Take care! The evaluation of a team-based burnout intervention program for oncology care providers.

In this quasi-experimental study among staff of 29 oncology wards, the authors evaluated the effects of a team-based burnout intervention program combining a staff support group with a participatory action research approach. Nine wards were randomly selected to participate in the program. Before the program started (Time 1), directly after the program ended (Time 2), and 6 months later (Time 3), study participants filled out a questionnaire on their work situation and well-being. Results of multilevel analyses showed that staff in the experimental wards experienced significantly less emotional exhaustion at both Time 2 and Time 3 and less depersonalization at Time 2, compared with the control wards. Moreover, changes in burnout levels were significantly related to changes in the perception of job characteristics over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Finances and Well-Being: A Dynamic Equilibrium Model of Resources.

This study of 513 Dutch farmers tested a dynamic equilibrium model of resources (an extension of the conservation of resources theory; S. E. Hobfoll, 1989, 1998, 2001). With structural equation modeling, the advantages of a 3-wave longitudinal design were comprehensively used, such as addressing bidirectional causal effects and within-individual vs. between-individual change. This allowed for a careful analysis of the management function of resources in the stress process. Results showed that well-being had stronger within-person stability than finances. Increased levels of financial problems temporarily increased psychological distress but not self-reported illness. Conversely, farmers with higher stable baselines of psychological distress also had higher baselines of self-reported illness and experienced more negative changes in their financial situation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A multigroup analysis of the job demands-resources model in four home care organizations.

The job demands-resources (JD-R) model was tested in a study among 3,092 employees working in 1 of 4 different home care organizations. The central assumption in the model is that burnout develops when certain job demands are high and when job resources are limited because such negative working conditions lead to energy depletion and undermine worker motivation and learning opportunities, respectively. A series of multigroup structural equation modeling analyses provide strong evidence for the JD-R model. Specifically, results showed that job demands are primarily and positively related to the exhaustion component of burnout, whereas job resources are primarily related to cynicism (negatively) and professional efficacy (positively). The theoretical and practical implications of the JD-R model are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The validity and reliability of the Dutch Effort–Reward Imbalance Questionnaire.

The reliability and validity of the Effort–Reward Imbalance Questionnaire were tested in 775 blue- and white-collar workers in the Netherlands. Cronbach's alpha revealed sufficient internal consistency of all subscales except Need for Control. With exploratory probabilistic scaling (Mokken) analysis, the psychometric qualities of the Need for Control scale were improved. With confirmatory factor analysis, the factorial validity of the Extrinsic Effort and Reward subscales was confirmed. A model with 3 separate dimensions for reward (status control, esteem reward, and monetary gratification) proved adequate, emphasizing the importance of distinguishing subscales. The congruent validity of the subscales and a hypothesized relationship with an external construct, health functioning, were confirmed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

From inequity to burnout: The role of job stress.

This research examined burnout (i.e., emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and lack of personal accomplishment) among 2 samples of Dutch teachers as a function of inequity and experienced job stress in 3 different exchange relationships (with students, colleagues, and the school). It was hypothesized that inequity would he linked to burnout through the stress resulting from this inequity. Analysis of a cross-sectional sample (N?=?271) revealed that this was indeed the case. Findings were replicated longitudinally using an independent sample of 940 teachers. It is concluded that the often-reported effect of inequity on burnout can partly be interpreted in terms of elevated levels of job stress. Implications of the findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Workaholism among medical residents: It is the combination of working excessively and compulsively that counts.

Workaholism is defined as an irresistible inner drive to work excessively. Accordingly, it is assessed with a questionnaire that measures working excessively (WE) and working compulsively (WC), representing the behavioral and cognitive aspects of workaholism, respectively. A cluster-analysis using a nationwide sample of Dutch medical residents (N = 2,115) resulted in 4 groups: (a) workaholics, (b) nonworkaholics, (c) hardworking residents, and (d) compulsive working residents. As predicted, the combination of WE and WC was related to the most unfavorable conditions in terms of resident’s job demands (i.e., work overload, work–home conflict, overwork, role conflict, mental demands, emotional demands, and organizational demands), job resources (i.e., social support from colleagues, participation in decision making, feedback, supervisory coaching, and opportunities to learn), well-being (i.e., burnout, happiness, recovery), and organizational behavior (i.e., “presenteeism,” and medical performance). Taken together, our results confirm the suitability of conceptualizing workaholism as an inner drive to work excessively hard. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Proximity of food, sex, and access to running wheels: Effects on food intake in rats.

To test the hypothesis that the addition and withdrawal of a running wheel affects food intake because of a manipulation of the proximity of the rat to the food dish, a 2nd source of food was made available to the rat when in the running wheel. Ss were 24 male and 24 female ARS/Sprague-Dawley albino rats. Results fail to support the hypothesis. Additional findings were that both sexes showed the reduction in food intake when given access to running wheels, but only the males showed an increase in food intake when deprived of access to running wheels. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Novel food and novel running wheels: Conditions for inhibition of sucrose intake in rats.

In 3 experiments with ARS/Sprague-Dawley albino rats it was found that both males (n = 16) and females (n = 40), when first given free access to running wheels, showed a marked reduction in sucrose intake relative to stock diet intake when the sucrose was novel. Further tests showed that both the novelty of the sucrose and the novelty of the running wheel were necessary for the inhibition of sucrose intake. The selective inhibition of sucrose intake is considered to be an example of neophobia in the domestic rat. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Testing the robustness of the job demands-resources model": Erratum.

Reports an error in "Testing the Robustness of the Job Demands-Resources Model" by Susana Llorens, Arnold B. Bakker, Wilmar Schaufeli and Marisa Salanova (International Journal of Stress Management, 2006[Aug], Vol 13[3], 378-391). Several corrections of errata in a paper by the authors published in the 2006 issue of the International Journal of Stress Management are presented: (1) The sentence beginning on page 385, line 16 should read "To avoid identification problems, the error variance of Organizational commitment and Emotional load were constrained using the formula (1 - α) × sigma2." (2) The sentence on page 385, line 18, should be deleted. (3) Degrees of freedom for M3 in Table 2 were incorrectly reported. The correct degrees of freedom were 54. The corrected table is provided. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2006-10511-007.) According to the job demands-resources (JD-R) model, job demands and resources evoke two relatively independent processes: health impairment and employee motivation. The robustness of the JD-R model was tested in two different occupational samples, the first of 654 Spanish employees and the second of 477 Dutch employees. Structural equation modeling analyses provided partial evidence for the two processes. Multigroup analyses showed that the structural paths of the model were invariant across countries, although the strength of the relationships differed. We conclude that the basic structure of the JD-R model is maintained, even when applied in different national and occupational contexts, when using different ways of gathering data (computerized versus paper and pencil), and when using slightly different measures to assess the key variables of the model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Working in the sky: A diary study on work engagement among flight attendants.

This study aims to gain insight in the motivational process of the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model by examining whether daily fluctuations in colleague support (i.e., a typical job resource) predict day-levels of job performance through self-efficacy and work engagement. Forty-four flight attendants filled in a questionnaire and a diary booklet before and after consecutive flights to three intercontinental destinations. Results of multilevel analyses revealed that colleague support had unique positive effects on self-efficacy and work engagement. Self-efficacy did not mediate the relationship between support and engagement, but work engagement mediated the relationship between self-efficacy and (in-role and extra-role) performance. In addition, colleague support had an indirect effect on in-role performance through work engagement. These findings shed light on the motivational process as outlined in the JD-R model, and suggest that colleague support is an important job resource for flight attendants helping them reach their work-related goals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)