Drivers of job satisfaction in midwifery-A work design approach

Enhancing midwives' occupational well-being: Lessons from New Zealand's COVID-19 experience

BACKGROUND

The World Health Organization posits that adequate maternity health is possible if midwives are supported, respected, protected, motivated, and equipped to work safely and optimally within interdisciplinary health care teams. Based on qualitative survey data, we argue that the COVID-19 pandemic amplified job demands and resources, professional invisibility, and gender norms to negatively impact midwives' well-being.

PURPOSES

We aim to develop a refined understanding of the antecedents of well-being in midwifery to equip policymakers, administrators, and professional associations with the knowledge to enhance midwives' well-being postpandemic.

METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

Drawing on the Job Demands-Resources model, we thematically analyzed qualitative survey data (N = 215) from New Zealand midwives to reveal how job demands, resources, and structural factors impacted midwives' well-being.

RESULTS

We identified fear of contracting and spreading COVID-19, financial and legal imperatives (job demands), work-related hypervigilance, sense of professional duty, practical and social support, and appreciation and recognition (job resources) as key antecedents of midwives' well-being. These job demands and resources were influenced by professional invisibility and gender norms.

CONCLUSION

Policy and practice solutions must address job demands, resources, and structural factors to meaningfully enhance midwives' well-being postpandemic.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

We recommend that policymakers, administrators, and professional associations monitor for signs of overcommitment and perfectionistic strivings and then take appropriate remedial action. We also suggest that midwives receive equitable pay, sick leave, and other related benefits.

High prevalence of burnout among midwives in Hungary: High job demands and low resources as potential persistent stressors, a focus on prevention

Background

Midwifery practice in Hungary is characterized by chronic stress, which may in turn lead to burnout and impaired perinatal care. However, little is known about the degree and potential stressors of burnout, which hinder the development of strategies to promote well-being among midwives in Hungary.

Aim

To assess the prevalence of burnout and identify persistent individual and occupational stressors among midwives in Hungary over the past decade to inform prevention.

Methods

We conducted two cross-sectional studies among midwives in 2014 and 2022. We used the Maslach Burnout Inventory to assess burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment) over time. We also collected data on individual and work characteristics. We performed a multivariate regression analysis to explore associations between burnout and respondents' characteristics.

Findings

The degree and prevalence of emotional exhaustion among midwives increased significantly between 2014 (N = 224) and 2022 (N = 152). High workload, not feeling valued at work, poorly perceived health status and work dissatisfaction emerged as a significant positive correlate of emotional exhaustion or depersonalization in both studies. Living alone showed both a positive and inverse association with burnout in 2014 and 2022, respectively. Work satisfaction was a positive correlate of personal accomplishment in both studies.

Conclusions

Our results add to and confirm the growing body of evidence about the high prevalence of burnout among midwives in Hungary. We identified potential risk factors and outcomes of burnout, which remained unchanged over time. To prevent or reduce burnout among midwives, future interventions should focus on addressing these potential persistent risk factors. However, the time-varying role of factors influencing burnout makes it advisable to review preventive interventions from time to time.

Influence of the birthing room design on midwives' job satisfaction - A cross-sectional online survey embedded in the 'Be-Up' study

BACKGROUND

Job satisfaction is an important factor influencing work performance, personal well-being, commitment and retention. The working environment influences job satisfaction. The design of the birthing room could influence the practice of midwives and their satisfaction. This study investigates whether the alternative design of the birthing room implemented in the randomized controlled trial 'Be-Up' (Birth environment-Upright position) has an impact on job satisfaction of midwives.

METHOD

A cross-sectional survey using an online questionnaire with 50 items addressing job satisfaction and birth room design was performed. The sample (n = 312) consists of midwives whose obstetric units participated in the Be-Up study and, as comparison group, midwives working in non-study obstetric units. These two independent groups were compared using t-tests; correlations and impacts were examined.

RESULTS

The results of the T-tests revealed statistically significant higher global job satisfaction and higher satisfaction with team support of midwives in the Be-Up room. However, midwives working in customary birthing rooms were more satisfied with the design of the room. The most important predictors of job satisfaction were team factors and understaffing in both groups.

CONCLUSION

Reasons for diminished satisfaction with the working environment in the Be-Up study may be assumed in uncertainties about emergency management in a new and unfamiliar environment. Furthermore the impact of a single redesigned room within a customary obstetric unit on job satisfaction seems small, as the room is embedded in the ward and hospital environment. More comprehensive concepts on the potential of the work environment influencing midwives' job satisfaction are needed.

Toward a contextualized understanding of well-being in the midwifery profession: An integrative review

Our integrative review synthesizes and evaluates two decades of empirical research on well-being in the midwifery profession to reveal (1) how researchers have studied midwives’ well-being; (2) key findings of research on midwives’ well-being; (3) underlying assumptions of this research; and (4) limitations of this research. We find that research on midwives’ well-being is disproportionately focused on individual midwives, who are assumed to be largely responsible for their own well-being, and that well-being in the midwifery profession is generally equated with the absence of mental health problems such as burnout, anxiety, and stress. Researchers have largely taken a narrow and instrumental approach to study midwives’ well-being, focusing on work-related antecedents and consequences, and overlooking the influence of nonwork factors embedded in the broader socioeconomic and cultural environment. Drawing on more comprehensive and contextualized well-being frameworks, we propose a research model that (1) expands the well-being construct as it applies to midwives and (2) situates midwives’ well-being in broader social, economic, political, and cultural contexts. Although developed in the midwifery context, our proposed research model can be applied to a host of professions.

Assessment of the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the perceptions of empowerment in midwifery practice scale-revised (PEMS-R-IT) in midwives

INTRODUCTION

A higher degree of midwives’ empowerment is associated with greater job satisfaction and better midwifery care outcomes for women and their families. Empowered midwives are able to better empower women who in turn have a positive influence on the midwives’ empowerment. The aim of this study was the translation, cultural adaptation, and validation of the perceptions of empowerment in midwifery scale-revised (PEMS-R) in a group of Italian midwives.

METHODS

The World Health Organization (WHO) method was adopted to achieve the PEMS-R Italian version. This process involved five steps: 1) forward translation, 2) expert panel translation, 3) back-translation, 4) pre-testing and cognitive interviewing, and 5) final version. The test’s internal consistency and validity were assessed by following international guidelines. Internal consistency was examined through Cronbach’s alpha (α) coefficient.

RESULTS

The PEMS-R-IT was administered to 147 Italian midwives from northern Italy. Factor analysis of the 19 items, extracted 4 factors that explained 74.96% of the variance. The Student’s t-test for independent samples was used to identify a possible correlation between a higher/lower perception of empowerment and: 1) the education level, and 2) the years of experience of recruited midwives. No statistically significant differences were obtained in either case. The PEMS-R-IT was found to have a good internal consistency for each of its 4 subscales.

CONCLUSIONS

The PEMS-R-IT is a valid and reliable tool, useful to assess midwives’ empowerment. It can be used in both clinical practice and research in order to investigate the level of empowerment of midwives within the Italian national context.

A mixed-methods pilot study exploring midwives’ job satisfaction: Is being of service to women the key?

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this research project was to investigate midwives’ job satisfaction in Australian maternity care settings.

METHODS

A mixed methods pilot study using the convergent parallel design, and a mixed-methods approach was used for this study. The Nursing Workplace Satisfaction questionnaire was used to collect data online via social media platforms, and consisted of Likert Scale responses, and both closed and opened ended questions.

RESULTS

The quantitative results noted an overall positive result to participants’ job satisfaction, however there were areas that participants reported as problematic. These areas were delved into further via the results of the qualitative data which highlighted eight themes that explored the participants’ perception of the worst things that impacted upon their job satisfaction, and also the best things which impacted in relation to their current jobs.

CONCLUSIONS

This study revealed factors including staff shortages, being time-poor, missing basic human rights like meals and comfort breaks which were linked to midwives’ dissatisfaction with their jobs in Australia. The study also identified that midwives valued being of service to women, and that this factor was a driving force in job satisfaction.

Work Values Predict Job Satisfaction among Chinese Teachers during COVID-19: The Mediation Role of Work Engagement

Teachers’ job satisfaction is a prominent aspect that determines workplace well-being and job performance. With the outbreak of COVID-19, changes in the teaching process have emerged (e.g., the shift to online classes and an increase in teaching hours), which might be affecting job satisfaction. A closer look at predictors of teachers’ job satisfaction and the level to which they have influenced teaching satisfaction during the period of COVID-19 pandemic is very important. This survey involved a sample of 2886 Chinese teachers to examine the effects of teachers’ work values on their job satisfaction through the mediating role of work engagement. The analysis by SPSS 25 and PROCESS for SPSS software was run, and the results showed a strong effect of teachers’ work values on job satisfaction (β = 0.203, SE = 0.203, p < 0.01) and of work values on job satisfaction through the mediating role of work engagement (β = 0.204, SE = 0.017, p < 0.01). From the correlation analysis, work values strongly correlated with work engagement (r = 0.499, p < 0.01) and job satisfaction (r = 0.360, p < 0.01). Teachers’ work values and work engagement played a predicting role on job satisfaction among Chinese teachers during this period of the COVID-19 pandemic.