A prospective study of the association between obesity and burnout among apparently healthy men and women.

The authors prospectively tested the hypothesis that obesity predicts burnout and the reverse-causation hypothesis that burnout predicts obesity. Respondents were 724 men and 340 women, apparently healthy employees, who underwent routine periodic health examinations at 2 points of time about 18 months apart. Obesity was assessed by body mass index, waist-hip ratio, and waist circumference. In regression analyses, done separately for men and women, the authors controlled for depressive symptomatology, sport activity, and Time 1 levels of the criterion. The hypothesis that burnout predicts obesity was not supported. The authors found that Time 1 measures of obesity predicted reductions rather than the hypothesized elevations of Time 2 burnout levels. The authors also found that for male respondents with relatively higher levels of Time 1 burnout, the higher their level of Time 1 obesity measure, the lower their level of T2 burnout. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Aroused versus calm positive affects as predictors of lipids.

Objective: The authors hypothesized that high-pleasure low-arousal (HPLA) would predict a subsequent decrease of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglycerides (TRI), as well as a subsequent increase of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). The authors also hypothesized that high-pleasure high-arousal (HPHA) would have the opposite effects on these blood lipids, predicting a subsequent increase of LDL-C and TRI, and a decrease of HDL-C. Design: Participants were 990 male and 595 female apparently healthy employees who underwent a routine periodic health examination at two points in time, Time 1 (T1) and Time 2 (T2), about 24 months apart. Data were analyzed separately for the men and women, and the authors controlled for possible confounders shown in past research to be implicated with hyperlipidemia. Main Outcome Measures: HPHA and HPLA were assessed based on the Job-Related Affective Well-Being Scale, while LDL-C, TRI, and HDL-C were assessed based on fasting blood samples. Results: For the men, support for our hypotheses was found relative to HDL-C and TRI. The authors did not find support for our hypotheses for thee women. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that for men, the two types of positive affects may have opposite physiological consequences with respect to subsequent changes in blood lipid levels. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Workload, control, and social support effects on serum lipids: A longitudinal study among apparently healthy employed adults.

The authors investigated the direct and interactive effects of the job demand– control–support (JDC-S) model’s components on subsequent changes in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides (TRI) separately for male and female employees. In contrast to all 14 past studies on these relationships, the authors used a longitudinal design. Study participants (N = 1,137, 66% men) were all apparently healthy employees who underwent a routine health check at 2 points in time (Time 1 and Time 2) about 22 months apart. In these analyses, the authors controlled for the Time 1 level of each criterion and for other confounders. Most of the direct and moderating effects found did not support the predictions of the JDC-S model; this finding is in agreement with the majority of past cross-sectional studies. The authors did not find any evidence supporting the existence of a reverse causation for either of the components of the JDC-S model. The authors suggest that serum lipids may not be a physiological mechanism mediating the effects of the JDC-S model on atherosclerotic diseases. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality, work characteristics and employee well-being: A longitudinal analysis of additive and moderating effects.

This study tested the longitudinal influence of personality (measured by the characteristics growth need strength, negative affectivity [NA], and upward striving) on 3 psychological outcomes (intrinsic work motivation, emotional exhaustion, and turnover intention), using a pattern of specific relationships between work characteristics and these outcomes as a framework. The study hypotheses were tested in a multioccupational sample consisting of bank employees and teachers, using a 2-wave panel design with a 1-year time interval and structural equation modeling. NA had a cross-lagged direct and additive relationship with emotional exhaustion and also moderated the relationship between Time 1 workload and Time 2 emotional exhaustion. The authors concluded that NA may have multiple effects on emotional exhaustion that persist over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Work-Family Concerns of Norwegian Police Officers: Antecedents and Consequences.

This research examined (a) potential predictors of work-family conflict and marital partner concerns and (b) consequences of these 2 work-family measures on indicators of psychological and physical well-being. Data were collected, using self-report questionnaires, from 766 male and female police officers in Norway. Job demands and burnout components (exhaustion, cynicism) emerged as strong predictors of the 2 work-family measures. Work-family conflict was also found to have significant negative relationships with measures of psychological health but not physical health. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender, Neuroticism, and Emotional Expressivity: Effects on Spousal Constraints Among Individuals With Cancer.

The authors prospectively tested the hypothesis that emotional expressivity would moderate the predictive relationship between patient neuroticism and spousal constraints among 120 individuals with cancer. The authors also examined whether patient gender further moderated the hypothesized relationships. After we controlled for Time 1 constraints, results revealed a significant emotional Expressivity × Neuroticism effect on Time 2 spousal constraints. This moderator effect was qualified by a significant Gender × Emotional Expressivity × Neuroticism effect, such that neuroticism predicted the greatest levels of spousal constraints among female but not male patients reporting higher levels of emotional expressivity. Thus, female, but not male, patients who report the tendency to both experience and express high levels of distress appear most likely to trigger constraints from their spouses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of physical fitness and feeling vigorous on self-rated health.

Objective: We prospectively studied the hypothesized beneficial effects of feeling vigorous and of objective physical fitness (gauged based on functional capacity) on subsequently assessed self-rated health (SRH), controlling for possible confounders known to be precursors of SRH and of our predictors. We also investigated the reverse-causation hypothesis that SRH predicts subsequent vigor and functional capacity. Design: Participants were apparently healthy employees (N = 779) who underwent a routine health check at two points of time, Time 1 (T1) and Time 2 (T2), about 18 months apart. We used regression analysis, predicting T2 SRH by T1 SRH, the control variables, and T1vigor and functional capacity. Main Outcome Measures: Vigor was assessed using the Shirom-Melamed Vigor Measure; objective physical fitness was indicated by functional capacity following a treadmill exercise, and self-rated health was measured by a single item. Results: As hypothesized, we found that the change in T2 SRH was positively predicted by T1 vigor, functional capacity, and their interactive term. Testing the reverse causation paths, we found that T1 SRH did not predict subsequent functional capacity and was a relatively weak predictor of subsequent vigor. Conclusion: The affective state of vigor and objectively assessed functional capacity interact to predict subsequent changes in self-rated health. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Emotional dissonance, burnout, and in-role performance among nurses and police officers.

Two studies including 108 nurses and 101 police officers tested the proposition that emotionally demanding interactions with recipients may result in emotional dissonance, which, in turn, may lead to job burnout and impaired performance. More specifically, on the basis of the literature on burnout and emotional dissonance, the authors hypothesized that emotional job demands would explain variance in burnout (i.e., exhaustion and cynicism/disengagement) through their influence on emotional dissonance. In addition, the authors predicted that emotional dissonance would be (negatively) related to in-role performance through its relationship with burnout. The findings of a series of structural equation modeling analyses supported both hypotheses. The implications for research and practice are discussed, as well as avenues for additional research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Early predictors of job burnout and engagement.

A longitudinal study predicted changes in burnout or engagement a year later by identifying 2 types of early indicators at the initial assessment. Organizational employees (N = 466) completed measures of burnout and 6 areas of worklife at 2 times with a 1-year interval. Those people who showed an inconsistent pattern at Time 1 were more likely to change over the year than were those who did not. Among this group, those who also displayed a workplace incongruity in the area of fairness moved to burnout at Time 2, while those without this incongruity moved toward engagement. The implications of these 2 predictive indicators are discussed in terms of the enhanced ability to customize interventions for targeted groups within the workplace. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Frequent mutation doubles the risk of ischemic heart disease in women

Lipoprotein lipase degrades triglycerides in plasma and as a by-product produces HDL particles. Genetic variation in lipoprotein lipase may therefore affect cardiovascular risk. We tested 9214 men and women from a general population sample and 948 patients with ischaemic heart disease for the Asn291Ser substitution in lipoprotein lipase. The allele frequency in the general population was 0.024 and 0.026 for women and men, respectively. In comparison with non-carriers, female heterozygous probands had increased plasma triglycerides (delta = 0.23 mmol/L), while HDL cholesterol was reduced in both female and male carriers (delta = 0.18 mmol/L and delta = 0.11 mmol/L, respectively). A similar phenotype was found in six homozygous carriers. On multiple logistic regression analysis, plasma triglycerides and HDL cholesterol were independent predictors of ischaemic heart disease in both genders. On univariate analysis, odds ratios for ischaemic heart disease in probands were 1.89 in women (95% confidence interval: 1.19-3.01) and 0.90 (0.62-1.31) in men, and on multivariate analysis 1.98 (1.11-3.53) in women and 1.02 (0.65-1.60) in men. This study demonstrates that a single common mutation in the lipoprotein lipase gene is associated with elevated plasma triglycerides and reduced HDL cholesterol levels, whereby carriers, in particular women, seem to be predisposed to ischaemic heart disease. It cannot be excluded, however, that male carriers of this substitution may represent a subset of low-HDL individuals without raised triglycerides, not predisposed to ischaemic heart disease.     

Goal orientation, self-regulation strategies, and job-seeking intensity in unemployed adults.

At Time 1 (T1), the authors surveyed 277 unemployed adults using measures of human capital, goal orientation, self-regulation (emotion control, motivation control, work commitment), and job-seeking intensity. At Time 2 (T2), 4 months later, 155 participants indicated their reemployment outcomes in number of job interviews and number of job offers. Using T1 data, the authors tested the predictors of job-seeking intensity and whether self-regulation mediated between goal orientation and job-seeking intensity. Using T1 and T2 data, they tested for predictors of reemployment outcomes and whether job-seeking intensity mediated the relationship between T1 antecedent variables and the reemployment outcomes. Learning goal orientation and self-regulation predicted job-seeking intensity, and self-regulation mediated between learning goal orientation and job-seeking intensity. Job-seeking intensity did not mediate the relationship among human capital, goal orientation, and self-regulation variables and reemployment outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A prospective test of an integrative interpersonal theory of depression: A naturalistic study of college roommates.

This study tested an integrated interpersonal theory of depression, which combines J. C. Coyne's (1976) interpersonal theory of depression with work on the interplay between self-enhancement and self-consistency theory. Students' (targets') and their same-gender roommates' appraisals of each other, depression and anxiety levels, reassurance seeking, and negative feedback seeking were assessed at Time 1 (T1), and again at Time 2 (T2), 3 wks later. Consistent with the theoretical integration (1) depressed targets reported engaging in more negative feedback seeking than nondepressed targets, and tended to report seeking more reassurance than nondepressed targets at T1; (2) for male (but not female) targets, the combination of negative feedback seeking, high reassurance seeking, and depression at T1 predicted T1 to T2 increases in rejection by roommates; and (3) rejection effects applied to depressive symptoms, but not anxious symptoms or anhedonic mood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Burnout among Norwegian police officers: Potential antecedents and consequences.

This investigation examined potential antecedents and consequences of burnout in a large sample of Norwegian police officers. Data were collected via anonymously completed questionnaires. Three burnout components considered were emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and low professional efficacy. Work demands emerged in hierarchical regression analyses as the strongest predictor of each burnout component. With the burnout components as predictors, hierarchical regression analyses indicated that burnout components had significant relationships with a variety of outcomes (work, work-family, psychological health, physical health). Work demands, however, had a stronger relationship with both work and work-family outcomes than did the burnout components, the latter having the strongest relationship with indicators of psychological health. Emotional exhaustion had significant and independent relationships with most of the outcome measures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Don't hide your happiness! Positive emotion dissociation, social connectedness, and psychological functioning.

It is now clear that positive emotion leads to enhanced psychological functioning. What is less clear, however, is just why this is so. Drawing on a social-functional perspective, we argue that positive emotional behavior that accurately signals to others the individual's internal state will enhance social connectedness. Positive emotional behavior that does not accurately signal a person's experience—such as a smile that is not felt—may impede social connectedness and, in turn, psychological functioning. This perspective suggests that (a) the degree to which experience and behavior are dissociated during positive emotional episodes, over and above level of positive behavior, should predict worse psychological functioning and (b) the effect of dissociation should be mediated by social connectedness. To test these hypotheses, we conducted a short-term prospective longitudinal study, with a baseline assessment of depressive symptoms and well-being at Time 1. Six months later, at Time 2, we used a novel within-individual laboratory paradigm to measure the degree to which positive emotional behavior was dissociated from (vs. coherent with) a participant's positive emotional experience. We also assessed level of positive behavior and experience. Then, another 6 months later, we assessed social connectedness as a mediator and depressive symptoms and well-being as outcomes at Time 3. Even when controlling for baseline functioning and for level of positive emotion behavior and experience, we found that greater positive experience–behavior dissociation at Time 2 predicted higher levels of depressive symptoms and lower levels of well-being at Time 3. As predicted, these associations were mediated by social connectedness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Burnout and inequity among human service professionals: A longitudinal study.

In a composite sample of human service professionals (N?=?245), longitudinal relations across 1 year were tested between equity in the professional–recipient relationship and burnout (i.e., emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment). The 1st research question was whether inequity influenced burnout across time. The 2nd research question was whether longitudinal relations between equity and burnout were curvilinear, as predicted by equity theory. The results confirmed that inequity affects the central component of burnout (i.e., emotional exhaustion) and that this relation is curvilinear. Feeling more deprived and feeling more advantaged resulted in higher future emotional exhaustion levels. No indication was found for a longitudinal relation between inequity and depersonalization. A synchronous relation was found suggesting that personal accomplishment influences equity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

War Zone stress, personal and environmental resources, and PTSD symptoms in Gulf War Veterans: A longitudinal perspective.

Cross-sectional research has demonstrated a link between personal and environmental resources and development of emotional distress after war zone service. Less is known about the longitudinal relationship between resources and distress. The authors addressed this issue in a study of 348 Gulf War returnees tested at 2 time points. Resources decreased and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms increased over time. Time 1 avoidance and family cohesion predicted PTSD symptoms at Time 2. Regression analyses revealed a bidirectional relationship over time between resources and PTSD symptoms. Time 1 resources predicted Time 2 psychopathology after accounting for Time 1 emotional distress. PTSD symptoms at Time 1 also predicted changes in coping and family relationships, even after accounting for Time 1 resources. Findings are consistent with the concept of a loss spiral (Hobfoll, 1989), in which resource factors and emotional sequelae to war stress exert reciprocal effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A common substitution (Asn291Ser) in lipoprotein lipase is associated with increased risk of ischemic heart disease

Lipoprotein lipase degrades triglycerides in plasma and as a byproduct produces HDL particles. Genetic variation in lipoprotein lipase may therefore affect cardiovascular risk. We tested 9,214 men and women from a general population sample and 948 patients with ischemic heart disease for the Asn291Ser substitution in lipoprotein lipase. The allele frequency in the general population was 0.024 and 0.026 for women and men, respectively. In comparison with noncarriers, female heterozygous probands had increased plasma triglycerides (delta = 0.23 mmol/liter), while HDL cholesterol was reduced in both female and male carriers (delta = 0.18 mmol/liter and delta = 0.11 mmol/liter, respectively). A similar phenotype was found in six homozygous carriers. On multiple logistic regression analysis, plasma triglycerides and HDL cholesterol were independent predictors of ischemic heart disease in both genders. On univariate analysis, odds ratios for ischemic heart disease in probands were 1.89 in women (95% CI: 1.19-3.01) and 0.90 in men (95% CI: 0.62-1.31), and on multivariate analysis were 1.98 in women (95% CI: 1.11-3.53) and 1.02 in men (95% CI: 0.65-1.60). This study demonstrates that a single common mutation in the lipoprotein lipase gene is associated with elevated plasma triglycerides and reduced HDL cholesterol levels, whereby carriers, in particular women, seem to be predisposed to ischemic heart disease. It cannot be excluded, however, that male carriers of this substitution may represent a subset of low-HDL individuals without raised triglycerides not predisposed to ischemic heart disease.     

Spatial distribution of insecticide resistance in Caribbean populations of Aedes aegypti and its significance

In a cross-sectional study 142 male and 139 female workers participated in a self-report questionnaire and a clinical examination. The aim of this study was to use the cervico-thoracic ratio (CTR), a clinical method for measuring segmental mobility between C7 and T5, to evaluate the influence of segmental mobility in neck-shoulder pain and different subjectively experienced symptoms. The study showed that reduced relative mobility at levels C7-T1 and T1-T2 significantly predicted neck-shoulder pain and the symptom weakness in the hands. The strongest relationship between segmental mobility and symptoms was found among subjects classified as having an inverse C7-T1 function, defined as equal or less mobility in motion segment C7-T1 compared to T1-T2. Reduced mobility explained 14% of neck-shoulder pain and 15% of weakness in the hands. It is suggested that deviation from synchronous distribution of mobility between motion segments C7-T1 and T1-T2 might be a factor provoking joint mechano receptors.     

Longitudinal relations among parental emotional expressivity, children's regulation, and quality of socioemotional functioning.

The role of regulation as a mediator of the relations between maternal emotional expressivity and children's adjustment and social competence was examined when children (N=208) were 4.5 to just 8 years old (Time 1, T1) and 2 years later (Time 2, T2). At T2, as at T1, regulation mediated the relation between positive maternal emotional expressivity and children's functioning. When T1 relations and the stability of variables over time were controlled for in a structural equation model, T2 relations generally were nonsignificant, although parents' dominant negative expressivity predicted high regulation. In contrast, in regressions, the findings for parent positive expressivity, but not negative expressivity, held at T2 when T1 variables were controlled. Thus, relations for negative expressivity, but not positive expressivity, changed with age. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Quantitative Versus Emotional Demands Among Swedish Human Service Employees: Moderating Effects of Job Control and Social Support.

The purpose of the current study was to conduct a longitudinal test of the moderating effect of both job control and social support on the relation between job demands and burnout in human service work. To adapt the study to human service work, quantitative as well as emotional demands were examined. A longitudinal survey with a 1-year time interval yielded a panel group encompassing 2,255 employees from the Social Insurance Organization in Sweden. Hierarchical regression analyses were used, controlling for demographic variables and the related dependent variable at Time 1. The analyses were conducted for quantitative and emotional demands separately and revealed main effects. Slightly more main effects were found for emotional demands. In addition, 1 interaction effect was found between emotional demands and job control with regard to emotional exhaustion. In conclusion, the present study shows that emotional demands are as important as, and sometimes more important than, quantitative demands in human service work. Some practical implications and suggestions regarding future research are proposed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)