Mindfulness as a personal resource to reduce work stress in the job demands-resources model

Exploring the relationship between mindfulness and burnout among preschool teachers: the role of dispositional equanimity and empathy

The objective of this study is to delve into the underlying mechanisms between mindfulness and burnout among preschool teachers. Employing a cross-sectional research design, this study surveyed 1,980 Chinese preschool teachers using the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), Preschool Teacher Dispositional Equanimity Questionnaire (PTDEQ), Empathy Scale (ME), and Maslach Burnout Inventory for Educators (MBI-ES). The results revealed a significant negative correlation between preschool teachers' mindfulness and burnout. A mediation analysis demonstrated that dispositional equanimity served as a mediator between mindfulness and preschool teacher burnout. Furthermore, a moderation analysis indicated that empathy moderated the influence of dispositional equanimity on preschool teacher burnout. These findings suggest that mindfulness can enable preschool teachers to better cope with workplace challenges with a more peaceful mindset.

The Interplay Between Workplace Incivility, Religiosity and Well-Being: Insights from Jordan and the United Arab Emirates

Drawing on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theory, this study examines the relationship between workplace incivility and workers' psychological well-being. A related aim is to examine the link between workers' religiosity and their well-being, with workplace incivility moderating this nexus. Data were collected from 247 employees identified from private sectors (in Jordan and the UAE) via online-survey questionnaire. Factor analysis and hierarchical moderated multiple regression models were used to test the hypotheses. Study results show that workers' religiosity is positively and significantly associated with their psychological well-being, while workplace incivility is negatively (but insignificantly) associated with workers' psychological well-being. In addition, and contrary to our expectations and prior studies, our results suggest that workplace incivility strengthens the direct relationship between religiosity and well-being. The mechanism of this intersection may propose that rude and uncivil treatments positively predict self-blame, something that may lead the targets to become more religious to get recovery from different types of incivility and stressful life events. This study highlights the contextual applicability and possible extension of the JD-R theory through extending its model to religiosity and well-being of employees in a diverse cultural context in the Middle East.

Breaking the burnout cycle: Association of dispositional mindfulness with production line workers' job burnout and the mediating role of social support and psychological empowerment

Burnout among production line workers has become an issue for their physical and mental health and for the productive efficiency of companies. However, this large group of workers has received insufficient attention, particularly in exploring how employees' dispositional factors are associated with burnout. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the association between dispositional mindfulness and job burnout and the potential mediating roles played by perceived social support and psychological empowerment. Participants in the study included 780 production line workers recruited from a foreign company in China. Participants completed measures related to dispositional mindfulness, perceived social support, psychological empowerment, and job burnout. The results showed that (a) dispositional mindfulness was significantly related to lower burnout (β = -0.446, 95% CI [-0.552, -0.340]); (b) perceived social support (β = -0.073, 95% CI [-0.126, -0.025]) and psychological empowerment (β = -0.106, 95% CI [-0.171, -0.058]) mediated this association individually; and (c) perceived social support and psychological empowerment had a serial mediating effect in this context (β = -0.055, 95% CI [-0.095, -0.028]). This study revealed the association between dispositional mindfulness and job burnout, with an additional focus on how dispositional mindfulness correlates with other resources, such as perceived social support and psychological empowerment.

Leaders' emotional labour and abusive supervision: The moderating role of mindfulness

In this study, we examine how leaders' emotional labour strategies (surface acting and deep acting) deplete leaders' self-control resources to predict abusive supervision, in addition to the moderating role of leader mindfulness. Integrating ego-depletion theory and emotion regulation theory, we hypothesise that deep acting and surface acting predict higher levels of abusive supervision, which is mediated by reduced self-control. Furthermore, we predict that leaders' trait mindfulness moderates the relationship between emotional labour and self-control on abusive supervision. Results from a three-wave study of leader-follower dyads supported mediation hypotheses; both deep and surface acting predicted abusive supervision, which is mediated by reduced self-control. Our moderated mediation hypotheses were supported for deep acting but not surface acting. This research contributes to the literature by demonstrating the depleting nature of emotional labour in leadership and the importance of leader mindfulness as a boundary condition that can make deep acting less harmful for leader behaviour.

Conditional reciprocal stressor-strain effects in university students: a cross-lagged panel study in Germany

University students worldwide are facing increasing mental health challenges. Traditional stress models, like the Job/Study Demand-Resources Model, link stressors directly to strain. Yet, recent studies suggest the influence of strain on stressors may be even stronger. Our research explored these reciprocal dynamics among university students, considering social support and mindfulness as potential moderators. We conducted a two-wave panel study with 264 university students. We ran separate cross-lagged panel structural equation analyses for three key health outcomes-emotional exhaustion, depression, and well-being-each paired with perceived study stressors, specifically workload and work complexity. Findings revealed significant stressor and strain effects, with social support notably moderating the impact of emotional exhaustion on workload. These insights challenge traditional stress theories and underscore the importance of mental health support and effective stress management strategies for students, emphasizing the need for proactive mental health initiatives in academic environments.

Mindfully and confidently digital: A mixed methods study on personal resources to mitigate the dark side of digital working

A growing body of research demonstrates the potential of mindfulness to reduce employee stress. However, with work increasingly migrating from the physical to the digital workplace, evidence is lacking on how mindfulness might help employees live healthy digital working lives. In addition, employees' confidence when using the digital workplace is seen as important for productivity but may also play a role in reducing well-being impacts from digital working. Using the Job-Demands Resources model as a theoretical foundation, 142 workers were surveyed regarding their levels of trait mindfulness and digital workplace confidence, along with their experiences of the dark side effects (stress, overload, anxiety, Fear of Missing Out and addiction) and well-being outcomes (burnout and health). 14 workers were also interviewed to provide qualitative insights on these constructs. Results from regression analyses indicated that more digitally confident workers were less likely to experience digital workplace anxiety, while those with higher mindfulness were better protected against all of the dark side of digital working effects. Interview data indicated ways in which digital mindfulness helps protect well-being, as well as how digital workplace confidence enables healthier digital habits.

The interplay between mindfulness and caring for bliss on later student burnout

Objectives: While there are good reasons to assume that mindfulness protects against burnout in students, nothing is known about the role of caring for bliss. This study examined whether caring for bliss moderated the relationship between mindfulness at baseline and aspects of burnout approximately 12 weeks later. Participants: Students (n = 92) from a university in the United States. Methods: Online surveys were administered in 2018. Results: Moderated regression analyses, controlling for depressive symptoms and burnout at baseline, revealed that caring for bliss moderated the relationship between earlier mindfulness and two aspects of later student burnout, namely emotional exhaustion and cynicism. Specifically, exhaustion and cynicism were low when students reported either low or high scores on both mindfulness and caring for bliss. No moderating effect was found for academic efficacy. Conclusions: Mindfulness and caring for bliss appear to work synergistically to reduce aspects of student burnout over time.

Technology-Enabled Intervention to Enhance Mindfulness, Safety, and Health Promotion Among Corrections Professionals: Protocol for a Prospective Quasi-Experimental Trial

BACKGROUND

Correction professionals are a highly stressed workforce with heightened risks for depression, suicide, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and injury. These professionals, largely hidden from view, have received little study concerning means to improve their safety, health, and well-being. In other settings, mindfulness has resulted in lowered stress, along with other benefits. We hypothesized that a program that promoted mindfulness combined with more typical health and safety components could uniquely benefit corrections professionals.

OBJECTIVE

This project will assess a novel scalable, self-administered program to enhance the mindfulness, safety, and health of a vulnerable worker group.

METHODS

In partnership with the Oregon Department of Corrections, we are conducting a prospective quasi-experimental trial of a safety, health, and mindfulness program among 100 corrections professionals from 2 institutions. Survey and physiologic data will be collected at enrollment, upon weekly program completion (3 months), and at 9 months after enrollment. Primary outcome behaviors promoted by the program are being mindful, healthier eating, more physical activity, and greater restorative sleep. Secondary downstream benefits are anticipated in stress level, mood, positive feelings about the organization, vascular health, and cellular aging, along with job performance, injuries, and economic costs. Participants will meet in-person or in a Zoom-type meeting as 3- to 5-member coworker groups during their usual work hours for 30-minute sessions once a week for 12 weeks. The program uses self-guided web-based learning modules that include brief mindfulness practice, and it is accessible by smartphone, tablet, or laptop. Daily mindfulness practice is encouraged between sessions, which is facilitated by the study website and group format. The modules' structure emphasizes prerequisite knowledge, peer support, skill practice, self-monitoring, and enhancing self-efficacy for change. The program continues through self-directed use of the Headspace app following the 12 weekly sessions.

RESULTS

Participants are being enrolled, and the intervention is ready to launch.

CONCLUSIONS

Although mindfulness training has gained traction for worker well-being, its usual format requires a skilled trainer, an initial retreat, and weekly 2-hour meetings for several weeks. The content is limited to mindfulness without safety or health promotion aspects. The need for skilled trainers and time commitment limits the scalability of the usual mindfulness interventions. The planned program is an innovative combination of technology, e-learning, and a group format to add mindfulness to a safety and health curriculum. If acceptable and effective, the format would facilitate its widespread use.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05608889; https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05608889.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

PRR1-10.2196/45535.

The Influence of Authoritarian-Benevolent Leadership on Subordinates' Work Engagement: A Social Information Processing Perspective

Purpose

The dynamic and complex external environment calls for leaders to be both benevolent and authoritarian to cope with the mutually exclusive demands in the management process. But few research paid attention to the dark side of leaders' inconsistent behaviors on employees' work outcomes. Based on social information processing theory, this study investigated the impact of authoritarian-benevolent leadership on subordinates' work engagement and explored the mediating role of leader-member exchange ambivalence and the moderating role of trait mindfulness.

Methods

A two-wave time-lagged survey approach was employed and data from 309 employees from three Chinese companies were collected. R 4.2.1 and SPSS 26.0 were used to test our hypotheses.

Results

The findings demonstrated how subordinates were influenced in their work engagement by authoritarian-benevolent leadership and leader-member exchange ambivalence and emphasized the value of maintaining a high level of trait mindfulness. This study indicated that (1) authoritarian-benevolent leadership was negatively associated with work engagement, which was mediated by leader-member exchange ambivalence; (2) subordinates' trait mindfulness moderated the relationship between leader-member exchange ambivalence and work engagement; (3) the indirect effect of authoritarian-benevolent leadership on subordinates' work engagement through leader-member exchange ambivalence was moderated by subordinates' trait mindfulness.

Conclusion

This study reveals the dark side of authoritarian-benevolent leadership and deepens our understanding of the mechanism underlying the effect of authoritarian-benevolent leadership on subordinates' work engagement from a new theoretical perspective. Practical implications are provided for managers to effectively develop authoritarian-benevolent leadership skills and improve subordinates' work engagement.

Changes in demands and resources faced by the early childhood education workforce due to COVID-19

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on demands, resources, and job satisfaction among a convenience sample of early childhood education (ECE) staff employed in Head Start preschools in a large metro area of Colorado. A survey was administered to a sample of Head Start staff at two timepoints: Time 1 (pre-COVID-19 pandemic) in October of 2019 (n = 137) and Time 2 (during the COVID-19 pandemic) in November of 2020 (n = 86). The survey consisted of a combination of validated measures to assess personal and external demands and resources and work satisfaction. Workload is a perceived external demand that significantly improved from pre- to mid-pandemic in this sample (z = -3.3, p < 0.01). Many personal and external resources changed pre- to mid-pandemic, though none were statistically significant. Overall job satisfaction in this sample increased, though it was not statistically significant (z = -1.04, p = 0.3). Mitigating demands, such as minimizing workload, and increasing job-related resources, such as bolstering management supports, may lead to improved job satisfaction of the ECE workforce employed in Head Start settings. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified poor mental health and numerous job demands, some of the pandemic-related regulations may have also decreased the workload for some subgroups of the ECE workforce, potentially translating to improved job satisfaction. However, significant disparities remain with respect to personal and external demands among this sample of the ECE workforce compared to the national workforce suggesting multi-level resources and supports are critical to further buffer these stressors.

Beyond physiology: Acute effects of side-alternating whole-body vibration on well-being, flexibility, balance, and cognition using a light and portable platform A randomized controlled trial

A good body-balance helps to prevent slips, trips and falls. New body-balance interventions must be explored, because effective methods to implement daily training are sparse. The purpose of the current study was to investigate acute effects of side-alternating whole-body vibration (SS-WBV) training on musculoskeletal well-being, flexibility, body balance, and cognition. In this randomized controlled trial, participants were randomly allocated into a verum (8.5 Hz, SS-WBV, N = 28) or sham (6 Hz, SS-WBV, N = 27) condition. The training consisted of three SS-WBV series that lasted one-minute each with two one-minute breaks in between. During the SS-WBV series, participants stood in the middle of the platform with slightly bent knees. During the breaks in between, participants could loosen up. Flexibility (modified fingertip-to-floor method), balance (modified Star Excursion Balance Test), and cognitive interference (Stroop Color Word Test) were tested before and after the exercise. Also, musculoskeletal well-being, muscle relaxation, sense of flexibility, sense of balance, and surefootedness were assessed in a questionnaire before and after the exercise. Musculoskeletal well-being was significantly increased only after verum. Also, muscle relaxation was significantly higher only after verum. The Flexibility-Test showed significant improvement after both conditions. Accordingly, sense of flexibility was significantly increased after both conditions. The Balance-Test showed significant improvement after verum, and after sham. Accordingly, increased sense of balance was significant after both conditions. However, surefootedness was significantly higher only after verum. The Stroop-Test showed significant improvement only after verum. The current study shows that one SS-WBV training session increases musculoskeletal well-being, flexibility, body balance and cognition. The abundance of improvements on a light and portable platform has great influence on the practicability of training in daily life, aiming to prevent slip trips and falls at work.

Live-streaming Activity and Relaxation Breaks: a (Home-)Office-Compatible Approach to Promote Break Recovery, Mood, and Attention?

The aim of this study is to investigate whether short, live-streaming activity and relaxation lunch breaks have positive associations with office workers' mood (calmness, valence, and energetic arousal), back pain, and attention after break and whether these associations are mediated by better break recovery. Additionally, we considered the two respite interventions as resources possibly buffering the effects of elevated situational job demands. Ten-minute break exercises were conducted during lunch breaks via Zoom live-stream, and data on those days were compared with data on days on which participants spent their breaks as usual. Our sample of 34 office workers provided data for 277 work days (209 in the home office and 68 on site at the company). Multilevel path models revealed positive total associations of both respite interventions with the mood dimension of calmness. Activity breaks additionally showed a positive association with the energetic arousal dimension of mood, while relaxation breaks were positively related to objectively measured cognitive performance. Interestingly, activity breaks moderated the relationships of job demands with calmness and valence, indicating their function as a stress-buffering resource. There were no significant associations between the two respite interventions and back pain. Supplemented by participants' feedback, the findings of this study suggest that offering short virtually guided break exercises may represent a feasible and office-compatible approach to promote break recovery, mood and functionality at work, especially regarding home-office work. Possible advantages and disadvantages of the live-streaming format are discussed.

Occupational burnout and chronic fatigue in the work of academic teachers-moderating role of selected health behaviours

Increasing and changing demands for academic teachers worldwide are leading to different consequences, some of which are negative, such as physical and mental health impairment. With the job demands-resources model and the transactional model of occupational stress adopted as a theoretical framework, a cross-sectional study among Polish academic teachers was conducted. The aim of the study is to identify the role of vital personal resources understood as selected health-promoting behaviours, such as (1) stress-coping strategies, (2) sleep hygiene, and (3) using annual vacation leave, in the process of the regeneration. In a cross-sectional survey, the following variables have been assessed: 1) work-related stress using the Psychosocial Risk Scale, 2) occupational burnout using the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), 3) chronic fatigue using the Polish adaptation of the Checklist Individual Strength (CIS), and selected health behaviours of academic teachers 4) stress-coping strategies with the help of the Polish version of Mini-COPE and 5) rest: the amount of sleep and vacation days devoted to rest using a short questionnaire designed by the authors. The sample (N = 340) was comprised of academic teachers employed at Polish higher education institutions who have experienced changes in the work environment in recent years. We conducted a multiple regression analysis to determine the relationships among stress, burnout, and chronic fatigue, looking at coping strategies and rest as a moderator. The results indicate that there is a strong relationship between stress resulting from an excessively demanding work environment on the one hand and occupational burnout and chronic fatigue on the other. At the same time, selected health behaviours of academic teachers only slightly moderate the analyzed relationship. Avoidance strategies strengthen the relationship between stress and its negative consequences, while rest and-to a limited extent-the amount of sleep only slightly contribute to weakening the analyzed relationship.

A workplace mindfulness training program may affect mindfulness, well-being, health literacy and work performance of upper-level ICT-managers: An exploratory study in times of the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction

Mindfulness-based interventions have gained more importance in workplace health promotion due to increased psychological distress in the digital era. Although managers in the information communication technology sector (ICT)-sector are at risk for lower mental health, few studies have evaluated the effects of workplace mindfulness trainings (WMT) on upper-level ICT-managers.

Methods

By applying a mixed methods approach, the study aimed at exploring differences in upper-level ICT-managers' mindfulness, well-being, health literacy and work performance at the beginning of a WMT (t0), immediately after (t1) and 3  months after (t2) a WMT. Thirteen groups of managers (n = 56) completed the training and three corresponding surveys consecutively from October 2019 to April 2021. Managers rated their mindfulness (MAAS), well-being (WHO-5), health literacy, and work performance (HPQ). During the COVID-19-pandemic the training switched from a live on-site mode to a hybrid mode and finally to a digital mode. Repeated measures ANOVAs and Bonferroni-adjusted post hoc analyses were used for data analysis. Open-ended responses were content analyzed.

Results

We found significant differences in managers' mindfulness [F(2.106) = 3.376, p = 0.038, η_p ² = 0.06, n = 54], well-being [F(2.106) = 73.019, p < 0.001, η_p ² = 0.17, n = 54], health literacy [F(2.108) = 9.067, p < 0.001, η_p ² = 0.15, n = 55], and work performance [F(2.80) = 7.008, p = 0.002, η_p ² = 0.15, n = 41] between t0 and t2. Significant differences between t0 and t1 were also found for well-being, health literacy and work performance, but not for mindfulness. Qualitative findings demonstrated positive training effects, barriers and facilitators to daily application of mindfulness practice.

Discussion

The results suggest that compared to the beginning of the WMT, the post and follow-up measurements showed outcome improvements. The workplace mindfulness training may thus be a promising program to facilitate mental health and working capabilities among upper-level ICT-managers. Contextual workplace factors need to be considered to sustain long-term mindfulness practice of managers.

Association Between Role Overload and Sleep Quality Among Chinese First-Line Nurses During the COVID-19 Outbreak: The Moderating Effect of Mindfulness

BACKGROUND

Nurses working during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have experienced a high incidence of insomnia because of exposure to life-threatening occupational risks. Good sleep is essential for nurses to maintain their ability to care for patients with infectious diseases.

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to assess the influence of role overload on sleep quality and the moderating role of mindfulness.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey design was used in this study, which was conducted between March 20 and April 5, 2020. The survey was completed by 357 nurses who had relocated from Fujian Province to the epicenter of the outbreak in China to treat patients with COVID-19. Role overload, sleep quality, and mindfulness in these nurses were evaluated using the Role Overload Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, respectively.

RESULTS

Hierarchical regression and other statistical methods were used to analyze the data. Role overload was shown to be positively related to poor sleep quality, and mindfulness was found to be effective in alleviating sleep disorders associated with role overload.

CONCLUSIONS

The high risk of sleep disturbance among frontline nurses may be alleviated by reducing their perceived role overload. The identification of mindfulness as a moderating mechanism in the relationship between role overload and sleep quality provides new insights to improve sleep quality in nurses.

The effect of employee mindfulness in the new media industry on innovative behavior: The chain mediating role of positive emotion and work engagement

Mindfulness has long been concerned and emphasized by scholars in the field of psychology, but there is still a lack of research on mindfulness in management in China. In this study, a questionnaire survey was conducted among 483 employees in the new media industry in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou, China. After modeling and analysis, it was found that employee mindfulness has a positive influence on innovative behavior. Employee mindfulness and innovative behavior are mediated by positive emotions. Employee mindfulness and innovative behavior are mediated by work engagement. Employee mindfulness and innovative behavior are mediated by a chain of positive emotions and work engagement. Enterprise managers should improve the level of mindfulness of employees in the new media industry through mindfulness training and courses for mindfulness training, create an organizational environment that can arouse positive emotions and improve the positive emotions of employees, pay attention to arousing the enthusiasm of the staff, and promote the innovative behavior of staff while enhancing work engagement.

Calling as a resource for health and occupational wellbeing among the care sector workers in Finland

BACKGROUND

The salutogenic approach in workplace health promotion emphasizes resources to gain and maintain good health and wellbeing. One of these resources could be calling, but its relation to the salutogenic approach is unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the associations between salutogenic measures of health and occupational wellbeing and calling among workers from the care and educational sectors.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Autumn 2020 among Finnish public and private sector care workers. A total of 7925 workers responded. Descriptive analyses and analysis of variance were used for the data analysis.

RESULTS

Salutogenic measures of health and occupational wellbeing correlated strongly mutually, and both correlated moderately with calling. Workers aged over 55 years, workers acting in the education sector, workers with superior positions and temporary workers had the highest scores on health, occupational wellbeing and calling. When comparing occupational wellbeing dimensions by profession, managers had the highest scores and nurses the lowest.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides knowledge of promotive factors and health and occupational wellbeing resources for workplace health promotion in the care sector. Perceived calling in work can be considered a salutogenic resource for overall health and wellbeing; however, these connections should be further studied.

From mindfulness to work engagement: The mediating roles of work meaningfulness, emotion regulation, and job competence

Drawing from the grounded theory of work engagement, this research aims to explore three essential yet previously unexamined pathways-work meaningfulness, emotion regulation, and job competence in simultaneously transmitting the effects of mindfulness training to employee experience of work engagement. We employed a six-wave quasi-experimental design and recruited 129 employees (77 from experimental group and 59 from control group) to participate in the quasi-experiment, and tested our simultaneous mediating models using the structural equation modeling. Results showed that mindfulness facilitated employees' work meaningfulness, emotion regulation, and job competence, which in turn enhanced employee work engagement. By doing so, we add to the mindfulness literature by showing that the three essential psychological states are important machanims that link mindfulness to work engagement. Practicially, this research reveals that mindfulness training is an effective tool to influence employees' psychological states (e.g., meaningfulness, competence), which ultimately develop their work engagement in the workplace.

Mindfulness Practice and Job Performance in Social Workers: Mediation Effect of Work Engagement

Despite a rapid increase in the work force over the last decade, the social work labor force is still suffering through high amounts of stress and burnout that could negatively affect work engagement and job performance in China. A potential solution worth exploring, however, is the practice of mindfulness, a concept based on expanding one's awareness to target focus without judgement. Using 537 social workers from street-level social work service stations in Guangzhou, China, this paper examines the relation between mindfulness practice and job performance, and whether work engagement mediated the relation through the application of the job demand and resources theory. The findings indicate that that mindfulness practice directly increases work engagement (Beta = 0.33) and has an indirect effect on job performance (Beta = 0.21) through its effect on work engagement that fully mediated the relation between mindfulness practice and job performance. In contrast to formal mindful practices (Beta = 0.13), informal mindful practices (Beta = 0.22) encompass a broader impact on employee performance. The findings suggest that mindfulness practice can effectively be used in workspaces to enhance engagement and performance of social workers in China.

Effects of Job Demands and Resources on Positive and Negative Affect of Delivery Drivers in China

The delivery workforce in China has grown substantially within the past decade. As this industry has grown, job demands (JD) have also increased to ensure productivity. Accordingly, delivery drivers are increasingly facing volatile and stressful work conditions that could influence their Positive and Negative Affect (PANA), which has been an important predictor of their health and well-being. This study utilizes a sample of modern delivery drivers in Beijing, China (n = 240) to study how the job demands-resources theory (JD-R) was related to PANA. The results indicate delivery drivers experience relatively high JD and moderate JR at their places of employment. As expected, JR were positively associated with PA and negatively associated with NA. Meanwhile, JD were positively related to NA; however, JD were also positively associated with PA within the sample. Further interaction analysis showed that only drivers with high JD and high JR were positively associated with PA and that drivers with high JD and low JR were associated with high NA and had no effect on PA. These findings call for support for Chinese delivery drivers who face high job stress and high job demands.

The dual threat of COVID-19 to health and job security - Exploring the role of mindfulness in sustaining frontline employee-related outcomes

Navigating the increasingly uncertain business world requires organizations and employees to be highly adaptive to threats and changes. During COVID-19, the dual threats to health and job security have been especially salient for frontline employees. Drawing on the job demands-resources (JD-R) model, we investigated individual and organizational mindfulness as valuable resources, which influence employee outcomes of preventative behaviors, emotional exhaustion, and job performance both directly, and indirectly through threat appraisals. We find that individual and organizational mindfulness influence threat appraisals in a "counterbalanced manner": individual mindfulness decreases threat appraisals, while organizational mindfulness heightens the perceived threat of contracting COVID-19. The threat to health further serves as a double-edged sword, predicting both emotional exhaustion and preventative behaviors, while job insecurity impairs all employee outcomes. Based on these findings, we provide key implications for research and practice, and future research directions.

Job and work context elements in fostering employee creative behavior: exploring the moderating role of work passion

How does employees' work context and job characteristics influence their creative behavior? To explore this question, this study draws on the Job Demands – Job Resources (JD-R) model to examine the role of excessive work overload and training and development on employee creative behaviors. Additionally, the study explores whether employees' work passion mitigates or enhances the effects of work overload and training and development on their creative behavior. Data from 142 employee–supervisor dyads in a Singaporean telecommunications organization showed that work overload had a marginally significant positive effect on employee creative behavior. Additionally, employees' work passion was found to enhance the effects of training and development on their creative behavior. The study contributes to ongoing debates in the literature regarding how specific characteristics of one's job and targeted human resource practices may foster employee creativity.

Effectiveness of mindfulness-based intervention on post-traumatic stress symptoms among emergency nursing students

Background

Clinical training stress may negatively affect nursing students’ academic achievement, clinical performance, learning outcomes, well-being, general health, and quality of life. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of mindfulness-based intervention on post-traumatic stress symptoms among emergency nursing students. This study was conducted at the technical institute of nursing, Zagazig University. Three tools were used in the current study: the sociodemographic data sheet, the impact of event scale, and the 15-item Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire.

Results

Emergency nursing students had a wide range of PTSS at the pre-intervention period. These symptoms significantly improved after the implementation of a mindfulness-based intervention. Mindfulness level also improved after the intervention. Post-traumatic stress symptoms were positively correlated with the number of training hours and negatively correlated with students’ age, mother’s occupation, and educational level.

Conclusions

Mindfulness-based intervention was effective in reducing post-traumatic stress symptoms among emergency nursing students.

Mindfulness practice improves managers’ job demands-resources, psychological detachment, work-nonwork boundary control, and work-life balance – a randomized controlled trial

Purpose

Contemporary workplaces undergo frequent reorganizations in order to stay competitive in a working life characterized by globalization, digitalization, economic uncertainty, and ever-increased complexity. Managers are in the frontline of these challenges, leading themselves, organizations and their employees in high stress environments. This raises questions on how to support managers’ work-life sustainability, which is crucial for organizational sustainability. Mindfulness has been related to enhanced capacities to cope with challenges that are associated with organizational change. The authors evaluated short- and long-term effects of an eight-week mindfulness-based intervention in a company setting, which was going through reorganization.

Design/methodology/approach

Forty managers (42.5% males), mean age 54.53 (SD 5.13), were randomized to the mindfulness intervention or a non-active wait-list control. Self-report data were provided on individual sustainability factors in a work context: job demands and resources, psychological detachment, i.e. possibilities for letting go of work-related thoughts during leisure, control over work-nonwork boundaries, work-life balance, and mindfulness at baseline, postintervention, and at 6-month follow-up.

Findings

Linear mixed models (LMMs) analysis (all ps < 0.005 to 0.05) showed that the intervention group had a larger decrease in job demands and a smaller decrease in job resources, a larger increase in psychological detachment, work-nonwork boundary control, work-life balance, and mindfulness from baseline to postintervention when compared with the reference group. These initial effects were sustained at 6-month follow-up.

Originality/value

The study provides evidence that mindfulness practice can enhance managers’ long-term capacity to cope with challenging working conditions, and increase their work-life sustainability in times of organizational change and disruption.

Exploring the Challenge of Teachers' Emotional Labor in Early Childhood Settings

One challenging aspect of working in early childhood education settings is engagement in emotional labor. Research suggests that emotional labor is associated with emotional exhaustion and burnout in early childhood teachers, but there is limited research available on this issue. Research focusing on early childhood contexts in the United States is especially limited. This paper explores the concept of emotional labor by early childhood teachers and reviews some of the research on teachers' experience of emotional labor in the classroom. Implications of the current research are discussed and suggestions for future research are provided. Possible solutions to the challenges of emotional labor are presented, focusing on mindfulness strategies.

Job Demands and Resources, Mindfulness, and Burnout Among Delivery Drivers in China

The food and package delivery workforce in China has grown substantially in the past decade. However, delivery drivers face volatile and stressful work conditions, which can give rise to high turnover and burnout. Past research has indicated that job demands and resources (JD-R) significantly predict burnout. Scholars have also found evidence that mindfulness may be a protective factor against negative outcomes like burnout. Using data collected from 240 food and package delivery drivers in Beijing, China, we examined the effects of JD-R on burnout and whether these relations were moderated by mindfulness. Estimates produced by regression analyses indicated that job demands (JD) have significantly positive effects on burnout (β = 0.33), while job resources (JR) have a significant negative effect on burnout (β = −0.32). Mindfulness significantly moderated the effects of JD and JR on burnout (β = −1.64 and − 1.30, respectively). Results suggest that mindfulness is a protective factor for delivery drivers. Practice and policy implications are discussed.

Can High Levels of Hindrance Demands Increase the Worker’s Intellectual Response?

Job demands are factors that are associated with a physical and psychological cost when it comes to coping with them, but which can also positively affect the motivational process. Demands such as overload, defined as an excessive workload, have not presented positive results in any of the studies that have related it to employee engagement. The present study aims to delve into the possible positive effect of this demand on the intellectual bonding of employees. It is hypothesized that: (a) Initially, the increase in the perception of work overload will show a negative influence on the intellectual engagement of the employees; but (b) high perceptions of overload will change this effect, producing an increase in the intellectual dimension of engagement. The sample is made up of 706 employees of a Spanish multinational company. The results support this asymmetric curvilinear influence. The level of intellectual engagement is significantly reduced when the role overload increases from the lower values of the scale. However, upon reaching high levels of role overload, the intellectual engagement response begins to grow. These results challenge the conceptualization of overload as only negative and opens the door to consider that the positive response to a demand can also occur at high levels of it.

Mindfulness Practice and Burnout: Evidence From Chinese Social Workers

Over the span of nearly 10 years, the social work labor force grew from 0.2 million to approximately 1.2 million in China. Despite these increases, studies have shown social workers in China are also experiencing equally high burnout rates. For this analysis, we collected data from 537 social workers based in Guangzhou, China. We used the job demands and resources (JD-R) theory, to examine the relations between JD-R and burnout and whether mindfulness practice (MP) could reduce any such burnout. Our results suggest JD-R affects social workers' burnout through both health and motivation impairment. High job demands (JD) were linked to high burnout while high job resources (JR) were linked to a reduction in burnout. Formal (Beta = -0.08) and informal (Beta = -0.19) MP were associated with low burnout amongst social workers. The significant interaction between JD and MP also suggests that MP can reduce burnout for social workers with high JD. The findings call for using MP to be used to shield social workers from the effects of increasing JD and to prevent an increase of burnout amongst Chinese social workers.

Gain or loss: the double-edged effect of empowering leadership on employees’ innovative behaviours

Purpose

Empowering leadership is often considered unequivocally positive for employees, but recent studies have shown that this ostensibly straightforward effect is more complex. The dual facets of the effect of empowering leadership – especially on employees’ innovative behaviour – have received insufficient attention. Based on job demand-resource (JD-R) theory, this study aims to propose a theoretical framework for the relationship between empowering leadership and employees’ innovative behaviours with a dual process model of gain and loss.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is survey based, with 261 paired leader–employee data points collected in the People’s Republic of China.

Findings

The results show that empowering leadership has a “double-edged” effect on employees’ innovative behaviours: it affects innovative behaviours positively through employee job engagement and negatively through emotional exhaustion. Moreover, trust in leaders moderates the mediating roles of job engagement and emotional exhaustion.

Originality/value

This study contends that empowering leadership has a dual impact on employees and proposes a promising model of this double-edged effect to contrast with other complex models in the empowering leadership literature. Furthermore, this study uses JD-R theory to deeply explore the dual process whereby empowering leadership influences employees’ innovative behaviour and provides practical guidance for business management.

Effects of a Mindfulness App on Employee Stress in an Australian Public Sector Workforce: Randomized Controlled Trial

Background

Workplace-based mindfulness programs have good evidence for improving employee stress and mental health outcomes, but less is known about their effects on productivity and citizenship behaviors. Most of the available evidence is derived from studies of mindfulness programs that use class-based approaches. Mindfulness apps can increase access to training, but whether self-directed app use is sufficient to realize benefits equivalent to class-based mindfulness programs is unknown.

Objective

We assessed the effectiveness of a mindfulness app, both with and without supporting classes, for reducing employees’ perceived stress. Changes in mindfulness, mental health, quality of life, perceptions of job demand, control and support, productivity indicators, organizational citizenship, and mindful behaviors at work were also investigated.

Methods

Tasmanian State Service employees were invited by the Tasmanian Training Consortium to a 3-arm randomized controlled trial investigating the effects of a mindfulness app on stress. The app used in the Smiling Mind Workplace Program formed the basis of the intervention. The app includes lessons, activities, and guided meditations, and is supported by 4 instructional emails delivered over 8 weeks. Engagement with the app for 10-20 minutes, 5 days a week, was recommended. Reported data were collected at baseline (time point 0), 3 months from baseline (time point 1 [T1]), and at 6-month follow-up (time point 2). At time point 0, participants could nominate a work-based observer to answer surveys about participants’ behaviors. Eligible participants (n=211) were randomly assigned to self-guided app use plus four 1-hour classes (app+classes: 70/211, 33.2%), self-guided app use (app-only: 71/211, 33.6%), or waitlist control (WLC; 70/211, 33.2%). Linear mixed effects models were used to assess changes in the active groups compared with the WLC at T1 and for a head-to-head comparison of the app+classes and app-only groups at follow-up.

Results

App use time was considerably lower than recommended (app+classes: 120/343 minutes; app-only: 45/343 minutes). Compared with the WLC at T1, no significant change in perceived stress was observed in either active group. However, the app+classes group reported lower psychological distress (β=−1.77, SE 0.75; P=.02; Cohen d=–0.21) and higher mindfulness (β=.31, SE 0.12; P=.01; Cohen d=0.19). These effects were retained in the app+classes group at 6 months. No significant changes were observed for the app-only group or for other outcomes. There were no significant changes in observer measures at T1, but by time point 2, the app+classes participants were more noticeably mindful and altruistic at work than app-only participants.

Conclusions

Including classes in the training protocol appears to have motivated engagement and led to benefits, whereas self-guided app use did not realize any significant results. Effect sizes were smaller and less consistent than meta-estimates for class-based mindfulness training.

Trial Registration

Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Register ACTRN12617001386325; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=372942&isReview

The Role of Mindfulness in Mitigating the Negative Consequences of Technostress

IT offers significant benefits both to individuals and organisations, such as during the Covid-19 pandemic where technology played a primary role in aiding remote working environments; however, IT use comes with consequences such as 'technostress' - stress arising from extended use of technology. Addressing the paucity of research related to this topic, in this study, we examine the role of mindfulness and IT mindfulness to both mitigate the impact of technostress and alleviate its negative consequences; revealing that mindfulness can reduce technostress and increase job satisfaction, while IT mindfulness can enhance user satisfaction and improve task performance. Moreover, our work sheds light on the under-researched relationship between mindfulness and IT mindfulness; showing that the latter has a stronger influence on IT related outcomes; revealing the valuable role of mindfulness and IT mindfulness in the workplace and offering important implications to theory and practice.

The Relationship Between Mindfulness and Conflict Resolution Styles Among Nurse Managers: A Cross-Sectional Study

INTRODUCTION

Mindfulness might help nurse managers in dealing with conflicts. However, the relationship between mindfulness and conflict resolution styles were still not clearly understood.

OBJECTIVE

To identify the relationship between mindfulness and conflict resolution and to predict the conflict resolution styles of nurse managers through mindfulness.

METHODS

A descriptive correlational cross-sectional design was employed. A convenience sample of 197 nurse managers was recruited from five public and two university hospitals. Data about nurse managers' mindfulness and conflict management styles were collected through self-reported scales. The data was collected between January and March 2020.

RESULTS

Mindfulness was significantly associated with integrating (r = 0.31, p < .001) and obliging (r = 0.14, p = .045) conflict resolution styles. Mindfulness was able to uniquely predict using the integrating conflict resolution style (χ² = 4.65, p = .031).

CONCLUSIONS

Mindfulness is uniquely related to integrating conflict resolution among nurse managers. The findings encourage stakeholders in health care organizations to develop training programs to improve managers' conflict resolution skills and to invest in managers' mindfulness.

Job Demands and Resources and Employee Well-Being in the Chinese Nonprofit Sector

Although the nonprofit sector in China has grown substantially in past decades, its future is threatened by high turnover and burnout. It is thus necessary to investigate the factors that contribute to employee well-being (EWB) among nonprofit employees in China. This study used 233 foundation employees in China to examine the effects of job demands and resources (JD-R) on EWB. Estimates produced by regression analyses indicated that job resources (JR) have a strong effect on EWB (Beta = 0.53), as well as on the three EWB subscales (workplace, psychological, and life well-being). While job demands (JD) had no effects on overall well-being, they were negatively associated with workplace well-being (WWB) (Beta = -0.12). Robustness tests were conducted to further examine how JD and JR dimensions affect EWB and its subscales. Based on the findings, we underscore the importance of JR for EWB among foundation employees in China as well as that of implementing interventions that may alleviate the cost of emotional workload as a JD.

An Integrative Review on the Research Progress of Mindfulness and Its Implications at the Workplace

Mindfulness has rapidly become a significant subject area in many disciplines. Most of the work on mindfulness has focused on the perspective of health and healthcare professionals, but relatively less research is focused on the organizational outcomes at the workplace. This review presents a theoretical and practical trajectory of mindfulness by sequential integration of recent fragmented scholarly work on mindfulness at the workplace. The review showcases that most contemporary practical challenges in organizations, such as anxiety, stress, depression, creativity, motivation, leadership, relationships, teamwork, burnout, engagement, performance, well-being, and physical and psychological health, could be addressed successfully with the budding concept of mindfulness. The causative processes due to higher mindfulness that generate positive cognitive, emotional, physiological, and behavioral outcomes include focused attention, present moment awareness, non-judgmental acceptance, self-regulatory functions, lower mind wandering, lower habit automaticity, and self-determination. Employee mindfulness could be developed through various mindfulness interventions in order to improve different organizational requirements, such as psychological capital, emotional intelligence, prosocial behavior, in-role and extra-role performance, financial and economic performance, green performance, and well-being. Accordingly, this review would be beneficial to inspire academia and practitioners on the transformative potential of mindfulness in organizations for higher performance, well-being, and sustainability. Future research opportunities and directions to be addressed are also discussed.

Job Demands and Resources, Burnout, and Psychological Distress of Social Workers in China: Moderation Effects of Gender and Age

Social work is a fast-growing profession in China, with the workforce numbering approximately 1.2 million in 2018. Studies have shown, however, that social workers in China experience high burnout rates and significant psychological distress. Analyzing data collected from 897 social workers in Chengdu, China, we applied the job demands and resources (JD-R) theory to examine the effects of JD-R on burnout and psychological distress in social workers, as well as whether these relations are moderated by gender and age. Results supported a dual process by which JD-R affected both social workers' burnout and psychological distress through health impairment and motivation processes. Job demands (JD) were associated with high burnout and psychological distress. Meanwhile, job resources (JR) were associated with reduced burnout and psychological distress. Results indicated that JR had greater effects on burnout and distress than did JD. Women and younger professionals appeared to be affected most by JD and psychological distress. The findings support a need for interventions that buffer the effects of JD-R on burnout and psychological distress in social workers in China, focusing on women and younger professionals.

Religiosity and work engagement: Workload as a moderator

Based on job demands-resources (JD-R) theory, this study examines the relationship between religiosity-from an Islamic lens-and work engagement, and the moderating role of workload on the relationship between these constructs. The results of a survey of 381 Muslim employees in Jordanian telecoms reveal that religiosity is positively related to work engagement. The findings also illustrate the importance of differentiating between challenge and hindrance demands in stressful contexts where workload influences the benefits of religiosity for work engagement. This study highlights the applicability of JD-R theory and extends the theoretical framework by examining the relationship between religiosity and work engagement. It contributes to work engagement literature by introducing religiosity as a personal resource which enhances work engagement and improves well-being.

Benefits and Costs of Happy Entrepreneurs: The Dual Effect of Entrepreneurial Identity on Entrepreneurs' Subjective Well-Being

Entrepreneurship research generally focuses more on the entrepreneurial outcomes of entrepreneurs and less on their entrepreneurial process. To a certain extent, well-being reflects how tired entrepreneurs are during entrepreneurship. Based on conservation of resources theory, this study proposes a double-edged sword model of the effect of entrepreneurial identity on subjective well-being, using the two-dimensional structure of work rumination as a mediator. This study also concentrates on the moderating role of entrepreneurial mindfulness. Multiple hierarchical regression methods are used to analyze and test 882 valid samples. Results suggest that the effect of entrepreneurial identity produces distinctly different outcomes. On the one hand, entrepreneurial identity induces entrepreneurs' work-related affective rumination to reduce their subjective well-being through the path of resource depletion. On the other hand, entrepreneurial identity stimulates entrepreneurs' contemplation on work-related problem-solving pondering to enhance their subjective well-being through the path of resource acquisition. In the path of resource depletion, work-related affective rumination produces a “suppressing effect” between an entrepreneur's identity and entrepreneurial subjective well-being. In addition, entrepreneurial mindfulness weakens the resource depletion path. Entrepreneurial mindfulness negatively moderates the relationship between entrepreneurial identity and work-related affective rumination. Entrepreneurial mindfulness also does not strengthen the resource acquisition path. Mindfulness does not positively moderate the relationship between entrepreneurial identity and work-related problem-solving pondering. The findings further extend the research on the influence of entrepreneurial identity on subjective well-being. They also reveal the mechanisms and boundary conditions of the effect of entrepreneurial identity on subjective well-being.

Don't Call It Smart: Working From Home During the Pandemic Crisis

The recent COVID-19 pandemic and related social distancing measures have significantly changed worldwide employment conditions. In developed economies, institutions and organizations, both public and private, are called upon to reflect on new organizational models of work and human resource management, which - in fact - should offer workers sufficient flexibility in adapting their work schedules remotely to their personal (and family) needs. This study aims to explore, within a Job Demands-Resources framework, whether and to what extent job demands (workload and social isolation), organizational job resources (perceived organizational support), and personal resources (self-efficacy, vision about the future and commitment to organizational change) have affected workers’ quality of life during the pandemic, taking into account the potential mediating role of job satisfaction and perceived stress. Using data from a sample of 293 workers, we estimate measurement and structural models, according to the Item Response Theory and the Path analysis frameworks, which allow us to operationalize the latent traits and study the complex structure of relationships between the latent dimensions. We inserted in the model as control variables, the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of the respondents, with particular emphasis on gender differences and the presence and age of children. The study offers insights into the relationship between remote work and quality of life, and the need to rethink human resource management policies considering the opportunities and critical issues highlighted by working full-time remotely.

Job Demands, Resources, and Burnout in Social Workers in China: Mediation Effect of Mindfulness

Internationally, human service professionals, including social workers, experience high burnout and turnover rates. Despite the recent and rapid development of contemporary social work in China, Chinese social workers similarly experience significant rates of burnout. Therefore, there is a need to investigate the factors that contribute to social work burnout. This study applied the job demands and resources (JD-R) model to examine the effects of JD-R on burnout in social workers (n = 897) from Chengdu, China, and whether these relations are mediated by state mindfulness. Structural equation modeling results supported the previously hypothesized dual process by which JD-R affect burnout, specifically in a sample of social workers in China. Job demands (JD) were positively associated with burnout, while job resources (JR) were negatively associated with burnout. These relations were partially mediated by state mindfulness. JR had a strong, positive direct effect on mindfulness (β = 0.38), and its total effect on burnout was high (β = −0.56). Meanwhile, JD had a slight negative direct effect on mindfulness (β = −0.09), and its total effect on burnout was 0.42. The results suggest that the implementation of mindfulness-based interventions for social workers can potentially mitigate the effect of JD on burnout, as well as increase the effect of JR on burnout.

Job insecurity and innovative work behaviour: A moderated mediation model of intrinsic motivation and trait mindfulness

Research has disregarded the processes and boundary conditions associated with the effects of job insecurity on innovative work behaviour. Combining the job demands-resources and the self-determination perspectives, the present study develops and tests a first-stage moderated mediation model that identifies intrinsic motivation as a key mechanism accounting for a negative effect of job insecurity on innovative behaviour and trait mindfulness as a buffer against the detrimental impact of job insecurity on intrinsic motivation and, indirectly, innovative work behaviour. Two time-lagged studies-a two-wave study of 138 employees from Canadian firms and a three-wave study of 157 employees from US firms-were conducted to test the hypothesized model. Supporting our predictions, intrinsic motivation mediated a negative relationship between job insecurity and innovative work behaviour. Moreover, high levels of trait mindfulness were observed to attenuate the negative relationship of job insecurity with intrinsic motivation and, indirectly, innovative behaviour. These findings contribute to the literature by disclosing the processes linking job insecurity with impaired work outcomes and help to elucidate how and when employee can keep their innovative potential alive in spite of insecure work conditions.

The nurses' occupational stress components and outcomes, findings from an integrative review

AIM

To identify, evaluate and summarize the components, factors and outcomes of nurses' occupational stress published between 2009-2019.

DESIGN

Integrative literature review.

METHODS

A literature search was conducted on PubMed, CINAHL and PsycINFO databases for articles published in English, between 2009-2019.

RESULTS

The review included 132 studies. Most studies were conducted in the Confucian Asia and Anglo countries, but a growing number of studies were done in other countries. Almost all studies used a quantitative design, and changes in the use of scales indicated an increasing attention to career-related components. Factors were categorized into sociodemographic, work environment and personal resources. Sociodemographic factors were inconsistent across countries. Outcomes were categorized into health status, capability, affective and behavioural responses to work, and organizational performance with generally consistent results. Model validation studies showed the non-linear or non-direct associations between stress and outcomes.

Working College Students' Time Pressure and Work-School Conflict: Do Boundary Permeability and Dispositional Mindfulness Matter?

Although working college students are experiencing increasing demands on their time, the influence of time pressure on students' work-school experience has been under-studied in the extant career development literature. Drawing on boundary theory and conservation of resources theory, the present research investigates the degree to which work or school time pressure is associated with working college students' work-school conflict through work-school boundary permeability. Moreover, this study considers dispositional mindfulness as an individual resource that buffers the relationships above. Using a sample of 222 working college students in a large and diverse public university in the United States, we find support that work and school time pressures predict higher work-school conflict through work-school boundary permeability. Results also suggest that dispositional mindfulness moderates the indirect relationship among school time pressure, school-to-work boundary permeability, and school-to-work conflict. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our findings.

Ressourcen und Anforderungen (ReA) in der Arbeitswelt: Entwicklung und erste Validierung eines Fragebogens

Dieser Beitrag in der Zeitschrift Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation (GIO) stellt mit dem ReA Fragebogen ein umfassendes und branchenunabhängiges Analysetool zur Erfassung von Anforderungen und Ressourcen in Organisationen vor. Um die Gesundheit von Mitarbeitenden zu fördern und somit stressbedingten Fehlzeiten entgegenzuwirken, benötigen Organisationen geeignete Instrumente, um Anforderungen und Ressourcen zu identifizieren, um anschließende geeignete Maßnahmen zur Reduktion der Anforderungen sowie zur Stärkung der Ressourcen von Mitarbeitenden ableiten zu können. Basierend auf dem Job Demands-Resources (JDR) Modell und einer umfassenden Literaturrecherche zu relevanten Anforderungen und Ressourcen wurde ein Fragebogen entwickelt und überprüft. Faktorenanalytische Auswertungen in zwei Studien mit insgesamt 1600 Teilnehmenden bestätigen die angenommene Struktur des Instruments. Zudem zeigen sich in Übereinstimmung mit dem JDR Modell positive Zusammenhänge zwischen Ressourcen und Arbeitsengagement sowie Anforderungen und emotionaler Erschöpfung und ein negativer Zusammenhang zwischen Ressourcen und emotionaler Erschöpfung. Der mögliche Einsatz des Fragebogens zur Gesundheits-Prävention und im Rahmen der Gefährdungsbeurteilung psychischer Belastungen in Organisationen wird diskutiert.

The Relationship Among Trait Mindfulness, Attention, and Working Memory in Junior School Students Under Different Stressful Situations

Attention and working memory are important cognitive functions that affect junior school students’ learning ability and academic performance. This study aimed to explore the relationships among trait mindfulness, attention, and working memory and to explore differences in performance between a high trait mindfulness group and a low one in attention and working memory under different stressful situations. In study 1, 216 junior school students completed the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), and their attention and working memory were tested in a non-pressure situation. The results showed that attention had a partial mediating effect between mindfulness and working memory. In study 2, the high trait mindfulness group and the low one were tested for attention and working memory under situations with single and multiple pressures. One notable result was that the attention and working memory performances of the high mindfulness group were all significantly higher than those of the low mindfulness group in every stress situation (no stress, single stress, and multiple stresses). Other important results were that trait mindfulness moderates the relationship between stress and attention and between stress and working memory. These results suggest that trait mindfulness has a protective effect in the process by which various stresses affect attention and working memory. These findings indicate that trait mindfulness is an important psychological quality that affects the attention and working memory of junior school students, and it is also an important psychological resource for effectively coping with the impact of stress on attention and working memory. Therefore, it is possible that improving trait mindfulness may help to improve junior school students’ attention and working memory and enable them to cope better with stress, thereby helping to improve academic performance. This research is of great significance for understanding the association between key psychological qualities and cognitive functions in different stressful situations. These findings also provide insight for future studies in educational psychology.

Influence of Leader Mindfulness on the Emotional Exhaustion of University Teachers: Resources Crossover Effect

This study combined conservation of resources theory with the job demands-resources model to explore the influence of leader mindfulness on the emotional exhaustion of university teachers Using a time-lagged research design, 388 paired data sets were gathered. Multiple regression and bootstrapping were used to test each hypothesis. The results showed that first, leader mindfulness significantly reduces the emotional exhaustion of university teachers. Second, the results showed that workplace telepressure partially mediates the relationship between leader mindfulness and the emotional exhaustion of university teachers. Third, university teacher mindfulness positively moderates the relationship between leader mindfulness and workplace telepressure. Finally, the results of this study indicate that self-efficacy in managing negative emotions negatively moderates the relationship between workplace telepressure and the emotional exhaustion of university teachers. This study empirically examined the interpersonal influence of leader mindfulness and the initial resources effect of university teacher mindfulness and self-efficacy in managing negative emotions from the bilateral perspective of leaders and university teachers.