Psychosocial Work Hazards, Self-Rated Health and Burnout: A Comparison Study of Public and Private Sector Employees

Workplace Violence and Mental Wellbeing Among Long-Term Care Nursing Assistants in Different Work Locations: A Cross-Sectional Study

Aims: This study aims to investigate the association between workplace violence and mental wellbeing of long-term care nursing assistants (LTC-NAs) based on work locations. Background: The increasing global elderly population is elevating the demand for LTC services. The LTC-NA population is expanding, highlighting the necessity to create a secure work environment. However, little is known about how workplace violence poses a threat to the mental wellbeing of LTC-NAs across different work locations. Methods: This observational cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2022 to July 2023, involving a survey of 937 certified LTC-NAs recruited through convenience sampling from various Taiwanese LTC units. Participants were evaluated for experiences of four types of workplace violence (physical, psychological, verbal, and sexual harassment) using a disseminated questionnaire. Mental health was assessed using the 5-item Brief Symptom Rating Scale, and client-related burnout was evaluated with the 6-item scale from the Chinese version of Copenhagen Burnout Inventory. Logistic regression identified the association between workplace violence and mental wellbeing. In addition, the relationship among participants working in residential facilities or home settings were examined. Results: The completion rate of the questionnaire was 86%. Psychological violence was associated with poor mental health (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 2.38 and 95% CI = 1.40-4.05), while verbal violence and sexual harassment were associated with client-related burnout (adjusted OR = 2.03 and 1.75, respectively). All types of workplace violence were more prevalent in residential facilities than home settings; however, the associations of workplace violence with poor mental wellbeing were more prominent among those working in home settings. Among violence victims, a higher proportion of LTC-NAs working in home settings reported experiencing physical and psychological violence from patients' families compared to those working in residential facilities. Client-related burnout was found to mediate the relationship between violence from patients' families and poor mental health. Conclusion: Nonphysical workplace violence and sexual harassment were associated with poor mental wellbeing among LTC-NAs, especially in homecare settings. Violence from patients' families posed a notable risk to homecare LTC-NAs. Therefore, protective policies and organizational training programs should be tailored to address the unique challenges of each work setting.

Nurses quietly quit their job more often than other healthcare workers: An alarming issue for healthcare services

AIM

To assess the level of quiet quitting among healthcare workers (HCWs) and identify possible differences between nurses, physicians, and other HCWs. We investigated the impact of sociodemographic variables, job burnout, and job satisfaction on quiet quitting levels.

BACKGROUND

The quiet-quitting phenomenon is not new but has been frequently discussed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interestingly, the level of quiet quitting among HCWs has not been measured yet.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study with a convenience sample. We measured sociodemographic variables, job burnout, job satisfaction, and quiet quitting. We adhered to STROBE guidelines for cross-sectional studies.

FINDINGS

Among our sample, 67.4% of nurses were quiet quitters, while the prevalence of quiet quitting for physicians and other HCWs was 53.8% and 40.3%, respectively. Multivariable linear regression analysis identified that the levels of quiet quitting were higher among nurses than physicians and other HCWs. Moreover, greater job burnout contributed more to quiet quitting, while less satisfaction implied more quiet quitting. HCWs who work in shifts and those working in the private sector experienced higher levels of quiet quitting.

DISCUSSION

More than half of our HCWs were described as quit quitters. Levels of quiet quitting were higher among nurses. Job burnout and job dissatisfaction were associated with higher levels of quiet quitting.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE AND NURSING POLICY

Measurement of quiet quitting and identification of risk factors are essential to prevent or reduce quiet quitting levels among HCWs. Our study provides information on this field helping managers and organizations to identify quiet quitters within HCWs. Policymakers and managers should develop and implement interventions both at an organizational level and at an individual level.

The Antecedents and Outcomes of Public Service Motivation: A Meta-Analysis Using the Job Demands-Resources Model

Understanding what drives public service motivation and its impacts is crucial for improving public sector performance. This meta-analysis synthesized the antecedents and outcomes of public service motivation based on the job demands-resources (JD-R) model. Incorporating 177 studies and 179 independent samples, with a total of 319 effect sizes, the results indicated the following: (1) Job resources and personal resources were positively related to public service motivation, while hindrance demands were negatively related to it. (2) Public service motivation had a positive relationship with overall job attitudes, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and work engagement. It also had a positive relationship with overall job performance, in-role performance, and extra-role performance. (3) In terms of the antecedents, individualism/collectivism moderated the relationship between job resources and public service motivation, as well as the relationship between hindrance demands and public service motivation. As for the outcomes, individualism/collectivism moderated the relationship between public service motivation and both job attitudes and job performance. This study contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the antecedents and outcomes of public service motivation, offering valuable insights for future research and serving as a reference for theory development and practical application.

The effect of multiple types of workplace violence on burnout risk, sleep quality, and leaving intention among nurses

OBJECTIVE

The aim of our study is to explore the associations between multiple types of workplace violence (WPV) and burnout risk, sleep problems, and leaving intention among nurses.

METHODS

This cross-sectional survey recruited 1,742 nurses, and data on WPV experiences were collected through self-administered questionnaires. Work conditions, burnout risk scales, sleep quality, and leaving intentions were also evaluated. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the associations of WPV with burnout risk, sleep quality, and leaving intentions, adjusting for demographic characteristics and work conditions.

RESULTS

The study found that 66.7% of nurses reported experience of WPV, with 26.9% experiencing both physical and nonphysical forms. Those who experienced multiple types of WPV reported worse work conditions, higher burnout risk, poorer sleep quality, and a stronger leaving intention compared to those without such experiences. Adjusting for working conditions, logistic regression analysis showed that nurses who experienced multiple types of WPV had 2.12-fold higher odds of high personal burnout risk, 2.36-fold higher odds of high client-related burnout risk, 1.95-fold higher odds of poor sleep quality, and 1.80-fold higher odds of high leaving intention, compared to those without WPV experiences.

CONCLUSIONS

Strategies by hospital managers and policymakers to monitor and reduce workplace violence are vital for sustaining nurses' mental health, well-being, and preventing early attrition from the profession.

The leadership challenge of increasing productivity in the workplace without increasing burnout risk

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the critical question of how to increase productivity without also increasing the burnout risk. A systems thinking framework was applied to explore individual perceptions of team dynamics and how they relate to morale, work–life balance (WLB) and hours worked.

Design/methodology/approach

Using an online survey, data from 1,222 Australian workers were analysed using hierarchical multiple regression and principal components analysis (PCA).

Findings

Self-reported productivity was found to be predicted by engagement whereas burnout and morale had minimal impact. Burnout risk was not related to hours worked but was reduced when WLB, quality work and trust is higher. Co-worker effort impacted morale and a factor labelled as team “sense of accomplishment” (SoA) was identified.

Research limitations/implications

The results of this research have limited generalisability to wider populations due to sampling methods, being conducted in the Australian context and respondents coming from a diverse range of occupations. The sample being skewed towards younger age groups and the acknowledged use of single-item measures may also restrict drawing broader conclusions from the results.

Originality/value

A socio-technical systems thinking model to diagnose the link between workplace burnout and productivity is applied. The approach involved understanding the importance of trust and how the connection between people and systems can influence morale.

Positive Organizational Practices, Life Satisfaction, and Psychological Capital in the Public and Private Sectors

Public and private sector employees confronted stressful life circumstances that affected the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, new knowledge on possible psychological and organizational resources is needed. This study aimed to explore positive organizational practices, psychological capital, and life satisfaction of employees in the public and private sectors. The survey applied the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the Psychological Capital Questionnaire—PCQ-24, validated in the Lithuanian population (the Lith-PCQ-21), and the Positive Organizational Practices Questionnaire. The sample consisted of 582 employees, including 443 public sector and 139 private sector employees. The respondents’ mean age was 42.0981 years (SD = 13.23083). The CFA results confirmed the six-factor structure of positive organizational practices, χ2 = 270,884.785; Df = 406; CFI = 0.996; TLI = 0.996; NFI = 0.995; RMSEA = 0.074 [0.070–0.078]; SRMR = 0.043, the four-factor structure of psychological capital, χ2 = 32,780.109; Df = 190; CFI = 0.983; TLI = 0.980; NFI = 0.978; RMSEA = 0.082 [0.076–0.088]; SRMR = 0.067, and one factor structure of life satisfaction, χ2 = 10,588.246; Df = 10; CFI = 0.999; TLI = 0.999; NFI = 0.999; RMSEA = 0.022 [0.000–0.066]; SRMR = 0.014. The findings revealed that private sector employees demonstrated higher scores of dignity, support, care, forgiveness, and overall positive organizational practices than public sector employees. Private sector employees demonstrated higher optimism scores than public sector employees, and public sector employees demonstrated higher self-efficacy scores than private sector employees. Male employees demonstrated significantly higher scores on dignity, meaning, and forgiveness than females. Significant positive correlations were found between age and resilience, care and age, care and number of working years, care and number of working years in the current organization. Psychological capital mediated the link between positive organizational practices and life satisfaction. Positive organizational practices were linked to life satisfaction and psychological capital in both employees’ groups, but the features of links were distinctive in the public and private sectors. These results signify the importance of positive organizational practices and psychological capital for the life satisfaction of employees.

Work-to-Family Conflict and its Associations With Workers' Burnout, Poor Self-Rated Health, and Minor Mental Disorder: A Survey of General Employees in Taiwan

OBJECTIVES

To examine the distribution of work-to-family conflict (W-FC) across socio-demographic groups and a wide spectrum of occupations, and its associations with workers' burnout, self-rated health, and mental health status by sex.

METHODS

A cross-sectional household survey of representative employees was conducted in 2013. A standardized questionnaire was administered to collect information.

RESULTS

W-FC was high in employees aged 35 to 44 years old and in certain occupational groups. Long working hours, rotating work shift, high work demands, high job control, low workplace justice, and family care burden were risk factors for W-FC, and high W-FC score was significantly associated with burnout, poor self-rated health, and minor mental disorder.

CONCLUSIONS

To improve workers' health, it is essential to identify high risk groups and adopt measures to reduce conflicts between work and family life.

Associations between occupational factors and self-rated health in the national Brazilian working population

BACKGROUND

The literature remains seldom on the topic of self-rated health (SRH) among the national working populations of emerging countries. The objectives of the study were to examine the associations of occupational factors with SRH in a national representative sample of the working population in Brazil.

METHODS

This study relied on a cross-sectional sample of 36,442 workers, 16,992 women and 19,450 men. SRH was the studied health outcome. Sixteen occupational factors related to four topics were studied: employment characteristics, working time/hours, psychosocial work factors and physical and chemical work exposures. The associations between occupational factors and SRH were studied using logistic regression models with adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics (age, ethnicity and marital status). The analyses were performed for each gender separately and using weights.

RESULTS

The prevalence of poor SRH was 26.71%, this prevalence being higher among women (29.77%) than among men (24.23%). The following risk factors for poor SRH were found among men and women: working as a self-employed worker, clerk/service worker, manual worker, part-time (≤ 20 h/week), exposure to work stress, exposure to high physical activity and exposure to sun. The risk factors for poor SRH among women only were: working as a domestic worker and exposure to noise, and among men, working in the agriculture sector.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study suggested that occupational factors related to both physical and psychosocial work environment may be associated with SRH in the working population in Brazil. Improving working conditions may be beneficial for health at work in Brazil.

Workplace Violence in Asian Emergency Medical Services: A Pilot Study

Workplace violence among Asian emergency medical services (EMS) has rarely been examined. A cross-sectional, mainly descriptive study using a standardized, paper-based, self-reported questionnaire survey was conducted between August and October 2018 among emergency medical technicians (EMTs) in the Tainan City Fire Bureau, Taiwan. A total of 152 EMT-paramedics responded to the questionnaire survey, constituting an overall response rate of 96.2%. The participants were predominantly male (96.1%), college-educated (4-year bachelor’s degree) (49.3%), and middle-aged (35–44 years old) (63.8%). Among them, 113 (74.3%) and 75 (49.3%) participants had experienced verbal and physical assaults at work, respectively. Only 12 (7.9%) participants were familiar with relevant regulations or codes. The assaults predominantly occurred during evening shifts (16:00–24:00) and at the scene of the emergency. The most predominant violence perpetrators included patients, patients’ families, or patients’ friends. Nearly 10% of participants had experienced verbal assaults from hospital personnel. EMTs who encountered workplace violence rarely completed a paper report, filed for a lawsuit, or sought a psychiatric consultation. Fifty-eight (38.2%) and 16 (10.5%) participants were victims of frequent (at least once every 3 months) verbal and physical forms of violence, respectively; however, no statistically significant association was observed in terms of EMT gender, age, working years, education level, or the number of EMS deployments per month. The prevalence of workplace violence among Asian EMS is considerable and is comparable to that in Western countries. Strategies to prevent workplace violence should be tailored to local practice and effectively implemented.