57.5%); most worked in professional (40%) or health care (23%) roles. The overarching theme, "Survivors' Dilemma," highlights a changed perspective on work-related fulfillment and financial obligations, capturing survivors' decision-making process regarding work. Three subthemes illustrated questions that participants contemplated as they examined how their WRGs had changed: (a) Self-identity: Do I want to do this work? (b) Perceived health and work ability: Can I do this work? and (c) Financial toxicity: Can I afford to/not to do this work? CONCLUSIONS/APPLICATION TO PRACTICE: Participants experienced a state of dilemma around their WRGs, weighing areas around self-identity, perceived health and work ability, and financial toxicity. Findings suggest occupational health nurses should be aware of challenges surrounding WRGs, including how goals may change following a cancer diagnosis and treatment, and the potential stressors involved in the Survivors' Dilemma. Occupational health nurses should assess for these issues and refer young survivors to employee and financial assistance programs, as necessary.

Affect, work-goal schemas, and work-goal striving among adults with chronic pain: a multilevel structural equation analysis.

For individuals with chronic pain, the within-person influence of affect and goal cognition on daily work-related goal striving is not yet well understood. The present study tested the hypothesis that anticipatory goal cognition in the form of a morning work goal schema mediates the relations between morning affect and later (afternoon and evening) work goal striving. Working adults with chronic pain (N = 131) completed a 21-day diary with morning, afternoon, and evening assessments analyzed via multi-level structural equation modeling. At the within-person level, morning positive and negative affect were positively associated with morning work goal schemas; and morning work goal schemas, in turn, positively predicted both afternoon and evening work goal striving. Our findings underscore the complex dynamics over time of the relationship between affect and self-regulatory processes and have implications for future studies and for interventions to assist working adults with chronic pain.

Pain-Contingent Interruption and Resumption of Work Goals: A Within-Day Diary Analysis.

UNLABELLED: Daily pain-related attributions for and negative affective reactions to the nonpursuit of work goals and individual differences in chronic pain severity and stress were used to predict work goal resumption in a sample of 131 adults with chronic pain. Variables were assessed via questionnaires and a 21-day diary. On days when participants reported nonpursuit of work goals in the afternoon, increases in pain-related attributions for goal interruption were positively associated with higher negative affective reactions which, in turn, were associated with an increased likelihood of same-day work goal resumption. Stress amplified the relation between pain-related attributions and negative affective reactions, and chronic pain severity was positively related to work goal resumption. PERSPECTIVE: Under certain circumstances, chronic pain and pain-related attributions can have positive motivational effects on work goal resumption. The findings of the present study may contribute to the development of interruption management techniques in vocational settings that leverage the roles of pain-related attributions, goal cognition, and emotionality.

Relação entre bem-estar no trabalho, valores pessoais e oportunidades de alcance de valores pessoais no trabalho / Relations between work well-being, personal values and opportunities of achieving personal values at work

Este estudo teve o objetivo de investigar o impacto dos valores pessoais e das oportunidades de alcance de valores pessoais no trabalho sobre o bem-estar ocupacional de funcionários de organizações privadas. O bem-estar no trabalho é definido como a prevalência de emoções positivas no trabalho e a percepção do indivíduo de que, em seu trabalho, expressa e desenvolve suas habilidades e potenciais e avança no alcance de suas metas de vida. Aparentemente, a possibilidade do indivíduo alcançar valores pessoais importantes para ele em seu contexto ocupacional está relacionada ao bem estar no trabalho. Os principais resultados encontrados indicaram que os valores pessoais não são preditores do bem-estar no trabalho, mas que as oportunidades de interesses individuais têm impacto direto e significativo sobre o construto.

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact on work well-being of personal values and opportunities of achieving personal values at work of private organizations’ employees. Work well-being is defined as the predominance of positive emotions at work and as the perception of the person that, at work, expresses and develops his or her abilities and potentials and achieves his or her goals. Apparently, the possibility of the person to achieve important values at work is related with the work well-being. The most important results were that personal values by themselves are not predictors of work well-being. On the other hand, opportunities that express individual interests have direct and significant impact on the construct.

Relação entre bem-estar no trabalho, valores pessoais e oportunidades de alcance de valores pessoais no trabalho / Relations between work well-being, personal values and opportunities of achieving personal values at work

Este estudo teve o objetivo de investigar o impacto dos valores pessoais e das oportunidades de alcance de valores pessoais no trabalho sobre o bem-estar ocupacional de funcionários de organizações privadas. O bem-estar no trabalho é definido como a prevalência de emoções positivas no trabalho e a percepção do indivíduo de que, em seu trabalho, expressa e desenvolve suas habilidades e potenciais e avança no alcance de suas metas de vida. Aparentemente, a possibilidade do indivíduo alcançar valores pessoais importantes para ele em seu contexto ocupacional está relacionada ao bem estar no trabalho. Os principais resultados encontrados indicaram que os valores pessoais não são preditores do bem-estar no trabalho, mas que as oportunidades de interesses individuais têm impacto direto e significativo sobre o construto.(AU)

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact on work well-being of personal values and opportunities of achieving personal values at work of private organizations’ employees. Work well-being is defined as the predominance of positive emotions at work and as the perception of the person that, at work, expresses and develops his or her abilities and potentials and achieves his or her goals. Apparently, the possibility of the person to achieve important values at work is related with the work well-being. The most important results were that personal values by themselves are not predictors of work well-being. On the other hand, opportunities that express individual interests have direct and significant impact on the construct.(AU)