The Consequence of Combined Pain and Stress on Work Ability in Female Laboratory Technicians: A Cross-Sectional Study.

PubMed

Jay, Kenneth; Friborg, Maria Kristine; Sjøgaard, Gisela; Jakobsen, Markus Due; Sundstrup, Emil; Brandt, Mikkel; Andersen, Lars Louis

2015-12-11

Musculoskeletal pain and stress-related disorders are leading causes of impaired work ability, sickness absences and disability pensions. However, knowledge about the combined detrimental effect of pain and stress on work ability is lacking. This study investigates the association between pain in the neck-shoulders, perceived stress, and work ability. In a cross-sectional survey at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark 473 female laboratory technicians replied to questions about stress (Perceived Stress Scale), musculoskeletal pain intensity (scale 0-10) of the neck and shoulders, and work ability (Work Ability Index). General linear models tested the association between variables. In the multi-adjusted model, stress (p < 0.001) and pain (p < 0.001) had independent main effects on the work ability index score, and there was no significant stress by pain interaction (p = 0.32). Work ability decreased gradually with both increased stress and pain. Workers with low stress and low pain had the highest Work Ability Index score (44.6 (95% CI 43.9-45.3)) and workers with high stress and high pain had the lowest score (32.7 (95% CI 30.6-34.9)). This cross-sectional study indicates that increased stress and musculoskeletal pain are independently associated with lower work ability in female laboratory technicians.

Ratings of perceived exertion by women with internal or external locus of control.

PubMed

Hassmén, P; Koivula, N

1996-10-01

Ratings of perceived exertion are frequently used to estimate the strain and effort experienced subjectively by individuals during various forms of physical activity. A number of factors, both physiological and psychological in origin, have been suggested to work as modifiers of the exertion perceived by the individual. It has been reported in nonsport-related research that individuals with an internal locus of control seem to pay more attention to relevant information and use the available information more adequately than individuals with an external locus of control. The reputed inferior information-processing abilities of externals compared with internals could possibly also influence the ratings of perceived exertion, with externals being less accurate in their ratings. Whether locus of control might be such a factor was investigated. Fifty women worked on an ergometer cycle at four different work loads. The results showed statistically significant differences in subjective ratings of perceived exertion between externals and internals, especially at heavier work loads. Such differences might be because of unequal information-processing abilities, as the observed discrepancies occurred at higher work intensities, when more cues are available for processing.

Physicians' occupational stress, depressive symptoms and work ability in relation to their working environment: a cross-sectional study of differences among medical residents with various specialties working in German hospitals

PubMed Central

Bernburg, Monika; Vitzthum, Karin; Groneberg, David A; Mache, Stefanie

2016-01-01

Objectives This study aimed to analyse and compare differences in occupational stress, depressive symptoms, work ability and working environment among residents working in various medical specialties. Methods 435 German hospital residents in medical training working in 6 different medical specialties participated in a cross-sectional survey study. Physicians were asked about their working conditions and aspects of mental health and work ability. The Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire, the Work Ability Index, the ICD-10 Symptom Rating and the Perceived Stress Questionnaire were used to measure working conditions, mental health and work ability. Results Results show that up to 17% of the physicians reported high levels of occupational distress and 9% reported high levels of depressive symptoms. 11% of the hospital physicians scored low in work ability. Significant differences between medical specialties were demonstrated for occupational distress, depressive symptoms, work ability, job demands and job resources. Surgeons showed consistently the highest levels of perceived distress but also the highest levels of work ability and lowest scores for depression. Depressive symptoms were rated with the highest levels by anaesthesiologists. Significant associations between physicians’ working conditions, occupational distress and mental health-related aspects are illustrated. Conclusions Study results demonstrated significant differences in specific job stressors, demands and resources. Relevant relations between work factors and physicians' health and work ability are discussed. These findings should be reinvestigated in further studies, especially with a longitudinal study design. This work suggests that to ensure physicians' health, hospital management should plan and implement suitable mental health promotion strategies. In addition, operational efficiency through resource planning optimisation and work process improvements should be focused by hospital management. PMID:27311909

Medical yoga in the workplace setting-perceived stress and work ability-a feasibility study.

PubMed

Axén, Iben; Follin, Gabriella

2017-02-01

This study examined the feasibility of using an intervention of Medical Yoga in the workplace and investigated its effects on perceived stress and work ability. This was a quasi-experimental pilot study comparing a group who received Medical Yoga (intervention group, N=17), with a group waiting to receive Medical Yoga (control group, N=15). Medical Yoga in nine weekly sessions led by a certified instructor, as well as an instruction film to be followed at home twice weekly. Feasibility was assessed through recruitment, eligibility, willingness to participate, response to questionnaires and adherence to the intervention plan. Stress was measured with the Perceived Stress Scale, work ability with the Work Ability Index. Convincing unit managers to let their employees participate in this intervention was difficult. Eligibility was perfect, but only 40% of workers were willing to participate. The subjects adhered to a great extent to the intervention and answered the questionnaires satisfactorily. Reaching target individuals requires careful attention to informing participants. The intervention showed no significant effects on stress and work ability, though the two measures correlated significantly over time. Factors limiting feasibility of this workplace intervention were identified. Work place interventions may need to be sanctioned at a higher managerial level. The optimal time, length and availability of the workplace intervention should be explored further. Knowledge from this study could be used as a foundation when planning a larger scale study. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Perceived functional ability assessed with the spinal function sort: is it valid for European rehabilitation settings in patients with non-specific non-acute low back pain?

PubMed Central

Hilfiker, R.; Kool, J. P.; Bachmann, S.; Hagen, K. B.

2010-01-01

The aim of this study involving 170 patients suffering from non-specific low back pain was to test the validity of the spinal function sort (SFS) in a European rehabilitation setting. The SFS, a picture-based questionnaire, assesses perceived functional ability of work tasks involving the spine. All measurements were taken by a blinded research assistant; work status was assessed with questionnaires. Our study demonstrated a high internal consistency shown by a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.98, reasonable evidence for unidimensionality, spearman correlations of >0.6 with work activities, and discriminating power for work status at 3 and 12 months by ROC curve analysis (area under curve = 0.760 (95% CI 0.689–0.822), respectively, 0.801 (95% CI 0.731–0.859). The standardised response mean within the two treatment groups was 0.18 and −0.31. As a result, we conclude that the perceived functional ability for work tasks can be validly assessed with the SFS in a European rehabilitation setting in patients with non-specific low back pain, and is predictive for future work status. PMID:20490874

The relationship between physical activity and work ability - A cross-sectional study of teachers.

PubMed

Grabara, Małgorzata; Nawrocka, Agnieszka; Powerska-Didkowska, Aneta

2018-01-01

To assess relationship between physical activity (PA) and perceived work ability amongst teachers from the Upper Silesia, Poland. The study involved 171 teachers (129 women, 42 men) of primary and secondary schools of the Upper Silesia, Poland. Physical education teachers were excluded from the study. The level of PA was estimated using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire short version, and perceived work ability was estimated using Work Ability Index (WAI). Male teachers had significantly higher levels of vigorous-intensity PA, moderateintensity PA, and total weekly PA than female teachers. The recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) met 46% of studied women and 74% of men. Work ability did not differ between male and female teachers. Work ability was related to age, body mass index (BMI), and PA (vigorous-intensity PA, moderate-intensity PA, total weekly PA). The female teachers with excellent or good WAI had significantly higher levels of vigorous-intensity PA, moderate-intensity PA and total weekly PA than female teachers with moderate or poor WAI. The teachers involving in high or moderate intensity PA could improve their work ability. Further studies should focus on relation between physical activity and work ability among teachers of various age and seniority, from both, urban and rural schools. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2018;31(1):1-9. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.

The impact of colorectal cancer and self-efficacy beliefs on work ability and employment status: a longitudinal study.

PubMed

Bains, M; Munir, F; Yarker, J; Bowley, D; Thomas, A; Armitage, N; Steward, W

2012-09-01

We examined how colorectal cancer patients' treatment and symptom management impacted perceptions of work ability and subsequent work decisions. Fifty patients completed questionnaires at baseline (post-surgery/pretreatment), 3 months and 6 months. Questionnaires assessed fatigue, depression, quality-of-life (QoL), cancer self-efficacy, job self-efficacy (JSE) and work ability. Factors related to perceived work ability were occupation (β= 0.31, P= 0.0005) and QoL (β= 0.42, P= 0.01) at baseline, treatment type (β=-0.19, P= 0.05) at 3 months, and JSE at 3 months (β= 0.57, P= 0.0005) and 6 months (β= 0.50, P= 0.006). Factors related to being on sick leave were lower levels of JSE (OR = 2.20, 95% CI: 1.17-4.13) at baseline and being employed in a manual occupation (OR = 0.03, 95% CI: 0.00-0.86), and perceived work ability (OR = 3.05, 95% CI: 1.00-12.80) at 6 months. Along with self-assessed work ability at baseline (β= 0.67, P= 0.0005), receiving chemotherapy or a combination of treatments (β=-0.24, P= 0.05) were the strongest predictors of poorer perceptions of follow-up work ability. Self-efficacy beliefs may add to understanding and should be considered in future research. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

There's no team in I: How observers perceive individual creativity in a team setting.

PubMed

Kay, Min B; Proudfoot, Devon; Larrick, Richard P

2018-04-01

Creativity is highly valued in organizations as an important source of innovation. As most creative projects require the efforts of groups of individuals working together, it is important to understand how creativity is perceived for team products, including how observers attribute creative ability to focal actors who worked as part of a creative team. Evidence from three experiments suggests that observers commit the fundamental attribution error-systematically discounting the contribution of the group when assessing the creative ability of a single group representative, particularly when the group itself is not visually salient. In a pilot study, we found that, in the context of the design team at Apple, a target group member visually depicted alone is perceived to have greater personal creative ability than when he is visually depicted with his team. In Study 1, using a sample of managers, we conceptually replicated this finding and further observed that, when shown alone, a target member of a group that produced a creative product is perceived to be as creative as an individual described as working alone on the same output. In Study 2, we replicated the findings of Study 1 and also observed that a target group member depicted alone, rather than with his team, is also attributed less creative ability for uncreative group output. Findings are discussed in light of how overattribution of individual creative ability can harm organizations in the long run. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Factors of importance for maintaining work as perceived by men with arthritis.

PubMed

Österholm, Johannes Hjalmarsson; Björk, Mathilda; Håkansson, Carita

2013-01-01

Employment rates are significantly lower among individuals with arthritis compared to a general population. There is, however, limited research about how men with arthritis perceive their ability to maintain working. The aim of this study was thus to explore their perception of this. Nine employed men with arthritis were purposively sampled. Interviews were performed and were informed by the central concepts of the Model of Human Occupation. The Empirical Phenomenological Psychological method was modified and used to analyze and interpret collected data. The findings showed that men with arthritis perceived a desire to work, adjusted their activity pattern, were aware of their own capabilities, had good work conditions, had environmental support and used effective medication to maintain their ability to work. The findings suggest that health care professionals can help men with arthritis to find strategies and a balance between recreation and work. Ultimately, this knowledge could guide health care professionals to target men needing interventions to prevent sick leave.

Factors that impact on emergency nurses' ethical decision-making ability.

PubMed

Alba, Barbara

2016-11-10

Reliance on moral principles and professional codes has given nurses direction for ethical decision-making. However, rational models do not capture the emotion and reality of human choice. Intuitive response must be considered. Supporting intuition as an important ethical decision-making tool for nurses, the aim of this study was to determine relationships between intuition, years of worked nursing experience, and perceived ethical decision-making ability. A secondary aim explored the relationships between rational thought to years of worked nursing experience and perceived ethical decision-making ability. A non-experimental, correlational research design was used. The Rational Experiential Inventory measured intuition and rational thought. The Clinical Decision Making in Nursing Scale measured perceived ethical decision-making ability. Pearson's r was the statistical method used to analyze three primary and two secondary research questions. A sample of 182 emergency nurses was recruited electronically through the Emergency Nurses Association. Participants were self-selected. Approval to conduct this study was obtained by the Adelphi University Institutional Review Board. A relationship between intuition and perceived ethical decision-making ability (r = .252, p = .001) was a significant finding in this study. This study is one of the first of this nature to make a connection between intuition and nurses' ethical decision-making ability. This investigation contributes to a broader understanding of the different thought processes used by emergency nurses to make ethical decisions. © The Author(s) 2016.

Contribution of psychological, social, and mechanical work exposures to low work ability: a prospective study.

PubMed

Emberland, Jan S; Knardahl, Stein

2015-03-01

To determine the contribution of specific psychological, social, and mechanical work exposures to the self-reported low level of work ability. Employees from 48 organizations were surveyed over a 2-year period (n = 3779). Changes in 16 work exposures and 3 work ability measures-the work ability index score, perceived current, and future work ability-were tested with Spearman rank correlations. Binary logistic regressions were run to determine contribution of work exposures to low work ability. Role conflict, human resource primacy, and positive challenge were the most consistent predictors of low work ability across test designs. Role clarity and fair leadership were less consistent but prominent predictors. Mechanical exposures were not predictive. To protect employee work ability, work place interventions would benefit from focusing on reducing role conflicts and on promoting positive challenges and human resource primacy.

Effects of requested, forced and denied shift schedule change on work ability and health of nurses in Europe -results from the European NEXT-Study.

PubMed

Galatsch, Michael; Li, Jian; Derycke, Hanne; Müller, Bernd Hans; Hasselhorn, Hans Martin

2013-12-05

Previous cross-sectional findings from the European Nurses Early Exit Study (NEXT) show that nurses who were dissatisfied with their work schedule tended to consider leaving the nursing profession. Mediating factors in this decision process may be caused by self-perceived poor work ability and/or health. The aim of this paper is to investigate changes in work ability and general health among nurses in relation to requested, forced and denied change of shift schedule. Longitudinal data from the NEXT Study was used. In total 11,102 nurses from Belgium, Germany, Finland, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, France and Italy completed both the 'basic questionnaire' (t1) and the '12 month follow-up questionnaire' (t2). To examine the time-effect (repeated measures) and the group-effect of five defined groups of nurses on the Work Ability Index (WAI) and general health (SF36), an adjusted 2-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was performed. The nurses who wanted to, but could not change their shifts during the 12 month follow-up had the lowest initial and follow-up scores for WAI (t1: 37.6, t2: 36.6, p <0.001), lowest general health (t1: 63.9, t2: 59.2, p <0.001) and showed the highest decrease in both outcomes. Shift pattern change in line with the nurses' wishes was associated with improved work ability and to a lesser comparatively low extent with increased decline in health scores. A forced change of shift against the nurses' will was significantly associated with a deteriorating work ability and health. The findings would suggest that nurses' desire to change their shift patterns may be an indicator for perceived low work ability and/or low health. The results also indicate that fulfilling nurses' wishes with respect to their shift work pattern may improve their personal resources such as work ability and - to somewhat lesser extent - health. Disregarding nurses' preferences, however, bears the risk for further resource deterioration. The findings imply that shift schedule organization may constitute a valuable preventive tool to promote nurses' work ability and - to lesser extent - their perceived health, not least in aging nursing work forces.

Physicians' occupational stress, depressive symptoms and work ability in relation to their working environment: a cross-sectional study of differences among medical residents with various specialties working in German hospitals.

PubMed

Bernburg, Monika; Vitzthum, Karin; Groneberg, David A; Mache, Stefanie

2016-06-15

This study aimed to analyse and compare differences in occupational stress, depressive symptoms, work ability and working environment among residents working in various medical specialties. 435 German hospital residents in medical training working in 6 different medical specialties participated in a cross-sectional survey study. Physicians were asked about their working conditions and aspects of mental health and work ability. The Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire, the Work Ability Index, the ICD-10 Symptom Rating and the Perceived Stress Questionnaire were used to measure working conditions, mental health and work ability. Results show that up to 17% of the physicians reported high levels of occupational distress and 9% reported high levels of depressive symptoms. 11% of the hospital physicians scored low in work ability. Significant differences between medical specialties were demonstrated for occupational distress, depressive symptoms, work ability, job demands and job resources. Surgeons showed consistently the highest levels of perceived distress but also the highest levels of work ability and lowest scores for depression. Depressive symptoms were rated with the highest levels by anaesthesiologists. Significant associations between physicians' working conditions, occupational distress and mental health-related aspects are illustrated. Study results demonstrated significant differences in specific job stressors, demands and resources. Relevant relations between work factors and physicians' health and work ability are discussed. These findings should be reinvestigated in further studies, especially with a longitudinal study design. This work suggests that to ensure physicians' health, hospital management should plan and implement suitable mental health promotion strategies. In addition, operational efficiency through resource planning optimisation and work process improvements should be focused by hospital management. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Contribution of Psychological, Social, and Mechanical Work Exposures to Low Work Ability

PubMed Central

Knardahl, Stein

2015-01-01

Objective: To determine the contribution of specific psychological, social, and mechanical work exposures to the self-reported low level of work ability. Methods: Employees from 48 organizations were surveyed over a 2-year period (n = 3779). Changes in 16 work exposures and 3 work ability measures—the work ability index score, perceived current, and future work ability—were tested with Spearman rank correlations. Binary logistic regressions were run to determine contribution of work exposures to low work ability. Results: Role conflict, human resource primacy, and positive challenge were the most consistent predictors of low work ability across test designs. Role clarity and fair leadership were less consistent but prominent predictors. Mechanical exposures were not predictive. Conclusions: To protect employee work ability, work place interventions would benefit from focusing on reducing role conflicts and on promoting positive challenges and human resource primacy. PMID:25470453

Perceived stress and dietary choices: The moderating role of stress management.

PubMed

Errisuriz, Vanessa L; Pasch, Keryn E; Perry, Cheryl L

2016-08-01

Many college students exhibit unhealthy eating behaviors, consuming large quantities of high-fat foods and few fruits and vegetables. Perceived stress has been linked to daily dietary choices among college students; however, this work has been conducted among predominantly white, female populations. The role of perceived stress management in moderating this relationship is unclear. This study investigated the relationship between perceived stress and dietary choices among a diverse sample of male and female college freshmen and assessed whether perceived ability to manage stress moderated this relationship. 613 students from a large, public university completed an online survey which assessed past week consumption of various foods and beverages (e.g. soda, fast food, fruits, vegetables), as well as perceived stress and ability to manage stress. Hierarchical linear regression examined the association between perceived stress and past week dietary choices, and the moderating effect of perceived ability to manage stress, controlling for demographic variables. Perceived stress was positively associated with past week soda, coffee, energy drink, salty snack, frozen food, and fast food consumption (p<0.05). Perceived stress management moderated the relationship between stress and sweet snack consumption. Individuals who reported low ability to manage stress consumed greater amounts. Findings indicate greater stress is associated with poor dietary choices among college freshmen. The relationship between stress and sweet snack consumption was exacerbated among those who reported low ability to manage stress. It may be important for college nutrition education programs to focus on the relationship between stress and diet and promote effective stress management techniques. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

College Students' Integration of Education and Employment: Perceived Intrusion of Personal Problems in the Workplace.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chavous, Dawn; Chambliss, Catherine

In this study students' perceptions of the workplace were analyzed to see how personal problems affected work ability. It was hypothesized that personal problems negatively affect students' ability to complete various types of tasks at work. It was also hypothesized that regardless of their attitudes toward the work environment, the more…

The Impact of Physical Work Demands on Need for Recovery, Employment Status, Retirement Intentions, and Ability to Extend Working Careers: A Longitudinal Study Among Older Workers.

PubMed

Gommans, Fleur G; Jansen, Nicole W H; Mackey, Martin G; Stynen, Dave; de Grip, Andries; Kant, I Jmert

2016-04-01

Prospectively investigating whether different approaches of physical work demands are associated with need for recovery (NFR), employment status, retirement intentions, and ability to prolong working life among older employees from the industry and health care sector. A subsample from the Maastricht Cohort Study was studied (n = 1126). Poisson, Cox, and logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate outcomes. Perceiving physical work demands as strenuous was associated with higher NFR. Continuous physical strain was associated with being out of employment 4 years later. Employees with the highest amount of physical work demands perceived they were less able to prolong working life, although no significant associations between physical work demands and retirement intentions were found. Overall, physical work demands were associated with adverse outcomes, with divergent insights for the different approaches of physical work demands.

Healthcare workers' attitudes to working during pandemic influenza: a qualitative study

PubMed Central

Ives, Jonathan; Greenfield, Sheila; Parry, Jayne M; Draper, Heather; Gratus, Christine; Petts, Judith I; Sorell, Tom; Wilson, Sue

2009-01-01

Background Healthcare workers (HCWs) will play a key role in any response to pandemic influenza, and the UK healthcare system's ability to cope during an influenza pandemic will depend, to a large extent, on the number of HCWs who are able and willing to work through the crisis. UK emergency planning will be improved if planners have a better understanding of the reasons UK HCWs may have for their absenteeism, and what might motivate them to work during an influenza pandemic. This paper reports the results of a qualitative study that explored UK HCWs' views (n = 64) about working during an influenza pandemic, in order to identify factors that might influence their willingness and ability to work and to identify potential sources of any perceived duty on HCWs to work. Methods A qualitative study, using focus groups (n = 9) and interviews (n = 5). Results HCWs across a range of roles and grades tended to feel motivated by a sense of obligation to work through an influenza pandemic. A number of significant barriers that may prevent them from doing so were also identified. Perceived barriers to the ability to work included being ill oneself, transport difficulties, and childcare responsibilities. Perceived barriers to the willingness to work included: prioritising the wellbeing of family members; a lack of trust in, and goodwill towards, the NHS; a lack of information about the risks and what is expected of them during the crisis; fear of litigation; and the feeling that employers do not take the needs of staff seriously. Barriers to ability and barriers to willingness, however, are difficult to separate out. Conclusion Although our participants tended to feel a general obligation to work during an influenza pandemic, there are barriers to working, which, if generalisable, may significantly reduce the NHS workforce during a pandemic. The barriers identified are both barriers to willingness and to ability. This suggests that pandemic planning needs to take into account the possibility that staff may be absent for reasons beyond those currently anticipated in UK planning documents. In particular, staff who are physically able to attend work may nonetheless be unwilling to do so. Although there are some barriers that cannot be mitigated by employers (such as illness, transport infrastructure etc.), there are a number of remedial steps that can be taken to lesson the impact of others (providing accommodation, building reciprocity, provision of information and guidance etc). We suggest that barriers to working lie along an ability/willingness continuum, and that absenteeism may be reduced by taking steps to prevent barriers to willingness becoming perceived barriers to ability. PMID:19216738

Work ability in midlife as a predictor of mortality and disability in later life: a 28-year prospective follow-up study

PubMed Central

von Bonsdorff, Mikaela B.; Seitsamo, Jorma; Ilmarinen, Juhani; Nygård, Clas-Håkan; von Bonsdorff, Monika E.; Rantanen, Taina

2011-01-01

Background Poor work ability correlates with increased morbidity and early retirement from the workforce, but the association in old age is not known. We investigated work ability in midlife among white-collar and blue-collar employees as a predictor of mortality and disability 28 years later. Methods A total of 5971 occupationally active people aged 44–58 years participated in the Finnish Longitudinal Study of Municipal Employees (FLAME) in 1981. Perceived work ability relative to lifetime best was categorized as excellent, moderate or poor. In 2009, the ability to perform activities of daily living was assessed among 2879 respondents (71.0% of the survivors). Mortality data were available up to July 2009. Results At the 28-year follow-up, 1918 of the 5971 participants had died and 1403 had some form of disability. Rates of death per 1000 person-years among white-collar men were 7.7 for those with excellent work ability, 14.7 for those with moderate work ability and 23.5 for those with poor work ability. Among blue-collar men, the corresponding rates were 15.5, 20.2 and 25.3. In women, rates ranged between 6.3 and 10.6 per 1000 person-years. The age-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for mortality were two to three times higher among blue-collar male employees with lower work ability than among white-collar male employees with excellent work ability in midlife (i.e., the reference group). The odds of death or disability at follow-up compared with white-collar workers with excellent work ability were highest among blue-collar employees with poor work ability in midlife (odds ratio [OR] 4.56, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.82–7.37 for men; OR 3.37, 95% CI 2.28–4.98 for women). Among the survivors, similar but slightly lower risks of disability 28 years later were found. Interpretation Perceived poor work ability in midlife was associated with accelerated deterioration in health and functioning and remains evident after 28 years of follow-up. PMID:21282315

Ambiguity and uncertainty tolerance, need for cognition, and their association with stress. A study among Italian practicing physicians

PubMed Central

Iannello, Paola; Mottini, Anna; Tirelli, Simone; Riva, Silvia; Antonietti, Alessandro

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Medical practice is inherently ambiguous and uncertain. The physicians’ ability to tolerate ambiguity and uncertainty has been proved to have a great impact on clinical practice. The primary aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that higher degree of physicians’ ambiguity and uncertainty intolerance and higher need for cognitive closure will predict higher work stress. Two hundred and twelve physicians (mean age = 42.94 years; SD = 10.72) from different medical specialties with different levels of expertise were administered a set of questionnaires measuring perceived levels of work-related stress, individual ability to tolerate ambiguity, stress deriving from uncertainty, and personal need for cognitive closure. A linear regression analysis was performed to examine which variables predict the perceived level of stress. The regression model was statistically significant [R2 = .32; F(10,206) = 8.78, p ≤ .001], thus showing that, after controlling for gender and medical specialty, ambiguity and uncertainty tolerance, decisiveness (a dimension included in need for closure), and the years of practice were significant predictors of perceived work-related stress. Findings from the present study have some implications for medical education. Given the great impact that the individual ability to tolerate ambiguity and uncertainty has on the physicians’ level of perceived work-related stress, it would be worth paying particular attention to such a skill in medical education settings. It would be crucial to introduce or to empower educational tools and strategies that could increase medical students’ ability to tolerate ambiguity and uncertainty. Abbreviations: JSQ: Job stress questionnaire; NFCS: Need for cognitive closure scale; PRU: Physicians’ reactions to uncertainty; TFA: Tolerance for ambiguity PMID:28178917

Ambiguity and uncertainty tolerance, need for cognition, and their association with stress. A study among Italian practicing physicians.

PubMed

Iannello, Paola; Mottini, Anna; Tirelli, Simone; Riva, Silvia; Antonietti, Alessandro

2017-01-01

Medical practice is inherently ambiguous and uncertain. The physicians' ability to tolerate ambiguity and uncertainty has been proved to have a great impact on clinical practice. The primary aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that higher degree of physicians' ambiguity and uncertainty intolerance and higher need for cognitive closure will predict higher work stress. Two hundred and twelve physicians (mean age = 42.94 years; SD = 10.72) from different medical specialties with different levels of expertise were administered a set of questionnaires measuring perceived levels of work-related stress, individual ability to tolerate ambiguity, stress deriving from uncertainty, and personal need for cognitive closure. A linear regression analysis was performed to examine which variables predict the perceived level of stress. The regression model was statistically significant [R 2  = .32; F(10,206) = 8.78, p ≤ .001], thus showing that, after controlling for gender and medical specialty, ambiguity and uncertainty tolerance, decisiveness (a dimension included in need for closure), and the years of practice were significant predictors of perceived work-related stress. Findings from the present study have some implications for medical education. Given the great impact that the individual ability to tolerate ambiguity and uncertainty has on the physicians' level of perceived work-related stress, it would be worth paying particular attention to such a skill in medical education settings. It would be crucial to introduce or to empower educational tools and strategies that could increase medical students' ability to tolerate ambiguity and uncertainty. JSQ: Job stress questionnaire; NFCS: Need for cognitive closure scale; PRU: Physicians' reactions to uncertainty; TFA: Tolerance for ambiguity.

Midlife work ability and mobility limitation in old age among non-disability and disability retirees--a prospective study.

PubMed

von Bonsdorff, Monika E; Rantanen, Taina; Törmäkangas, Timo; Kulmala, Jenni; Hinrichs, Timo; Seitsamo, Jorma; Nygård, Clas-Håkan; Ilmarinen, Juhani; von Bonsdorff, Mikaela B

2016-02-16

Little is known about the wellbeing and mobility limitation of older disability retirees. Personal and environmental factors, such as time spent in working life, may either exacerbate or mitigate the onset of mobility limitation in general population. We aimed to study perceived midlife work ability as a determinant of self-reported mobility limitation in old age among municipal employees who transitioned into non-disability and disability retirement. 4329 participants of the Finnish Longitudinal Study of Municipal Employees (FLAME) had retired during January 1985 and July 2000. They had data on retirement, perceived work ability in 1985, and self-reported mobility limitation (non-disability retirement n = 2870, men 39%; and diagnose-specific disability retirement n = 1459, men 48%). Self-reported mobility was measured in 1985, 1992, 1997 and 2009. The latest score available was used to assess the number of mobility limitation. Work ability was measured by asking the respondents to evaluate their current work ability against their lifetime best in 1985. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for work ability predicting mobility limitation in non-disability and diagnose-specific disability retirement groups were calculated using Poisson regression models. The prevalence of mobility limitation for those who transitioned into non-disability retirement (Incidence Rate, IR = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.44-0.46) was lower compared to those who retired due to disability (IR = 0.65, CI = 0.63-0.66). A one-point increase in the work ability score decreased the risk for having one more mobility limitation among non-disability and all diagnose-specific retirement groups (musculoskeletal disease, cardiovascular disease, mental disorder, and other diseases). Better midlife work ability may protect from old age mobility limitation among those who retire due to non-disability and disability. Promoting work ability in midlife may lead to more independent, active aging, regardless of type of retirement.

Is it a Case of "Work-Anxiety" When Patients Report Bad Workplace Characteristics and Low Work Ability?

PubMed

Muschalla, Beate

2017-03-01

Aims Work-anxiety may produce overly negative views of the workplace that impair provider efforts to assess work ability from patient self-report. This study explores the empirical relationships between patient-reported workplace characteristics, work-anxiety, and subjective and objective work ability measures. Methods 125 patients in medical rehabilitation before vocational reintegration were interviewed concerning their vocational situation, and filled in a questionnaire on work-anxiety, subjective mental work ability and perceived workplace characteristics. Treating physicians gave independent socio-medical judgments concerning the patients' work ability and impairment, and need for supportive means for vocational reintegration. Results Patients with high work-anxiety reported more negative workplace characteristics. Low judgments of work ability were correlated with problematic workplace characteristics. When controlled for work-anxiety, subjective work ability remained related only with social workplace characteristics and with work achievement demands, but independent from situational or task characteristics. Sick leave duration and physicians' judgment of work ability were not significantly related to patient-reported workplace characteristics. Conclusions In socio-medical work ability assessments, patients with high work-anxiety may over-report negative workplace characteristics that can confound provider estimates of work ability. Assessing work-anxiety may be important to assess readiness for returning to work and initiating work-directed treatments.

Information Seeking When Problem Solving: Perspectives of Public Health Professionals.

PubMed

Newman, Kristine; Dobbins, Maureen; Yost, Jennifer; Ciliska, Donna

2017-04-01

Given the many different types of professionals working in public health and their diverse roles, it is likely that their information needs, information-seeking behaviors, and problem-solving abilities differ. Although public health professionals often work in interdisciplinary teams, few studies have explored their information needs and behaviors within the context of teamwork. This study explored the relationship between Canadian public health professionals' perceptions of their problem-solving abilities and their information-seeking behaviors with a specific focus on the use of evidence in practice settings. It also explored their perceptions of collaborative information seeking and the work contexts in which they sought information. Key Canadian contacts at public health organizations helped recruit study participants through their list-servs. An electronic survey was used to gather data about (a) individual information-seeking behaviors, (b) collaborative information-seeking behaviors, (c) use of evidence in practice environments, (d) perceived problem-solving abilities, and (e) demographic characteristics. Fifty-eight public health professionals were recruited, with different roles and representing most Canadian provinces and one territory. A significant relationship was found between perceived problem-solving abilities and collaborative information-seeking behavior (r = -.44, p < .00, N = 58), but not individual information seeking. The results suggested that when public health professionals take a shared, active approach to problem solving, maintain personal control, and have confidence, they are more likely collaborate with others in seeking information to complete a work task. Administrators of public health organizations should promote collaboration by implementing effective communication and information-seeking strategies, and by providing information resources and retrieval tools. Public health professionals' perceived problem-solving abilities can influence how they collaborate in seeking information. Educators in public health organizations should tailor training in information searching to promote collaboration through collaborative technology systems. © 2016 Sigma Theta Tau International.

Perceived stress, pain and work performance among non-patient working personnel with clinical signs of temporomandibular or neck pain.

PubMed

Suvinen, T I; Ahlberg, J; Rantala, M; Nissinen, M; Lindholm, H; Könönen, M; Savolainen, A

2004-08-01

The aim of the present study was to assess the associations between different types of perceived stress, pain and work performance among non-patients with clinical signs of muscle pain in the head/neck region. One-fifth (n = 241) of the 1339 media employees who had participated in a previous survey (Ahlberg J. et al., J Psychosom Res 2002; 53: 1077-1081) were randomly selected for standardized clinical examinations. Altogether 49% (n = 118) of these subjects had clinical signs of temporomandibular and/or neck muscle pain and were enrolled in the present study. The mean age of the study sample was 46.9 years (s.d. 6.6) and the female to male distribution 2:1. Of the 118 employees 46.5% reported that the pain problem interfered with their ability to work. Perceived ability to work was not significantly associated with age, gender or work positions. According to logistic regression, reduced work performance was significantly positively associated with continuous pain [odds ratio (OR) 4.38; 95% CI 1.21-15.7], level of perceived pain severity (OR 1.30; 95% CI 1.04-1.63), and health stress (OR 2.08; 95% CI 1.22-3.54). The results of this study indicated an association between specific self-reported stress regarding health and work issues, pain and work performance. From a preventive perspective this indicates a need for increased awareness about these associations on not only individual level but also at the organizational level and in health care. Copyright 2004 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Factors affecting the employability in people with epilepsy.

PubMed

Wo, Monica Chen Mun; Lim, Kheng Seang; Choo, Wan Yuen; Tan, Chong Tin

2016-12-01

People with epilepsy (PWE) are negatively prejudiced in their ability to work. This study aimed to examine demographic, clinical and psychological factors associated with employability in PWE. This study recruited epilepsy patients from a neurology clinic in Malaysia. Employability was measured using employment ratio, with a ratio ≥90% (ER90) classified as high employability. Basic demographic data such as age, gender, marital status, religion, education level and household income was collected. Clinical measures consisted of age of seizure onset, seizure frequency, type of epilepsy, aura, polytherapy, nocturnal seizures and seizure control. Psychological measures included Work Self-Determination Index (WSDI), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES), and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Of 146 PWE, 64.4% had high employability. The participants were predominantly female (52%), Chinese (50.7%), single (50%), having tertiary education (55.5%) and focal epilepsy (72.6%). Clinically, only type of epilepsy was significantly correlated to employability of PWE. Employability of PWE was associated with ability to work (indicated by education level, work performance affected by seizures, ability to travel independently and ability to cope with stress at work) and family overprotection. The high employability group was found to have lower self-perceived stigma (ESS), higher self-determined motivation (WSDI), self-esteem (SES) and perceived social support (MSPSS), than the low employability group. Logistic regression analysis showed that tertiary education level (AOR 3.42, CI: 1.46-8.00), higher self-determination (WSDI, AOR 1.09, CI: 1.012-1.17), lower family overprotection (AOR 0.76, CI: 0.61-0.95), and generalised epilepsy (AOR 4.17, CI: 1.37-12.70) were significant predictors for higher employability in PWE. Ability to work (education level), clinical factor (type of epilepsy) and psychological factor (self-determined motivation and family overprotection) were important factors affecting employability in PWE. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Internet and everyday life: the perceived implications of internet use on memory and ability to concentrate.

PubMed

Näsi, Matti; Koivusilta, Leena

2013-02-01

The growing role of Internet in all aspects of everyday life has led to speculations over the impacts beyond the traditional questions of access or sociability. This in mind, the main focus in this article was to examine how Finns, for majority of whom Internet use has become commonplace activity, perceive the impacts of Internet use since first adopting the technology. In this study, we examine how Internet user history and perceived computer skills, along with different sociodemographic factors, appear to reflect on the perceived impacts of Internet adoption in terms of memory and ability to concentrate. According to the results, almost one in five of the respondents reported changes concerning their memory or ability to concentrate, with skilled computer users and nonworkers, in particular, perceiving the change. Factors such as age-related differences and exposure to potential information overload at work were identified to explain the perceived change. Our data were collected in a survey-gathering information on the everyday life and well-being of Finns. The sample consisted of 2000 Finnish speakers aged 15 to 64 years. The response rate was 46 percent (N=908).

Predictors of functional independence, quality of life, and return to work in patients with burn injuries in mainland China.

PubMed

Tang, Dan; Li-Tsang, Cecilia W P; Au, Ricky K C; Shen, Xia; Li, Kui-Cheng; Yi, Xian-Feng; Liao, Lin-Rong; Cao, Hai-Yan; Feng, Ya-Nan; Liu, Chuan-Shun

2016-01-01

Burn injury may be associated with long-term rehabilitation and disability, while research studies on the functional performance after injuries, quality of life (QOL), and abilities to return to work of burn patients are limited. These outcomes are related not just to the degree and nature of injuries, but also to the socio-economical background of the society. This study aimed to identify the factors which might affect burn patients' abilities to reintegrate back to the society based on a sample in mainland China. A retrospective study was conducted to collect data of demographic characteristics, medical data about burn injuries, physical and psychological status, and self-perceived QOL at the initial phase and upon discharge from a rehabilitation hospital, timing of rehabilitation, and duration of rehabilitation intervention. Four hundred fifteen patients with burn injuries were recruited in the study. Multiple linear regression and logistic regression were used to obtain a model to predict the functional abilities and the perceived QOL at discharge and their changes during rehabilitation, as well as the post-injury work status within 6 months after discharge. The functional performance at discharge and its change were significantly predicted by the functional abilities and QOL at the admission, duration of treatment, timing of rehabilitation, payer source, and total body surface area burned. The perceived QOL at discharge and its change were significantly predicted by the baseline QOL at admission and duration of treatment. The significant predictors of work status within 6 months post-discharge included age, education, payer source, total body surface area burned, perceived QOL, and bodily pain at admission. The present study identified a number of factors affecting the rehabilitation outcomes of people with burn injuries. Identification of these predictors may help clinicians assess the rehabilitation potential of burn survivors and assist in resource allocation. Policy makers should ensure that resources are adequate to improve the outcomes based on these factors.

Assessing Japanese Language Needs for Business and Professional Use.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saito, Yoshiko

A study is reported that aimed to: (1) assess perceived needs of Japanese language by students and business faculty; (2) assess Japanese language needs of business professionals who work with Japan; (3) determine what language abilities and levels of proficiency are desired; and (4) identify perceived problem areas and ways that they are handled…

Perceived Effectiveness of Classroom Management Interventions with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conforti, Darlene

2012-01-01

Many teachers are concerned about their ability to work effectively with students who have attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The purpose of this quantitative, descriptive study was to determine the perceived efficacy of common interventions used to address negative ADHD behaviors in the elementary and middle school classrooms. The…

Teachers' work ability: a study of relationships between collective efficacy and self-efficacy beliefs.

PubMed

Guidetti, Gloria; Viotti, Sara; Bruno, Andreina; Converso, Daniela

2018-01-01

Work ability constitutes one of the most studied well-being indicators related to work. Past research highlighted the relationship with work-related resources and demands, and personal resources. However, no studies highlight the role of collective and self-efficacy beliefs in sustaining work ability. The purpose of this study was to examine whether and by which mechanism work ability is linked with individual and collective efficacies in a sample of primary and middle school teachers. Using a dataset consisting of 415 primary and middle school Italian teachers, the analysis tested for the mediating role of self-efficacy between collective efficacy and work ability. Mediational analysis highlights that teachers' self-efficacy totally mediates the relationship between collective efficacy and perceived work ability. Results of this study enhance the theoretical knowledge and empirical evidence regarding the link between teachers' collective efficacy and self-efficacy, giving further emphasis to the concept of collective efficacy in school contexts. Moreover, the results contribute to the study of well-being in the teaching profession, highlighting a process that sustains and promotes levels of work ability through both collective and personal resources.

Work ability: concept and assessment from a physiotherapeutic perspective. An interview study.

PubMed

Stigmar, K; Ekdahl, C; Grahn, B

2012-07-01

The aim of this study was to ascertain experiences and perceptions among physiotherapists (PTs) in Sweden regarding the concept of work ability as well as their perspectives of their professional role in work ability assessments. We conducted an in-depth interview study with four male and twelve female physiotherapists working in the field of occupational health care, orthopaedics, primary health care or rehabilitation. Qualitative content analysis was applied to the data. Work ability was perceived as the ability to perform work tasks as requested. Having the potential to adjust at work and to allocate resources, having an attachment to the workplace and time factors were vital. The physiotherapists were striving for a well-defined role within a multiprofessional team, where work ability assessments were performed in a real work environment. The PTs experienced contradictory roles in relation to the patient but believed they could contribute with valuable material for assessments; this professional help was not always requested. It was noted that there was a need for experience and further education to enable PTs to further engage in work ability assessments. It is important to improve collaboration and to further discuss the work ability concept from the viewpoints of different professionals.

Occupational stress is associated with impaired work ability and reduced quality of life in patients with chronic kidney failure.

PubMed

Neri, Luca; Rocca Rey, Luisa A; Gallieni, Maurizio; Brancaccio, Diego; Cozzolino, Mario; Colombi, Antonio; Burroughs, Thomas E

2009-05-01

About 300,000 patients in the United States with Chronic Kidney Failure (CKF) are of working age, but up to 70% lose their job within the first year of renal replacement therapy .No study has examined how work ability and perceived health are influenced by the subjects' adjustment to their job. We assessed the association of occupational stress (Effort-Reward Imbalance, ERI),work ability (WAI) and health-related quality of life (QoL) in hemodialysis. 40 employed hemodialysis patients completed a self-administered questionnaire. Associations between ERI, short Form 12 (sF-12), short Form - 6 Dimensions (sF-6D), Kidney Disease QOL- 36 (KDQOL-36) and WAI were tested with partial Spearman's correlation adjusted for age, income, and comorbidity burden. Study subjects were mainly low-income (82%), african-american (73%), men (75%); 16 were manual laborers and 9 worked in the industrial sector. Study subjects reported low levels of Occupational Stress: ERI scores indicated an imbalance between Job Efforts and Rewards in only 3 subjects. Nevertheless, ERI scores were inversely and strongly associated with WAI (rho=-0.41, p<0.012) and all QoL scales even after adjustment for known confounders. Our study suggests that psychosocial workplace factors may play a substantial role in modulating patients' health perception and ability to continue working. The causal relationship between Occupational stress, perceived health, and work ability should be further investigated. Occupational Health professionals and nephrologists should closely collaborate to meet the needs of occupationally active hemodialysis patients.

The effect of perceived person-job fit on employee attitudes toward change in trauma centers.

PubMed

Zatzick, Christopher D; Zatzick, Douglas F

2013-01-01

Employee attitudes toward change are critical for health care organizations implementing new procedures and practices. When employees are more positive about the change, they are likely to behave in ways that support the change, whereas when employees are negative about the change, they will resist the changes. This study examined how perceived person-job (demands-abilities) fit influences attitudes toward change after an externally mandated change. Specifically, we propose that perceived person-job fit moderates the negative relationship between individual job impact and attitudes toward change. We examined this issue in a sample of Level 1 trauma centers facing a regulatory mandate to develop an alcohol screening and brief intervention program. A survey of 200 providers within 20 trauma centers assessed perceived person-job fit, individual job impact, and attitudes toward change approximately 1 year after the mandate was enacted. Providers who perceived a better fit between their abilities and the new job demands were more positive about the change. Further, the impact of the alcohol screening and brief intervention program on attitudes toward change was mitigated by perceived fit, where the relationship between job impact and change attitudes was more negative for providers who perceived a worse fit as compared with those who perceived a better fit. Successful implementation of changes to work processes and procedures requires provider support of the change. Management can enhance this support by improving perceived person-job fit through ongoing training sessions that enhance providers' abilities to implement the new procedures.

Working overtime in community mental health: Associations with clinician burnout and perceived quality of care.

PubMed

Luther, Lauren; Gearhart, Timothy; Fukui, Sadaaki; Morse, Gary; Rollins, Angela L; Salyers, Michelle P

2017-06-01

Funding cuts have increased job demands and threatened clinicians' ability to provide high-quality, person-centered care. One response to increased job demands is for clinicians to work more than their official scheduled work hours (i.e., overtime). We sought to examine the frequency of working overtime and its relationships with job characteristics, work-related outcomes, and quality of care in community health clinicians. One hundred eighty-two clinicians completed demographic and job characteristics questions and measures of burnout, job satisfaction, turnover intention, work-life conflict, and perceived quality of care. Clinicians also reported the importance of reducing stress and their confidence in reducing their stress. Clinicians who reported working overtime were compared to clinicians that did not on demographic and job characteristics and work-related outcomes. Ninety-four clinicians (52%) reported working overtime in a typical week. Controlling for exempt status and group differences in time spent supervising others, those working overtime reported significantly increased burnout and work-life conflict and significantly lower job satisfaction and quality of care than those not working overtime. Clinicians working overtime also reported significantly greater importance in reducing stress but less confidence in their ability to reduce stress than those not working overtime. There were no significant group differences for turnover intention. Working overtime is associated with negative consequences for clinician-related work outcomes and perceived quality of care. Policies and interventions aimed at reducing overtime and work-related stress and burnout may be warranted in order to improve quality of care. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Working Overtime in Community Mental Health: Associations with Clinician Burnout and Perceived Quality of Care

PubMed Central

Luther, Lauren; Gearhart, Timothy; Fukui, Sadaaki; Morse, Gary; Rollins, Angela L.; Salyers, Michelle P.

2017-01-01

Objective Funding cuts have increased job demands and threatened clinicians’ ability to provide high-quality, person-centered care. One response to increased job demands is for clinicians to work more than their official scheduled work hours (i.e., overtime). We sought to examine the frequency of working overtime and its relationships with job characteristics, work-related outcomes, and quality of care in community health clinicians. Methods One hundred and eighty-two clinicians completed demographic and job characteristics questions and measures of burnout, job satisfaction, turnover intention, work-life conflict, and perceived quality of care. Clinicians also reported the importance of reducing stress and their confidence in reducing their stress. Clinicians who reported working overtime were compared to clinicians that did not on demographic and job characteristics and work-related outcomes. Results Ninety-four clinicians (52%) reported working overtime in a typical week. Controlling for exempt status and group differences in time spent supervising others, those working overtime reported significantly increased burnout and work-life conflict and significantly lower job satisfaction and quality of care than those not working overtime. Clinicians working overtime also reported significantly greater importance in reducing stress but less confidence in their ability to reduce stress than those not working overtime. There were no significant group differences for turnover intention. Conclusions and Implications for Practice Working overtime is associated with negative consequences for clinician-related work outcomes and perceived quality of care. Policies and interventions aimed at reducing overtime and work-related stress and burnout may be warranted in order to improve quality of care. PMID:27786520

Experiences of work ability in young workers: an exploratory interview study.

PubMed

Boström, Maria; Holmgren, Kristina; Sluiter, Judith K; Hagberg, Mats; Grimby-Ekman, Anna

2016-05-01

The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of and influences on work ability in young workers related to their work and life situation. In a qualitative study of a strategic sample of 12 young female and 12 young male workers, aged 25-30 years, in work or recently left work, recruited from the 5-year follow-up of a Swedish cohort, semi-structured interviews were performed to explore the experiences of work ability in these young workers. Systematic text condensation inspired by phenomenology was used in the analysis. Work ability was experienced as complex, consisting of four themes, each with three subthemes. To be alert and have energy, to possess sufficient education, skills and working life experience and experience meaningfulness and engagement in work, were perceived to be fundamental for work ability and were seen as the worker's own responsibility. Moreover, work ability can be improved or reduced by the psychosocial work climate, the work organization and the private life. Optimal work ability was experienced when all themes integrated in a positive way. Work ability was experienced as the worker's own responsibility that could be influenced by work circumstances and private life. To promote good work ability among young workers, work ability has to be understood in its specific context. Whether the understanding of work ability found in this study is explicit for the group of young adults needs to be explored in a more general population in further research.

Human Services Students' Attitudes toward Working with an Inner-City Gang Member: The Case of Alphonse.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ancis, Julie R.; Burke, Mary C.

1997-01-01

Investigates the attitudes of 91 human service counseling students toward working with an inner-city gang member. Results reveal qualitative differences in students' self-perceived ability to work with this client. Presents implications for human service education and training. (MKA)

Perceived work ability, quality of life, and fatigue in patients with rheumatoid arthritis after a 6-month course of TNF inhibitors: prospective intervention study and partial economic evaluation.

PubMed

Hoving, J L; Bartelds, G M; Sluiter, J K; Sadiraj, K; Groot, I; Lems, W F; Dijkmans, B A C; Wijbrandts, C A; Tak, P P; Nurmohamed, M T; Voskuyl, A E; Frings-Dresen, M H W

2009-01-01

The objective of this exploratory study was to evaluate the effects and costs of a 6-month course of tumour necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors on work ability, quality of life, and fatigue in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In this prospective single-arm intervention study 59 consecutive patients of working age with established RA were recruited from an outpatient clinic in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. All patients received fortnightly subcutaneous injections of 40 mg adalimumab. The three outcomes at baseline and 6 months were: perceived work ability [Work Ability Index (WAI)], quality of life [Rheumatoid Arthritis Quality of Life instrument (RAQoL)], and fatigue [Checklist Individual Strength (CIS), Need for Recovery (NFR) scale]. Cost data of the preceding 6 months were collected using a self-administered patient questionnaire at baseline and follow-up. At 6 months, all outcomes showed a statistically significant improvement in mean scores from baseline, ranging from 10.0% (WAI), to 11.7% (RAQoL), to 15% (NFR) (subgroup paid work, n = 26). The total mean costs showed a twofold increase in mean costs per week per patient [difference EUR 169, 95% confidence interval (CI) EUR 113-226]. In this short-term exploratory evaluation, a 6-month course of TNF inhibitors improved work ability and quality of life, and reduced fatigue in patients with established RA. These effects are associated with an increase in total healthcare costs, attributable to the costs of TNF inhibitors. Randomized controlled trials with a longer follow-up are needed to show a long-term effect on work disability and the potential cost-effectiveness of TNF inhibitors.

Teachers’ work ability: a study of relationships between collective efficacy and self-efficacy beliefs

PubMed Central

Guidetti, Gloria; Viotti, Sara; Bruno, Andreina; Converso, Daniela

2018-01-01

Introduction Work ability constitutes one of the most studied well-being indicators related to work. Past research highlighted the relationship with work-related resources and demands, and personal resources. However, no studies highlight the role of collective and self-efficacy beliefs in sustaining work ability. Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine whether and by which mechanism work ability is linked with individual and collective efficacies in a sample of primary and middle school teachers. Materials and methods Using a dataset consisting of 415 primary and middle school Italian teachers, the analysis tested for the mediating role of self-efficacy between collective efficacy and work ability. Results Mediational analysis highlights that teachers’ self-efficacy totally mediates the relationship between collective efficacy and perceived work ability. Conclusion Results of this study enhance the theoretical knowledge and empirical evidence regarding the link between teachers’ collective efficacy and self-efficacy, giving further emphasis to the concept of collective efficacy in school contexts. Moreover, the results contribute to the study of well-being in the teaching profession, highlighting a process that sustains and promotes levels of work ability through both collective and personal resources. PMID:29861646

Effects of Speed and Grade Change on the Ability to Reproduce a Standard Work Effort

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Michael, Ernest D., Jr.; Katch, Victor

1977-01-01

While running up an incline at a speed chosen by themselves, subjects apparently will perceive the work effort to be the same as running on the level, when in fact it is costing them more energy. (MM)

Securing and sustaining employment: concerns of HIV patients in Singapore.

PubMed

Tan, Si Ying; Ow Yong, Lai Meng; Foong, Jasmin Yuet Ee; Wong, Nicole Huay Sze; Chew, Li Ling; Koh, Yin Ling

2013-01-01

Employment sustainability is one of the most pressing issues inflicting people living with HIV (PLHIV). A qualitative approach was used to elucidate the perceived challenges in sustaining their employment and the perceived barriers in re-entering the workforce for HIV patients. In-depth interviews were conducted with 16 patients from an acute hospital in Singapore. The main challenges raised in sustaining employment were: (1) ability to ensure secrecy of diagnosis from employers, (2) ability to secure financial resources for treatment and sustenance, (3) ability to ensure stable health to meet job requirements, (4) ability to cognitively sit with the concerns of uncertainty and limitations in career, and (5) ability to work through discriminatory workplace practices. The perceived barriers in gaining workforce re-entry were: (1) fear of pre-employment medical screening and potential discriminatory practices at workplace, (2) concerns over health (frequent hospital admissions, physical weakness, and existing medical co-morbidities), and (3) psychosocial challenges (unstable accommodation, older age, financial issues, and trade skills limitation). The overarching factor that influences the success of sustaining and securing an employment among HIV patients is secrecy of the diagnosis. The individuals' health status, financial status and access to healthcare, and other psychosocial challenges further compound the issue.

Production practices affecting worker task demands in concrete operations: A case study.

PubMed

Memarian, Babak; Mitropoulos, Panagiotis

2015-01-01

Construction work involves significant physical, mental, and temporal task demands. Excessive task demands can have negative consequences for safety, errors and production. This exploratory study investigates the magnitude and sources of task demands on a concrete operation, and examines the effect of the production practices on the workers' task demands. The NASA Task Load Index was used to measure the perceived task demands of two work crews. The operation involved the construction of a cast-in-place concrete building under high schedule pressures. Interviews with each crew member were used to identify the main sources of the perceived demands. Extensive field observations and interviews with the supervisors and crews identified the production practices. The workers perceived different level of task demands depending on their role. The production practices influenced the task demands in two ways: (1) practices related to work organization, task design, resource management, and crew management mitigated the task demands; and (2) other practices related to work planning and crew management increased the crew's ability to cope with and adapt to high task demands. The findings identify production practices that regulate the workers' task demands. The effect of task demands on performance is mitigated by the ability to cope with high demands.

Perceived cognitive function in coronary artery disease--an unrecognised predictor of unemployment.

PubMed

Kiessling, Anna; Henriksson, Peter

2005-08-01

We aimed to assess whether perceived cognitive function influences employment and return to work in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Prospective longitudinal cohort study. Health care system of Södertälje, Stockholm County, Sweden. We included consecutive unselected patients less than 65 years of age with CAD and followed them during 2 years. Gainful employment and return to work in patients with CAD. We found that perceived cognitive function predicts both prevalence of unemployment [OR 2.06 (95% CI: 1.36-3.13); p = 0.0006] and early retirement and sick leave due to coronary artery disease [OR 1.59 (95% CI: 1.12-2.25)] both at baseline and 2 years later. Furthermore, perceived cognitive function predicted return to work after an acute coronary event [OR 2.28 (95% CI: 1.08-4.84)]. Covariates such as age, sex, prevalence and degree of angina (CCS grade), cardiovascular risk factors and events did not change the predictive power. Perceived cognitive function is a hitherto unrecognised independent predictor of unemployment, sick leave and return to work in patients with coronary artery disease. Perceived cognitive function adds a new perspective on ability to gainful employment in patients with CAD. The findings might have significance both to individual care and to society.

Group Projects with Millennials: The Question of Not Why…but How

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kendall, Catherine; Etheredge, Jessica; Moody, Dana; Cooper, Ashley

2014-01-01

The ability to work in groups is fundamental to education and professional environments. Today's classrooms are predominately filled with Millennials who have been working in teams their whole lives. Millennials enjoy group work because it is perceived as more fun and gives them a sense of unity and collaboration; unfortunately, it also gives them…

Changes in Studying Abilities as Perceived by Students Attending Psychotherapy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Härkäpää, Kristiina; Junttila, Outi; Lindfors, Olavi; Järvikoski, Aila

2014-01-01

In rehabilitative psychotherapy, the goal is to support and improve the person's working and studying capacity and to secure his/her staying in or entering the workforce. In this qualitative study, the aim was to describe the changes students experienced in their studying ability and the advancement of their studies as a result of the therapy…

Numerosity and Number Signs in Deaf Nicaraguan Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flaherty, Molly; Senghas, Ann

2011-01-01

What abilities are entailed in being numerate? Certainly, one is the ability to hold the exact quantity of a set in mind, even as it changes, and even after its members can no longer be perceived. Is counting language necessary to track and reproduce exact quantities? Previous work with speakers of languages that lack number words involved…

Service-Learning Enhances Physical Therapy Students' Ability to Examine Fall Risk in Older Adults.

PubMed

Nordon-Craft, Amy; Schwarz, Brandy; Kowalewski, Victoria; Hartos, Jessica; Jurado Severance, Jennifer; Bugnariu, Nicoleta

2017-01-01

Service-learning (SL) is one educational methodology that provides students opportunities to practice and refine affective, cognitive and psychomotor skills in a community-based setting. The aims of this study were: 1) to investigate the impact of SL on physical therapy (PT) students' attitudes and perceived clinical competence when working with older adults, and 2) to evaluate the difference between perceptions of students who developed and implemented the SL activity vs those who implemented only. Eighty PT students, (from two consecutive cohorts) enrolled in a first-year geriatrics course, participated in this study. The first cohort designed and implemented the SL activities, while the second cohort only implemented these activities. Student self-perceived anxiety, confidence, knowledge and skills were assessed by pre- and post-SL surveys using a 5- point Likert-like scale. Both cohorts reported similar anxiety and confidence levels pre-SL. For both cohorts, with the exception of one item, all responses to anxiety items significantly decreased from pre- to post-SL. All students' confidence levels for assessing and mitigating fall risk in older adults increased post-SL (p<0.01). Moreover, students in cohort 1, who designed and delivered SL activities, expressed self-perceived improvement in their ability to interpret results of evaluations, to determine type and severity of balance impairments, and to serve a geriatric population (p<0.05) compared to students in cohort 2 who only implemented the activities. Embedding SL into a geriatrics course decreased self-perceived anxiety and improved student confidence regarding working with older adults. Also, empowering students to be actively involved in the design and implementation of SL increased self-perceived ability in interpreting results from assessments.

Teamwork: a study of Australian and US student speech-language pathologists.

PubMed

Morrison, Susan C; Lincoln, Michelle A; Reed, Vicki A

2009-05-01

In the discipline of speech-language pathology little is known about the explicit and implicit team skills taught within university curricula. This study surveyed 281 speech-language pathology students to determine a baseline of their perceived ability to participate in interprofessional teams. The students were enrolled in programs in Australia and the USA and were surveyed about their perceptions of their attitudes, knowledge and skills in teamwork. MANCOVA analysis for main effects of age, university program and clinical experience showed that age was not significant, negating the perception that life experiences improve perceived team skills. Clinical experience was significant in that students with more clinical experience rated themselves more highly on their team abilities. Post Hoc analysis revealed that Australian students rated themselves higher than their US counterparts on their knowledge about working on teams, but lower on attitudes to teams; all students perceived that they had the skills to work on teams. These results provide insight about teamwork training components in current speech-language pathology curricula. Implications are discussed with reference to enhancing university training programs.

The impact of personal-, disease- and work-related factors on work ability of women with breast cancer living in the community: a cross-sectional survey study.

PubMed

Cheung, Kin; Ching, Siu Yin Shirley; Chan, Amy; Cheung, Doris; Cheung, Suk Yee Polly

2017-11-01

The aims of this study were to identify the work ability (WA) of breast cancer (BC) survivors during the course of their illness, and the relationships between personal-, disease-, and work-related factors, and their WA. This is a cross-sectional survey study. One hundred fifty-one participants with the response rate of 88.9% were recruited from the community in 2014 and 2015. BC survivors' WA was at its highest before diagnosis, and then dropped to the lowest during treatment. Although their current WA had improved, it has not bounced back to that before diagnosis. The resignation rate was 35.8%. Factors positively associated with current WA included (a) age and year of diagnosis, (b) physical and psychological health and (c) WA before diagnosis or during treatment, working years, work control and mastery. However, compliance with appropriate healthy eating habits and believing in personal health controlled by chance were negatively associated with current WA. Furthermore, the participants would more likely to have higher current WA if they (a) were more optimistic with good stress management; (b) currently were not receiving treatment or other illnesses; (c) perceived less effects of their health problems, physical workloads or their cancer diagnoses on their work and (d) perceived continue to work in the next 2 years, with good ability to handle physical and mental work. This study confirmed that most BC survivors continued to work after their diagnoses. The factors affecting their WA were multifactorial. It is important to enhance their positive thinking.

The Use of Negative Reinforcement in the Management of Television Newsrooms in the Southwestern U.S.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swanson, Douglas J.

A study highlighted the extent to which TV news directors and subordinates perceived negative reinforcement to be used to help establish working climate in their newsrooms, and examined the differences in their perceptions that working climate affects personal ability to do "best" work on the job. Twenty news directors and 40…

Career Adapt-Abilities Scale--Italian Form: Psychometric Properties and Relationships to Breadth of Interests, Quality of Life, and Perceived Barriers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soresi, Salvatore; Nota, Laura; Ferrari, Lea

2012-01-01

The Career Adapt-Abilities Scale (CAAS)-Italian Form consists of four 6-item scales, which measure concern, control, curiosity, and confidence as psychosocial resources for managing occupational transitions, developmental tasks, and work traumas. The 24-item CAAS-Italian Form is identical to the International Form 2.0. The factor structure was…

Unregistered health care staff's perceptions of 12 hour shifts: an interview study.

PubMed

Thomson, Louise; Schneider, Justine; Hare Duke, Laurie

2017-10-01

The purpose of the study was to explore unregistered health care staff's perceptions of 12 hour shifts on work performance and patient care. Many unregistered health care staff work 12 hour shifts, but it is unclear whether these are compatible with good quality care or work performance. Twenty five health care assistants from a range of care settings with experience of working 12 hour shifts took part in interviews or focus groups. A wide range of views emerged on the perceived impact of 12 hour shifts in different settings. Negative outcomes were perceived to occur when 12 hour shifts were combined with short-staffing, consecutive long shifts, high work demands, insufficient breaks and working with unfamiliar colleagues. Positive outcomes were perceived to be more likely in a context of control over shift patterns, sufficient staffing levels, and a supportive team climate. The perceived relationship between 12 hour shifts and patient care and work performance varies by patient context and wider workplace factors, but largely focuses on the ability to deliver relational aspects of care. Nursing managers need to consider the role of other workplace factors, such as shift patterns and breaks, when implementing 12 hour shifts with unregistered health care staff. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Ecological validity of neuropsychological assessment and perceived employability.

PubMed

Wen, Johnny H; Boone, Kyle; Kim, Kevin

2006-11-01

Ecological validity studies that have examined the relationship between cognitive abilities and employment in psychiatric and medical populations have found that a wide range of cognitive domains predict employability, although memory and executive skills appear to be the most important. However, no information is available regarding a patient's self-perceived work attributes and objective neuropsychological performance, and whether the same cognitive domains associated with successful employment are also related to a patient's self-perception of work competence. In the present study, 73 medical and psychiatric patients underwent comprehensive neuropsychological assessment. Step-wise multiple regression analyses revealed that the visual-spatial domain was the only significant predictor of self-perceived work attributes and work competence as measured by the Working Inventory (WI) and the Work Adjustment Inventory (WAI), accounting for 7% to 10% of inventory score variability. The results raise the intriguing possibility that targeting of visual spatial skills for remediation and development might play a separate and unique role in the vocational rehabilitation of a lower SES population, specifically, by leading to enhanced self-perception of work competence as these individuals attempt to enter the job market.

The Roles of Cognitive and Motivational Predictors in Explaining School Achievement in Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weber, Heike S.; Lu, Liping; Shi, Jiannong; Spinath, Frank M.

2013-01-01

The present study investigated the roles of cognitive (working memory, intelligence) and motivational variables (self-perceived ability, intrinsic value) in explaining school achievement. The sample consisted of N = 320 German elementary school children in the fourth grade. Working memory and intelligence were assessed in the classroom.…

On the Conceptual Ambiguity Surrounding Perceived Message Effectiveness

PubMed Central

Yzer, Marco; LoRusso, Susan; Nagler, Rebekah H.

2015-01-01

Health message quality is best understood in terms of a message’s ability to effectively produce change in the variables that it was designed to change. The importance of determining a message’s effectiveness in producing change prior to implementation is clear: The better a message’s potential effectiveness is understood, the better able interventionists are to distinguish effective from ineffective messages before allocating scarce resources to message implementation. For this purpose, research has relied on perceived message effectiveness measures as a proxy of a message’s potential effectiveness. Remarkably, however, very little conceptual work has been done on perceived message effectiveness, which renders its measures under-informed and inconsistent across studies. To encourage greater conceptual work on this important construct, we review several threats to the validity of existing measures and consider strategies for improving our understanding of perceived message effectiveness. PMID:25470437

Values and religiosity as predictors of engagement in social justice.

PubMed

Torres-Harding, Susan R; Carollo, Olivia; Schamberger, Antú; Clifton-Soderstrom, Karl

2013-01-01

Some researchers have suggested that values, including religious values and motivations, might facilitate social justice work. Individuals might view social justice work as an expression of religious beliefs, values, and practices, or as an expression of their personal morals and values. The current study examined the role of religious variables and secular values to predict attitudes, intentions to engage in social justice, perceived norms around social justice, and perceived ability to engage in social justice within a culturally and religiously diverse student population. Implications of the study results for social justice education are presented and discussed.

The relationship between meeting of recommendations on physical activity for health and perceived work ability among white-collar workers.

PubMed

Nawrocka, Agnieszka; Garbaciak, Wiesław; Cholewa, Jarosław; Mynarski, Władysław

2018-04-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between meeting recommendations on physical activity for health in leisure-time and the ability to work among Polish white-collar workers. The study used a cross-sectional design with a convenience sample of 360 white-collar workers. Participants recorded 7-day physical activity logs, including form, duration and intensity of leisure-time physical activities. The results were compared to health recommendations. A standardized Work Ability Index (WAI) questionnaire was used in assessing the ability to work. Participants who met health recommendations achieved higher scores of the WAI (mean score = 41.93) in comparison to those who were not sufficiently physically active (mean score = 39.35) (p < .001). The results of binary logistic regression show that meeting health-related physical activity recommendations almost double the odds of reaching at least good work ability (OR = 1.94, 95% CI = 1.12-3.36). Meeting leisure-time physical activity recommendations (especially the criterion of vigorous physical activity) is significantly related to higher self-assessed ability to work among white-collar workers.

Trajectories of Perceived Workplace Age Discrimination and Long-Term Associations With Mental, Self-Rated, and Occupational Health.

PubMed

Marchiondo, Lisa A; Gonzales, Ernest; Williams, Larry J

2017-07-12

This study addresses older employees' trajectories of perceived workplace age discrimination, and the long-term associations among perceived age discrimination and older workers' mental and self-rated health, job satisfaction, and likelihood of working past retirement age. We evaluate the strength and vulnerability integration (SAVI) model. Three waves of data from employed participants were drawn from the Health and Retirement Study (N = 3,957). Latent growth modeling was used to assess relationships between the slopes and the intercepts of the variables, thereby assessing longitudinal and cross-sectional associations. Perceived workplace age discrimination tends to increase with age, although notable variance exists. The initial status of perceived age discrimination relates to the baseline statuses of depression, self-rated health, job satisfaction, and likelihood of working past retirement age in the expected directions. Over time, perceived age discrimination predicts lower job satisfaction and self-rated health, as well as elevated depressive symptoms, but not likelihood of working past retirement age. This study provides empirical support for the SAVI model and uncovers the "wear and tear" effects of perceived workplace age discrimination on older workers' mental and overall health. We deliberate on social policies that may reduce age discrimination, thereby promoting older employees' health and ability to work longer. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Integrating Computational Science Tools into a Thermodynamics Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vieira, Camilo; Magana, Alejandra J.; García, R. Edwin; Jana, Aniruddha; Krafcik, Matthew

2018-01-01

Computational tools and methods have permeated multiple science and engineering disciplines, because they enable scientists and engineers to process large amounts of data, represent abstract phenomena, and to model and simulate complex concepts. In order to prepare future engineers with the ability to use computational tools in the context of their disciplines, some universities have started to integrate these tools within core courses. This paper evaluates the effect of introducing three computational modules within a thermodynamics course on student disciplinary learning and self-beliefs about computation. The results suggest that using worked examples paired to computer simulations to implement these modules have a positive effect on (1) student disciplinary learning, (2) student perceived ability to do scientific computing, and (3) student perceived ability to do computer programming. These effects were identified regardless of the students' prior experiences with computer programming.

National stereotypes of older people's competence are related to older adults' participation in paid and volunteer work.

PubMed

Bowen, Catherine E; Skirbekk, Vegard

2013-11-01

Why are older people perceived as more competent in some countries relative to others? In the current study, we investigate the extent to which national variation in perceptions of older people's competence is systematically related to national variation in the extent to which older people participate in paid and volunteer work. We used multilevel regression to analyze data from the European Social Survey and test the relationship between perceptions of older people's competence and older people's participation in paid and volunteer work across 28 countries. We controlled for a number of potentially confounding variables, including life expectancy as well as the gender ratio and average education of the older population in each country. We controlled for the average objective cognitive abilities of the older population in a subsample of 11 countries. Older people were perceived as more competent in countries in which more older people participated in paid or volunteer work, independent of life expectancy and the average education, gender makeup, and average cognitive abilities of the older population. The results suggest that older people's participation in paid and volunteer work is related to perceptions of older people's competence independent of older people's actual competence.

Leadership behaviour of nurse managers in relation to job satisfaction and work climate.

PubMed

Sellgren, Stina Fransson; Ekvall, Göran; Tomson, Göran

2008-07-01

This study examines how nurse managers' leadership behaviour relates to job satisfaction and a creative work climate. The nursing shortage is a challenge for managers all over the world. Leadership is a core element of management and it is important to elucidate leadership behaviour in order to increase knowledge about attracting and retaining talented staff. We studied 770 subordinates at a large university hospital. Three questionnaires for assessing perceived leadership behaviour, creative work climate and job satisfaction were used. Subordinates with a manager perceived as 'super' have the highest rates on job satisfaction. The correlation between leadership and creative work climate is stronger than between leadership and job satisfaction. Between job satisfaction and work climate the correlation is strong. The study shows that the relationship between a creative work climate and job satisfaction is strong. A managers' ability to lead has a major affect on work climate. Nurse managers must work on developing their leadership behaviour towards being an all-round leader that cares about people, is concerned about productivity and can handle changes. Support of ideas and initiatives are important in order to enable subordinates to perceive their work as challenging.

Warnings as a directive front-of-pack nutrition labelling scheme: comparison with the Guideline Daily Amount and traffic-light systems.

PubMed

Arrúa, Alejandra; Machín, Leandro; Curutchet, María Rosa; Martínez, Joseline; Antúnez, Lucía; Alcaire, Florencia; Giménez, Ana; Ares, Gastón

2017-09-01

Warnings have recently been proposed as a new type of directive front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition labelling scheme to flag products with high content of key nutrients. In the present work, this system was compared with the two most common FOP nutrition labelling schemes (Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA) and traffic-light system) in terms of goal-directed attention, influence on perceived healthfulness and ability to differentiate between products. Design/Setting/Subjects Goal-directed attention to FOP labels was evaluated using a visual search task in which participants were presented with labels on a computer screen and were asked to indicate whether labels with high sodium content were present or absent. A survey with 387 participants was also carried out, in which the influence of FOP labels on perceived healthfulness and ability to identify the healthful alternative were evaluated. Warnings improved consumers' ability to correctly identify a product with high content of a key nutrient within a set of labels compared with GDA and received the highest goal-directed attention. In addition, products with high energy, saturated fat, sugar and/or sodium content that featured warnings on the label were perceived as less healthful than those featuring the GDA or traffic-light system. Warnings and the traffic-light system performed equally well in the identification of the most healthful product. Results from the present work suggest that warnings have potential as directive FOP nutrition labels to improve consumer ability to identify unhealthful products and highlight advantages compared with the traffic-light system.

Spirituality and Counselling: Are Counsellors Prepared to Integrate Religion and Spirituality into Therapeutic Work with Clients?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Plumb, Alison M.

2011-01-01

An online survey of 341 Registered Clinical Counsellors in British Columbia was used to understand how therapists view and integrate spirituality and religion in their practice. Therapists were asked about their education and training in this realm, and about their perceived abilities, comfort, and competence when working with religious and/or…

Perceived Work-Life Balance Ability, Job Satisfaction, and Professional Commitment among Agriculture Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sorensen, Tyson J.; McKim, Aaron J.

2014-01-01

Agriculture teachers participate in various work and life roles, which can create challenges when trying to balance the pressures and responsibilities associated with each role. When one is unable to balance and prioritize between roles, both satisfaction and professional commitment may be reduced. The purpose of this study was to describe Oregon…

Effects on work ability, job strain and quality of life of monitoring depression using a self-assessment instrument in recurrent general practitioner consultations: A randomized controlled study.

PubMed

Petersson, E-L; Wikberg, C; Westman, J; Ariai, N; Nejati, S; Björkelund, C

2018-05-01

Depression reduces individuals' function and work ability and is associated with both frequent and long-term sickness absence. Investigate if monitoring of depression course using a self-assessment instrument in recurrent general practitioner (GP) consultations leads to improved work ability, decreased job strain, and quality of life among primary care patients. Primary care patients n = 183, who worked. In addition to regular treatment (control group), intervention patients received evaluation and monitoring and used the MADRS-S depression scale during GP visit at baseline and at visits 4, 8, and 12 weeks. Work ability, quality of life and job strain were outcome measures. Depression symptoms decreased in all patients. Significantly steeper increase of WAI at 3 months in the intervention group. Social support was perceived high in a significantly higher frequency in intervention group compared to control group. Monitoring of depression course using a self-assessment instrument in recurrent GP consultations seems to lead to improved self-assessed work ability and increased high social support, but not to reduced job strain or increased quality of life compared to TAU. Future studies concerning rehabilitative efforts that seek to influence work ability probably also should include more active interventions at the workplace.

Improving occupational health care for construction workers: a process evaluation

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background To evaluate the process of a job-specific workers’ health surveillance (WHS) in improving occupational health care for construction workers. Methods From January to July 2012 were 899 bricklayers and supervisors invited for the job-specific WHS at three locations of one occupational health service throughout the Netherlands. The intervention aimed at detecting signs of work-related health problems, reduced work capacity and/or reduced work functioning. Measurements were obtained using a recruitment record and questionnaires at baseline and follow-up. The process evaluation included the following: reach (attendance rate), intervention dose delivered (provision of written recommendations and follow-up appointments), intervention dose received (intention to follow-up on advice directly after WHS and remembrance of advice three months later), and fidelity (protocol adherence). The workers scored their increase in knowledge from 0–10 with regard to health status and work ability, their satisfaction with the intervention and the perceived (future) effect of such an intervention. Program implementation was defined as the mean score of reach, fidelity, and intervention dose delivered and received. Results Reach was 9% (77 workers participated), fidelity was 67%, the intervention dose delivered was 92 and 63%, and the intervention dose received was 68 and 49%. The total programme implementation was 58%. The increases in knowledge regarding the health status and work ability of the workers after the WHS were graded as 7.0 and 5.9, respectively. The satisfaction of the workers with the entire intervention was graded as 7.5. The perceived (future) effects on health status were graded as 6.3, and the effects on work ability were graded with a 5.2. The economic recession affected the workers as well as the occupational health service that enacted the implementation. Conclusions Programme implementation was acceptable. Low reach, limited protocol adherence and modest engagement of the workers with respect to the intervention were the most prominent aspects that influenced the intervention process. The increase in the workers’ knowledge about their health status and work ability was substantial, and the workers’ satisfaction with the intervention was good. The perceived effect of the advised preventive actions on health status was sufficient. Trial registration Netherlands Trial Register: http://NTR3012 PMID:23497119

Validity and reliability of the Brazilian version of the Work Ability Index questionnaire.

PubMed

Martinez, Maria Carmen; Latorre, Maria do Rosário Dias de Oliveira; Fischer, Frida Marina

2009-06-01

To evaluate the validity and reliability of the Portuguese language version of a work ability index. Cross sectional survey of a sample of 475 workers from an electrical company in the state of Sao Paulo, Southeastern Brazil (spread across ten municipalities in the Campinas area), carried out in 2005. The following aspects of the Brazilian version of the Work Ability Index were evaluated: construct validity, using factorial exploratory analysis, and discriminant capacity, by comparing mean Work Ability Index scores in two groups with different absenteeism levels; criterion validity, by determining the correlation between self-reported health and Work Ability Index score; and reliability, using Cronbach's alpha to determine the internal consistency of the questionnaire. Factorial analysis indicated three factors in the work ability construct: issues pertaining to 'mental resources' (20.6% of the variance), self-perceived work ability (18.9% of the variance), and presence of diseases and health-related limitations (18.4% of the variance). The index was capable of discriminating workers according to levels of absenteeism, identifying a significantly lower (p<0.0001) mean score among subjects with high absenteeism (37.2 points) when compared to those with low absenteeism (42.3 points). Criterion validity analysis showed a correlation between the index and all dimensions of health status analyzed (p<0.0001). Reliability of the index was high, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.72. The Brazilian version of the Work Ability Index showed satisfactory psychometric properties with respect to construct validity, thus constituting an appropriate option for evaluating work ability in both individual and population-based settings.

Perceptions of health professionals towards the management of back pain in the context of work: a qualitative study

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Musculoskeletal complaints have a significant impact on work in terms of reduced productivity, sickness absence and long term incapacity for work. This study sought to explore GPs’ and physiotherapists’ perceptions of sickness certification in patients with musculoskeletal problems. Methods Eleven (11) GPs were sampled from an existing general practice survey, and six (6) physiotherapists were selected randomly using ‘snowball’ sampling techniques, through established contacts in local physiotherapy departments. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with respondents lasting up to 30 minutes. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim, following which they were coded using N-Vivo qualitative software and analysed thematically using the constant comparative methodology, where themes were identified and contrasted between and within both groups of respondents. Results Three themes were identified from the analysis: 1) Approaches to evaluating patients’ work problems 2) Perceived ability to manage ‘work and pain’, and 3) Policies and penalties in the work-place. First, physiotherapists routinely asked patients about their job and work difficulties using a structured (protocol-driven) approach, whilst GPs rarely used such structured measures and were less likely to enquire about patients’ work situation. Second, return to work assessments revealed a tension between GPs’ gatekeeper and patient advocacy roles, often resolved in favour of patients’ concerns and needs. Some physiotherapists perceived that GPs’ decisions could be influenced by patients’ demand for a sick certificate and their close relationship with patients made them vulnerable to manipulation. Third, the workplace was considered to be a specific source of strain for patients acting as a barrier to work resumption, and over which GPs and physiotherapists could exercise only limited control. Conclusion We conclude that healthcare professionals need to take account of patients’ work difficulties, their own perceived ability to offer effective guidance, and consider the ‘receptivity’ of employment contexts to patients’ work problems, in order to ensure a smooth transition back to work. PMID:24941952

Perceptions of health professionals towards the management of back pain in the context of work: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Wynne-Jones, Gwenllian; van der Windt, Danielle; Ong, Bie Nio; Bishop, Annette; Cowen, Jemma; Artus, Majid; Sanders, Tom

2014-06-18

Musculoskeletal complaints have a significant impact on work in terms of reduced productivity, sickness absence and long term incapacity for work. This study sought to explore GPs' and physiotherapists' perceptions of sickness certification in patients with musculoskeletal problems. Eleven (11) GPs were sampled from an existing general practice survey, and six (6) physiotherapists were selected randomly using 'snowball' sampling techniques, through established contacts in local physiotherapy departments. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with respondents lasting up to 30 minutes. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim, following which they were coded using N-Vivo qualitative software and analysed thematically using the constant comparative methodology, where themes were identified and contrasted between and within both groups of respondents. Three themes were identified from the analysis: 1) Approaches to evaluating patients' work problems 2) Perceived ability to manage 'work and pain', and 3) Policies and penalties in the work-place. First, physiotherapists routinely asked patients about their job and work difficulties using a structured (protocol-driven) approach, whilst GPs rarely used such structured measures and were less likely to enquire about patients' work situation. Second, return to work assessments revealed a tension between GPs' gatekeeper and patient advocacy roles, often resolved in favour of patients' concerns and needs. Some physiotherapists perceived that GPs' decisions could be influenced by patients' demand for a sick certificate and their close relationship with patients made them vulnerable to manipulation. Third, the workplace was considered to be a specific source of strain for patients acting as a barrier to work resumption, and over which GPs and physiotherapists could exercise only limited control. We conclude that healthcare professionals need to take account of patients' work difficulties, their own perceived ability to offer effective guidance, and consider the 'receptivity' of employment contexts to patients' work problems, in order to ensure a smooth transition back to work.

Effects of the Workplace Health Promotion Activities Soccer and Zumba on Muscle Pain, Work Ability and Perceived Physical Exertion among Female Hospital Employees.

PubMed

Barene, Svein; Krustrup, Peter; Holtermann, Andreas

2014-01-01

This 40-week workplace physical training RCT investigated the effect of soccer and Zumba, respectively, on muscle pain intensity and duration, work ability, and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) during work among female hospital employees. 107 hospital employees were cluster-randomized into two training groups, and a control group. The training was conducted outside working hours as two-three 1-h sessions per week for the first 12 weeks, and continued as one-two 1-h sessions per week for the last 28 weeks. Muscle pain intensity and duration, work ability, and RPE during work were measured at baseline and after 12 and 40 weeks. After 12 weeks, both the soccer (-1.9, 95% CI, -3.0, -0.8, P = 0.001) and the Zumba group (-1.3, 95% CI, -2.3, -0.3, P = 0.01) reduced the pain intensity (on a scale from 0 to 10) in the neck-shoulder region (eta squared = 0.109), whereas only the soccer group (-1.9, 95% CI, -3.2, -0.7, P = 0.002, eta squared = 0.092) showed a reduction after 40 weeks referencing the control group. After 40 weeks, both the soccer (-16.4 days, 95% CI, -29.6, -3.2, P<0.02) and the Zumba group (-16.6 days, 95% CI, -28.9, -4.2, P<0.01) reduced the pain duration during the past 3 months in the neck-shoulder region (eta squared = 0.077). No significant effects on intensity or duration of pain in the lower back, RPE during work or work ability were found. The present study indicates that workplace initiated soccer and Zumba training improve neck-shoulder pain intensity as well as duration among female hospital employees. International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number Register ISRCTN 61986892.

Effects of the Workplace Health Promotion Activities Soccer and Zumba on Muscle Pain, Work Ability and Perceived Physical Exertion among Female Hospital Employees

PubMed Central

Barene, Svein; Krustrup, Peter; Holtermann, Andreas

2014-01-01

Objectives This 40-week workplace physical training RCT investigated the effect of soccer and Zumba, respectively, on muscle pain intensity and duration, work ability, and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) during work among female hospital employees. Methods 107 hospital employees were cluster-randomized into two training groups, and a control group. The training was conducted outside working hours as two-three 1-h sessions per week for the first 12 weeks, and continued as one-two 1-h sessions per week for the last 28 weeks. Muscle pain intensity and duration, work ability, and RPE during work were measured at baseline and after 12 and 40 weeks. Results After 12 weeks, both the soccer (−1.9, 95% CI, −3.0, −0.8, P = 0.001) and the Zumba group (−1.3, 95% CI, −2.3, −0.3, P = 0.01) reduced the pain intensity (on a scale from 0 to 10) in the neck-shoulder region (eta squared = 0.109), whereas only the soccer group (−1.9, 95% CI, −3.2, −0.7, P = 0.002, eta squared = 0.092) showed a reduction after 40 weeks referencing the control group. After 40 weeks, both the soccer (-16.4 days, 95% CI, −29.6, −3.2, P<0.02) and the Zumba group (-16.6 days, 95% CI, −28.9, −4.2, P<0.01) reduced the pain duration during the past 3 months in the neck-shoulder region (eta squared = 0.077). No significant effects on intensity or duration of pain in the lower back, RPE during work or work ability were found. Conclusions The present study indicates that workplace initiated soccer and Zumba training improve neck-shoulder pain intensity as well as duration among female hospital employees. Trial Registration International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number Register ISRCTN 61986892. PMID:25494175

Workplace System Factors of Obstetric Nurses in Northeastern Ontario, Canada: Using a Work Disability Prevention Approach.

PubMed

Nowrouzi, Behdin; Lightfoot, Nancy; Carter, Lorraine; Larivère, Michel; Rukholm, Ellen; Belanger-Gardner, Diane

2015-12-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship nursing personal and workplace system factors (work disability) and work ability index scores in Ontario, Canada. A total of 111 registered nurses were randomly selected from the total number of registered nurses on staff in the labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum areas of four northeastern Ontario hospitals. Using a stratified random design approach, 51 participants were randomly selected in four northeastern Ontario cities. A total of 51 (45.9% response rate) online questionnaires were returned and another 60 (54.1% response rate) were completed using the paper format. The obstetric workforce in northeastern Ontario was predominately female (94.6%) with a mean age of 41.9 (standard deviation = 10.2). In the personal systems model, three variables: marital status (p = 0.025), respondent ethnicity (p = 0.026), and mean number of patients per shift (p = 0.049) were significantly contributed to the variance in work ability scores. In the workplace system model, job and career satisfaction (p = 0.026) had a positive influence on work ability scores, while work absenteeism (p = 0.023) demonstrated an inverse relationship with work ability scores. In the combined model, all the predictors were significantly related to work ability scores. Work ability is closely related to job and career satisfaction, and perceived control at work among obstetric nursing. In order to improve work ability, nurses need to work in environments that support them and allow them to be engaged in the decision-making processes.

The Contribution of Cognitive Factors to Individual Differences in Understanding Noise-Vocoded Speech in Young and Older Adults

PubMed Central

Rosemann, Stephanie; Gießing, Carsten; Özyurt, Jale; Carroll, Rebecca; Puschmann, Sebastian; Thiel, Christiane M.

2017-01-01

Noise-vocoded speech is commonly used to simulate the sensation after cochlear implantation as it consists of spectrally degraded speech. High individual variability exists in learning to understand both noise-vocoded speech and speech perceived through a cochlear implant (CI). This variability is partly ascribed to differing cognitive abilities like working memory, verbal skills or attention. Although clinically highly relevant, up to now, no consensus has been achieved about which cognitive factors exactly predict the intelligibility of speech in noise-vocoded situations in healthy subjects or in patients after cochlear implantation. We aimed to establish a test battery that can be used to predict speech understanding in patients prior to receiving a CI. Young and old healthy listeners completed a noise-vocoded speech test in addition to cognitive tests tapping on verbal memory, working memory, lexicon and retrieval skills as well as cognitive flexibility and attention. Partial-least-squares analysis revealed that six variables were important to significantly predict vocoded-speech performance. These were the ability to perceive visually degraded speech tested by the Text Reception Threshold, vocabulary size assessed with the Multiple Choice Word Test, working memory gauged with the Operation Span Test, verbal learning and recall of the Verbal Learning and Retention Test and task switching abilities tested by the Comprehensive Trail-Making Test. Thus, these cognitive abilities explain individual differences in noise-vocoded speech understanding and should be considered when aiming to predict hearing-aid outcome. PMID:28638329

Looking Like a Leader–Facial Shape Predicts Perceived Height and Leadership Ability

PubMed Central

Re, Daniel E.; Hunter, David W.; Coetzee, Vinet; Tiddeman, Bernard P.; Xiao, Dengke; DeBruine, Lisa M.; Jones, Benedict C.; Perrett, David I.

2013-01-01

Judgments of leadership ability from face images predict the outcomes of actual political elections and are correlated with leadership success in the corporate world. The specific facial cues that people use to judge leadership remain unclear, however. Physical height is also associated with political and organizational success, raising the possibility that facial cues of height contribute to leadership perceptions. Consequently, we assessed whether cues to height exist in the face and, if so, whether they are associated with perception of leadership ability. We found that facial cues to perceived height had a strong relationship with perceived leadership ability. Furthermore, when allowed to manually manipulate faces, participants increased facial cues associated with perceived height in order to maximize leadership perception. A morphometric analysis of face shape revealed that structural facial masculinity was not responsible for the relationship between perceived height and perceived leadership ability. Given the prominence of facial appearance in making social judgments, facial cues to perceived height may have a significant influence on leadership selection. PMID:24324651

Interventions aimed at improving the ability to use everyday technology in work after brain injury.

PubMed

Kassberg, Ann-Charlotte; Prellwitz, Maria; Malinowsky, Camilla; Larsson-Lund, Maria

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to explore and describe how client-centred occupational therapy interventions may support and improve the ability to use everyday technology (ET) in work tasks in people with acquired brain injury (ABI). A qualitative, descriptive multiple-case study was designed, and occupation-based interventions were provided to three working-age participants with ABI. Multiple sources were used to collect data throughout the three intervention processes, including assessments, field notes, and interviews. The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure and the Management of Everyday Technology Assessment were administered before the interventions, after the interventions and at a follow-up session 2-3 months subsequent to the interventions. The three intervention processes initially consisted of similar actions, but subsequently the actions took on a different focus and intensity for each case. All of the goals in each of the three case processes were achieved, and both perceived and observed abilities to use ET in work tasks improved. Client-centred occupational therapy interventions might have the potential to improve the ability to use ET in work tasks in people with ABI.

Work-related stress, education and work ability among hospital nurses.

PubMed

Golubic, Rajna; Milosevic, Milan; Knezevic, Bojana; Mustajbegovic, Jadranka

2009-10-01

This paper is a report of a study conducted to determine which occupational stressors are present in nurses' working environment; to describe and compare occupational stress between two educational groups of nurses; to estimate which stressors and to what extent predict nurses' work ability; and to determine if educational level predicts nurses' work ability. Nurses' occupational stress adversely affects their health and nursing quality. Higher educational level has been shown to have positive effects on the preservation of good work ability. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2006-2007. Questionnaires were distributed to a convenience sample of 1392 (59%) nurses employed at four university hospitals in Croatia (n = 2364). The response rate was 78% (n = 1086). Data were collected using the Occupational Stress Assessment Questionnaire and Work Ability Index Questionnaire. We identified six major groups of occupational stressors: 'Organization of work and financial issues', 'public criticism', 'hazards at workplace', 'interpersonal conflicts at workplace', 'shift work' and 'professional and intellectual demands'. Nurses with secondary school qualifications perceived Hazards at workplace and Shift work as statistically significantly more stressful than nurses a with college degree. Predictors statistically significantly related with low work ability were: Organization of work and financial issues (odds ratio = 1.69, 95% confidence interval 122-236), lower educational level (odds ratio = 1.69, 95% confidence interval 122-236) and older age (odds ratio = 1.07, 95% confidence interval 1.05-1.09). Hospital managers should develop strategies to address and improve the quality of working conditions for nurses in Croatian hospitals. Providing educational and career prospects can contribute to decreasing nurses' occupational stress levels, thus maintaining their work ability.

Does nurses'perceived burn prevention knowledge and ability to teach burn prevention correlate with their actual burn prevention knowledge?

PubMed

Lehna, Carlee; Myers, John

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship among nurses'perceived burn prevention knowledge, their perceived ability to teach about burn prevention, and their actual burn prevention knowledge and to test if their actual burn knowledge could be predicted by these perceived measures. A two-page, anonymous survey that included a 10-item burn prevention knowledge test and an assessment of nurses'perceived knowledge of burn prevention and their perceived ability to teach burn prevention was administered to 313 nurses. Actual burn prevention knowledge was determined and the correlation among actual burn prevention knowledge, perceived knowledge, and perceived ability to teach was determined. Differences in these outcome variables based on specialty area were tested using analysis of variance techniques. Generalized linear modeling techniques were used to investigate which variables significantly predict a nurse's actual burn prevention knowledge. Test for interaction effects were performed, and significance was set at .05. Responding nurses (N = 265) described practicing in a variety of settings, such as pediatric settings (40.2%, n = 105), emergency departments (25.4%, n = 86), medical/surgical settings (8.4%, n = 22), and one pediatric burn setting (4.1%, n = 14), with all specialty areas as having similar actual burn prevention knowledge (P = .052). Seventy-seven percent of the nurses said they never taught about burn prevention (n = 177). Perceived knowledge and actual knowledge (r = .124, P = .046) as well as perceived knowledge and perceived ability were correlated (r = .799, P < .001). Significant predictors of actual knowledge were years in practice (beta = -0.063, P = .034), years in current area (beta = 0.072, P = .003), perceived knowledge (beta = 0.109, P = .042), and perceived ability (beta = 0.137, P = .019). All nurses, regardless of specialty area, have poor burn prevention knowledge, which is correlated with their perceived lack of knowledge of burn prevention. In addition, nurses'perceived burn knowledge and ability predicts their actual burn knowledge. This is a fruitful area that merits further research and exploration.

International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health categories explored for self-rated participation in Swedish adolescents and adults with a mild intellectual disability.

PubMed

Arvidsson, Patrik; Granlund, Mats; Thyberg, Ingrid; Thyberg, Mikael

2012-06-01

To explore internal consistency and correlations between perceived ability, performance and perceived importance in a preliminary selection of self-reported items representing the activity/participation component of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Structured interview study. Fifty-five Swedish adolescents and adults with a mild intellectual disability. Questions about perceived ability, performance and perceived importance were asked on the basis of a 3-grade Likert-scale regarding each of 68 items representing the 9 ICF domains of activity/participation. Internal consistency for perceived ability (Cronbach's alpha for all 68 items): 0.95 (values for each domain varied between 0.57 and 0.85), for performance: 0.86 (between 0.27 and 0.66), for perceived importance: 0.84 (between 0.27 and 0.68). Seventy-two percent of the items showed correlations >0.5 (mean=0.59) for performance vs perceived importance, 41% >0.5 (mean=0.47) for perceived ability vs performance and 12% >0.5 (mean=0.28) for perceived ability vs perceived importance. Measures of performance and perceived importance may have to be based primarily on their estimated clinical relevance for describing aspects of the ICF participation concept. With a clinimetric approach, parts of the studied items and domains may be used to investigate factors related to different patterns and levels of participation, and outcomes of rehabilitation.

Relationship Between Auditory Context and Visual Distance Perception: Effect of Musical Expertise in the Ability to Translate Reverberation Cues Into Room-Size Perception.

PubMed

Etchemendy, Pablo E; Spiousas, Ignacio; Vergara, Ramiro

2018-01-01

In a recently published work by our group [ Scientific Reports, 7, 7189 (2017)], we performed experiments of visual distance perception in two dark rooms with extremely different reverberation times: one anechoic ( T ∼ 0.12 s) and the other reverberant ( T ∼ 4 s). The perceived distance of the targets was systematically greater in the reverberant room when contrasted to the anechoic chamber. Participants also provided auditorily perceived room-size ratings which were greater for the reverberant room. Our hypothesis was that distance estimates are affected by room size, resulting in farther responses for the room perceived larger. Of much importance to the task was the subjects' ability to infer room size from reverberation. In this article, we report a postanalysis showing that participants having musical expertise were better able to extract and translate reverberation cues into room-size information than nonmusicians. However, the degree to which musical expertise affects visual distance estimates remains unclear.

Perceived risks and benefits of quitting smoking in a sample of adults living with HIV/AIDS.

PubMed

Weinberger, Andrea H; Seng, Elizabeth K; Esan, Hannah; Shuter, Jonathan

2018-05-01

Persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) smoke at high prevalences and experience significant smoking-related consequences. In community samples, perceived risks and benefits of quitting smoking are related to quit motivation and outcomes and are more strongly endorsed by women. This study examined perceived risks and benefits of quitting smoking and the relationship between risks and benefits and quit motivation and confidence in male and female PLWH. One hundred seven PLWH who reported current cigarette smoking completed measures of demographics, smoking, perceived risks and benefits of quitting smoking, motivation to quit smoking, and confidence in ability to quit smoking. The highest endorsed risks of quitting smoking were cravings and weight gain and higher endorsement of craving risks was associated with lower confidence in the ability to quit smoking. Women endorsed overall risks and risks related to negative affect more highly than men. Women and men did not differ in their endorsement of the other risks, the benefits of quitting, or the relationship between risks and benefits and quit motivation or confidence. It may be useful for health care professionals to incorporate information about perceived risks and benefits of quitting smoking into treatment when working with PLWH who want to stop smoking.

Work ability as a determinant of old age disability severity: evidence from the 28-year Finnish Longitudinal Study on Municipal Employees.

PubMed

von Bonsdorff, Mikaela B; Seitsamo, Jorma; Ilmarinen, Juhani; Nygård, Clas-Håkan; von Bonsdorff, Monika E; Rantanen, Taina

2012-08-01

Lower occupational class correlates with a higher disability risk later in life. However, it is not clear whether the demands made by mental and physical work relative to individual resources in midlife predict well-being in old age. This study investigated prospectively whether work ability in midlife predicts disability severity in activities of everyday living in old age. Data come from the population-based 28-year follow-up called Finnish Longitudinal Study of Municipal Employees. A total of 2879 occupationally active persons aged 44-58 years answered a questionnaire on work ability at baseline in 1981 and activities of daily living in 2009. At baseline, perceived work ability relative to lifetime best was categorized into excellent, moderate, and poor work ability. At follow-up, disability scales were constructed based on the severity and frequency of difficulties reported in self-care activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). There was a graded prevalence of ADL and IADL disability severity, according to excellent, moderate and poor midlife work ability (p<0.001). Employees with moderate midlife work ability had an 11 to 20% higher mean ADL or IADL disability severity score, compared with those with excellent midlife work ability (reference), incidence rate ratios (IRR) ranging from 1.11 (95% CI 1.01-1.22) to 1.20 (95% CI 1.10-1.30). Those with poor midlife work ability had a mean ADL or IADL disability severity score 27 to 38% higher than the referent, IRRs ranging from 1.27 (95% CI 1.09-1.47) to 1.38 (95% CI 1.25-1.53). Adjusting for socio-economics, lifestyle factors and chronic diseases only slightly attenuated the associations. Work ability, an indicator of the de- mands made by mental and physical work relative to individuals' mental and physical resources, predicted disability severity 28 years later among middle-aged municipal employees.

Perceived ability to perform daily hand activities after stroke and associated factors: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Ekstrand, Elisabeth; Rylander, Lars; Lexell, Jan; Brogårdh, Christina

2016-11-02

Despite that disability of the upper extremity is common after stroke, there is limited knowledge how it influences self-perceived ability to perform daily hand activities. The aim of this study was to describe which daily hand activities that persons with mild to moderate impairments of the upper extremity after stroke perceive difficult to perform and to evaluate how several potential factors are associated with the self-perceived performance. Seventy-five persons (72 % male) with mild to moderate impairments of the upper extremity after stroke (4 to 116 months) participated. Self-perceived ability to perform daily hand activities was rated with the ABILHAND Questionnaire. The perceived ability to perform daily hand activities and the potentially associated factors (age, gender, social and vocational situation, affected hand, upper extremity pain, spasticity, grip strength, somatosensation of the hand, manual dexterity, perceived participation and life satisfaction) were evaluated by linear regression models. The activities that were perceived difficult or impossible for a majority of the participants were bimanual tasks that required fine manual dexterity of the more affected hand. The factor that had the strongest association with perceived ability to perform daily hand activities was dexterity (p < 0.001), which together with perceived participation (p = 0.002) explained 48 % of the variance in the final multivariate model. Persons with mild to moderate impairments of the upper extremity after stroke perceive that bimanual activities requiring fine manual dexterity are the most difficult to perform. Dexterity and perceived participation are factors specifically important to consider in the rehabilitation of the upper extremity after stroke in order to improve the ability to use the hands in daily life.

The Specter of Divorce: Views from Working- and Middle-Class Cohabitors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Amanda J.; Sassler, Sharon; Kusi-Appouh, Dela

2011-01-01

Young Americans increasingly express apprehension about their ability to successfully manage intimate relationships. Partially in response, cohabitation has become normative over the past few decades. Little research, however, examines social class distinctions in how emerging adults perceive challenges to sustaining intimate unions. We examine…

Workplace System Factors of Obstetric Nurses in Northeastern Ontario, Canada: Using a Work Disability Prevention Approach

PubMed Central

Nowrouzi, Behdin; Lightfoot, Nancy; Carter, Lorraine; Larivère, Michel; Rukholm, Ellen; Belanger-Gardner, Diane

2015-01-01

Background The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship nursing personal and workplace system factors (work disability) and work ability index scores in Ontario, Canada. Methods A total of 111 registered nurses were randomly selected from the total number of registered nurses on staff in the labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum areas of four northeastern Ontario hospitals. Using a stratified random design approach, 51 participants were randomly selected in four northeastern Ontario cities. Results A total of 51 (45.9% response rate) online questionnaires were returned and another 60 (54.1% response rate) were completed using the paper format. The obstetric workforce in northeastern Ontario was predominately female (94.6%) with a mean age of 41.9 (standard deviation = 10.2). In the personal systems model, three variables: marital status (p = 0.025), respondent ethnicity (p = 0.026), and mean number of patients per shift (p = 0.049) were significantly contributed to the variance in work ability scores. In the workplace system model, job and career satisfaction (p = 0.026) had a positive influence on work ability scores, while work absenteeism (p = 0.023) demonstrated an inverse relationship with work ability scores. In the combined model, all the predictors were significantly related to work ability scores. Conclusion Work ability is closely related to job and career satisfaction, and perceived control at work among obstetric nursing. In order to improve work ability, nurses need to work in environments that support them and allow them to be engaged in the decision-making processes. PMID:26929842

The impact of two workplace-based health risk appraisal interventions on employee lifestyle parameters, mental health and work ability: results of a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Addley, K; Boyd, S; Kerr, R; McQuillan, P; Houdmont, J; McCrory, M

2014-04-01

Health risk appraisals (HRA) are a common type of workplace health promotion programme offered by American employers. In the United Kingdom, evidence of their effectiveness for promoting health behaviour change remains inconclusive. This randomized controlled trial examined the effects of two HRA interventions on lifestyle parameters, mental health and work ability in a UK context. A total of 180 employees were randomized into one of three groups: Group A (HRA augmented with health promotion and education activities), Group B (HRA only) and Group C (control, no intervention). After 12 months, changes in mean scoring in 10 lifestyle, mental health and work ability indices were compared, Groups A and B demonstrated non-significant improvements in 70% and 80%, respectively, compared with controls (40%). Odds ratios revealed that, compared with the control group, Group A was 29.2 (95% CI: 9.22-92.27) times more likely to report a perceived change in lifestyle behaviour; Group B 4.4 times (95% CI: 1.65-11.44). In conclusion, participation in the HRA was associated with a higher likelihood of perceived lifestyle behaviour change which was further increased in the augmented HRA group, thereby providing preliminary evidence that HRA and augmented HRA in particular may help UK employees make positive healthy lifestyle changes.

A multi-modal training programme to improve physical activity, physical fitness and perceived physical ability in obese children.

PubMed

Morano, Milena; Colella, Dario; Rutigliano, Irene; Fiore, Pietro; Pettoello-Mantovani, Massimo; Campanozzi, Angelo

2014-01-01

Actual and perceived physical abilities are important correlates of physical activity (PA) and fitness, but little research has explored these relationships over time in obese children. This study was designed: (a) to assess the feasibility of a multi-modal training programme promoting changes in PA, fundamental motor skills and real and perceived physical abilities of obese children; and (b) to explore cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between real and perceived physical competence in boys and girls. Forty-one participants (9.2 ± 1.2 years) were assessed before and after an 8-month intervention with respect to body composition, physical fitness, self-reported PA and perceived physical ability. After treatment, obese children reported improvements in the body mass index, PA levels, gross motor performance and actual and perceived physical abilities. Real and perceived physical competence was correlated in boys, but not in girls. Results indicate that a multi-modal programme focused on actual and perceived physical competence as associated with the gradual increase in the volume of activity might be an effective strategy to improve adherence of the participants and to increase the lifelong exercise skills of obese children.

Competence Beliefs and Perceived Ability Evaluations: How Do They Contribute to Intrinsic Motivation and Achievement?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freiberger, Verena; Steinmayr, Ricarda; Spinath, Birgit

2012-01-01

To study the role of students' competence beliefs and their perceived teachers' ability evaluations for intrinsic motivation and achievement in math, 459 second graders from 27 German classrooms were examined. Students provided self-reports on their intrinsic motivation, competence beliefs and perceived teachers' ability evaluations in math.…

Low-dose, non-supervised, health insurance initiated exercise for the treatment and prevention of chronic low back pain in employees. Results from a randomized controlled trial

PubMed Central

Haufe, Sven; Wiechmann, Klaus; Stein, Lothar; Kück, Momme; Smith, Andrea; Meineke, Stefan; Zirkelbach, Yvonne; Rodriguez Duarte, Samuel; Drupp, Michael; Tegtbur, Uwe

2017-01-01

Objective Back pain is a major problem requiring pragmatic interventions, low in costs for health care providers and feasible for individuals to perform. Our objective was to test the effectiveness of a low-dose 5-month exercise intervention with small personnel investment on low back strength and self-perceived pain. Methods Two hundred twenty-six employees (age: 42.7±10.2 years) from three mid-size companies were randomized to 5-month non-supervised training at home (3 times/week for 20 minutes) or wait-list-control. Health insurance professionals instructed the participants on trunk exercises at the start and then supervised participants once a month. Results Muscle strength for back extension increased after the 5-month intervention with a significant between-group difference (mean 27.4 Newton [95%CI 2.2; 60.3]) favoring the exercise group (p = 0.035). Low back pain was reduced more in subjects after exercise than control (mean difference –0.74 cm [95%CI –1.17; –0.27], p = 0.002). No between-group differences were observed for back pain related disability and work ability. After stratified analysis only subjects with preexisting chronic low back pain showed a between-group difference (exercise versus controls) after the intervention in their strength for back extension (mean 55.7 Newton [95%CI 2.8; 108.5], p = 0.039), self-perceived pain (mean –1.42 cm [95%CI –2.32; –0.51], p = 0.003) and work ability (mean 2.1 points [95%CI 0.2; 4.0], p = 0.032). Significant between-group differences were not observed in subjects without low back pain: strength for back extension (mean 23.4 Newton [95%CI –11.2; 58.1], p = 0.184), self-perceived pain (mean –0.48 cm [95%CI –0.99; 0.04], p = 0.067) and work ability (mean –0.1 points [95%CI –0.9; 0.9], p = 0.999). An interaction between low back pain subgroups and the study intervention (exercise versus control) was exclusively observed for the work ability index (p = 0.016). Conclusion In middle-aged employees a low-dose, non-supervised exercise program implemented over 20 weeks improved trunk muscle strength and low back pain, and in those with preexisting chronic low back pain improved work ability. PMID:28662094

Classroom acoustics and hearing ability as determinants for perceived social climate and intentions to stay at work.

PubMed

Persson, Roger; Kristiansen, Jesper; Lund, Søren P; Shibuya, Hitomi; Nielsen, Per Møberg

2013-01-01

Background noise and room acoustics may impede social interactions by interfering with oral communication and other cognitive processes. Accordingly, recent research in school environments has showed that social relationships with peers and teachers are described more negatively in rooms with long reverberation times (RT). The purpose of this study was to investigate how RT and hearing ability (i.e., hearing thresholds [HT] and distortion product oto-acoustic emissions) were associated with school teachers' perceptions of the social climate at work and their intentions to stay on the job. School teachers (n = 107) from 10 schools that worked in classrooms classified by acoustical experts as "short RT" (3 schools, mean RT 0.41-0.47 s), "medium RT" (3 schools, mean RT 0.50-0.53 s), and "long RT" (4 schools, mean RT 0.59-0.73 s) were examined. Teachers who worked in classrooms with long RT perceived their social climate to be more competitive, conflict laden, and less relaxed and comfortable. They were more doubtful about staying on the job. Even if the teachers were generally satisfied with their work the results suggest that the comfort at work may have been further improved by acoustical interventions that focus on reducing sound reflections in the classrooms. Yet, due the study design and the novelty of the findings the potential practical significance of our observations remains to be evaluated.

Perceived aggressiveness predicts fighting performance in mixed-martial-arts fighters.

PubMed

Trebicky, Vít; Havlícek, Jan; Roberts, S Craig; Little, Anthony C; Kleisner, Karel

2013-09-01

Accurate assessment of competitive ability is a critical component of contest behavior in animals, and it could be just as important in human competition, particularly in human ancestral populations. Here, we tested the role that facial perception plays in this assessment by investigating the association between both perceived aggressiveness and perceived fighting ability in fighters' faces and their actual fighting success. Perceived aggressiveness was positively associated with the proportion of fights won, after we controlled for the effect of weight, which also independently predicted perceived aggression. In contrast, perception of fighting ability was confounded by weight, and an association between perceived fighting ability and actual fighting success was restricted to heavyweight fighters. Shape regressions revealed that aggressive-looking faces are generally wider and have a broader chin, more prominent eyebrows, and a larger nose than less aggressive-looking faces. Our results indicate that perception of aggressiveness and fighting ability might cue different aspects of success in male-male physical confrontation.

REI: The Will and Skill of Regular Educators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phillips, William L.; And Others

Two assertions regarding the Regular Education Initiative (REI) are presented: (1) general educators are not willing to serve students with handicaps, and (2) general educators are not competent to serve students with handicaps. Illinois general education teachers (N=314) were surveyed to examine their attitudes and perceived ability to work with…

Drama: Narrative Pedagogy and Socially Challenged Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peter, Melanie

2009-01-01

Melanie Peter, Senior Lecturer in Education and Early Childhood at Anglia Ruskin University, argues that the ability to engage in narrative stems from early interactive play formats and is essential for perceiving patterns and sequences in life--the fabric of social understanding. Developing themes set out in her earlier work, this article…

Hospital Social Workers and Indirect Trauma Exposure: An Exploratory Study of Contributing Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Badger, Karen; Royse, David; Craig, Carlton

2008-01-01

This article explores the predictive ability of empathy (measured by the Interpersonal Reactivity Index), emotional separation (measured by the Maintenance of Emotional Separation Scale), occupational stress (measured by the Work-Related Strain Inventory), and social support (measured by the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support) on…

Bicultural Self-Efficacy among College Students: Initial Scale Development and Mental Health Correlates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

David, E. J. R.; Okazaki, Sumie; Saw, Anne

2009-01-01

Theory and empirical research suggest that perceived self-efficacy, or one's perceived ability to perform personally significant tasks, is related to individuals' psychological well-being and mental health. Thus, the authors hypothesized that bicultural individuals' perceived ability to function competently in 2 cultures, or perceived bicultural…

Prognostic factors for duration of sickness absence due to musculoskeletal disorders.

PubMed

Lötters, Freek; Burdorf, Alex

2006-02-01

The purpose of this prospective cohort study with 1-year follow-up was to determine prognostic factors for duration of sickness absence due to musculoskeletal disorders. Workers were included when on sickness absence of 2 to 6 weeks due to musculoskeletal disorders. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect personal and work-related factors, pain, functional disability, and general health perceptions. Statistical analysis was done with Cox proportional hazard regression with an interaction variable with time for every risk factor of interest. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed on musculoskeletal disorders and, separately, for low back pain. The main factors that were associated with longer sickness absence were older age, gender, perceived physical workload, and poorer general health for neck, shoulder and upper extremity disorders, and functional disability, sciatica, worker's own perception of the ability of return to work, and chronic complaints for low back pain. Workers with a high perceived physical work load returned to work increasingly slower over time than expected, whereas workers with a high functional disability returned to work increasingly faster over time. High pain intensity is a major prognostic factor for duration of sickness absence, especially in low back pain. The different disease-specific risk profiles for prolonged sickness absence indicate that low back pain and upper extremity disorders need different approaches when applying intervention strategies with the aim of early return to work. The interaction of perceived physical workload with time suggests that perceived physical workload would increasingly hamper return to work and, hence, supports the need for workplace interventions among workers off work for prolonged periods.

Pain, fatigue and hand function closely correlated to work ability and employment status in systemic sclerosis.

PubMed

Sandqvist, Gunnel; Scheja, Agneta; Hesselstrand, Roger

2010-09-01

To identify factors, individual and work related, influencing work ability, and to assess the association between work ability and employment status, activities of daily life (ADLs) and quality of life in patients with SSc. Fifty-seven consecutive patients (53 females/4 males) with SSc (47 lcSSc/10 dcSSc) were included. Median age was 58 [interquartile range (IQR) 47-62] years and disease duration 14 (9-19) years. The patients were assessed for socio-demographic characteristics, disease parameters, symptoms, work ability, empowerment and adaptations in a workplace, social support, ADLs and quality of life. Work ability, assessed with the Work Ability Index (WAI) could be evaluated in 48 of 57 patients. The correlation between employment status and WAI was good (r(s) = 0.79, P < 0.001). Thirteen patients had good or excellent WAI, 15 had less good and 20 had poor WAI. There were no significant differences between subgroups of WAI and socio-demographic characteristics, disease duration or degree of skin and lung involvement. However, patients with good WAI expressed milder perceived symptoms (pain, fatigue and impaired hand function; P < 0.001). Patients with better WAI had better competence (P < 0.001), better possibility of adaptations at work (P < 0.01) and impact at work (P < 0.01) than those with poorer WAI. In SSc, pain, fatigue and impaired hand function have a dominant impact on the WAI. Employment interventions should include support in job adaptations as well as self-management strategies to help patients deal with pain and fatigue and to enhance the confidence to perform their work.

How engineers perceive the importance of ethics in Finland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taajamaa, Ville; Majanoja, Anne-Maarit; Bairaktarova, Diana; Airola, Antti; Pahikkala, Tapio; Sutinen, Erkki

2018-01-01

Success in complex and holistic engineering practices requires more than problem-solving abilities and technical competencies. Engineering education must offer proficient technical competences and also train engineers to think and act ethically. A technical 'engineering-like' focus and demand have made educators and students overlook the importance of ethical awareness and transversal competences. Using two Finnish surveys, conducted in 2014 and 2016, we examine how engineers perceive working life needs regarding ethics. The data consider different age groups. We research whether an engineer's age affects their perception of the importance of ethics in their work and if there are differences between young experts and young managers in their use of ethics within work. The results indicate that practising engineers do not consider ethical issues important in their work. This especially applies to younger engineers; the older an engineer, the more important they consider ethics. No statistically significant difference was found between young engineering experts and managers.

Personal resources and support when regaining the ability to work: an interview study with Exhaustion Disorder patients.

PubMed

Norlund, Sofia; Fjellman-Wiklund, Anncristine; Nordin, Maria; Stenlund, Therese; Ahlgren, Christina

2013-06-01

The aim of the study was to explore experiences and thoughts in the process of returning to work in employed patients with Exhaustion Disorder. Twelve patients with Exhaustion Disorder (burnout) who had been referred to a Stress Rehabilitation Clinic were interviewed. All patients were employed but a majority was on full or part-time sick leave. Grounded Theory was used as the qualitative method. A core category, regaining the ability to work, was developed. Alongside, two categories, internal resources and the external support system, were experienced as being important to the process. The internal resources were expressed through three key features (sub-categories), perceived validation, insights and adaptive coping abilities. The external support system was diverse and described by the sub-categories practical/structural and/or emotional support. Four external support actors were identified; the workplace, health care, the Social Insurance Agency, and the union. The supervisor was described as the most important external actor. Internal and external resources are intertwined in the process of regaining the ability to work. The internal resources and external support can directly increase the probability to regain the ability to work. Moreover, these resources can affect each other and thus indirectly have an effect on the process.

Leaving sex work: barriers, facilitating factors and consequences for female sex workers in northern Thailand.

PubMed

Manopaiboon, C; Bunnell, R E; Kilmarx, P H; Chaikummao, S; Limpakarnjanarat, K; Supawitkul, S; St Louis, M E; Mastro, T D

2003-02-01

Factors facilitating or inhibiting women's ability to leave sex work are still poorly characterized, and little is known about women's lives after they leave the profession. This paper presents findings from a qualitative study about factors affecting women's ability to leave sex work and influencing their lives after leaving. We interviewed 42 current and former female sex workers (FSWs) drawn from a cohort study of 500 FSWs in northern Thailand. All but one of the participants had quit sex work at least once. The majority experienced one or more quit-re-entry-quit cycles. Women's ability and decisions to leave sex work were determined primarily by four factors: economic situation, relationship with a steady partner, attitudes towards sex work and HIV/AIDS experience. Economic concerns, ranging from survival needs to materialistic desires, had the strongest influence. Most women perceived their risk for HIV infection to be lower after leaving sex work, but three of the 17 HIV-infected women acquired infection after having left, presumably from their steady partners. Prevention efforts should guide women as they transition out of commercial sex work. Interventions aimed at assisting women wanting to leave sex work need to address the role of economic factors.

Perceived difficulty in the use of everyday technology: relationships with everyday functioning in people with acquired brain injury with a special focus on returning to work.

PubMed

Larsson Lund, Maria; Nygård, Louise; Kottorp, Anders

2014-01-01

The aim was to explore the relationships between difficulties in the use of everyday technology (ET) and the ability to perform activities of daily life (ADL) in the home and in society and in the workplace in people with acquired brain injury (ABI). The investigation comprises an explorative cross-sectional study of 74 people with ABI. The short version of the Everyday Technology Use Questionnaire (S-ETUQ) and a revised version of the ADL taxonomy were used to evaluate the participants. Rasch-generated person ability measures of ET use and ADL were used in correlation analyses, in group comparisons by ANOVA and in logistic regressions. Difficulty in the use of ET was significantly correlated with ADL limitations. People who worked full- or part-time had significantly higher ability to use ET than those with some type of full-time, long-term sickness compensation. The ability to use ET, ADL ability and age were significantly related to return to work. The ability to use ET is related to all areas of everyday functioning in people with ABI. Therefore, a patient's ability to use ET needs to be considered in rehabilitation strategies following an ABI to enhance the patient's performance of activities in the home and in society and to support his or her likelihood of returning to work.

Determinants of vct uptake among pregnant women attending two ANC clinics in Addis Ababa City: unmatched case control study.

PubMed

Maedot, Paulos; Haile, Amaha; Lulseged, Sileshi; Belachew, Ayele

2007-10-01

With HAART PMTCT interventions can reduce the risk of MTCT below 2%. However, low uptake of VCT is challenging effectiveness of PMTCT programs in sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of this study is to identify factors that determine VCT uptake among pregnant women attending ANC services. A case-control study was conducted from August 30, 2005 - November 30, 2005 among pregnant women attending ANC PMTCT services at Teklehaimanot Health Center and Gandhi memorial Hospital in Addis Ababa City. Cases were pregnant mothers who accepted VCT (n=202) and controls were pregnant mothers who refused VCT (n=200). Data was collected by counselor nurses working at the respective services Factors that determine VCT acceptance were women's perceived ability to cope with a positive result (OR = 5.5, 95% CI 3.5-8.5, MHOR = 6.3, 95% CI 3.9-10.2); perceived favorable reaction of husband's after sharing positive test result (OR = 2.7 95% CI 1.4-5.1, MHOR = 2.9, 95% CI 1.4-5.7); perceived positive community response (OR = 2.2 95% CI 1.1-4.2, MHOR = 2.6 95% CI 1.3-5.2); perceived ability to get continuous medical care if found out to be positive (OR = 2.0, 95% CI 1.2-3.5, MHOR = 2.4, 95% CI 1.3-4.5). Women's perceived ability to cope with a positive result, accesses to medical care, fear of husband's negative reaction and the stigma and discrimination following a positive test result were key determinants of uptake of VCT. Therefore, increasing uptake of VCT/PMTCT services needs policy makers and service providers' effort to promote couple counseling, intensifying the fight against stigma and discrimination and ensuring continuous HIV/AIDS related medical care.

Effect of Students' Perceptions of Course Load on Test Anxiety

PubMed Central

Sansgiry, Sujit S.; Sail, Kavita

2006-01-01

Objectives The objective of this study was to examine the association between student perceptions of course load, their ability to manage time, and test anxiety. Methods A survey was self-administered to all students (professional years 1 through 4) enrolled in the PharmD curriculum at the University of Houston (2001) with items measuring test anxiety, perceived course load, and ability to manage time. Results One hundred ninety-eight students participated in the survey (response rate P1 = 48%, P2 = 52%, P3 = 52%, P4 = 72%). There was a significant difference in students' perception of course load, ability to manage time, and test anxiety scores across the 4 years. Test anxiety was positively correlated with students' perceptions of course load and negatively related to their ability to manage time with course work. Conclusions Students' perception of course load and their ability to manage time with their course work is associated with test anxiety. Future studies should evaluate the role of stress/time management programs to reduce stress and anxiety. PMID:17149404

Effect of students' perceptions of course load on test anxiety.

PubMed

Sansgiry, Sujit S; Sail, Kavita

2006-04-15

The objective of this study was to examine the association between student perceptions of course load, their ability to manage time, and test anxiety. A survey was self-administered to all students (professional years 1 through 4) enrolled in the PharmD curriculum at the University of Houston (2001) with items measuring test anxiety, perceived course load, and ability to manage time. One hundred ninety-eight students participated in the survey (response rate P1 = 48%, P2 = 52%, P3 = 52%, P4 = 72%). There was a significant difference in students' perception of course load, ability to manage time, and test anxiety scores across the 4 years. Test anxiety was positively correlated with students' perceptions of course load and negatively related to their ability to manage time with course work. Students' perception of course load and their ability to manage time with their course work is associated with test anxiety. Future studies should evaluate the role of stress/time management programs to reduce stress and anxiety.

Relationships between perceived chewing ability, objective masticatory function and oral health-related quality of life in mandibulectomy or glossectomy patients with a dento-maxillary prosthesis.

PubMed

Aimaijiang, Yiliyaer; Otomaru, Takafumi; Taniguchi, Hisashi

2016-04-01

This preliminary study examined whether the type of surgery performed for head and neck lesion was associated perceived chewing ability, objective masticatory function, and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in patients who required a dento-maxillary prosthesis postoperatively. Thirty-eight patients with a dento-maxillary prosthesis were divided into three groups according to the type of surgery received: marginal mandibulectomy, segmental mandibulectomy with bony reconstruction, or glossectomy. Perceived chewing ability, objective mixing ability, and OHRQoL were evaluated using a food intake questionnaire, color-changeable chewing gum, and the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI), respectively. Differences in the scores obtained by the three measures were compared between the surgical groups using the Kruskal-Wallis test, and associations between the scores in each group were analyzed by Spearman's rank correlation analysis. Objective mixing ability was found to be significantly low only in patients who underwent glossectomy. No other measures differed significantly between the surgical groups. Perceived chewing ability and objective mixing ability were significantly associated in the marginal mandibulectomy and glossectomy groups but not in the segmental mandibulectomy group. Furthermore, GOHAI score was significantly associated with perceived chewing ability and objective mixing ability in the marginal mandibulectomy group. Within the limitations of this study, the present findings suggest that the type of surgery received might influence food mixing ability. Associations among food mixing ability, perceived chewing and OHRQoL are not accountable depending on the type of surgery received, indicating the presence of other contributing factors to be considered. Copyright © 2015 Japan Prosthodontic Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Altering the Trajectory of the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Asset-Based Pedagogy and Classroom Dynamics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

López, Francesca A.

2017-01-01

Prior research has contributed to our understanding about the ways teachers communicate their expectations to students, how students perceive differential teacher behaviors, and their effect on students' own perceptions of ability and achievement. Despite more than half a century of this work, historically marginalized students continue to be…

Action Alters Object Identification: Wielding a Gun Increases the Bias to See Guns

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Witt, Jessica K.; Brockmole, James R.

2012-01-01

Stereotypes, expectations, and emotions influence an observer's ability to detect and categorize objects as guns. In light of recent work in action-perception interactions, however, there is another unexplored factor that may be critical: The action choices available to the perceiver. In five experiments, participants determined whether another…

Using Reciprocal Peer Review to Help Graduate Students Develop Scholarly Writing Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palmer, Betsy; Major, Claire Howell

2008-01-01

We developed an innovative instructional method to actively engage students in writing and critiquing scholarly work. We tested the effectiveness of this pedagogy using a mixed methods research design. Compared to control group peers, students in the experimental classes perceived gains in their own writing, research ability, and motivation to…

A model of involvement in work-related learning and development activity: the effects of individual, situational, motivational, and age variables.

PubMed

Maurer, Todd J; Weiss, Elizabeth M; Barbeite, Francisco G

2003-08-01

Eight hundred employees from across the U.S. work force participated in a detailed 13-month longitudinal study of involvement in learning and development activities. A new model was posited and tested in which the hypothesized sequence was as follows: worker age --> individual and situational antecedents --> perceived benefits of participation and self-efficacy for development --> attitudes toward development --> intentions to participate --> participation. The results depict a person who is oriented toward employee development as having participated in development activities before, perceiving themselves as possessing qualities needed for learning, having social support for development at work and outside of work, being job involved, having insight into his or her career, and believing in the need for development, in his or her ability to develop skills and to receive intrinsic benefits from participating. Given the aging work force, a detailed treatment of age differences in development is presented. Implications for new ideas in practice and future research are discussed.

Stress in chiropractic education: a student survey of a five-year course.

PubMed

Hester, Hilary; Cunliffe, Christina; Hunnisett, Adrian

2013-01-01

Objective : Stress encompasses academic issues, such as time management, increased work load, and new subject matter, but cannot be separated from stressors, such as social adjustment and financial pressure. Our study investigated whether perceived level of academic or practical attainment and the method of study were associated with the amount of perceived stress during students" studies. Methods : A semi-structured self-administered questionnaire was piloted and distributed to 134 students at a chiropractic college at the end of a lecture. Results : The survey had a response rate of 81%. Students in their fourth year consistently reported the highest perceived levels of stress, with 81% feeling that their ability to study was affected by their financial situation and 56% felt overwhelmed at their ability to cope with their college workload. All year groups were stressed during their course of studies, but the stressor varies depending on the year of study. Conclusions : Year 4 consistently demonstrated the highest levels of stress. All students, regardless of year group, experienced varying degrees of stress while studying and the central stressor changed depending on the time position within the course.

Organizational uncertainty and stress among teachers in Hong Kong: work characteristics and organizational justice.

PubMed

Hassard, Juliet; Teoh, Kevin; Cox, Tom

2017-10-01

A growing literature now exists examining the relationship between organizational justice and employees' experience of stress. Despite the growth in this field of enquiry, there remain continued gaps in knowledge. In particular, the contribution of perceptions of justice to employees' stress within an organizational context of uncertainty and change, and in relation to the new and emerging concept of procedural-voice justice. The aim of the current study was to examine the main, interaction and additive effects of work characteristics and organizational justice perceptions to employees' experience of stress (as measured by their feelings of helplessness and perceived coping) during an acknowledged period of organizational uncertainty. Questionnaires were distributed among teachers in seven public primary schools in Hong Kong that were under threat of closure (n = 212). Work characteristics were measured using the demand-control-support model. Hierarchical regression analyses observed perceptions of job demands and procedural-voice justice to predict both teachers' feelings of helplessness and perceived coping ability. Furthermore, teacher's perceived coping was predicted by job control and a significant interaction between procedural-voice justice and distributive justice. The addition of organizational justice variables did account for unique variance, but only in relation to the measure of perceived coping. The study concludes that in addition to 'traditional' work characteristics, health promotion strategies should also address perceptions of organizational justice during times of organizational uncertainty; and, in particular, the value and importance of enhancing employee's perceived 'voice' in influencing and shaping justice-related decisions. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Chinese EFL teachers' knowledge of basic language constructs and their self-perceived teaching abilities.

PubMed

Zhao, Jing; Joshi, R Malatesha; Dixon, L Quentin; Huang, Liyan

2016-04-01

The present study examined the knowledge and skills of basic language constructs among elementary school teachers who were teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in China. Six hundred and thirty in-service teachers completed the adapted Reading Teacher Knowledge Survey. Survey results showed that English teachers' self-perceived ability to teach vocabulary was the highest and self-perceived ability to teach reading to struggling readers was the lowest. Morphological knowledge was positively correlated with teachers' self-perceived teaching abilities, and it contributed unique variance even after controlling for the effects of ultimate educational attainment and years of teaching. Findings suggest that elementary school EFL teachers in China, on average, were able to display implicit skills related to certain basic language constructs, but less able to demonstrate explicit knowledge of other skills, especially sub-lexical units (e.g., phonemic awareness and morphemes). The high self-perceived ability of teaching vocabulary and high scores on syllable counting reflected the focus on larger units in the English reading curriculum.

Cancer survivors. Work related issues.

PubMed

Schultz, Pamela N; Beck, Martha L; Stava, Charles; Sellin, Rena V

2002-05-01

New and more effective treatments for cancer have resulted in individuals living longer with a better quality of life. Many more survivors are employed in the workplace. Cancer is no longer only an issue for survivors and their families; it has become an issue for the employer and the workplace. This article describes survey results of 4,364 long term cancer survivors in which they were asked to respond to items describing their ability to work, job discrimination, and quality of life. Thirty-five percent of survivors were working at the time they completed the survey, and 8.5% considered themselves unable to work. This research has shown that age, gender, ethnic group, and cancer type affected the working status of the survivors. Of survivors continuing to work, 7.3% indicated they had experienced job discrimination. The results indicate most cancer survivors do not perceive employment related problems, and are readily assimilated into the work force. Job discrimination and the ability to work is a quality of life issue.

Motivational climate, goal orientation, perceived sport ability, and enjoyment within Finnish junior ice hockey players.

PubMed

Jaakkola, T; Ntoumanis, N; Liukkonen, J

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the relations among situational motivational climate, dispositional approach and avoidance achievement goals, perceived sport ability, and enjoyment in Finnish male junior ice hockey players. The sample comprised 265 junior B-level male players with a mean age of 17.03 years (SD = 0.63). Players filled questionnaires tapping their perceptions of coach motivational climate, achievement goals, perceived sport ability, and enjoyment. For the statistical analysis, players were divided into high and low perceived sport ability groups. Multigroup structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed an indirect path from task-involving motivational climate via task-approach goal to enjoyment. Additionally, SEM demonstrated four other direct associations, which existed in both perceived ability groups: from ego-involving motivational climate to ego-approach and ego-avoidance goals; from ego-approach goal to ego-avoidance goal; and from task-avoidance goal to ego-avoidance goal. Additionally, in the high perceived sport ability group, there was an association from task-involving motivational climate to enjoyment. The results of this study reveal that motivational climate emphasizing effort, personal development and improvement, and achievement goal mastering tasks are significant elements of enjoyment in junior ice hockey. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Bio-psychosocial factors are associated with pain intensity, physical functioning, and ability to work in female healthcare personnel with recurrent low back pain.

PubMed

Taulaniemi, Annika; Kuusinen, Lotta; Tokola, Kari; Kankaanpää, Markku; Suni, Jaana H

2017-08-31

To investigate associations of various bio-psychosocial factors with bodily pain, physical func-tioning, and ability to work in low back pain. Cross-sectional study. A total of 219 female healthcare workers with recurrent non-specific low back pain. Associations between several physical and psychosocial factors and: (i) bodily pain, (ii) physical functioning and (iii) ability to work were studied. Variables with statistically significant associations (p < 0.05) in bivariate analysis were set within a generalized linear model to analyse their relationship with each dependent variable. In generalized linear model analysis, perceived work-induced lumbar exertion (p < 0.001), multi-site pain (p <0.001) and work-related fear-avoidance beliefs (FAB-W) (p = 0.02) best explained bodily pain. Multi-site pain (p < 0.001), lumbar exertion (p = 0.005), FAB-W (p = 0.01) and physical performance in figure-of-eight running (p = 0.01) and modified push-ups (p = 0.05) best explained physical functioning; FAB-W (p <0.001), lumbar exertion (p = 0.003), depression (p = 0.01) and recovery after work (p = 0.03) best explained work ability. In bivariate analysis lumbar exertion was associated with poor physical performance. FAB-W and work-induced lumbar exertion were associated with levels of pain, physical functioning and ability to work. Poor physical performance capacity was associated with work-induced lumbar exertion. Interventions that aim to reduce fear-avoidance and increase fitness capacity might be beneficial.

Overcoming barriers to work participation for patients with postpoliomyelitis syndrome.

PubMed

Ten Katen, Kim; Beelen, Anita; Nollet, Frans; Frings-Dresen, Monique H W; Sluiter, Judith K

2011-01-01

This study aimed to explore the perceived work ability of patients with postpoliomyelitis syndrome (PPS), to identify barriers and factors that are impeding or conducive, respectively, to work participation, and to identify possible interventions. Qualitative cross-sectional interview study with 17 subjects with PPS, 12 women and 5 men, mean age 49 years (SD: 11). Semi-structured interviews were held with the subjects in their homes, with the aid of a topic list. The COREQ criteria list for qualitative research was used as guideline in design and analysis. Thirteen out of 17 subjects rated their work ability six or higher on a scale from 0 to 10. Most subjects worked in an administrative, educational or managerial function. Five subjects stopped working, four worked between 0 and 20 h/week and eight worked between 20 and 40 h/week. Factors conducive to working were physical adaptations in the workplace, accessibility of the workplace and high decision latitude. Barriers to full work ability in PPS patients were high physical job demands, low social support and the symptoms of PPS, especially fatigue and pain. These findings suggest that work-oriented interventions aimed at preventing PPS patients from dropping out of the workforce should primarily focus on reducing physical job demands, arranging adaptations in the workplace and increasing job control.

Positive attitudes and preserved high level of motor performance are important factors for return to work in younger persons after stroke: a national survey.

PubMed

Lindström, Britta; Röding, Jenny; Sundelin, Gunnevi

2009-09-01

Significant numbers of younger persons with stroke should be given the opportunity to return to work. The aim of this study was to investigate factors of importance for return to work among persons after first ever stroke, in the age range 18-55 years. A questionnaire was sent to all persons who had experienced a first ever stroke, 18-55 years of age, registered in the Swedish national quality register for stroke care, Riks-Stroke. Of the 1068 who answered the questionnaire, 855 (539 men and 316 women) were in paid employment before their stroke, and were included in this study. Sixty-five percent returned to work and, of these, an equal proportion were men and women. Significant factors associated with return to work were the perceived importance of work (odds ratio (OR) 5.10), not perceiving themselves as a burden on others (OR 3.33), support from others for return to work (OR 3.66), retaining the ability to run a short distance (OR 2.77), and higher socioeconomic codes (OR 2.12). A negative association was found between those rehabilitated in wards intended for younger persons and return to work (OR 0.37). External support from others, and positive attitudes towards return to work, were factors associated with successful return to work after stroke. Contrary to what was expected, independence in personal activities of daily living and cognitive factors were not associated with return to work to the same extent as persistent higher level of physical functions, such as ability to run a short distance.

Implicit measures of beliefs about sport ability in swimming and basketball.

PubMed

Mascret, Nicolas; Falconetti, Jean-Louis; Cury, François

2016-01-01

Sport ability may be seen as relatively stable, genetically determined and not easily modified by practice, or as increasable with training, work and effort. Using the Implicit Association Test (IAT), the purpose of the present study is to examine whether the practice of a particular sport (swimming or basketball) can influence automatic beliefs about sport ability in these two sports. The IAT scores evidence that swimmers and basketball players automatically and implicitly associate their own sport with training rather than genetics, whereas non-sportspersons have no significant automatic association. This result is strengthened when perceived competence and intrinsic motivation in swimming or basketball are high.

The effects of self-handicapping on attributions and perceived judo competence.

PubMed

Greenlees, Iain; Jones, Simon; Holder, Tim; Thelwell, Richard

2006-03-01

The aim of this study was to examine hypotheses derived from Jones and Berglas's (1978) self-handicapping model. It was hypothesized that individuals using many self-handicaps would use more internal attributions and report greater gains in perceived judo ability following success than individuals using few self-handicaps. In addition, it was hypothesized that individuals using many self-handicaps would use more external attributions and report less reduction in perceived judo ability following failure. Fifty-three judo players completed measures of trait self-handicapping, situational self-handicapping and a measure of perceived judo ability before competition. Following competition, the participants completed the Causal Dimension Scale II and the measure of perceived judo ability for a second time. Analyses of variance revealed that high self-handicappers attributed failure to more external factors than low self-handicappers. It was also found that high self-handicappers reported less of a reduction in perceived judo ability following failure than low self-handicappers. The findings therefore provide support for the potential short-term benefits of self-handicapping in sport, although further research is required to examine the long-term implications of using self-handicaps.

Adolescent-Perceived Parent and Teacher Overestimation of Mathematics Ability: Developmental Implications for Students' Mathematics Task Values

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gniewosz, Burkhard; Watt, Helen M. G.

2017-01-01

This study examines whether and how student-perceived parents' and teachers' overestimation of students' own perceived mathematical ability can explain trajectories for adolescents' mathematical task values (intrinsic and utility) controlling for measured achievement, following expectancy-value and self-determination theories. Longitudinal data…

Institutional Level Identity Control Strategies in the Distance Education Environment: A Survey of Administrative Staff

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amigud, Alexander

2013-01-01

Physical separation of students and instructors creates the gap of anonymity and limited control over the remote learning environment. The ability of academic institutions to authenticate students and validate authorship of academic work at various points during a course is necessary for preserving not only perceived credibility but also public…

Children's Perceptions of Their Reading Ability and Epistemic Roles in Monologically and Dialogically Organized Bilingual Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aukerman, Maren; Chambers Schuldt, Lorien

2015-01-01

This study examines how bilingual second-grade students perceived of their reading competence and of the work of reading in two contrasting settings where texts were regularly discussed: a monologically organized classroom (MOC) and a dialogically organized classroom (DOC; as determined by prior analysis of classroom discourse). Interview data…

An Exploratory Examination of a Grant-Making Project in Social Work Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Long, Dennis D.; McCarter, Susan; Thomas, M. Lori; Boyd, A. Suzanne

2012-01-01

Educators secure funding for MSW students to become a grant-making entity and provide monies to address local needs. An exploratory research design is used to obtain quantitative and qualitative data from students participating in the course-based project. Feedback suggests that students perceived increased abilities in the area of community needs…

The Effects of Subjective Time Pressure and Individual Differences on Hypotheses Generation and Action Prioritization in Police Investigations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alison, Laurence; Doran, Bernadette; Long, Matthew L.; Power, Nicola; Humphrey, Amy

2013-01-01

When individuals perceive time pressure, they decrease the generation of diagnostic hypotheses and prioritize information. This article examines whether individual differences in (a) internal time urgency, (b) experience, and (c) fluid mental ability can moderate these effects. Police officers worked through a computer-based rape investigative…

The Influence of the Early Retirement Process on Satisfaction with Early Retirement and Psychological Well-Being

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Potocnik, Kristina; Tordera, Nuria; Peiro, Jose Maria

2010-01-01

The present study explores the influence of the early retirement process on adjustment to early retirement, taking into account the roles of individual characteristics and social context in this process. We proposed a systematic model integrating perceived ability to continue working, organizational pressures toward early retirement and group…

A study of the influence of nursing education on development of emotional intelligence.

PubMed

Shanta, Linda; Gargiulo, Leslie

2014-01-01

The Future of Nursing, Leading Change, Advancing Health (Institute of Medicine 2011) challenged the profession of nursing to assume leadership of interdisciplinary health care teams. Leading these teams requires cognitive ability to manage highly charged and emotional work. Emotional intelligence (EI) is a characteristic necessary to process emotional information for creative problem solving. In addition, emerging evidence indicates there may be an association of nurses' EI and quality patient care (K. Adams et al., 2011). The foundation for development of competencies essential for nursing practice begins with nursing education. This quasi-experimental study investigated if baccalaureate-level nursing education increased the level of EI as operationalized by J. D. Mayer and P. Salovey's (2004) four-branch abilities model. Findings indicated that senior nursing students scored higher on the ability to understand and reason about emotions over pre-nursing students (P < .05); however, pre-nursing students scored higher than senior nursing students on the ability to accurately perceive emotions (P < .05). Regression analysis found that self-estimated grade point average was the only significant predictor of overall EI. Although the senior nursing students demonstrated strength in the ability to reason about emotion, the ability to perceive emotion seemed to have declined. This problem requires further research and action through transformed nursing education. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Work environment perceptions following relocation to open-plan offices: A twelve-month longitudinal study.

PubMed

Bergström, Jessica; Miller, Michael; Horneij, Eva

2015-01-01

A workplace's design can have various positive or negative effects on the employees and since the 1970s the advantages and disadvantages of open-plan offices have been discussed. The aim of this study was to investigate perceived health, work environment and self-estimated productivity one month before and at three, six and twelve months after relocation from individual offices to an open-plan office environment. Employees from three departments within the same company group and who worked with relatively similar tasks and who were planned to be relocated from private offices to open-plan offices were invited to participate. Questionnaires comprising items from The Salutogenic Health Indicator Scale, The Work Experience Measurement Scale, the questionnaire by Brennan et al. about perceived performance and one question from the Work Ability Index were sent to participants one month before relocation (baseline) to open-plan offices and then at three, six and twelve months after relocation. At baseline, 82 questionnaires were sent out. The response rate was 85%. At the follow-ups 77-79 questionnaires were sent out and the response-rate was 70%-81%. At follow-ups, perceived health, job satisfaction and performance had generally deteriorated. The results of the study indicate that employees' perception of health, work environment and performance decreased during a 12 month period following relocation from individual offices to open-plan offices.

Stroke patients' experiences of return to work.

PubMed

Medin, Jennie; Barajas, Josefin; Ekberg, Kerstin

2006-09-15

Purpose. The aim of this study was to describe the experience of return to work (RTW) after stroke from the patient's perspective.Method. Six patients who had their first ever stroke in 2001, were <65 years of age and were working at the time of their stroke were included. Information was obtained via an open-ended interview. The material was transcribed verbatim and analysed using Giorgi's empirical phenomenology.Results. Rehabilitation was perceived as primarily aimed at restoring bodily functions and a return to everyday activities, rather than at promoting a return to work. It was not experienced as adapted to the participants' needs or their age. The workplace was experienced as very important in the rehabilitation process. When the informants experienced that the rehabilitation professionals were not taking action, they took control of the situation themselves. The informants expressed pride in their own capacity to take the initiative and in their ability to take action. Both self-employed and employed informants said they had possibilities and opportunities to take action since their work situation was flexible. The informants' adaptation to a new role at work was perceived as facilitated by the understanding and positive attitude of co-workers.Conclusion. Among this group of stroke patients, the individual patient's capacity and ability to return to work was enhanced by motivation or "will" and self-efficacy in combination with external support. Self-efficacy was not only a personal trait or internal factor; it was enhanced and encouraged in interaction with contextual conditions. There are similarities between the RTW process and processes of health promotion.

The Role of Early Maternal Support in Balancing Full-Time Work and Infant Exclusive Breastfeeding: A Qualitative Study.

PubMed

Pounds, Lea; Fisher, Christopher M; Barnes-Josiah, Debora; Coleman, Jason D; Lefebvre, R Craig

Support of others is a key factor for mothers who choose to breastfeed their infants, including those who balance work outside the home and breastfeeding. However, little research has been done to understand how maternal support during the postpartum period impacts mothers' ability to later balance work and breastfeeding, in particular full-time work and exclusive breastfeeding. The results of this qualitative study indicate that the timing of support plays a key role in mothers' ability to successfully overcome barriers during the early postpartum period, thus building maternal self-efficacy in addressing problems encountered when they return to work. To understand the experience of low-income women who successfully balance full-time work and exclusive breastfeeding for the recommended 6 months, interviews were conducted with women who met study criteria for income level, work status, and exclusive breastfeeding. Breastfeeding peer counselors were also interviewed as key informants. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded for themes. The results of both sets of interviews were triangulated with a focused literature review to assure the soundness of the qualitative analysis. Timing of support included acute support, such as help establishing a successful latch needed during the first 2 weeks after delivery, to deal with breastfeeding problems that mothers perceived as being mentally and emotionally overwhelming and longer-term support needed to overcome problems perceived as being less intense. The research invites further exploration into the relationship between breastfeeding support provided by mothers' support system, including healthcare professionals, during the postpartum period and rates of breastfeeding duration and exclusivity.

Changes in actual and perceived physical abilities in clinically obese children: a 9-month multi-component intervention study.

PubMed

Morano, Milena; Colella, Dario; Rutigliano, Irene; Fiore, Pietro; Pettoello-Mantovani, Massimo; Campanozzi, Angelo

2012-01-01

(1) To examine relationships among changes in physical activity, physical fitness and some psychosocial determinants of activity behavior in a clinical sample of obese children involved in a multi-component program; (2) to investigate the causal relationship over time between physical activity and one of its strongest correlates (i.e. perceived physical ability). Self-reported physical activity and health-related fitness tests were administered before and after a 9-month intervention in 24 boys and 20 girls aged 8 to 11 years. Individuals' perceptions of strength, speed and agility were assessed using the Perceived Physical Ability Scale, while body image was measured using Collins' Child Figure Drawings. Findings showed that body mass index, physical activity, performances on throwing and weight-bearing tasks, perceived physical ability and body image significantly improved after treatment among obese children. Gender differences were found in the correlational analyses, showing a link between actual and perceived physical abilities in boys, but not in girls. For the specific measurement interval of this study, perception of physical ability was an antecedent and not a potential consequence of physical activity. Results indicate that a multi-component activity program not based merely on a dose-effect approach enhances adherence of the participants and has the potential to increase the lifelong exercise skills of obese children. Rather than focusing entirely on diet and weight loss, findings support the inclusion of interventions directed toward improving perceived physical ability that is predictive of subsequent physical activity.

Cancer, Cognitive Impairment, and Work-Related Outcomes: An Integrative Review.

PubMed

Von Ah, Diane; Storey, Susan; Tallman, Eileen; Nielsen, Adele; Johns, Shelley; Pressler, Susan

2016-09-01

Cancer survivors often report concerns regarding their memory, attention, and ability to process information and make decisions. These problems, which have also been demonstrated on objective neuropsychological assessments, may have a significant impact on work-related outcomes.
. A literature review was conducted using the following electronic databases. Articles were evaluated by two independent researchers.
. Twenty-six studies met the inclusion criteria. Ten were qualitative, 15 were quantitative, and 1 had a mixed-methods design. Quantitative articles were synthesized using the integrative methodology strategies proposed by Whittemore and Knafl. Synthesis of qualitative articles was conducted using the criteria established by the Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services. 
. To date, research in this context has been limited by cognitive assessments focusing primarily on patient self-assessments of attention, concentration, and memory. Additional research is needed to examine the impact of cognitive performance and to expand work-related outcomes measures to include perceived work ability, productivity, and actual performance.
. Lack of information regarding cognitive impairment inhibits survivors' ability to prepare, understand, and accept impending cognitive changes and how they may affect work ability. Oncology nurses can assist cancer survivors by preparing and educating them on how to better manage impairment associated with cancer and its treatment.

Tactile perception and working memory in rats and humans

PubMed Central

Fassihi, Arash; Akrami, Athena; Esmaeili, Vahid; Diamond, Mathew E.

2014-01-01

Primates can store sensory stimulus parameters in working memory for subsequent manipulation, but until now, there has been no demonstration of this capacity in rodents. Here we report tactile working memory in rats. Each stimulus is a vibration, generated as a series of velocity values sampled from a normal distribution. To perform the task, the rat positions its whiskers to receive two such stimuli, “base” and “comparison,” separated by a variable delay. It then judges which stimulus had greater velocity SD. In analogous experiments, humans compare two vibratory stimuli on the fingertip. We demonstrate that the ability of rats to hold base stimulus information (for up to 8 s) and their acuity in assessing stimulus differences overlap the performance demonstrated by humans. This experiment highlights the ability of rats to perceive the statistical structure of vibrations and reveals their previously unknown capacity to store sensory information in working memory. PMID:24449850

Effects of work ability and health promoting interventions for women with musculoskeletal symptoms: A 9-month prospective study

PubMed Central

Larsson, Agneta; Karlqvist, Lena; Gard, Gunvor

2008-01-01

Background Women working in the public human service sector in 'overstrained' situations run the risk of musculoskeletal symptoms and long-term sick leave. In order to maintain the level of health and work ability and strengthen the potential resources for health, it is important that employees gain greater control over decisions and actions affecting their health – a process associated with the concept of self-efficacy. The aim of this study was to describe the effects of a self-efficacy intervention and an ergonomic education intervention for women with musculoskeletal symptoms, employed in the public sector. Methods The design of the study was a 9-month prospective study describing the effects of two interventions, a comprehensive self-efficacy intervention (n = 21) and an ergonomic education intervention (n = 21). Data were obtained by a self-report questionnaire on health- and work ability-related factors at baseline, and at ten weeks and nine months follow-up. Within-group differences over time were analysed. Results Over the time period studied there were small magnitudes of improvements within each group. Within the self-efficacy intervention group positive effects in perceived work ability were shown. The ergonomic education group showed increased positive beliefs about future work ability and a more frequent use of pain coping strategies. Conclusion Both interventions showed positive effects on women with musculoskeletal symptoms, but in different ways. Future research in this area should tailor interventions to participants' motivation and readiness to change. PMID:18644154

The perceived problem-solving ability of nurse managers.

PubMed

Terzioglu, Fusun

2006-07-01

The development of a problem-solving approach to nursing has been one of the more important changes in nursing during the last decade. Nurse Managers need to have effective problem-solving and management skills to be able to decrease the cost of the health care and to increase the quality of care. This descriptive study was conducted to determine the perceived problem-solving ability of nurse managers. From a population of 87 nurse managers, 71 were selected using the stratified random sampling method, 62 nurse managers agreed to participate. Data were collected through a questionnaire including demographic information and a problem-solving inventory. The problem-solving inventory was developed by Heppner and Petersen in 1982, and validity and readability studies were done. It was adapted to Turkish by Sahin et al (1993). The acquired data have been evaluated on the software spss 10.0 programme, using percentages, mean values, one-way anova and t-test (independent samples t-test). Most of the nurses had 11 or more years of working experience (71%) and work as charge nurses in the clinics. It was determined that 69.4% of the nurse managers did not have any educational training in administration. The most encountered problems stated were issues related to managerial (30.6%) and professional staff (25.8%). It was identified that nurse managers who had received education about management, following scientific publication and scientific meeting and had followed management models, perceived their problem-resolving skills as more adequate than the others (P>0.05). In this study, it was determined that nurses do not perceive that they have problem-solving skills at a desired level. In this context, it is extremely important that this subject be given an important place in both nursing education curriculum and continuing education programmes.

How family members manage risk around functional decline: the autonomy management process in households facing dementia.

PubMed

Berry, Brandon; Apesoa-Varano, Ester Carolina; Gomez, Yarin

2015-04-01

Most dementia research investigates the social context of declining ability through studies of decision-making around medical treatment and end-of-life care. This study seeks to fill an important gap in research about how family members manage the risks of functional decline at home. Drawing on three waves of in-depth interviewing in 2012-2014, it investigates how family members in US households manage decline in an affected individual's natural range of daily activities over time. The findings show that early on in the study period affected individuals were perceived to have awareness of their decline and routinely drew on family members for support. Support transformed when family members detected that the individual's deficit awareness had diminished, creating a corresponding increase in risk of self-harm around everyday activities. With a loss of confidence in the individual's ability to regulate his or her own activities to avoid these risks, family members employed unilateral practices to manage the individual's autonomy around his or her activity involvements. These practices typically involved various deceits and ruses to discourage elders from engaging in activities perceived as potentially dangerous. The study concludes by discussing the implications that the social context of interpretive work around awareness and risk plays an important role in how families perceive an elder's functional ability and manage his or her activity involvements. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

How family members manage risk around functional decline: The autonomy management process in households facing dementia

PubMed Central

Berry, Brandon; Apesoa-Varano, Ester Carolina; Gomez, Yarin

2015-01-01

Most dementia research investigates the social context of declining ability through studies of decision-making around medical treatment and end-of-life care. This study seeks to fill an important gap in research about how family members manage the risks of functional decline at home. Drawing on three waves of retrospective interviewing in 2012–2014, it investigates how family members in US households manage decline in an affected individual’s natural range of daily activities over time. The findings show that early on in the study period affected individuals were perceived to have awareness of their decline and routinely drew on family members for support. Support transformed when family members detected that the individual’s deficit awareness had diminished, creating a corresponding increase in risk of self-harm around everyday activities. With a loss of confidence in the individual’s ability to regulate his or her own activities to avoid these risks, family members employed unilateral practices to manage the individual’s autonomy around his or her activity involvements. These practices typically involved various deceits and ruses to discourage elders from engaging in activities perceived as potentially dangerous. The study concludes by discussing the implications that the social context of interpretive work around awareness and risk plays an important role in how families perceive an elder’s functional ability and manage his or her activity involvements. PMID:25697634

Does psychosocial competency training for junior physicians working in pediatric medicine improve individual skills and perceived job stress.

PubMed

Bernburg, Monika; Baresi, Lisa; Groneberg, David; Mache, Stefanie

2016-12-01

Pediatricians' job performance, work engagement, and job satisfaction are essential for both the individual physician and quality of care for their little patients and parents. Therefore, it is important to maintain or possibly augment pediatricians' individual and professional competencies. In this study, we developed and implemented a psychosocial competency training (PCT) teaching different psychosocial competencies and stress coping techniques. We investigated (1) the influence of the PCT on work-related characteristics: stress perception, work engagement, job satisfaction and (2) explored pediatricians' outcomes and satisfaction with PCT. Fifty-four junior physicians working in pediatric hospital departments participated in the training and were randomized in an intervention (n = 26) or a control group (n = 28). In the beginning, at follow-up 1 and 2, both groups answered a self-rated questionnaire on perceived training outcomes and work-related factors. The intervention group showed that their job satisfaction significantly increased while perceived stress scores decreased after taking part in the PCT. No substantial changes were observed with regard to pediatricians' work engagement. Participating physicians evaluated PCT with high scores for training design, content, received outcome, and overall satisfaction with the training. Professional psychosocial competency training could improve junior pediatricians' professional skills, reduce stress perception, increase their job satisfaction, and psychosocial skills. In addition, this study indicates that the PCT is beneficial to be implemented as a group training program for junior pediatricians at work. What is Known: • Junior pediatricians often report experiencing high levels of job strain and little supervisory support. • High levels of job demands make pediatricians vulnerable for mental health problems and decreased work ability. What is New: • Development, implementation, and evaluation of a psychosocial competency training for junior pediatricians working in clinical settings • Psychosocial competency training has the potential to improve pediatricians' psychosocial skills and perceptions of perceived work-related stress and job satisfaction.

The effect of an enrolled nursing registration pathway program on undergraduate nursing students' confidence level: A pre- and post-test study.

PubMed

Crevacore, Carol; Jonas-Dwyer, Diana; Nicol, Pam

2016-04-01

In the latter half of the 20th century, registered nurse education moved to university degree level. As a result, there has been a reduction in access for students to clinical experience. In numerous studies, nursing graduates have reported that they do not feel prepared for practice. The importance of maximising every learning opportunity during nursing school is paramount. At Edith Cowan University, a program was initiated that allows students to become enrolled nurses at the midway point of their degree to enable them to work and therefore gain experience in the clinical practice setting during their education. This study investigated the effect of the program on the nursing students' perception of their clinical abilities and explored their ability to link theory to practice. The research design for this study was a quasi-experimental, prospective observational cohort study. The study included 39 second-year nursing students not enrolled in the program (Group 1), 45 second-year nursing students enrolled in the program (Group 2), and 28 third-year nursing students who completed the program and are working as enrolled nurses (Group 3). Participants were asked to complete a Five Dimension of Nursing Scale questionnaire. The quantitative analyses showed that students in Group 1 had statistically significant higher pre-questionnaire perceived abilities across all domains, except in two dimensions when compared to Group 2. The post-questionnaire analysis showed that Group 1 had statistically significant lower perceived abilities in four of the five dimensions compared to Group 2. Group 1 also had significantly lower abilities in all dimensions compared to Group 3. Group 3 had a significantly higher perception of their clinical abilities compared to Group 2. This study highlights the value of meaningful employment for undergraduate nursing students by providing opportunities to increase confidence in clinical abilities. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An explorative study of experiences of healthcare providers posing as simulated care receivers in a 'care-ethical' lab.

PubMed

Vanlaere, Linus; Timmermann, Madeleine; Stevens, Marleen; Gastmans, Chris

2012-01-01

In recent approaches to ethics, the personal involvement of health care providers and their empathy are perceived as important elements of an overall ethical ability. Experiential working methods are used in ethics education to foster, inter alia, empathy. In 2008, the care-ethics lab 'sTimul' was founded in Flanders, Belgium, to provide training that focuses on improving care providers' ethical abilities through experiential working simulations. The curriculum of sTimul focuses on empathy sessions, aimed at care providers' empathic skills. The present study provides better insight into how experiential learning specifically targets the empathic abilities of care providers. Providing contrasting experiences that affect the care providers' self-reflection seems a crucial element in this study. Further research is needed to provide more insight into how empathy leads to long-term changes in behaviour.

Impact of Pharmacy Residency Research Training on Residents' Actual Versus Perceived Ability and Interest to Identify and Solve Practice-Related Problems.

PubMed

Pinelli, Nicole R; Sikora, Andrea N; Witherspoon, Leigh A; Rao, Kamakshi V; Rhoney, Denise H

2016-08-01

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) requires that accredited residency programs provide pharmacy residents the opportunity to perform a practice-based project. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of pharmacy residency research training on residents' actual versus perceived ability to solve practice-related problems in their professional careers. This cross-sectional study surveyed postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) pharmacy practice residents who completed training at a large academic medical center between 2007 and 2013. The survey consisted of 3 areas of assessment, that is, (1) general demographics, (2) perceived research abilities, and (3) self-reported research productivity. A total of 39 residents were eligible; of those, 27 completed the survey (69.2% response rate). Participants reported low perceived ability for conductance of some research activities including study design development, implementation, and publication. No association between perceived research ability and self-reported research productivity was found. Research experience prior to residency training strongly predicted for subsequent publication after completion of PGY1 residency training (P < .0001). New training mechanisms may be needed to optimize research training that will provide residents with greater emphasis on areas of perceived deficiency. © The Author(s) 2015.

Changes In Actual And Perceived Physical Abilities In Clinically Obese Children: A 9-Month Multi-Component Intervention Study

PubMed Central

Morano, Milena; Colella, Dario; Rutigliano, Irene; Fiore, Pietro; Pettoello-Mantovani, Massimo; Campanozzi, Angelo

2012-01-01

Objectives (1) To examine relationships among changes in physical activity, physical fitness and some psychosocial determinants of activity behavior in a clinical sample of obese children involved in a multi-component program; (2) to investigate the causal relationship over time between physical activity and one of its strongest correlates (i.e. perceived physical ability). Methods Self-reported physical activity and health-related fitness tests were administered before and after a 9-month intervention in 24 boys and 20 girls aged 8 to 11 years. Individuals’ perceptions of strength, speed and agility were assessed using the Perceived Physical Ability Scale, while body image was measured using Collins’ Child Figure Drawings. Results Findings showed that body mass index, physical activity, performances on throwing and weight-bearing tasks, perceived physical ability and body image significantly improved after treatment among obese children. Gender differences were found in the correlational analyses, showing a link between actual and perceived physical abilities in boys, but not in girls. For the specific measurement interval of this study, perception of physical ability was an antecedent and not a potential consequence of physical activity. Conclusions Results indicate that a multi-component activity program not based merely on a dose-effect approach enhances adherence of the participants and has the potential to increase the lifelong exercise skills of obese children. Rather than focusing entirely on diet and weight loss, findings support the inclusion of interventions directed toward improving perceived physical ability that is predictive of subsequent physical activity. PMID:23239985

The Relationship of On-Call Work with Fatigue, Work-Home Interference, and Perceived Performance Difficulties.

PubMed

Ziebertz, Carla M; van Hooff, Madelon L M; Beckers, Debby G J; Hooftman, Wendela E; Kompier, Michiel A J; Geurts, Sabine A E

2015-01-01

This study examined the relationship between on-call duty exposure (active and total on-call hours a month, number of calls per duty) and employees' experiences of being on-call (stress due to unpredictability, ability to relax during inactive on-call periods, restrictions during on-call duties, on-call work demands, and satisfaction with compensation for on-call duties) on the one hand and fatigue, strain-based and time-based work-home interference (WHI), and perceived on-call performance difficulties (PPD) on the other hand. Cross-sectional survey data were collected among a large heterogeneous sample of Dutch employees (N = 5437). The final sample consisted of 157 on-call workers (23-69 years, 71% males). Data were analyzed by means of hierarchical regression analyses (controlling for age and job characteristics). Differences in on-call work exposure were not systematically related to fatigue, WHI, and PPD (all p's >0.50). The experience of being on-call explained a medium proportion of the variation in fatigue and strain-based WHI and a medium to large proportion of the variation in time-based WHI and PPD over and above the control variables. Our results suggest that it is employees' experience of being on-call, especially the experience of stress due to the unpredictability, rather than the amount of exposure, that is related to fatigue, WHI, and perceived on-call performance difficulties.

What We Know about Emotional Intelligence: How It Affects Learning, Work, Relationships, and Our Mental Health

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zeidner, Moshe; Matthews, Gerald; Roberts, Richard D.

2009-01-01

Emotional intelligence (or EI)--the ability to perceive, regulate, and communicate emotions, to understand emotions in ourselves and others--has been the subject of best-selling books, magazine cover stories, and countless media mentions. It has been touted as a solution for problems ranging from relationship issues to the inadequacies of local…

Working towards Inclusive Physical Education in a Primary School: 'Some Days I Just Don't Get It Right'

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petrie, Kirsten; Devcich, Joel; Fitzgerald, Hayley

2018-01-01

Background: In Aotearoa New Zealand, as it is internationally, there is a desire to ensure physical education is inclusive of all students regardless of their abilities. Yet, medical discourses associated with disability continue to position students who are perceived as not having the capacity to participate fully in traditional physical…

Adolescent-perceived parent and teacher overestimation of mathematics ability: Developmental implications for students' mathematics task values.

PubMed

Gniewosz, Burkhard; Watt, Helen M G

2017-07-01

This study examines whether and how student-perceived parents' and teachers' overestimation of students' own perceived mathematical ability can explain trajectories for adolescents' mathematical task values (intrinsic and utility) controlling for measured achievement, following expectancy-value and self-determination theories. Longitudinal data come from a 3-cohort (mean ages 13.25, 12.36, and 14.41 years; Grades 7-10), 4-wave data set of 1,271 Australian secondary school students. Longitudinal structural equation models revealed positive effects of student-perceived overestimation of math ability by parents and teachers on students' intrinsic and utility math task values development. Perceived parental overestimations predicted intrinsic task value changes between all measurement occasions, whereas utility task value changes only were predicted between Grades 9 and 10. Parental influences were stronger for intrinsic than utility task values. Teacher influences were similar for both forms of task values and commenced after the curricular school transition in Grade 8. Results support the assumptions that the perceived encouragement conveyed by student-perceived mathematical ability beliefs of parents and teachers, promote positive mathematics task values development. Moreover, results point to different mechanisms underlying parents' and teachers' support. Finally, the longitudinal changes indicate transition-related increases in the effects of student-perceived overestimations and stronger effects for intrinsic than utility values. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Examination of the Perceived Efficacy and Goal Setting System (PEGS) with children with disabilities, their parents, and teachers.

PubMed

Missiuna, Cheryl; Pollock, Nancy; Law, Mary; Walter, Stephen; Cavey, Nina

2006-01-01

The Perceived Efficacy and Goal Setting System (PEGS) is an instrument and a process that enables children with disabilities to reflect on their ability to perform everyday occupations and to identify goals for occupational therapy intervention. In this study, 117 children with disabilities in grades 1-3 completed the PEGS with occupational therapists who work in school settings. Children from 6-9 years of age with a variety of disabilities were able to self-report perceptions of their effectiveness performing 24 activities that would be expected of them each day. Parents and teachers, who completed a parallel questionnaire, rated their abilities lower than the children did. The School Function Assessment, a measure of the amount and type of support required for school participation, had low correlations with the Parent and Teacher PEGS questionnaires and did not correlate with the Child PEGS. No differences in perceived efficacy were found for children across grades or gender; however, differences were found across types of disabilities. Children were able to use the perceived efficacy information to identify and prioritize goals for intervention and these goals remained stable 2 weeks later. Occupational therapists can use the PEGS within a client-centered practice to help the child set goals for therapy and to incorporate explicitly the perspectives of parents and teachers.

Reading Self-Perceived Ability, Enjoyment and Achievement: A Genetically Informative Study of Their Reciprocal Links Over Time

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Extant literature has established a consistent association between aspects of reading motivation, such as enjoyment and self-perceived ability, and reading achievement, in that more motivated readers are generally more skilled readers. However, the developmental etiology of this relation is yet to be investigated. The present study explores the development of the motivation–achievement association and its genetic and environmental underpinnings. Applying cross-lagged design in a sample of 13,825 twins, we examined the relative contribution of genetic and environmental factors to the association between reading enjoyment and self-perceived ability and reading achievement. Children completed a reading comprehension task and self-reported their reading enjoyment and perceived ability twice in middle childhood: when they were 9–10 and 12 years old. Results showed a modest reciprocal association over time between reading motivation (enjoyment and perceived ability) and reading achievement. Reading motivation at age 9–10 statistically predicted the development of later achievement, and similarly, reading achievement at age 9–10 predicted the development of later motivation. This reciprocal association was observed beyond the stability of the variables and their contemporaneous correlation and was largely explained by genetic factors. PMID:28333527

Perceived risk and risk-taking behavior during the festival firework.

PubMed

Saadat, Soheil; Naseripour, Masoud; Karbakhsh, Mojgan; Rahimi-Movaghar, Vafa

2010-01-01

To investigate the relationship between perceived risk and risk-taking behaviors during the Iranian Last Wednesday Eve Fireworks (ILWEF). A random sample of 2475 Tehranian households were asked on perceived risk of injury, risk-taking behaviors, experience of injuries, and their perception of ability to manage the harmful events during the ILWEF. Lower perceived injury risk and higher perceived ability of managing an injured household member were associated with participation in fireworks practice and incidence of injury. These findings can be of practical importance to increase safety during festivals by improving risk perception in the community.

College Access and Success among High School Graduates Taking the SAT®: Asian American Students. Research Note 2013-8

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKillip, Mary E. M.; Mackey, Philip E.

2013-01-01

This report shows college enrollment and graduation trends among Asian American SAT® takers who finished high school in 2004 and 2010 by student characteristics, including aspirations, self-perceived ability, and academic achievements. In every case, students in the top categories (high aspirations, high-perceived ability, high-assessed ability)…

Gender Stereotypes and Women's Reports of Liking and Ability in Traditionally Masculine and Feminine Occupations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oswald, Debra L.

2008-01-01

Gender stereotypes were examined for their causal influence on women's reported liking for and perceived ability to succeed in traditionally masculine and feminine occupations. One hundred twenty-one women were assigned to either a gender-stereotype activation or filler task and then completed measures of liking for, and perceived ability to…

Evaluating a digital ship design tool prototype: Designers' perceptions of novel ergonomics software.

PubMed

Mallam, Steven C; Lundh, Monica; MacKinnon, Scott N

2017-03-01

Computer-aided solutions are essential for naval architects to manage and optimize technical complexities when developing a ship's design. Although there are an array of software solutions aimed to optimize the human element in design, practical ergonomics methodologies and technological solutions have struggled to gain widespread application in ship design processes. This paper explores how a new ergonomics technology is perceived by naval architecture students using a mixed-methods framework. Thirteen Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering Masters students participated in the study. Overall, results found participants perceived the software and its embedded ergonomics tools to benefit their design work, increasing their empathy and ability to understand the work environment and work demands end-users face. However, participant's questioned if ergonomics could be practically and efficiently implemented under real-world project constraints. This revealed underlying social biases and a fundamental lack of understanding in engineering postgraduate students regarding applied ergonomics in naval architecture. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Communication and Control in Organizations: Applying the Work of James Thompson and Gregory Bateson to Interpretive Research.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-07-01

learning ’, ’adaptations’, ’process’, and ’ abstraction ...hierarchy. Rather, he argues through a combina- tion of cybernetic epistemology, learning theory, and cognitive models, that patterned collective...systemic ability to perceive and respond to pattern and variance in the ’environment’. Each level of abstraction can be considered a ’meta’

Perceived mathematical ability under challenge: a longitudinal perspective on sex segregation among STEM degree fields.

PubMed

Nix, Samantha; Perez-Felkner, Lara; Thomas, Kirby

2015-01-01

Students' perceptions of their mathematics ability vary by gender and seem to influence science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degree choice. Related, students' perceptions during academic difficulty are increasingly studied in educational psychology, suggesting a link between such perceptions and task persistence. Despite interest in examining the gender disparities in STEM, these concepts have not been considered in tandem. In this manuscript, we investigate how perceived ability under challenge-in particular in mathematics domains-influences entry into the most sex-segregated and mathematics-intensive undergraduate degrees: physics, engineering, mathematics, and computer science (PEMC). Using nationally representative Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS) data, we estimate the influence of perceived ability under challenging conditions on advanced high school science course taking, selection of an intended STEM major, and specific major type 2 years after high school. Demonstrating the importance of specificity when discussing how gender influences STEM career pathways, the intersecting effects of gender and perceived ability under mathematics challenge were distinct for each scientific major category. Perceived ability under challenge in secondary school varied by gender, and was highly predictive of selecting PEMC and health sciences majors. Notably, women's 12th grade perceptions of their ability under mathematics challenge increased their probability of selecting PEMC majors over and above biology. In addition, gender moderated the effect of growth mindset on students' selection of health science majors. Perceptions of ability under challenge in general and verbal domains also influenced retention in and declaration of certain STEM majors. The implications of these results are discussed, with particular attention to access to advanced scientific coursework in high school and interventions aimed at enhancing young women's perceptions of their ability, in particular in response to the potentially inhibiting influence of stereotype threat on their pathways to scientific degrees.

Perceived mathematical ability under challenge: a longitudinal perspective on sex segregation among STEM degree fields

PubMed Central

Nix, Samantha; Perez-Felkner, Lara; Thomas, Kirby

2015-01-01

Students' perceptions of their mathematics ability vary by gender and seem to influence science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degree choice. Related, students' perceptions during academic difficulty are increasingly studied in educational psychology, suggesting a link between such perceptions and task persistence. Despite interest in examining the gender disparities in STEM, these concepts have not been considered in tandem. In this manuscript, we investigate how perceived ability under challenge—in particular in mathematics domains—influences entry into the most sex-segregated and mathematics-intensive undergraduate degrees: physics, engineering, mathematics, and computer science (PEMC). Using nationally representative Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS) data, we estimate the influence of perceived ability under challenging conditions on advanced high school science course taking, selection of an intended STEM major, and specific major type 2 years after high school. Demonstrating the importance of specificity when discussing how gender influences STEM career pathways, the intersecting effects of gender and perceived ability under mathematics challenge were distinct for each scientific major category. Perceived ability under challenge in secondary school varied by gender, and was highly predictive of selecting PEMC and health sciences majors. Notably, women's 12th grade perceptions of their ability under mathematics challenge increased their probability of selecting PEMC majors over and above biology. In addition, gender moderated the effect of growth mindset on students' selection of health science majors. Perceptions of ability under challenge in general and verbal domains also influenced retention in and declaration of certain STEM majors. The implications of these results are discussed, with particular attention to access to advanced scientific coursework in high school and interventions aimed at enhancing young women's perceptions of their ability, in particular in response to the potentially inhibiting influence of stereotype threat on their pathways to scientific degrees. PMID:26113823

Does feeling respected influence return to work? Cross-sectional study on sick-listed patients' experiences of encounters with social insurance office staff.

PubMed

Lynöe, Niels; Wessel, Maja; Olsson, Daniel; Alexanderson, Kristina; Helgesson, Gert

2013-03-23

Previous research shows that how patients perceive encounters with healthcare staff may affect their health and self-estimated ability to return to work. The aim of the present study was to explore long-term sick-listed patients' encounters with social insurance office staff and the impact of these encounters on self-estimated ability to return to work. A random sample of long-term sick-listed patients (n = 10,042) received a questionnaire containing questions about their experiences of positive and negative encounters and item lists specifying such experiences. Respondents were also asked whether the encounters made them feel respected or wronged and how they estimated the effect of these encounters on their ability to return to work. Statistical analysis was conducted using 95% confidence intervals (CI) for proportions, and attributable risk (AR) with 95% CI. The response rate was 58%. Encounter items strongly associated with feeling respected were, among others: listened to me, believed me, and answered my questions. Encounter items strongly associated with feeling wronged were, among others: did not believe me, doubted my condition, and questioned my motivation to work. Positive encounters facilitated patients' self-estimated ability to return to work [26.9% (CI: 22.1-31.7)]. This effect was significantly increased if the patients also felt respected [49.3% (CI: 47.5-51.1)]. Negative encounters impeded self-estimated ability to return to work [29.1% (CI: 24.6-33.6)]; when also feeling wronged return to work was significantly further impeded [51.3% (CI: 47.1-55.5)]. Long-term sick-listed patients find that their self-reported ability to return to work is affected by positive and negative encounters with social insurance office staff. This effect is further enhanced by feeling respected or wronged, respectively.

Making judgments about ability: the role of implicit theories of ability in moderating inferences from temporal and social comparison information.

PubMed

Butler, R

2000-05-01

Two studies examined the novel proposal that implicit theories of intelligence (C. S. Dweck & E. L. Leggett, 1988) moderate both the effects of performance trends on ability inferences and the perceived diagnosticity of temporal versus normative feedback. Results from 613 adolescents and 42 teachers confirmed that entity theorists perceived initial outcome as more diagnostic and inferred higher ability in another (Study 1) and in the self (Study 2) in a declining outcome condition; incremental theorists perceived last outcome as more diagnostic and inferred higher ability in an ascending condition. Experimental induction of beliefs about ability had similar effects. As predicted, self-appraisal was affected more by temporal feedback among incremental theorists and by normative feedback among entity theorists. Results help resolve prior mixed findings regarding order effects and responses to temporal and normative evaluation.

Ethical erosion in newly qualified doctors: perceptions of empathy decline.

PubMed

Stratta, Emily C; Riding, David M; Baker, Paul

2016-09-06

This study sought to understand whether UK Foundation doctors perceived the phenomena of ethical erosion and empathy decline during their initial period of clinical practice, and if so, why this occurred. This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with nine doctors in their first year of clinical practice at Royal Bolton Hospital, UK. Participants were invited to discuss the definition of empathy, how individuals acquire and maintain empathic ability, perceptions of ethical erosion in the self and others, and how clinical experiences have influenced their empathic ability. The interviews were transcribed, and analysed to identify emergent themes. Each participant reported a conscious acknowledgement of empathy decline in their own and their colleagues' early clinical experiences as doctors. Stressful working environments, the prioritisation of patients' physical rather than psychological well-being, and the attitudes of senior colleagues were all suggested as possible causes. Some doctors believed that specialties with reduced patient contact had a culture which precluded empathy, and influenced their own practice. In addition, some described how their value judgements of patients had affected their ability to empathise. However, all doctors perceived that empathy skills were desirable in senior clinicians, and some believed that educational interventions may be useful in arresting ethical erosion. Newly qualified doctors are aware of ethical erosion in themselves and their colleagues as they begin clinical practice. This has serious implications for patient care. Improving working conditions may reverse this trend. Empathy skills training within undergraduate and postgraduate curricula may be a useful intervention.

Psychosocial working conditions and diabetes self-management at work: A qualitative study.

PubMed

Loerbroks, Adrian; Nguyen, Xuan Quynh; Vu-Eickmann, Patricia; Krichbaum, Michael; Kulzer, Bernhard; Icks, Andrea; Angerer, Peter

2018-06-01

We conducted a qualitative study to expand our current understanding of the potential link between psychosocial working conditions and diabetes self-management at work. Thirty employed adults with diabetes mellitus living in Germany (n = 19 with type 1, n = 11 with type 2, 57% female, aged 24-64 years) were recruited. Using a topic guide, we carried out in-depth interviews in face-to-face contact or by telephone. Interviews were transcribed and content-analyzed using MaxQDA. Psychosocial working conditions perceived to detrimentally affect self-management activities included, amongst others, a high workload, poor job control, unhygienic working environments, the requirement to work under high or fluctuating temperature, perceived social norms at the workplace, and the attitude to prioritize work-related demands as opposed to diabetes-related demands. The types of self-management activities considered to be adversely affected related to glucose monitoring, insulin injections, dietary control, the ability to recognize hypoglycemia and health care use. Various types of occupational psychosocial factors may determine diabetes self-management practices at the workplace. Quantitative studies are needed to confirm our observations. Subsequently, interventions could be developed and evaluated to improve opportunities to adequately engage into diabetes self-management at work. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An exploratory study of the perceived impact of raising the age of cigarette purchase on young smokers in Scotland.

PubMed

Borland, T; Amos, A

2009-10-01

To explore the perceived impact among a group of Scottish 16- and 17-year-old school leavers of the recent increase in age of sale of cigarettes (1 October 2007) from 16 to 18 years on their ability to purchase and access cigarettes. Qualitative interviews with friendship pairs. Twelve paired qualitative interviews conducted in June 2008. Participants were 16- and 17-year-old early school leavers undertaking a work skills programme in Lothian who smoked at least one cigarette per week. Data were analysed thematically. The increase in the age of sale affected participants' perceived ability to purchase cigarettes to differing extents. Three groups were identified: those who were unable to purchase cigarettes either before or after the change in the law, those who could purchase cigarettes before the change in the law but who found it very difficult to do so afterwards, and those who were relatively unaffected as they could purchase cigarettes both before and after the age was raised to 18 years, mostly from small corner shops. Smoking was embedded in participants' social lives and networks. Thus, there was only a limited impact upon their reported ability to access cigarettes due to the availability of alternative social sources of cigarettes from family, friends and others. This exploratory study raises questions about the nature and extent of the impact of raising the age of sale on young smokers' ability to purchase and access cigarettes. The importance of alternative social sources of cigarettes highlights the need for further research to investigate whether the change in legislation had less of an impact on more disadvantaged adolescent smokers, as they are likely to have greater access to alternative sources from their family, friends and community.

Pathways through which health influences early retirement: a qualitative study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Due to the aeging of the population, there is a societal need for workers to prolong their working lives. In the Netherlands, many employees still leave the workforce before the official retirement age of 65. Previous quantitative research showed that poor self-perceived health is a risk factor of (non-disability) early retirement. However, little is known on how poor health may lead to early retirement, and why poor health leads to early retirement in some employees, but not in others. Therefore, the present qualitative study aims to identify in which ways health influences early retirement. Methods Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 employees (60–64 years) who retired before the official retirement age of 65. Participants were selected from the Study on Transitions in Employment, Ability and Motivation. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, a summary was made including a timeline, and the interviews were open coded. Results In 15 of the 30 persons, health played a role in early retirement. Both poor and good health influenced early retirement. For poor health, four pathways were identified. First, employees felt unable to work at all due to health problems. Second, health problems resulted in a self-perceived (future) decline in the ability to work, and employees chose to retire early. Third, employees with health problems were afraid of a further decline in health, and chose to retire early. Fourth, employees with poor health retired early because they felt pushed out by their employer, although they themselves did not experience a reduced work ability. A good health influenced early retirement, since persons wanted to enjoy life while their health still allowed to do so. The financial opportunity to retire sometimes triggered the influence of poor health on early retirement, and often triggered the influence of good health. Employees and employers barely discussed opportunities to prolong working life. Conclusions Poor and good health influence early retirement via several different pathways. To prolong working life, a dialogue between employers and employees and tailored work-related interventions may be helpful. PMID:23551994

Pathways through which health influences early retirement: a qualitative study.

PubMed

de Wind, Astrid; Geuskens, Goedele A; Reeuwijk, Kerstin G; Westerman, Marjan J; Ybema, Jan Fekke; Burdorf, Alex; Bongers, Paulien M; van der Beek, Allard J

2013-04-03

Due to the aging of the population, there is a societal need for workers to prolong their working lives. In the Netherlands, many employees still leave the workforce before the official retirement age of 65. Previous quantitative research showed that poor self-perceived health is a risk factor of (non-disability) early retirement. However, little is known on how poor health may lead to early retirement, and why poor health leads to early retirement in some employees, but not in others. Therefore, the present qualitative study aims to identify in which ways health influences early retirement. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 employees (60-64 years) who retired before the official retirement age of 65. Participants were selected from the Study on Transitions in Employment, Ability and Motivation. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, a summary was made including a timeline, and the interviews were open coded. In 15 of the 30 persons, health played a role in early retirement. Both poor and good health influenced early retirement. For poor health, four pathways were identified. First, employees felt unable to work at all due to health problems. Second, health problems resulted in a self-perceived (future) decline in the ability to work, and employees chose to retire early. Third, employees with health problems were afraid of a further decline in health, and chose to retire early. Fourth, employees with poor health retired early because they felt pushed out by their employer, although they themselves did not experience a reduced work ability. A good health influenced early retirement, since persons wanted to enjoy life while their health still allowed to do so. The financial opportunity to retire sometimes triggered the influence of poor health on early retirement, and often triggered the influence of good health. Employees and employers barely discussed opportunities to prolong working life. Poor and good health influence early retirement via several different pathways. To prolong working life, a dialogue between employers and employees and tailored work-related interventions may be helpful.

Barriers to pediatric pain management: a nursing perspective.

PubMed

Czarnecki, Michelle L; Simon, Katherine; Thompson, Jamie J; Armus, Cheryl L; Hanson, Tom C; Berg, Kristin A; Petrie, Jodie L; Xiang, Qun; Malin, Shelly

2011-09-01

This study describes strategies used by the Joint Clinical Practice Council of Children's Hospital of Wisconsin to identify barriers perceived as interfering with nurses' (RNs) ability to provide optimal pain management. A survey was used to ascertain how nurses described optimal pain management and how much nurses perceived potential barriers as interfering with their ability to provide that level of care. The survey, "Barriers to Optimal Pain management" (adapted from Van Hulle Vincent & Denyes, 2004), was distributed to all RNs working in all patient care settings. Two hundred seventy-two surveys were returned. The five most significant barriers identified were insufficient physician (MD) orders, insufficient MD orders before procedures, insufficient time to premedicate patients before procedures, the perception of a low priority given to pain management by medical staff, and parents' reluctance to have patients receive pain medication. Additional barriers were identified through narrative comments. Information regarding the impact of the Acute Pain Service on patient care, RNs' ability to overcome barriers, and RNs' perception of current pain management practices is included, as are several specific interventions aimed at improving or ultimately eliminating identified barriers. Copyright © 2011 American Society for Pain Management Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Relationship between Perceived Limit-Setting Abilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder Severity, Behaviour Problems and Parenting Stress in Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reed, Phil; Howse, Jessie; Ho, Ben; Osborne, Lisa A.

2017-01-01

Parenting stress in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is high and impacts perceptions about parenting. This study examined the relationship between parenting stress and observer-perceived limit-setting ability. Participants' perceptions of other parents' limit-setting ability were assessed by showing participants video clips…

"Thinking about the future, what's gonna happen?"-How young people in Sweden who neither work nor study perceive life experiences in relation to health and well-being.

PubMed

Lögdberg, Ulrika; Nilsson, Bo; Kostenius, Catrine

2018-12-01

The aim of this study was to explore how young people in Sweden who neither work nor study perceive life experiences in relation to health and well-being. A task-based interview technique was used and data was analysed with qualitative content analysis. Interviews were conducted with 16 participants aged 16-20 who were unemployed and not eligible for upper secondary school, or who had dropped out of school. Three themes emerged from the analysis illustrating how the young people perceive their life experiences in relation to health and well-being: Struggling with hardships in the absence of caring connections, Feeling good when closely connected to others, and Being forced to question what has been taken for granted. Each theme consists of 2-3 subthemes. Based on the young people's narrated experiences health can be understood as: something that is created in relation to others and in relation to the social and cultural context; as something dynamic and changeable; as the ability to adapt and respond to challenges; and finally as something existing on a collective as well as an individual level. Implications for school, social services and health promotion initiatives are discussed, with an emphasis on working with young people.

The Relationship of On-Call Work with Fatigue, Work-Home Interference, and Perceived Performance Difficulties

PubMed Central

Ziebertz, Carla M.; van Hooff, Madelon L. M.; Beckers, Debby G. J.; Hooftman, Wendela E.; Kompier, Michiel A. J.; Geurts, Sabine A. E.

2015-01-01

Objectives. This study examined the relationship between on-call duty exposure (active and total on-call hours a month, number of calls per duty) and employees' experiences of being on-call (stress due to unpredictability, ability to relax during inactive on-call periods, restrictions during on-call duties, on-call work demands, and satisfaction with compensation for on-call duties) on the one hand and fatigue, strain-based and time-based work-home interference (WHI), and perceived on-call performance difficulties (PPD) on the other hand. Methods. Cross-sectional survey data were collected among a large heterogeneous sample of Dutch employees (N = 5437). The final sample consisted of 157 on-call workers (23–69 years, 71% males). Data were analyzed by means of hierarchical regression analyses (controlling for age and job characteristics). Results. Differences in on-call work exposure were not systematically related to fatigue, WHI, and PPD (all p's >0.50). The experience of being on-call explained a medium proportion of the variation in fatigue and strain-based WHI and a medium to large proportion of the variation in time-based WHI and PPD over and above the control variables. Conclusions. Our results suggest that it is employees' experience of being on-call, especially the experience of stress due to the unpredictability, rather than the amount of exposure, that is related to fatigue, WHI, and perceived on-call performance difficulties. PMID:26558276

Perceived visual informativeness (PVI): construct and scale development to assess visual information in printed materials.

PubMed

King, Andy J; Jensen, Jakob D; Davis, LaShara A; Carcioppolo, Nick

2014-01-01

There is a paucity of research on the visual images used in health communication messages and campaign materials. Even though many studies suggest further investigation of these visual messages and their features, few studies provide specific constructs or assessment tools for evaluating the characteristics of visual messages in health communication contexts. The authors conducted 2 studies to validate a measure of perceived visual informativeness (PVI), a message construct assessing visual messages presenting statistical or indexical information. In Study 1, a 7-item scale was created that demonstrated good internal reliability (α = .91), as well as convergent and divergent validity with related message constructs such as perceived message quality, perceived informativeness, and perceived attractiveness. PVI also converged with a preference for visual learning but was unrelated to a person's actual vision ability. In addition, PVI exhibited concurrent validity with a number of important constructs including perceived message effectiveness, decisional satisfaction, and three key public health theory behavior predictors: perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and self-efficacy. Study 2 provided more evidence that PVI is an internally reliable measure and demonstrates that PVI is a modifiable message feature that can be tested in future experimental work. PVI provides an initial step to assist in the evaluation and testing of visual messages in campaign and intervention materials promoting informed decision making and behavior change.

Mobbing, stress, and work ability index among physicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina: survey study.

PubMed

Pranjić, Nurka; Males-Bilić, Ljiljana; Beganlić, Azijada; Mustajbegović, Jadranka

2006-10-01

To assess the frequency of reported mobbing and the association among mobbing, working environment factors, stress, health outcome, personality type, and work ability index in a sample of physicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We conducted a questionnaire survey using a validated self-reported questionnaire among 511 physicians in national health sector of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The questions covered five major categories of mobbing behavior. Characteristics of the work, perceived work environment and its effects, stress, health, and satisfaction with work and life were assessed by the standardized abridged form of Occupational Stress Questionnaire (OSQ). A standardized questionnaire Work Ability Index (WAI) was used to determine the relation between mobbing and work ability. Of 511 surveyed physicians, 387 (76%) physicians self-reported mobbing behavior in the working environment and 136 (26%) was exposed to persistent mobbing. More than a half of the physicians experienced threats to their professional status and almost a half felt isolated. Logistic regression analysis showed that lack of motivation, loss of self-esteem, loss of confidence, fatigue, and depressiveness were significantly associated with lack of support from colleagues. Intention to leave work was associated with lack of support from colleagues (OR 2.3, 95% CI, 1.065-3.535; t =4.296, P =0.003) and lack of support from superiors (OR 1.526, 95% CI, 0.976-2.076; t =5.753; P =0.001). Isolation or exclusion and threats to professional status were predictors for mental health symptoms. Persistent mobbing experience was a significant predictor for sick leave. Exposure to persistent threat to professional status and isolation or exclusion as forms of mobbing are associated with mental health disturbances and lack of self-esteem and confidence. Setting up a system of support for physicians exposed to mobbing may have important benefits.

How do directors of public health perceive leadership?

PubMed

McAreav, M J; Alimo-Metcalfe, B; Connelly, J

2001-01-01

This study examines how directors of public health (DsPH) perceive effective leadership. Kelly's repertory grid technique is used. A total of 13 out of a possible 14 DsPH in one NHS region of England were interviewed. Qualitative and quantitative analysis were carried out. The findings show that male DsPH (n = 8) rate their leadership ability more highly than do female DsPH (n = 5). Qualitative analysis produced a number of categories of constructs, some of which are perceived to be indicative of effective leadership, these being "working for others", "personal attributes", "vision and innovation" and "courage and integrity" Some categories appear to be applicable only to the UK (or to public health) and not to the existing dominant US models of leadership. In general, DsPH perceptions of effective leadership converge with current theories; most specifically the UK-based theories. This study therefore refutes any simple extrapolation of US theories of leadership to UK health organisations.

Heterogeneity in barriers regarding the motivation, the opportunity and the ability to choose low-calorie snack foods and beverages: associations with real-life choices.

PubMed

Bos, Colin; van der Lans, Ivo A; van Rijnsoever, Frank J; van Trijp, Hans Cm

2016-06-01

Employing Rothschild's Motivation-Opportunity-Ability framework, the present study examines the extent to which heterogeneity in barriers regarding the motivation, the perceived opportunity and the perceived ability to choose low-calorie over high-calorie snacks is associated with the proportion of low-calorie snack choices in real life. Furthermore, the study investigates which dominant barrier profiles can be discerned. Data were obtained from a survey about participants' motivation, opportunity and ability to choose low-calorie over high-calorie snacks and an FFQ that measured habitual consumption of snack foods and beverages. Data were analysed using R packages lavaan and NbClust, and IBM SPSS Statistics. A representative sample (n 1318) of the Dutch population based on gender (686 women), age and education level. For both snack foods and beverages, motivation to choose low-calorie over high-calorie snacks was associated strongest with proportions of low-calorie choices. The perceived ability and perceived opportunity were also associated with proportions of low-calorie choices, albeit to a lesser extent. Furthermore, three dominant profiles of barriers were identified: the no-barrier profile, the lack-of-opportunity profile and the lack-of-motivation profile. These profiles differed significantly on proportions of low-calorie snack choices, daily meal consumption and sociodemographic characteristics. Heterogeneity in barriers regarding the motivation, the perceived opportunity and the perceived ability to choose low-calorie over high-calorie snacks is associated with the proportion of low-calorie snack choices in real life. By identifying and appreciating heterogeneity in barriers, the present study provides further incentives for the tailoring of intervention strategies.

Working Memory, Age, Crew Downsizing, System Design and Training

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-08-01

Radvansky and Zacks, 1997). As authors have noted perceived demand. Accurate "Situation Models " (Johnson- when attempting to make sense of a... models of cognitive function and workload (cf. Baddeley bodies of information to be processed or multiple results and Gathercole, 1993). The ability to...major bottleneck in human performance. Some models of multiple traces from different headings and the human information processing (Pashler, 1998) place

Performance Assessment Register. Working Group 12 Preliminary Report

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-08-01

Psychology in the DOD conference. -Amell, J.A. (1986). A comparison of two chord keyboards coding systems for alphanumeric data entry. Masters Thesis . Wright...psycho-motor performance); also, various paper-pencil tests (IST-70, CFT -3, LGT, WFT, KBT, labyrinth) for pilot preselection, ATC selection...reproditction o~f a)"trsct geometrical fig,- tires (GEMAT): ability to perceive aml ] estimate the spiced of nmovitng objects (DEST): non-verbal intelligence (M30

"I WILL SURVIVE" A Construct Validation Study on the Measurement of Sustainable Employability Using Different Age Conceptualizations.

PubMed

Le Blanc, Pascale M; Van der Heijden, Beatrice I J M; Van Vuuren, Tinka

2017-01-01

Though the importance of sustainable employability throughout people's working life is undisputed, up till now only one attempt for a conceptual definition has been made (van der Klink et al., 2016). Following the suggestions to further refine and improve this definition recently put forward by Fleuren et al. (2016), we propose an approach to sustainable employability that is based on the Ability-Motivation-Opportunity (AMO) framework, and incorporates three indicators: the ability, the motivation, and the opportunity to continue working, respectively. As sustainable employability is considered to be an important aspect of successful aging at work, this study used four different conceptualizations of aging at work to set up convergent and divergent validity of our operationalization of sustainable employability: calendar age, organizational age (job and organizational tenure), functional age (work ability), and life-span age (partner and children). We formulated several hypotheses that were tested by analyzing data from an online survey among 180 employees from Dutch public service organizations who filled out a questionnaire on different age concepts, and their ability, motivation, and opportunity to continue working. Multiple regression analyses were performed, and results showed that the four conceptualizations of aging were differently related to the three indicators of sustainable employability. Life-span age, in terms of having children, had the strongest negative relationship with the ability to continue working, organizational age (i.e., organizational tenure) had the strongest negative relationship with the motivation to continue working, and functional age had the strongest negative relationship with the opportunity to continue working. Moreover, functional age was significantly negatively related to the other two indicators of sustainable employability too, while life-span age appeared to enhance the ability and motivation to continue working (in terms of having children) and the perceived opportunity to continue working (in terms of having a partner). Calendar age was only important for the opportunity to continue working and appeared to have a negative association with this outcome variable. These results lend support to our proposed operationalization of sustainable employability by showing that the three indicators are differently related to different age conceptualizations thus expanding previous research on the conceptualization of sustainable employability.

Exploring the Concern about Food Allergies among Secondary School and University Students in Ontario, Canada: A Descriptive Analysis.

PubMed

Majowicz, Shannon E; Jung, James K H; Courtney, Sarah M; Harrington, Daniel W

2017-01-01

Our objective was to explore the perceived risk of food allergies among students in Ontario, Canada. We analyzed blinding questions ("I am concerned about food allergies"; "food allergies are currently a big threat to my health") from three existing food safety surveys, given to high school and university undergraduate students ( n = 3,451) circa February 2015, using descriptive analysis, and explored how concern related to demographics and self-reported cooking ability using linear regression. Overall, high school students were neutral in their concern, although Food and Nutrition students specifically were significantly less concerned ( p = 0.002) than high school students overall. University undergraduates were moderately unconcerned about food allergies. Concern was highest in younger students, decreasing between 13 and 18 years of age and plateauing between 19 and 23 years. Among students aged 13-18 years, concern was higher among those who worked or volunteered in a daycare and who had previously taken a food preparation course. Among students aged 19-23 years, concern was higher among females and those with less advanced cooking abilities. Concern was significantly correlated with perceiving food allergies as a personal threat. This study offers a first exploration of perceived risk of food allergies among this demographic and can guide future, more rigorous assessments.

The Work Ability Index as a screening tool to identify the need for rehabilitation: longitudinal findings from the Second German Sociomedical Panel of Employees.

PubMed

Bethge, Matthias; Radoschewski, Friedrich Michael; Gutenbrunner, Christoph

2012-11-01

To evaluate the predictive value of the Work Ability Index (WAI) for different indicators of the need for rehabilitation at 1-year follow-up. Cohort study. Data were obtained from the Second German Sociomedical Panel of Employees, a large-scale cohort study with postal surveys in 2009 and 2010. A total of 457 women and 579 men were included. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the one-dimensionality of the WAI. Regression analyses showed that poor and moderate baseline WAI scores were associated with lower health-related quality of life and more frequent use of primary healthcare 1 year later. Subjects with poor baseline work ability had 4.6 times higher odds of unemployment and 12.2 times higher odds of prolonged sick leave than the reference group with good or excellent baseline work ability. Moreover, the odds of subjectively perceived need for rehabilitation, intention to request rehabilitation and actual use of rehabilitation services were 9.7, 5.7 and 3 times higher in the poor baseline WAI group and 5.5, 4 and 1.8 times higher in the moderate baseline WAI group, respectively. A WAI score ≤ 37 was identified as the optimal cut-off to predict the need for rehabilitation. The WAI is a valid screening tool for identifying the need for rehabilitation.

Surviving workplace adversity: a qualitative study of nurses and midwives and their strategies to increase personal resilience.

PubMed

Mcdonald, Glenda; Jackson, Debra; Vickers, Margaret H; Wilkes, Lesley

2016-01-01

To explore the experiences of Australian nurses and midwives who perceived themselves as resilient. The focus of this paper is to report the strategies used by a group of nurses and midwives to develop and maintain their resilience, despite encountering serious workplace adversity. Despite the potentially adverse effects of nursing work, many nurses and midwives thrive through exercising self-efficacy and coping skills. The relationship between thriving and resilience is clear, as resilience refers to the ability to cope well with adversity and change. The participants were part of an instrumental, collective case study investigation of personal resilience amongst nurses and midwives. Prior to an innovative, work-based intervention including workshops and mentoring, participants were interviewed to collect baseline perceptions and experiences of personal resilience and workplace adversity. Interview transcripts were analysed thematically. Participants attributed their ability to thrive in the workplace to three major influences: support networks, personal characteristics and ability to organise work for personal resilience. Participant insights contributed to a deeper understanding of personal resilience and highlight future initiatives to enhance the ability of nurses and midwives to thrive within health organisations and systems. It is vital that resilience-enhancing initiatives, such as peer mentoring and tailored work options to increase autonomy, are implemented at earlier career phases. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Quantitative evaluation of vision-related and health-related quality of life after endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary adenoma.

PubMed

Wolf, Amparo; Coros, Alexandra; Bierer, Joel; Goncalves, Sandy; Cooper, Paul; Van Uum, Stan; Lee, Donald H; Proulx, Alain; Nicolle, David; Fraser, J Alexander; Rotenberg, Brian W; Duggal, Neil

2017-08-01

OBJECTIVE Endoscopic resection of pituitary adenomas has been reported to improve vision function in up to 80%-90% of patients with visual impairment due to these adenomas. It is unclear how these reported rates translate into improvement in visual outcomes and general health as perceived by the patients. The authors evaluated self-assessed health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) and vision-related QOL (VR-QOL) in patients before and after endoscopic resection of pituitary adenomas. METHODS The authors prospectively collected data from 50 patients who underwent endoscopic resection of pituitary adenomas. This cohort included 32 patients (64%) with visual impairment preoperatively. Twenty-seven patients (54%) had pituitary dysfunction, including 17 (34%) with hormone-producing tumors. Patients completed the National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire and the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey preoperatively and 6 weeks and 6 months after surgery. RESULTS Patients with preoperative visual impairment reported a significant impact of this condition on VR-QOL preoperatively, including general vision, near activities, and peripheral vision; they also noted vision-specific impacts on mental health, role difficulties, dependency, and driving. After endoscopic resection of adenomas, patients reported improvement across all these categories 6 weeks postoperatively, and this improvement was maintained by 6 months postoperatively. Patients with preoperative pituitary dysfunction, including hormone-producing tumors, perceived their general health and physical function as poorer, with some of these patients reporting improvement in perceived general health after the endoscopic surgery. All patients noted that their ability to work or perform activities of daily living was transiently reduced 6 weeks postoperatively, followed by significant improvement by 6 months after the surgery. CONCLUSIONS Both VR-QOL and patient's perceptions of their ability to do work and perform other daily activities as a result of their physical health significantly improved by 6 months after endoscopic resection of pituitary adenoma. The use of multidimensional QOL questionnaires provides a precise assessment of perceived outcomes after endoscopic surgery.

Working Mothers: How Much Working, How Much Mothers, And Where Is The Womanhood?

PubMed Central

Poduval, Jayita; Poduval, Murali

2009-01-01

Motherhood confers upon a woman the responsibility of raising a child. This process also changes the way in which she is perceived in society and at her workplace. It can necessitate her to take more than available leave options, and job security can be at risk. Significant social and personal adjustments are necessary to cope with such a situation. A working mother, especially one who has the good fortune to be able to balance her home and work, enjoys the stimulation that a job or career provides. She develops the ability of raising a useful member of society and at the same time gains financial independence. Along with motherhood, work adds to the completeness of being a woman. PMID:21836780

Cognitive training with casual video games: points to consider

PubMed Central

Baniqued, Pauline L.; Kranz, Michael B.; Voss, Michelle W.; Lee, Hyunkyu; Cosman, Joshua D.; Severson, Joan; Kramer, Arthur F.

2014-01-01

Brain training programs have proliferated in recent years, with claims that video games or computer-based tasks can broadly enhance cognitive function. However, benefits are commonly seen only in trained tasks. Assessing generalized improvement and practicality of laboratory exercises complicates interpretation and application of findings. In this study, we addressed these issues by using active control groups, training tasks that more closely resemble real-world demands and multiple tests to determine transfer of training. We examined whether casual video games can broadly improve cognition, and selected training games from a study of the relationship between game performance and cognitive abilities. A total of 209 young adults were randomized into a working memory–reasoning group, an adaptive working memory–reasoning group, an active control game group, and a no-contact control group. Before and after 15 h of training, participants completed tests of reasoning, working memory, attention, episodic memory, perceptual speed, and self-report measures of executive function, game experience, perceived improvement, knowledge of brain training research, and game play outside the laboratory. Participants improved on the training games, but transfer to untrained tasks was limited. No group showed gains in reasoning, working memory, episodic memory, or perceptual speed, but the working memory–reasoning groups improved in divided attention, with better performance in an attention-demanding game, a decreased attentional blink and smaller trail-making costs. Perceived improvements did not differ across training groups and those with low reasoning ability at baseline showed larger gains. Although there are important caveats, our study sheds light on the mixed effects in the training and transfer literature and offers a novel and potentially practical training approach. Still, more research is needed to determine the real-world benefits of computer programs such as casual games. PMID:24432009

Cognitive training with casual video games: points to consider.

PubMed

Baniqued, Pauline L; Kranz, Michael B; Voss, Michelle W; Lee, Hyunkyu; Cosman, Joshua D; Severson, Joan; Kramer, Arthur F

2014-01-07

Brain training programs have proliferated in recent years, with claims that video games or computer-based tasks can broadly enhance cognitive function. However, benefits are commonly seen only in trained tasks. Assessing generalized improvement and practicality of laboratory exercises complicates interpretation and application of findings. In this study, we addressed these issues by using active control groups, training tasks that more closely resemble real-world demands and multiple tests to determine transfer of training. We examined whether casual video games can broadly improve cognition, and selected training games from a study of the relationship between game performance and cognitive abilities. A total of 209 young adults were randomized into a working memory-reasoning group, an adaptive working memory-reasoning group, an active control game group, and a no-contact control group. Before and after 15 h of training, participants completed tests of reasoning, working memory, attention, episodic memory, perceptual speed, and self-report measures of executive function, game experience, perceived improvement, knowledge of brain training research, and game play outside the laboratory. Participants improved on the training games, but transfer to untrained tasks was limited. No group showed gains in reasoning, working memory, episodic memory, or perceptual speed, but the working memory-reasoning groups improved in divided attention, with better performance in an attention-demanding game, a decreased attentional blink and smaller trail-making costs. Perceived improvements did not differ across training groups and those with low reasoning ability at baseline showed larger gains. Although there are important caveats, our study sheds light on the mixed effects in the training and transfer literature and offers a novel and potentially practical training approach. Still, more research is needed to determine the real-world benefits of computer programs such as casual games.

Work-family conflict among athletic trainers in the secondary school setting.

PubMed

Pitney, William A; Mazerolle, Stephanie M; Pagnotta, Kelly D

2011-01-01

Work-family conflict (WFC) negatively affects a professional's ability to function at work or home. To examine perceptions of and contributing factors to WFC among secondary school athletic trainers. Sequential explanatory mixed-methods study. Secondary school. From a random sample of 1325 individuals selected from the National Athletic Trainers' Association Member Services database, 415 individuals (203 women, 212 men; age = 36.8 ± 9.3 years) provided usable online survey data. Fourteen individuals participated in follow-up interviews. Online WFC questionnaire followed by in-depth phone interviews. Descriptive statistics were obtained to examine perceived WFC. Pearson product moment correlations were calculated to examine the relationship between work hours, total athletic training staff, and number of children and WFC score. We performed analysis of variance to examine differences between the independent variables of sex and control over work schedule and the dependent variable of WFC score. The a priori α was set at P ≤ .05. Qualitative data were analyzed using inductive content analysis. Multiple-analyst triangulation and member checks established trustworthiness of the qualitative data. Mean WFC scores were 23.97 ± 7.78 for scale 1 (family defined as having a partner or spouse with or without children) and 23.17 ± 7.69 for scale 2 (family defined as individuals, including parents, siblings, grandparents, and any other close relatives, involved in one's life), indicating moderate perceived WFC. A significant relationship was found between the average hours of work per week and WFC scores: those with less scheduling control experienced more WFC. Two dimensions emerged from the qualitative methods that relate to how WFC is mitigated in the secondary school environment: (1) organizational-having colleagues and administration that understood the role demands and allowed for modifications in schedule and personal time and (2) personal-taking time for oneself and having a family that understands the work demands of an athletic trainer resulted in reduced perceived WFC. A large number of work hours per week and lack of control over work schedules affected the perceived level of WFC.

Relationships among Dispositional Ability Conceptions, Intrinsic Motivation, Perceived Competence, Experience, Persistance, and Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Weidong; Lee, Amelia M.; Solmon, Melinda A.

2005-01-01

This study was designed to explore the relationships among individuals' dispositional ability conceptions, intrinsic motivation, experience, perceived competence, persistence, and performance. Participants practiced a novel task, completed surveys before instruction and after practicing the task, and completed a skill test. The results indicated…

Psychophysiological stress in high school teachers.

PubMed

Ritvanen, Tiina; Louhevaara, Veikko; Helin, Pertri; Halonen, Toivo; Hänninen, Osmo

2003-01-01

The aim of this study was to follow psychophysiological stress over a year with four repeated measurements in full-time employed high school teachers and to compare their results with those obtained in the part-time retired teachers, gardeners and rescue workers. The subjects consisted of 17 (10 females, 7 males) full-time and 9 part-time employed teachers (7 females and 2 males) in three high schools, 12 female gardeners and 13 male rescue workers. The data on job conditions, well-being, and psychosomatic symptoms were obtained by a questionnaire. The perceived stress was recorded using a visual analogue scale. The neuroendocrine reactivity was assessed by determining the diurnal urine excretion of epinephrine and norepinephrine. Electromyography of the trapezius muscle was recorded during working days in all subjects and in full-time teachers on one day in the holiday season. Blood pressure and heart rate were measured in the morning and in the afternoon. Psychophysiological stress in the full-time employed teachers was at similar levels on all three working days in December, March and November. Recovery from psychophysiological stress of working period was observed on summer holidays. Blood pressure, static muscle tension, perceived strain, psychosomatic symptoms and epinephrine level decreased significantly during the summer holidays as compared to the working days. The full-time employed teachers reported more perceived stress and psychosomatic symptoms than the part-time retired teachers or gardeners and rescue workers. Also static muscle activity was higher in full-time teachers than in rescue workers on the working days. More emphasis should be given to prevent psychophysiolocigal stress among teachers as well as to develop stress coping methods, and part-time working systems to facilitate work ability of aging teachers.

Nutrition warnings as front-of-pack labels: influence of design features on healthfulness perception and attentional capture.

PubMed

Cabrera, Manuel; Machín, Leandro; Arrúa, Alejandra; Antúnez, Lucía; Curutchet, María Rosa; Giménez, Ana; Ares, Gastón

2017-12-01

Warnings are a new directive front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition labelling scheme that highlights products with high content of key nutrients. The design of warnings influences their ability to catch consumers' attention and to clearly communicate their intended meaning, which are key determinants of their effectiveness. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the influence of design features of warnings as a FOP nutrition labelling scheme on perceived healthfulness and attentional capture. Five studies with a total of 496 people were carried out. In the first study, the association of colour and perceived healthfulness was evaluated in an online survey in which participants had to rate their perceived healthfulness of eight colours. In the second study, the influence of colour, shape and textual information on perceived healthfulness was evaluated using choice-conjoint analysis. The third study focused on implicit associations between two design features (shape and colour) on perceived healthfulness. The fourth and fifth studies used visual search to evaluate the influence of colour, size and position of the warnings on attentional capture. Perceived healthfulness was significantly influenced by shape, colour and textual information. Colour was the variable with the largest contribution to perceived healthfulness. Colour, size and position of the warnings on the labels affected attentional capture. Results from the experiments provide recommendations for the design of warnings to identify products with unfavourable nutrient profile.

Numerosity and number signs in deaf Nicaraguan adults

PubMed Central

Flaherty, Molly; Senghas, Ann

2012-01-01

What abilities are entailed in being numerate? Certainly, one is the ability to hold the exact quantity of a set in mind, even as it changes, and even after its members can no longer be perceived. Is counting language necessary to track and reproduce exact quantities? Previous work with speakers of languages that lack number words involved participants only from non-numerate cultures. Deaf Nicaraguan adults all live in a richly numerate culture, but vary in counting ability, allowing us to experimentally differentiate the contribution of these two factors. Thirty deaf and 10 hearing participants performed 11 one-to-one matching and counting tasks. Results suggest that immersion in a numerate culture is not enough to make one fully numerate. A memorized sequence of number symbols is required, though even an unconventional, iconic system is sufficient. Additionally, we find that within a numerate culture, the ability to track precise quantities can be acquired in adulthood. PMID:21899832

The influence of gender-related beliefs and conceptions of ability on women learning the hockey wrist shot.

PubMed

Belcher, Don; Lee, Amelia M; Solmon, Melinda A; Harrison, Louis

2003-06-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of beliefs about gender appropriateness and conceptions of ability on perceived and actual competene and patterns of behavior during practice of the hockey wrist shot. Sixty-eight undergraduate women formed four treatment conditions based on their beliefs about gender appropriateness and conceptions of ability. Four teachers taught across the treatment conditions for a total of 16 learning groups. Data were collected through a three-part questionnaire and from audio-video taping of the entire episode to ascertain the paticipants' competency beliefs, effort, and performance. Gender appropriateness impacted the participants' perceptions of competence and actual performance in the study, while beliefs about conceptions of ability did not produce a significant difference. This study reaffirms that educators must work diligently to combat the stereotypical beliefs many hold with respect to the gender appropriateness of physical activities.

Origins and Outcomes of Judgments about Work

PubMed Central

Johnson, Monica Kirkpatrick; Mortimer, Jeylan T.

2010-01-01

We evaluate the importance of judgments about work for the attainment process in the “new economy.” Findings show continuing links between social origins and work orientations at age 21/22, as well as significant impacts of work orientations on occupational outcomes at age 31/32. Higher socioeconomic status background, and stronger self-perceived ability, are tied to weaker extrinsic orientations. Young women are more intrinsically oriented than young men. Stronger intrinsic orientations predict holding jobs that offer more intrinsic rewards, self-direction, and security. Stronger extrinsic orientations predict higher biweekly earnings (largely via work hours), but not more prestigious, better paying, or more secure jobs. Judgments about work, and especially intrinsic orientations, thus remain important precursors of occupational attainments, despite economic turbulence and change in the transition to adulthood. PMID:21765555

Association between perceived present working conditions and demands versus attitude to early retirement among construction workers.

PubMed

Jebens, Einar; Medbø, Jon I; Knutsen, Oddvar; Mamen, Asgeir; Veiersted, Kaj Bo

2014-01-01

Early retirement is an increasing problem in the construction industry. There is limited information about causes leading employees to leave working life early. We have compared construction workers present situation with their perception of future demands at work to avoid early retirement. All 87 employees in a medium-sized Norwegian construction company participated in the study. All were men and answered questionnaires on health and pain, work ability, mechanical exposure, psychosocial conditions, and demands regarding future working conditions. Most workers showed good work ability, irrespective of age. Many reported high levels of mechanical exposure at work. The level of musculoskeletal pain was higher in the middle-aged (30-50 year old) age groups and seniors aged over 50 years than among the youngest workers less than 30 years of age. All workers reported that good health was important for continued working. Most workers stated that future work must not be too physically demanding. Many workers reported relatively low job satisfaction; consequently an interesting job was rated as important for continuing work. Good social conditions were a high priority. According to the examined construction workers, good health and reduced levels of mechanical exposure at work are essential to avoid early retirement.

Work-related stress and work ability among Croatian university hospital midwives.

PubMed

Knezevic, Bojana; Milosevic, Milan; Golubic, Rajna; Belosevic, Ljiljana; Russo, Andrea; Mustajbegovic, Jadranka

2011-04-01

to explore the sources and levels of stress at work and work ability among Croatian midwives. midwives are subjected to multiple stressors. Among health-care professionals, psychological distress for a prolonged period of time has negative effects on the worker's health, work ability and quality of patient care. 'Work ability' is a term describing a worker's resources related to physical, mental and social demands at work. As a measure of work ability in midwifery, the Work Ability Index (WAI) is considered to be a very predictive instrument; midwives with a poor WAI score usually leave their current job within five years. university hospitals in Zagreb, Croatia. cross-sectional design survey. 300 health-care workers (105 qualified midwives and 195 paediatric nurses) were invited to complete the questionnaire. The total response rate was 53% (158/300). The sample included 14.7% of all hospital-based midwives in Zagreb hospitals. the Occupational Stress Assessment Questionnaire (OSAQ) for health-care workers and the WAI questionnaire. over three-quarters of the midwives (46/60, 76.7%) believed that their job was stressful, and considered that insufficient work resources caused the most stress. More than half of the midwives associated an insufficient number of coworkers, unexpected situations, inadequate income, night work, incurable patients and poor organisation at work with a high level of stress. The perceived specific stressors differed between midwives and paediatric nurses in the same hospital. Insufficient work resources and poor organisation at work were more common stressors among midwives than paediatric nurses (p<0.05). Midwives and nurses differed significantly with respect to age (p=0.002). Midwives were younger and had spent fewer years working in their current workplace compared with paediatric nurses (p<0.001). Also, midwives had a lower level of education than paediatric nurses (p=0.044). The mean WAI score for midwives was 40.0 [95% confidence interval (CI) 38.4-41.4], compared with 37.5 (95% CI 36.4-38.8) for paediatric nurses, both indicating good work ability. After adjusting for age, the difference in WAI score between the groups of workers was not significant. Croatian midwives experienced work-related stress due to: insufficient work resources, insufficient number of coworkers, poor organisation at work, communication with superiors and emotional work. Midwives' work ability in relation to the demands of their job was good. These results confirmed that the WAI score decreases significantly with age. hospital management needs to improve organisational factors and resources, as well as midwives' education and position in the health-care system. Copyright © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

C.A.D. and ergonomic workstations conception

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keravel, Francine

1986-07-01

Computer Aided Design is able to perform workstation's conception. An ergonomic data could be complete this view and warrant a coherent fiability conception. Complexe form representation machines, anthropometric data and environment factors are allowed to perceive the limit points between humain and new technology situation. Work ability users, safety, confort and human efficiency could be also included. Such a programm with expert system integration will give a complete listing appreciation about workstation's conception.

Test, revision, and cross-validation of the Physical Activity Self-Definition Model.

PubMed

Kendzierski, Deborah; Morganstein, Mara S

2009-08-01

Structural equation modeling was used to test an extended version of the Kendzierski, Furr, and Schiavoni (1998) Physical Activity Self-Definition Model. A revised model using data from 622 runners fit the data well. Cross-validation indices supported the revised model, and this model also provided a good fit to data from 397 cyclists. Partial invariance was found across activities. In both samples, perceived commitment and perceived ability had direct effects on self-definition, and perceived wanting, perceived trying, and enjoyment had indirect effects. The contribution of perceived ability to self-definition did not differ across activities. Implications concerning the original model, indirect effects, skill salience, and the role of context in self-definition are discussed.

The effect of structural empowerment and perceived organizational support on middle level nurse managers' role satisfaction.

PubMed

Patrick, Allison; Laschinger, Heather K Spence

2006-01-01

The restructuring of Canadian health care organizations during the past decade has reduced the visibility of nursing leadership. This has resulted in job conditions that have disempowered nurse managers and influenced their ability to create positive work environments, mentor potential nurse leaders, and gain satisfaction in the leadership role. These conditions threaten the retention of a cadre of high quality nurse leaders in today's chaotic health care setting. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between structural empowerment and perceived organizational support and the effect of these factors on the role satisfaction of middle level nurse managers. A secondary analysis was conducted as part of a larger study of 126 middle level nurse managers working in Canadian acute care hospitals, randomly selected from the Ontario provincial registry. Eighty-four nurse managers responded to a questionnaire mailed to their home addresses. Structural empowerment was positively associated with middle level nurse managers' perceived organizational support. The combination of empowerment and perceptions of organizational support were significant predictors of middle level nurse managers' role satisfaction. The findings support R.M. Kanter's (1977, 1993; Men and Women of the Corporation. Basic Books, New York) contention that empowering work conditions have an impact on employees' feelings of support and sense of accomplishment at work. Positive perceptions of organizational support may play an important role in retaining current middle managers, and possibly attracting future leaders to management positions.

Perception of effort in Exercise Science: Definition, measurement and perspectives.

PubMed

Pageaux, Benjamin

2016-11-01

Perception of effort, also known as perceived exertion or sense of effort, can be described as a cognitive feeling of work associated with voluntary actions. The aim of the present review is to provide an overview of what is perception of effort in Exercise Science. Due to the addition of sensations other than effort in its definition, the neurophysiology of perceived exertion remains poorly understood. As humans have the ability to dissociate effort from other sensations related to physical exercise, the need to use a narrower definition is emphasised. Consequently, a definition and some brief guidelines for its measurement are provided. Finally, an overview of the models present in the literature aiming to explain its neurophysiology, and some perspectives for future research are offered.

Perceptions of the use of critical thinking teaching methods.

PubMed

Kowalczyk, Nina; Hackworth, Ruth; Case-Smith, Jane

2012-01-01

To identify the perceived level of competence in teaching and assessing critical thinking skills and the difficulties facing radiologic science program directors in implementing student-centered teaching methods. A total of 692 program directors received an invitation to complete an electronic survey soliciting information regarding the importance of critical thinking skills, their confidence in applying teaching methods and assessing student performance, and perceived obstacles. Statistical analysis included descriptive data, correlation coefficients, and ANOVA. Responses were received from 317 participants indicating program directors perceive critical thinking to be an essential element in the education of the student; however, they identified several areas for improvement. A high correlation was identified between the program directors' perceived level of skill and their confidence in critical thinking, and between their perceived level of skill and ability to assess the students' critical thinking. Key barriers to implementing critical thinking teaching strategies were identified. Program directors value the importance of implementing critical thinking teaching methods and perceive a need for professional development in critical thinking educational methods. Regardless of the type of educational institution in which the academic program is located, the level of education held by the program director was a significant factor regarding perceived confidence in the ability to model critical thinking skills and the ability to assess student critical thinking skills.

More than Just IQ: A Longitudinal Examination of Self-Perceived Abilities as Predictors of Academic Performance in a Large Sample of UK Twins

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chamorro-Premuzic, Tomas; Harlaar, Nicole; Greven, Corina U.; Plomin, Robert

2010-01-01

This paper examines the longitudinal causal relationship between self-perceived abilities (SPA) and academic achievement (Ach) while controlling for cognitive ability (CA). In all, 5957 UK school children were assessed on SPA, Ach and CA at ages 9 and 12. Results indicated that SPA and Ach at age 9 independently affected both SPA and Ach at age…

Finding and Keeping a Job: The Value and Meaning of Employment for Parolees.

PubMed

Cherney, Adrian; Fitzgerald, Robin

2016-01-01

Finding stable employment has been identified as one of the best predictors of post-release success among prisoners. However, offenders face a number of challenges in securing employment when released from prison. This article examines processes that shape the abilities and motivations of parolees to secure gainful employment by examining interview data collected from parolees in Queensland, Australia (n = 50). We explore the role of social networks and commercial employment providers in helping parolees find work, the perceived value of institutional work and training, and the meanings, challenges, and impact of managing the disclosure of one's criminal past to employers. Findings highlight that the role and influence of employment on a parolee's reintegration is conditional on his or her supportive social networks, ability to manage stigma, and personal changes in identity, which elevate the importance of work in a parolee's life. Our findings also show how employment provides opportunities for offenders to self-construct and articulate new identities. © The Author(s) 2014.

The effects of facial adiposity on attractiveness and perceived leadership ability.

PubMed

Re, Daniel E; Perrett, David I

2014-01-01

Facial attractiveness has a positive influence on electoral success both in experimental paradigms and in the real world. One parameter that influences facial attractiveness and social judgements is facial adiposity (a facial correlate to body mass index, BMI). Overweight people have high facial adiposity and are perceived to be less attractive and lower in leadership ability. Here, we used an interactive design in order to assess whether the most attractive level of facial adiposity is also perceived as most leader-like. We found that participants reduced facial adiposity more to maximize attractiveness than to maximize perceived leadership ability. These results indicate that facial appearance impacts leadership judgements beyond the effects of attractiveness. We suggest that the disparity between optimal facial adiposity in attractiveness and leadership judgements stems from social trends that have produced thin ideals for attractiveness, while leadership judgements are associated with perception of physical dominance.

“Thinking about the future, what’s gonna happen?”—How young people in Sweden who neither work nor study perceive life experiences in relation to health and well-being

PubMed Central

Lögdberg, Ulrika; Nilsson, Bo; Kostenius, Catrine

2018-01-01

ABSTRACT Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore how young people in Sweden who neither work nor study perceive life experiences in relation to health and well-being. Methods: A task-based interview technique was used and data was analysed with qualitative content analysis. Interviews were conducted with 16 participants aged 16-20 who were unemployed and not eligible for upper secondary school, or who had dropped out of school. Results: Three themes emerged from the analysis illustrating how the young people perceive their life experiences in relation to health and well-being: Struggling with hardships in the absence of caring connections, Feeling good when closely connected to others, and Being forced to question what has been taken for granted. Each theme consists of 2-3 subthemes. Conclusion: Based on the young people's narrated experiences health can be understood as: something that is created in relation to others and in relation to the social and cultural context; as something dynamic and changeable; as the ability to adapt and respond to challenges; and finally as something existing on a collective as well as an individual level. Implications for school, social services and health promotion initiatives are discussed, with an emphasis on working with young people. PMID:29336705

Intellectual Ability, Self-Perceived Social Competence, and Depressive Symptomatology in Children with High-Functioning Autistic Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vickerstaff, Sandy; Heriot, Sandra; Wong, Michelle; Lopes, Ana; Dossetor, David

2007-01-01

Although social competence deficits in children with high-functioning autistic spectrum disorders (HFASD) are well documented, there is little research investigating self-perceptions of social limitations. This study replicated research showing a negative association between self-perceived social competence and intellectual ability and…

Amusics Can Imitate What They Cannot Discriminate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hutchins, Sean; Peretz, Isabelle

2012-01-01

A longstanding issue in psychology is the relationship between how we perceive the world and how we act upon it. Pitch deafness provides an interesting opportunity to test for the independence of perception and production abilities in the speech domain. We tested eight amusics and eight matched controls for their ability to perceive pitch shifts…

The Influence of Curriculum on Master's Students' Perceived Abilities in Four Domains of Graduateness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steur, Jessica; Jansen, Ellen; Hofman, Adriaan

2016-01-01

Potentially all university graduates, regardless of the discipline they have studied, are expected to have obtained generic learning outcomes, which we refer to as "graduateness." This study investigates the extent to which learning programmes' emphasis on graduateness affects students' perceived abilities in the domains of graduateness.…

Coping and family relationships in stress resistance: a study of job satisfaction of nurses in Singapore.

PubMed

Boey, K W

1998-12-01

This study examined the role of coping strategies and family relationships in mitigating the negative effect of work stress on nurses. The findings indicated that nurses who adapted to work stress with high job satisfaction were more inclined to adopt approach coping methods (problem orientation, ability enhancement, and change of perspective) than those who reported low job satisfaction under high work stress. The stress-resistant nurses were also distinguished by a less frequent use of defensive or avoidance coping in handling of their emotional reactions to stress. They perceived greater family support than did the distressed nurses. Implications of the findings and limitation of the study were discussed.

Aspects of workplace flexibility and mothers' satisfaction with their husbands' contributions to household labor.

PubMed

Alger, Vanessa M; Crowley, Jocelyn Elise

2012-01-01

This article explores whether mothers’ perceived control over their own workplace flexibility options has any relationship to their satisfaction with their husbands’ contributions to household labor in the United States. We hypothesize that flexibility enhances their ability to more adeptly engage in role management in multiple life areas, thus enabling them to be more satisfied with their partners’ domestic input as well. We use a unique data set of 1,078 randomly sampled women involved in mothers’ organizations that generally attract members based on their current level of participation in the paid labor market. We then link nine distinct workplace flexibility policies with mothers’ satisfaction related to their husbands’ participation in all household tasks, as well as a subset of female-typed tasks. We find that across both arrays of tasks, mothers with more perceived control over work-related schedule predictability and those that had the ability to secure employment again after an extended break had higher levels of satisfaction with their husbands’ participation in household labor. In addition, short-term time off to address unexpected needs was important for all tasks considered together only.

The role of social support in students' perceived abilities and attitudes toward math and science.

PubMed

Rice, Lindsay; Barth, Joan M; Guadagno, Rosanna E; Smith, Gabrielle P A; McCallum, Debra M

2013-07-01

Social cognitive models examining academic and career outcomes emphasize constructs such as attitude, interest, and self-efficacy as key factors affecting students' pursuit of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) courses and careers. The current research examines another under-researched component of social cognitive models: social support, and the relationship between this component and attitude and self-efficacy in math and science. A large cross-sectional design was used gathering data from 1,552 participants in four adolescent school settings from 5th grade to early college (41 % female, 80 % white). Students completed measures of perceived social support from parents, teachers and friends as well as their perceived ability and attitudes toward math and science. Fifth grade and college students reported higher levels of support from teachers and friends when compared to students at other grade levels. In addition, students who perceived greater social support for math and science from parents, teachers, and friends reported better attitudes and had higher perceptions of their abilities in math and science. Lastly, structural equation modeling revealed that social support had both a direct effect on math and science perceived abilities and an indirect effect mediated through math and science attitudes. Findings suggest that students who perceive greater social support for math and science from parents, teachers, and friends have more positive attitudes toward math and science and a higher sense of their own competence in these subjects.

Interoceptive Ability Predicts Survival on a London Trading Floor.

PubMed

Kandasamy, Narayanan; Garfinkel, Sarah N; Page, Lionel; Hardy, Ben; Critchley, Hugo D; Gurnell, Mark; Coates, John M

2016-09-19

Interoception is the sensing of physiological signals originating inside the body, such as hunger, pain and heart rate. People with greater sensitivity to interoceptive signals, as measured by, for example, tests of heart beat detection, perform better in laboratory studies of risky decision-making. However, there has been little field work to determine if interoceptive sensitivity contributes to success in real-world, high-stakes risk taking. Here, we report on a study in which we quantified heartbeat detection skills in a group of financial traders working on a London trading floor. We found that traders are better able to perceive their own heartbeats than matched controls from the non-trading population. Moreover, the interoceptive ability of traders predicted their relative profitability, and strikingly, how long they survived in the financial markets. Our results suggest that signals from the body - the gut feelings of financial lore - contribute to success in the markets.

Work at school: teacher and parent perceptions about children's participation.

PubMed

Lowe, Susan; Chapparo, Christine

2010-01-01

Little research has been carried out on the behaviours that lead to children's successful participation in work roles at school. The objective of this study was to identify some of the elements critical to participation of students by listening to the perspectives of teachers and parents of children who have difficulties with school work. The study is part of a larger research project aimed at developing an assessment tool to describe the participation of children at school with particular reference to students who experience a difficulty with learning. 50 teachers and 44 parents of children referred to occupational therapy for problems with school work. A survey approach using an open ended written response questionnaire. The findings indicated that there are core elements of participation in work that are commonly perceived as crucial by teachers and parents. These included common definitions of work participation with the emergence of several themes relative to work roles and meaning, opportunity for inclusion in school work, risk taking and enjoyment as part of work, and thinking processes. Differences between teacher and parent responses related to perceived reasons for a difficulty with participation, activities which require high levels of participation and aspects of participation that are most difficult to change. This study provided descriptive data on which to build further research into children's experiences of work, and highlights the need for occupational therapists to consider perceptions of key stakeholders when assessing children's work ability at school.

Working Memory, Reasoning, and Task Switching Training: Transfer Effects, Limitations, and Great Expectations?

PubMed Central

Baniqued, Pauline L.; Ward, Nathan; Geyer, Alexandra; Kramer, Arthur F.

2015-01-01

Although some studies have shown that cognitive training can produce improvements to untrained cognitive domains (far transfer), many others fail to show these effects, especially when it comes to improving fluid intelligence. The current study was designed to overcome several limitations of previous training studies by incorporating training expectancy assessments, an active control group, and “Mind Frontiers,” a video game-based mobile program comprised of six adaptive, cognitively demanding training tasks that have been found to lead to increased scores in fluid intelligence (Gf) tests. We hypothesize that such integrated training may lead to broad improvements in cognitive abilities by targeting aspects of working memory, executive function, reasoning, and problem solving. Ninety participants completed 20 hour-and-a-half long training sessions over four to five weeks, 45 of whom played Mind Frontiers and 45 of whom completed visual search and change detection tasks (active control). After training, the Mind Frontiers group improved in working memory n-back tests, a composite measure of perceptual speed, and a composite measure of reaction time in reasoning tests. No training-related improvements were found in reasoning accuracy or other working memory tests, nor in composite measures of episodic memory, selective attention, divided attention, and multi-tasking. Perceived self-improvement in the tested abilities did not differ between groups. A general expectancy difference in problem-solving was observed between groups, but this perceived benefit did not correlate with training-related improvement. In summary, although these findings provide modest evidence regarding the efficacy of an integrated cognitive training program, more research is needed to determine the utility of Mind Frontiers as a cognitive training tool. PMID:26555341

Can the Theory of Planned Behavior Predict Dietary Intention and Future Dieting in an Ethnically Diverse Sample of Overweight and Obese Veterans Attending Medical Clinics?

PubMed Central

Lash, Denise N.; Smith, Jane Ellen; Rinehart, Jenny K.

2016-01-01

Obesity has become a world-wide epidemic; in the United States (U.S.) approximately two-thirds of adults are classified as overweight or obese. Military veterans’ numbers are even higher, with 77% of retired or discharged U.S. veterans falling in these weight categories. One of the most common methods of changing one’s weight is through dieting, yet little is known regarding the factors that facilitate successful dieting behavior. The current investigation tested the Theory of Planned Behavior’s (TPB) ability to predict dietary intention and future dieting in a sample of 84 overweight and obese patients attending medical clinics at a Veterans Affairs Hospital in the southwestern part of the U.S. Participants primarily were male (92%) and ethnic/racial minorities (58%). Perceived need and anticipated regret were added to the standard TPB model. While the TPB predicted dietary intention, it did not significantly account for improved dietary behaviors. Anticipated regret significantly enhanced the basic TPB’s ability to predict intention to diet, while perceived need did not. These findings highlight the difficulty in predicting sustained change in a complex behavior such as dieting to lose weight. The need for more work with older, overweight/obese medical patients attending veterans’ facilities is stressed, as is the need for such work with male patients and ethnic minorities in particular. PMID:26792774

The current state of resident training in genomic pathology: a comprehensive analysis utilizing the Resident In-Service Exam (RISE)

PubMed Central

Haspel, Richard L.; Rinder, Henry M.; Frank, Karen M.; Wagner, Jay; Ali, Asma M.; Fisher, Patrick B.; Parks, Eric R.

2014-01-01

Objectives To determine the current state of pathology resident training in genomic and molecular pathology. Methods The Training Residents in Genomics (TRIG) Working Group developed survey and knowledge questions for the 2013 Pathology Resident In-Service Examination (RISE). Sixteen demographic questions related to amount of training, current and predicted future use, and perceived ability in molecular pathology vs. genomic medicine were included along with five genomic pathology and 19 molecular pathology knowledge questions. Results A total of 2,506 pathology residents took the 2013 RISE with approximately 600 individuals per post-graduate year (PGY). For genomic medicine, 42% of PGY-4 respondents stated they had no training compared to 7% for molecular pathology (p<0.001). PGY-4 resident perceived ability in genomic medicine, comfort in discussing results, and predicted future use as a practicing pathologist were less than reported for molecular pathology (p<0.001). There was a greater increase by PGY in knowledge question scores for molecular than for genomic pathology. Conclusions The RISE is a powerful tool in assessing the state of resident training in genomic pathology and current results suggest a significant deficit. The results also provide a baseline to assess future initiatives to improve genomics education for pathology residents such as those developed by the TRIG Working Group. PMID:25239410

Work–Family Conflict Among Athletic Trainers in the Secondary School Setting

PubMed Central

Pitney, William A.; Mazerolle, Stephanie M.; Pagnotta, Kelly D.

2011-01-01

Abstract Context: Work–family conflict (WFC) negatively affects a professional's ability to function at work or home. Objective: To examine perceptions of and contributing factors to WFC among secondary school athletic trainers. Design: Sequential explanatory mixed-methods study. Setting: Secondary school. Patients or Other Participants: From a random sample of 1325 individuals selected from the National Athletic Trainers' Association Member Services database, 415 individuals (203 women, 212 men; age = 36.8 ± 9.3 years) provided usable online survey data. Fourteen individuals participated in follow-up interviews. Intervention(s): Online WFC questionnaire followed by in-depth phone interviews. Main Outcome Measure(s): Descriptive statistics were obtained to examine perceived WFC. Pearson product moment correlations were calculated to examine the relationship between work hours, total athletic training staff, and number of children and WFC score. We performed analysis of variance to examine differences between the independent variables of sex and control over work schedule and the dependent variable of WFC score. The a priori α was set at P ≤ .05. Qualitative data were analyzed using inductive content analysis. Multiple-analyst triangulation and member checks established trustworthiness of the qualitative data. Results: Mean WFC scores were 23.97 ± 7.78 for scale 1 (family defined as having a partner or spouse with or without children) and 23.17 ± 7.69 for scale 2 (family defined as individuals, including parents, siblings, grandparents, and any other close relatives, involved in one's life), indicating moderate perceived WFC. A significant relationship was found between the average hours of work per week and WFC scores: those with less scheduling control experienced more WFC. Two dimensions emerged from the qualitative methods that relate to how WFC is mitigated in the secondary school environment: (1) organizational—having colleagues and administration that understood the role demands and allowed for modifications in schedule and personal time and (2) personal—taking time for oneself and having a family that understands the work demands of an athletic trainer resulted in reduced perceived WFC. Conclusions: A large number of work hours per week and lack of control over work schedules affected the perceived level of WFC. PMID:21391804

Consideration of "g" as a Common Antecedent for Cognitive Ability Test Performance, Test Motivation, and Perceived Fairness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reeve, Charlie L.; Lam, Holly

2007-01-01

Several different analyses were used to test the hypothesis that test-taking motivation, perceived test fairness, and actual test performance are correlated only because they share a common antecedent. First, hierarchical regressions reveal that initial test performance has a unique influence on non-ability factors even after controlling for…

University Students' Perceptions of Teacher Effectiveness and Emotions in Lectures: The Role of Socio-Cognitive Factors, and Academic Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stephanou, Georgia; Kyridis, Argyris

2012-01-01

This study examined (a) students' ability self-perceptions, perceptions of domain-difficulty, value beliefs, experienced emotions in lectures and performance in the courses taught by the perceived as extremely effective and ineffective teachers, (b) the role of ability self-perceptions, perceived domain-difficulty and value beliefs in the…

The Effect of Performing Ensemble Participation on the Ability to Perform and Perceive Expression in Music

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinney, Daryl W.

2004-01-01

This study compared collegiate subjects who had participated in high school performing ensembles (participants) with subjects who had not (non-participants) on their ability to perform expressively and to perceive expression in music. In Phase I, subjects (N = 56) were asked to perform three song selections, expressively and unexpressively, using…

Use of Communication Strategies by Tourism-Oriented EFL Learners in Relation to Gender and Perceived Language Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhao, Tao; Intaraprasert, Channarong

2013-01-01

This study was intended to explore the relationship of gender, perceived language ability with communication strategy use by tourism-oriented EFL learners studying at the universities in the Southwest China to improve and maintain their oral communication in English. The Communication Strategy Questionnaire was used for data collection, and the…

Constructing Memory, Imagination, and Empathy: A Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective

PubMed Central

Gaesser, Brendan

2012-01-01

Studies on memory, imagination, and empathy have largely progressed in isolation. Consequently, humans’ empathic tendencies to care about and help other people are considered independent of our ability to remember and imagine events. Despite this theoretical autonomy, work from across psychology, and neuroscience suggests that these cognitive abilities may be linked. In the present paper, I tentatively propose that humans’ ability to vividly imagine specific events (as supported by constructive memory) may facilitate prosocial intentions and behavior. Evidence of a relationship between memory, imagination, and empathy comes from research that shows imagination influences the perceived and actual likelihood an event occurs, improves intergroup relations, and shares a neural basis with memory and empathy. Although many questions remain, this paper outlines a new direction for research that investigates the role of imagination in promoting empathy and prosocial behavior. PMID:23440064

“I WILL SURVIVE” A Construct Validation Study on the Measurement of Sustainable Employability Using Different Age Conceptualizations

PubMed Central

Le Blanc, Pascale M.; Van der Heijden, Beatrice I. J. M.; Van Vuuren, Tinka

2017-01-01

Though the importance of sustainable employability throughout people's working life is undisputed, up till now only one attempt for a conceptual definition has been made (van der Klink et al., 2016). Following the suggestions to further refine and improve this definition recently put forward by Fleuren et al. (2016), we propose an approach to sustainable employability that is based on the Ability-Motivation-Opportunity (AMO) framework, and incorporates three indicators: the ability, the motivation, and the opportunity to continue working, respectively. As sustainable employability is considered to be an important aspect of successful aging at work, this study used four different conceptualizations of aging at work to set up convergent and divergent validity of our operationalization of sustainable employability: calendar age, organizational age (job and organizational tenure), functional age (work ability), and life-span age (partner and children). We formulated several hypotheses that were tested by analyzing data from an online survey among 180 employees from Dutch public service organizations who filled out a questionnaire on different age concepts, and their ability, motivation, and opportunity to continue working. Multiple regression analyses were performed, and results showed that the four conceptualizations of aging were differently related to the three indicators of sustainable employability. Life-span age, in terms of having children, had the strongest negative relationship with the ability to continue working, organizational age (i.e., organizational tenure) had the strongest negative relationship with the motivation to continue working, and functional age had the strongest negative relationship with the opportunity to continue working. Moreover, functional age was significantly negatively related to the other two indicators of sustainable employability too, while life-span age appeared to enhance the ability and motivation to continue working (in terms of having children) and the perceived opportunity to continue working (in terms of having a partner). Calendar age was only important for the opportunity to continue working and appeared to have a negative association with this outcome variable. These results lend support to our proposed operationalization of sustainable employability by showing that the three indicators are differently related to different age conceptualizations thus expanding previous research on the conceptualization of sustainable employability. PMID:29033875

The role of working memory in decoding emotions.

PubMed

Phillips, Louise H; Channon, Shelley; Tunstall, Mary; Hedenstrom, Anna; Lyons, Kathryn

2008-04-01

Decoding facial expressions of emotion is an important aspect of social communication that is often impaired following psychiatric or neurological illness. However, little is known of the cognitive components involved in perceiving emotional expressions. Three dual task studies explored the role of verbal working memory in decoding emotions. Concurrent working memory load substantially interfered with choosing which emotional label described a facial expression (Experiment 1). A key factor in the magnitude of interference was the number of emotion labels from which to choose (Experiment 2). In contrast the ability to decide that two faces represented the same emotion in a discrimination task was relatively unaffected by concurrent working memory load (Experiment 3). Different methods of assessing emotion perception make substantially different demands on working memory. Implications for clinical disorders which affect both working memory and emotion perception are considered. (Copyright) 2008 APA.

"The Only Thing I Wish I Could Change Is That They Treat Us Like People and Not Like Animals": Injury and Discrimination Among Latino Farmworkers.

PubMed

Snipes, Shedra A; Cooper, Sharon P; Shipp, Eva M

2017-01-01

This article describes how perceived discrimination shapes the way Latino farmworkers encounter injuries and seek out treatment. After 5 months of ethnographic fieldwork, 89 open-ended, semistructured interviews were analyzed. NVivo was used to code and qualitatively organize the interviews and field notes. Finally, codes, notes, and co-occurring dynamics were used to iteratively assess the data for major themes. The primary source of perceived discrimination was the "boss" or farm owner. Immigrant status was also a significant influence on how farmworkers perceived the discrimination. Specifically, the ability to speak English and length of stay in the United States were related to stronger perceptions of discrimination. Finally, farm owners compelled their Latino employees to work through their injuries without treatment. This ethnographic account brings attention to how discrimination and lack of worksite protections are implicated in farmworkers' injury experiences and suggests the need for policies that better safeguard vulnerable workers.

An explanatory model of maths achievement:Perceived parental involvement and academic motivation.

PubMed

Rodríguez, Susana; Piñeiro, Isabel; Gómez-Taibo, Mª L; Regueiro, Bibiana; Estévez, Iris; Valle, Antonio

2017-05-01

Although numerous studies have tried to explain performance in maths very few have deeply explored the relationship between different variables and how they jointly explain mathematical performance. With a sample of 897 students in 5th and 6th grade in Primary Education and using structural equation modeling (SEM), this study analyzes how the perception of parents’ beliefs is related to children´s beliefs, their involvement in mathematical tasks and their performance. Perceived parental involvement contributes to the motivation of their children in mathematics. Direct supervision of students’ academic work by parents may increase students’ concerns about the image and rating of their children, but not their academic performance. In fact, maths achievement depends directly and positively on the parents’ expectations and children’s maths self-efficacy and negatively on the parents’ help in tasks and performance goal orientation. Perceived parental involvement contributes to children’s motivation in maths essentially conveying confidence in their abilities and showing interest in their progress and schoolwork.

a Matter of Confidence: Gender Differences in Attitudes Toward Engaging in Lab and Course Work in Undergraduate Engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Micari, Marina; Pazos, Pilar; Hartmann, Mitra J. Z.

Although there has been a great deal of research on women's experiences in engineering study, there has been little attempt to connect experiential factors to performance in both course and lab. This two-phase study investigated gender differences in undergraduates' experiences in a fluid mechanics course as well as the relationship between experiential factors and student performance in that course. One hundred forty-seven students at a Midwestern research university completed questionnaires related to course experience and perceived engagement. Data were also collected on final grade for 89 students in the second round of data collection. Relative to men, women reported less confidence that they could avoid mistakes in the lab, less experience with mechanical items, less perceived ability in engineering relative to classmates, and less perceived skill in tasks requiring navigation or maneuvering through space. Feelings of engagement were related to grade, but no gender differences were found in either engagement or grade.

Who multi-tasks and why? Multi-tasking ability, perceived multi-tasking ability, impulsivity, and sensation seeking.

PubMed

Sanbonmatsu, David M; Strayer, David L; Medeiros-Ward, Nathan; Watson, Jason M

2013-01-01

The present study examined the relationship between personality and individual differences in multi-tasking ability. Participants enrolled at the University of Utah completed measures of multi-tasking activity, perceived multi-tasking ability, impulsivity, and sensation seeking. In addition, they performed the Operation Span in order to assess their executive control and actual multi-tasking ability. The findings indicate that the persons who are most capable of multi-tasking effectively are not the persons who are most likely to engage in multiple tasks simultaneously. To the contrary, multi-tasking activity as measured by the Media Multitasking Inventory and self-reported cell phone usage while driving were negatively correlated with actual multi-tasking ability. Multi-tasking was positively correlated with participants' perceived ability to multi-task ability which was found to be significantly inflated. Participants with a strong approach orientation and a weak avoidance orientation--high levels of impulsivity and sensation seeking--reported greater multi-tasking behavior. Finally, the findings suggest that people often engage in multi-tasking because they are less able to block out distractions and focus on a singular task. Participants with less executive control--low scorers on the Operation Span task and persons high in impulsivity--tended to report higher levels of multi-tasking activity.

"Dis-able bodied" or "dis-able minded": stakeholders' return-to-work experiences compared between physical and mental health conditions.

PubMed

Vossen, Emmie; Van Gestel, Nicolette; Van der Heijden, Beatrice I J M; Rouwette, Etiënne A J A

2017-05-01

This study aimed to explore if and why the return-to-work (RTW) experiences of various workplace stakeholders in the Netherlands and Denmark differ between physical and mental health conditions, and to understand the consequences of potentially different experiences for the RTW process in both health conditions. We studied 21 cases of long-term sickness absence, and held a total of 61 semi-structured interviews with the various actors involved in these cases. Physical cases were seen as "easy" and mental cases as "difficult" to manage, based on the visibility and predictability of health complaints. On this ground, assessing work ability and following required RTW actions were perceived as more urgent in mental than in physical cases. Despite these perceptions, in practice, the assessment of work ability seemed to impair the RTW process in mental cases (but not in physical ones), and the (non-)uptake of RTW actions appeared to have similar results in both mental and physical cases. With these outcomes, the effectiveness of a differential approach is questioned, and the relevance of a bidirectional dialog on work ability and a phased RTW plan is highlighted, regardless of the absence cause. Our study also demonstrates how policymakers need to strike a balance between obligatory and permissive legislation to better involve workplaces in RTW issues. Implications for rehabilitation Both physically and mentally sick-listed employees could benefit from a bidirectional dialog on work ability as well as from a phased RTW plan. A greater role for employers in the RTW process should be accompanied with a support for sick-listed employees, in both physical and mental sickness absence cases. Dutch and Danish RTW legislation could be improved by carefully balancing obligatory and permissive rules and regulations to involve workplaces in RTW matters.

Self-Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance of Young Children Who Stutter: Initial Findings

PubMed Central

Hertsberg, Naomi; Zebrowski, Patricia M.

2016-01-01

Purpose The goals of this study were to determine whether young children who stutter (CWS) perceive their own competence and social acceptance differently than young children who do not stutter (CWNS), and to identify the predictors of perceived competence and social acceptance in young speakers. Method We administered the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children (PSPCSA; Harter & Pike, 1984) to 13 CWS and 14 CWNS and examined group differences. We also collected information on the children's genders, temperaments, stuttering frequencies, language abilities, and phonological skills to identify which of these factors predicted PSPCSA scores. Results CWS, as a group, did not differ from CWNS in their perceived general competence or social acceptance. Gender predicted scores of perceived general competence, and stuttering frequency predicted perceived social acceptance. Temperament, language abilities, and phonological skills were not significant predictors of perceived competence or social acceptance in our sample. Conclusions While CWS did not significantly differ from CWNS in terms of perceived competence and social acceptance, when both talker groups were considered together, girls self-reported greater perceived competence than boys. Further, lower stuttering frequency was associated with greater perceived social acceptance. These preliminary findings provide motivation for further empirical study of the psychosocial components of childhood stuttering. PMID:27614314

SCHIP directors' perception of schools assisting students in obtaining public health insurance.

PubMed

Price, James H; Rickard, Megan

2009-07-01

Health insurance coverage increases access to health care. There has been an erosion of employer-based health insurance and a concomitant rise in children covered by public health insurance programs, yet more than 8 million children are still without health insurance coverage. This study was a national survey to assess the perceptions of State Child Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) directors (N = 51) regarding schools assisting students in obtaining public health insurance. This study examined the perceived benefits of and barriers to working with school systems and the perceived benefits to schools in assisting students to enroll in SCHIPs and what SCHIP activities were actually being conducted with school systems. The majority (78%) of SCHIPs had been working with school systems for more than a year. Perceived benefits of working with schools were greater access to SCHIP-eligible children (75%), assistance with meeting mandates to cover all SCHIP-eligible children (65%), and greater ability of state agencies to identify SCHIP-eligible children (58%). A majority of the directors did not identify any of the potential barrier items. The directors cited the following benefits to schools in helping enroll students in public health insurance programs: reduces the number of students with untreated health problems (80%), reduces student absenteeism rates (68%), improves student attention and concentration during school (58%), and reduces the number of students being held back in school because of health problems (53%). The perceived benefits derived from schools assisting in enrolling eligible students into SCHIPs are congruent with the mission of schools. Schools need to become proactive in helping to establish a healthy student body, which is more likely to be an academically successful body.

Mobbing, Stress, and Work Ability Index among Physicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Survey Study

PubMed Central

Pranjić, Nurka; Maleš-Bilić, Ljiljana; Beganlić, Azijada; Mustajbegović, Jadranka

2006-01-01

Aim To assess the frequency of reported mobbing and the association among mobbing, working environment factors, stress, health outcome, personality type, and work ability index in a sample of physicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Method We conducted a questionnaire survey using a validated self-reported questionnaire among 511 physicians in national health sector of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The questions covered five major categories of mobbing behavior. Characteristics of the work, perceived work environment and its effects, stress, health, and satisfaction with work and life were assessed by the standardized abridged form of Occupational Stress Questionnaire (OSQ). A standardized questionnaire Work Ability Index (WAI) was used to determine the relation between mobbing and work ability. Results Of 511 surveyed physicians, 387 (76%) physicians self-reported mobbing behavior in the working environment and 136 (26%) was exposed to persistent mobbing. More than a half of the physicians experienced threats to their professional status and almost a half felt isolated. Logistic regression analysis showed that lack of motivation, loss of self-esteem, loss of confidence, fatigue, and depressiveness were significantly associated with lack of support from colleagues. Intention to leave work was associated with lack of support from colleagues (OR 2.3, 95% CI, 1.065-3.535, t = 4.296, P = 0.003) and lack of support from superiors (OR 1.526, 95% CI, 0.976-2.076, t = 5.753; P = 0.001). Isolation or exclusion and threats to professional status were predictors for mental health symptoms. Persistent mobbing experience was a significant predictor for sick leave. Conclusion Exposure to persistent threat to professional status and isolation or exclusion as forms of mobbing are associated with mental health disturbances and lack of self-esteem and confidence. Setting up a system of support for physicians exposed to mobbing may have important benefits. PMID:17042067

STRESS, MOTIVATION, AND PROFESSIONAL SATISFACTION AMONG HEALTH CARE WORKERS IN HIV CARE AND TREATMENT CENTERS IN URBAN TANZANIA: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

PubMed Central

Siril, Hellen; Hirschhorn, Lisa R; Hawkins, Claudia; Garcia, Maria E; Li, Michelle S; Ismail, Shabbir; Mdingi, Sarah Geoffrey; Chalamilla, Guerino; Fawzi, Wafaie; Kaaya, Sylvia

2013-01-01

Background Shortages of health care workers (HCWs) represents a serious challenge to ensuring effective HIV care in resource-limited settings (RLS). Stress, motivation, and job satisfaction have been linked with HCW retention and are important in addressing HCW shortages. In this cross-sectional study HCW stress, motivation, and perceived ability to meet patient needs were assessed in PEPFAR-supported urban HIV care and treatment clinics (CTCs) in Tanzania. Methods A self-administered questionnaire measuring motivation, stress, and perceived ability to meet patient needs was given to HCWs at 16 CTCs. Scales measuring HCW satisfaction, motivation, and stress were developed using principle components analysis. Hierarchical linear models were used to explore the association of HCW and site characteristics with reported satisfaction, stress, motivation, and ability to meet patient needs. Results Seventy-three percent (279) of HCWs completed the questionnaire. Most (73%) HCWs reported minimal/no work-related stress, with 48% reporting good/excellent motivation, but 41% also reporting feeling emotionally drained. Almost all (98%) reported feeling able to help their patients, with 68% reporting work as rewarding. Most reported receipt of training and supervision, with good availability of resources. In the multivariate model, direct clinical providers reported lower motivation than management (p<0.05) and HCWs at medium-sized sites reported higher motivation than HCWs at larger sites (p<0.05). HCWs at small and medium sites were more likely to feel able to help patients than those from larger sites (p<0.05 and p<0.001 respectively). Conclusion Despite significant patient loads, HCWs in these PEPFAR-supported CTCs reported high levels of motivation, job satisfaction, ability to meet patient needs, low levels of stress but significant emotional toll. Understanding the relationship between support systems such as strong supervision and training and these outcomes is critical in designing interventions to improve motivation, reduce stress and increase retention of HCWs. PMID:22066277

Effects of an Early Intervention Program on Stress and Teaching Ability of Single Mothers of Young Multiply Impaired Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Nancy L.; Bhavnagri, Navaz

This study examined effects of participation by single mothers (n=23) of young children with multiple disabilities in an early intervention program. It evaluated the mothers' perceived stress in child rearing, perceived ability to teach their children, and any correlation between parental stress and teaching capability. The mothers in the program…

Beyond Objectivity: The Performance Impact of the Perceived Ability to Learn and Solve Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tews, Michael J.; Michel, John W.; Noe, Raymond A.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this research was to develop and provide initial validation evidence for the performance impact of a measure of an individual's perceived ability to learn and solve problems (PALS). Building on the self-efficacy literature and the importance of learning and problem solving, the fundamental premise of this research was that PALS…

Perceived freedom in leisure and physical co-ordination ability: impact on out-of-school activity participation and life satisfaction.

PubMed

Poulsen, A A; Ziviani, J M; Cuskelly, M

2007-07-01

Perceived freedom in leisure (PFL) is explored as a potential mechanism mediating relationships between physical co-ordination ability and both global life satisfaction and leisure-time physical activity participation for boys with differing levels of physical co-ordination ability. Understanding psychological mechanisms contributing to low rates of participation in physical activities for boys with developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD) is a clinical and research priority with potential to inform clinical interventions and preventive health initiatives. Sixty boys aged 10-13 years with DCD and 113 boys without DCD completed self-report measures of PFL and life satisfaction. Seven-day leisure-time activity diaries and 12-month retrospective recall questionnaires were completed by parents. Lower self-appraisals of PFL and overall life satisfaction were found for boys with DCD compared with boys without DCD. PFL mediated relationships between physical ability and both life satisfaction and team sport participation. Perceived freedom in leisure, comprising self-appraisals of leisure needs satisfaction and competence, depth of involvement and perceived control over leisure outcomes, was a significant mechanism influencing leisure-time participation and life satisfaction for boys. The implications for effective intervention and preventive health programmes are discussed.

The psychometric properties of an Iranian translation of the Work Ability Index (WAI) questionnaire.

PubMed

Abdolalizadeh, M; Arastoo, A A; Ghsemzadeh, R; Montazeri, A; Ahmadi, K; Azizi, A

2012-09-01

This study was carried out to evaluate the psychometric properties of an Iranian translation of the Work Ability Index (WAI) questionnaire. In this methodological study, nurses and healthcare workers aged 40 years and older who worked in educational hospitals in Ahvaz (236 workers) in 2010, completed the questionnaire and 60 of the workers filled out the WAI questionnaire for the second time to ensure test-retest reliability. Forward-backward method was applied to translate the questionnaire from English into Persian. The psychometric properties of the Iranian translation of the WAI were assessed using the fallowing tests: Internal consistency (to test reliability), test-retest analysis, exploratory factor analysis (construct validity), discriminate validity by comparing the mean WAI score in two groups of the employees that had different levels of sick leave, criterion validity by determining the correlation between the Persian version of short form health survey (SF-36) and WAI score. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was estimated to be 0.79 and it was concluded that the internal consistency was high enough. The intraclass correlation coefficient was recognized to be 0.92. Factor analysis indicated three factors in the structure of the work ability including self-perceived work ability (24.5% of the variance), mental resources (22.23% of the variance), and presence of disease and health related limitation (18.55% of the variance). Statistical tests showed that this questionnaire was capable of discriminating two groups of employees who had different levels of sick leave. Criterion validity analysis showed that this instrument and all dimensions of the Iranian version of SF-36 were correlated significantly. Item correlation corrective for overlap showed the items tests had a good correlation except for one. The finding of the study showed that the Iranian version of the WAI is a reliable and valid measure of work ability and can be used both in research and practical activities.

Characterizing “fibrofog”: Subjective appraisal, objective performance, and task-related brain activity during a working memory task

PubMed Central

Walitt, Brian; Čeko, Marta; Khatiwada, Manish; Gracely, John L.; Rayhan, Rakib; VanMeter, John W.; Gracely, Richard H.

2016-01-01

The subjective experience of cognitive dysfunction (“fibrofog”) is common in fibromyalgia. This study investigated the relation between subjective appraisal of cognitive function, objective cognitive task performance, and brain activity during a cognitive task using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Sixteen fibromyalgia patients and 13 healthy pain-free controls completed a battery of questionnaires, including the Multiple Ability Self-Report Questionnaire (MASQ), a measure of self-perceived cognitive difficulties. Participants were evaluated for working memory performance using a modified N-back working memory task while undergoing Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) fMRI measurements. Fibromyalgia patients and controls did not differ in working memory performance. Subjective appraisal of cognitive function was associated with better performance (accuracy) on the working memory task in healthy controls but not in fibromyalgia patients. In fibromyalgia patients, increased perceived cognitive difficulty was positively correlated with the severity of their symptoms. BOLD response during the working memory task did not differ between the groups. BOLD response correlated with task accuracy in control subjects but not in fibromyalgia patients. Increased subjective cognitive impairment correlated with decreased BOLD response in both groups but in different anatomic regions. In conclusion, “fibrofog” appears to be better characterized by subjective rather than objective impairment. Neurologic correlates of this subjective experience of impairment might be separate from those involved in the performance of cognitive tasks. PMID:26955513

Characterizing "fibrofog": Subjective appraisal, objective performance, and task-related brain activity during a working memory task.

PubMed

Walitt, Brian; Čeko, Marta; Khatiwada, Manish; Gracely, John L; Rayhan, Rakib; VanMeter, John W; Gracely, Richard H

2016-01-01

The subjective experience of cognitive dysfunction ("fibrofog") is common in fibromyalgia. This study investigated the relation between subjective appraisal of cognitive function, objective cognitive task performance, and brain activity during a cognitive task using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Sixteen fibromyalgia patients and 13 healthy pain-free controls completed a battery of questionnaires, including the Multiple Ability Self-Report Questionnaire (MASQ), a measure of self-perceived cognitive difficulties. Participants were evaluated for working memory performance using a modified N-back working memory task while undergoing Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) fMRI measurements. Fibromyalgia patients and controls did not differ in working memory performance. Subjective appraisal of cognitive function was associated with better performance (accuracy) on the working memory task in healthy controls but not in fibromyalgia patients. In fibromyalgia patients, increased perceived cognitive difficulty was positively correlated with the severity of their symptoms. BOLD response during the working memory task did not differ between the groups. BOLD response correlated with task accuracy in control subjects but not in fibromyalgia patients. Increased subjective cognitive impairment correlated with decreased BOLD response in both groups but in different anatomic regions. In conclusion, "fibrofog" appears to be better characterized by subjective rather than objective impairment. Neurologic correlates of this subjective experience of impairment might be separate from those involved in the performance of cognitive tasks.

Understanding healthcare professionals' self-efficacy to resolve interprofessional conflict.

PubMed

Sexton, Martha; Orchard, Carole

2016-05-01

Conflict within interprofessional healthcare teams, when not effectively resolved, has been linked to detrimental consequences; however, effective conflict resolution has been shown to enhance team performance, increase patient safety, and improve patient outcomes. Alarmingly, knowledge of healthcare professionals' ability to resolve conflict has been limited, largely due to the challenges that arise when researchers attempt to observe a conflict occurring in real time. Research literature has identified three central components that seem to influence healthcare professional's perceived ability to resolve conflict: communication competence, problem-solving ability, and conflict resolution education and training. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of communication competence, problem-solving ability, and conflict resolution education and training on healthcare professionals' perceived ability to resolve conflicts. This study employed a cross-sectional survey design. Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that two of the three central components-conflict resolution education and training and communication competence-were found to be statistically significant predictors of healthcare professionals' perceived ability to resolve conflict. Implications include a call to action for clinicians and academicians to recognize the importance of communication competence and conflict resolution education and training as a vital area in interprofessional pre- and post-licensure education and collaborative practice.

Diagnosing the locus of trust: A temporal perspective for trustor, trustee, and dyadic influences on perceived trustworthiness.

PubMed

Jones, Stephen L; Shah, Priti Pradhan

2016-03-01

Extant trust research champions 3 different centers of action that determine perceptions of trust: the trustor (the individual rendering trust judgments), the trustee (the party being trusted), and the trustor-trustee dyad. We refer to the centers of action as loci of trust. Thus far, researchers have investigated determinants residing within each locus independently but have not concurrently investigated all 3 loci. Thus, the relative influence of each locus on perceptions of trust is unknown. Nor is it known how the influence of each locus changes with time. Where is the dominant locus of trust? And how does it change over time? We address these questions by examining the influence of trustors, trustees, and dyads on perceived ability, benevolence, and integrity. We find that trustor influence decreases over time while trustee and dyadic influences increase. We also find that the trustor is the dominant locus for perceived ability, benevolence, and integrity initially, but over time the trustee becomes the dominant locus for perceived ability and integrity. For perceived benevolence, the trustor remains the dominant driver over time. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Differences in perceived difficulty in print and online patient education materials.

PubMed

Farnsworth, Michael

2014-01-01

Written patient education materials frequently exceed the reading ability of the general public. Patients are often intimidated by the task of reading patient education materials, perceiving the materials’ difficulty levels as prohibitive, even when they do not exceed the patients’ reading abilities. It is unclear how the delivery mechanism--print or a computer screen--affects a patient’s reading experience through his/her perception of its difficulty. To determine whether first-year college students perceived online or print-based patient education materials as more difficult to read. Convenience sampling of first-year college students. Some first-year college students perceived online patient education materials to be more difficult to read than print-based ones--even when the reading level of the patient education materials was similar. Demographic information about this sample’s high levels of digital literacy suggests that other populations might also perceive online patient education materials as more difficult to read than print-based equivalents. Patients’ perceptions of the difficulty of patient education materials influenced their ability to effectively learn from those materials. This article concludes with a call for more research into patients’ perceptions of difficulty of patient education materials in print vs on a screen.

Participation after acquired brain injury: Associations with everyday technology and activities in daily life.

PubMed

Fallahpour, Mandana; Kottorp, Anders; Nygård, Louise; Lund, Maria Larsson

2015-01-01

The development of the information society has led to increased use of everyday technology and changed the conditions for participation. Enabling participation in everyday life situations is an important rehabilitation goal after acquired brain injury (ABI). Identifying factors associated with individuals' experienced participation and problems therein is therefore essential. This study aimed at exploring the relationship between perceived difficulty in everyday technology use, perceived ability in the activities of daily living (ADL), and perceived participation, and participation problems in persons with ABI. Eighty-one persons with ABI participated in the study and were assessed by the Impact on Participation and Autonomy questionnaire, the Everyday Technology Use Questionnaire, and the ADL taxonomy. Findings showed that the combined model of difficulty in everyday technology (ET) use, ADL ability, and the interaction between them explained both participation in various domains of everyday life, and also overall level of perceived participation and the perceived problems. The findings underscore the importance of evaluating individuals' ability in both ET use and ADL after ABI to increase the probability of explaining these persons' participation in desired everyday life situations and, also, for rehabilitation design.

Overall accessibility to traveling by rail for the elderly with and without functional limitations: the whole-trip perspective.

PubMed

Sundling, Catherine; Berglund, Birgitta; Nilsson, Mats E; Emardson, Ragne; Pendrill, Leslie R

2014-12-01

Elderly persons' perceived accessibility to railway traveling depends on their functional limitations/diseases, their functional abilities and their travel behaviors in interaction with the barriers encountered during whole trips. A survey was conducted on a random sample of 1000 city residents (65-85 years old; 57% response rate). The travels were perceived least accessible by respondents with severely reduced functional ability and by those with more than one functional limitation/disease (e.g., restricted mobility and chronic pain). Those who traveled "often", perceived the accessibility to be better than those who traveled less frequently. For travelers with high functional ability, the main barriers to more frequent traveling were travel costs and low punctuality. For those with low functional ability, one's own health was reported to be the main barrier. Our results clarify the links among existing functional limitations/functional abilities, the barriers encountered, the travel behavior, and the overall accessibility to traveling. By operationalizing the whole-trip concept as a chain of events, we deliver practical knowledge on vulnerable groups for decision-making to improve the transport environment for all.

The agreeableness asymmetry in first impressions: perceivers' impulse to (mis)judge agreeableness and how it is moderated by power.

PubMed

Ames, Daniel R; Bianchi, Emily C

2008-12-01

Prior research shows that perceivers can judge some traits better than others in first impressions of targets. However, questions remain about which traits perceivers naturally do infer. Here, the authors develop an account of the "agreeableness asymmetry": Although perceivers show little ability to accurately gauge target agreeableness in first impressions, they find that agreeableness is generally the most commonly inferred disposition among the Big Five dimensions of personality (agreeableness, extraversion, conscientiousness, openness, and emotional stability). Using open-ended impressions based on photographs, videos, and face-to-face encounters, three studies show agreeableness as the most prevalently judged of the Big Five, although it is also poorly judged in both absolute and relative terms. The authors use interpersonal power to reveal an underlying mechanism. Manipulating the power of perceivers relative to targets substantially shifts impression content, suggesting that habitual interaction and relational concerns may partially explain perceiver's chronic interest in assessing agreeableness despite their limited ability to do so.

[Work stress, common mental disorders and Work Ability Index among call center workers of an Italian company].

PubMed

Conway, Paul Maurice; Campanini, Paolo; Punzi, Silvia; Fichera, Giuseppe Paolo; Camerino, Donatella; Francioli, Laura; Neri, Luca; Costa, Giovanni

2013-01-01

To test three hypotheses in an Italian sample of call center workers: higher levels of perceived work stress are associated with more frequent common mental disorders (GHQ-12) and a lower Work Ability Index; combining the Job Strain (JS) and Effort/Reward Imbalance (ERI) models increases explained variance in health over and above either model when applied separately; compared with outbound operators, inbound call handlers are expected to report a lower health status,which is due to a more intense exposure to task-related work stress factors in the latter. A multi-center cross-sectional study, conducted by means of interviews and self-administered questionnaires. Call handlers working in the Italian branch of a telecommunication multinational company. In all, 1,106 permanent workers were examined (35.9%of the total target population, 98.9% response rate). The majority were women (76.5%);mean age was 33.3 (SD: 3.9) and company seniority 8.0 (SD: 2.1). Nearly 60% worked as inbound call handlers, about one third as outbound operators. Work stress was measured with the well-known JS and ERI models. Three exposure levels (based on tertiles) were identified for each scale. Common mental disorders were measured with the GHQ-12 questionnaire. Subjects with a GHQ-12 score 4 were classified as "cases". The Work Ability Index (WAI) was used to evaluate work ability. Being in the "poor" or "moderate" categories of the WAI indicated a low work ability status. Cronbach's alphas were 0.70 for all scales. Multivariate Poisson regressions showed that both models were linked to more frequent common mental disorders and a lower WAI. Moreover, combined models demonstrated an advantage in terms of explained variance in health. Finally, performing inbound call handling was associated with a lower WAI in comparison with engaging in outbound activities. Mediation analyses showed that such association is explained by the higher levels of psychological job demands and Job Strain experienced by inbound operators. Our results highlight the relevance of work stress as a risk factor for lower psychological health, and especially for a poorer WAI among call center workers. The combined use of the two models increases completeness of work stress assessment in this sector.The higher levels of work stress and the lower WAI observed among inbound operators are due to objectively less favourable task-related characteristics.

Trajectories of Self-Perceived Math Ability, Utility Value and Interest across Middle School as Predictors of High School Math Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petersen, Jennifer Lee; Hyde, Janet Shibley

2017-01-01

Although many studies have documented developmental change in mathematics motivation, little is known about how these trends predict math performance. A sample of 288 participants from the United States reported their perceived math ability, math utility value and math interest in 5th, 7th and 9th grades. Latent growth curve models estimated…

The Relationship between L2 Students' Writing Experiences and Their Perceived Poetry Writing Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liao, Fang-Yu

2017-01-01

This paper looks at how L2 students' writing experiences relate to the way they think they can write poems and to further investigate if any types of writing experiences contribute to their perceived poetry writing ability. The paper starts by bringing up the value of introducing poetry writing to L2 students. Then, the literature review section…

The Effects of Peer Competition-Based Science Learning Game on Secondary Students' Performance, Achievement Goals, and Perceived Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Ching-Huei; Law, Victor; Chen, Wei-Yu

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of different modes of competition on science learning in a game-based learning (GBL) environment. Some key motivational constructs such as learning goals, performance goals, and perceived ability were also investigated. One hundred ninety-five students from a secondary school in Taiwan were…

Sport Ability Beliefs, 2 x 2 Achievement Goals, and Intrinsic Motivation: The Moderating Role of Perceived Competence in Sport and Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, C. K. John; Liu, Woon Chia; Lochbaum, Marc R.; Stevenson, Sarah J.

2009-01-01

We examined whether perceived competence moderated the relationships between implicit theories, 2 x 2 achievement goals, and intrinsic motivation for sports and physical activity. We placed 309 university students into high and moderate perceived competence groups. When perceived competence was high, entity beliefs did not predict the…

Ability to Work and Employability of Patients in Opioid Substitution Treatment Programs in Slovenia

PubMed Central

Bilban, Marjan; Kastelič, Andrej; Zaletel-Kragelj, Lijana

2008-01-01

Aim To assess the ability to work and employability of individuals taking part in opioid substitution treatment programs (OSTP). Methods The study was composed of two surveys. In the first survey, 237 of 480 patients enrolled in OSTP responded to the questionnaire about their employment status, opinion about employment, and perception of assignments before and during OSTP. In the second survey, 66 of 100 employers responded to the questionnaire on the occurrence, perception, and management of addiction problems in their companies. Results Unemployment rate in individuals enrolled in OSTP was 43.5% and decreased during OSTP by 10.5% (P = 0.027). Irregular use of OSTP medications was the most important factor for unemployment (odds ratio, 2.44; P = 0.016). OSTP was highly effective in achieving a positive change in patients’ perception of different kinds of assignments previously perceived as beyond their abilities. Thus, perception of mentally demanding assignments (P < 0.001), working at unfavorable hours (P < 0.001), and forced work pace (P < 0.001) represented much lower burden after entering OSTP. Only 6.6% of employers reported illicit drugs as being a problem at their companies and 79.1% believed they would not recognize a person under the influence of illicit drugs. In 93.0% of the cases, applicants for a job would have had lower chances if they had been drug users; the percentage was slightly higher for those taking part in OSTP (94.7%). Conclusion OSTP in Slovenia was effective in increasing both employability and OSTP patients’ ability to work. To facilitate complete rehabilitation, particularly in obtaining employment for the patients, the process must involve the society as a whole. PMID:19090610

The monitoring and surveillance of the psychosocial work environment in Canada: a forgotten determinant of health.

PubMed

Smith, Peter; Frank, John; Mustard, Cameron

2008-01-01

The psychosocial working environment is an important determinant of health status and health inequalities in Canada. Particular dimensions of the psychosocial work environment such as low job control, job strain and imbalances between perceived efforts and rewards have been related to cardiovascular disease (the leading cause of mortality in Canada) and poorer mental health status. Despite its importance to the health of Canadians and health inequalities in Canada, the national surveillance of the psychosocial work environment is decreasing. Currently, the surveillance of the psychosocial work environment in Statistic Canada's population health surveys is limited to convenience-based samples within particular health regions. Not including important dimensions of the health, such as the psychosocial work environment, in our population-based surveys limits the ability of these surveys to help us better understand the challenges and opportunities to reducing health inequalities in Canada.

Perceived problem solving, stress, and health among college students.

PubMed

Largo-Wight, Erin; Peterson, P Michael; Chen, W William

2005-01-01

To study the relationships among perceived problem solving, stress, and physical health. The Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ), Personal Problem solving Inventory (PSI), and a stress-related physical health symptoms checklist were used to measure perceived stress, problem solving, and health among undergraduate college students (N = 232). Perceived problem-solving ability predicted self-reported physical health symptoms (R2 = .12; P < .001) and perceived stress (R2 = .19; P < .001). Perceived problem solving was a stronger predictor of physical health and perceived stress than were physical activity, alcohol consumption, or social support. Implications for college health promotion are discussed.

Mothers' Expectancies and Young Adolescents' Perceived Physical Competence: A Yearlong Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bois, Julien E.; Sarrazin, Philippe G.; Brustad, Robert J.; Trouilloud, David O.; Cury, Francois

2002-01-01

Investigated the role of mothers' expectancies in shaping their child's perceived physical competence. Structural equation modeling revealed that mothers' perceptions of their child's physical competence predicted their child's own perceived physical competence 1 year later, independent of the child's previously demonstrated physical ability and…

Predictors of Hearing-Aid Outcomes

PubMed Central

Johannesen, Peter T.; Pérez-González, Patricia; Blanco, José L.; Kalluri, Sridhar; Edwards, Brent

2017-01-01

Over 360 million people worldwide suffer from disabling hearing loss. Most of them can be treated with hearing aids. Unfortunately, performance with hearing aids and the benefit obtained from using them vary widely across users. Here, we investigate the reasons for such variability. Sixty-eight hearing-aid users or candidates were fitted bilaterally with nonlinear hearing aids using standard procedures. Treatment outcome was assessed by measuring aided speech intelligibility in a time-reversed two-talker background and self-reported improvement in hearing ability. Statistical predictive models of these outcomes were obtained using linear combinations of 19 predictors, including demographic and audiological data, indicators of cochlear mechanical dysfunction and auditory temporal processing skills, hearing-aid settings, working memory capacity, and pretreatment self-perceived hearing ability. Aided intelligibility tended to be better for younger hearing-aid users with good unaided intelligibility in quiet and with good temporal processing abilities. Intelligibility tended to improve by increasing amplification for low-intensity sounds and by using more linear amplification for high-intensity sounds. Self-reported improvement in hearing ability was hard to predict but tended to be smaller for users with better working memory capacity. Indicators of cochlear mechanical dysfunction, alone or in combination with hearing settings, did not affect outcome predictions. The results may be useful for improving hearing aids and setting patients’ expectations. PMID:28929903

Nursing practice environment, quality of care, and morale of hospital nurses in Japan.

PubMed

Anzai, Eriko; Douglas, Clint; Bonner, Ann

2014-06-01

The purpose of this study was to describe Japanese hospital nurses' perceptions of the nursing practice environment and examine its association with nurse-reported ability to provide quality nursing care, quality of patient care, and ward morale. A cross-sectional survey design was used including 223 nurses working in 12 acute inpatient wards in a large Japanese teaching hospital. Nurses rated their work environment favorably overall using the Japanese version of the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index. Subscale scores indicated high perceptions of physician relations and quality of nursing management, but lower scores for staffing and resources. Ward nurse managers generally rated the practice environment more positively than staff nurses except for staffing and resources. Regression analyses found the practice environment was a significant predictor of quality of patient care and ward morale, whereas perceived ability to provide quality nursing care was most strongly associated with years of clinical experience. These findings support interventions to improve the nursing practice environment, particularly staffing and resource adequacy, to enhance quality of care and ward morale in Japan. © 2013 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Differences in phonetic discrimination stem from differences in psychoacoustic abilities in learning the sounds of a second language: Evidence from ERP research.

PubMed

Lin, Yi; Fan, Ruolin; Mo, Lei

2017-01-01

The scientific community has been divided as to the origin of individual differences in perceiving the sounds of a second language (L2). There are two alternative explanations: a general psychoacoustic origin vs. a speech-specific one. A previous study showed that such individual variability is linked to the perceivers' speech-specific capabilities, rather than the perceivers' psychoacoustic abilities. However, we assume that the selection of participants and parameters of sound stimuli might not appropriate. Therefore, we adjusted the sound stimuli and recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) from two groups of early, proficient Cantonese (L1)-Mandarin (L2) bilinguals who differed in their mastery of the Mandarin (L2) phonetic contrast /in-ing/, to explore whether the individual differences in perceiving L2 stem from participants' ability to discriminate various pure tones (frequency, duration and pattern). To precisely measure the participants' acoustic discrimination, mismatch negativity (MMN) elicited by the oddball paradigm was recorded in the experiment. The results showed that significant differences between good perceivers (GPs) and poor perceivers (PPs) were found in the three general acoustic conditions (frequency, duration and pattern), and the MMN amplitude for GP was significantly larger than for PP. Therefore, our results support a general psychoacoustic origin of individual variability in L2 phonetic mastery.

Perceived Demands of Schooling, Stress and Mental Health: Changes from Grade 6 to Grade 9 as a Function of Gender and Cognitive Ability.

PubMed

Giota, Joanna; Gustafsson, Jan-Eric

2017-08-01

The link between perceived demands of school, stress and mental health in relation to gender is complex. The study examined, with two waves of longitudinal data at age 13 and age 16, how changes in perceived academic demands relate to changes in perceived stress, taking into account gender and cognitive ability, and to investigate how these factors affect the level of psychosomatic and depressive symptoms at the age of 16. A nationally representative sample including about 9000 individuals from the Swedish longitudinal Evaluation Through Follow up database born in 1998 was included. A growth modelling approach was applied to examine relations over time. The results show girls to have a considerably higher self-reported level of mental health problems at the end of compulsory school than boys. This gender difference is entirely accounted for by perceived school demands and stress in grades 6 and 9. Students who were stronger in inductive than vocabulary ability reported lower levels of perceived academic demands and less stress in grade 6. There is a need to develop interventions for minimizing the consequences of stress among adolescents and modify those particular aspects of academic demands which cause stress and poor mental health, especially among girls. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Recalibrating disparities in perceived and actual balance abilities in older adults: a mixed-methods evaluation of a novel exergaming intervention.

PubMed

Ellmers, Toby J; Paraskevopoulos, Ioannis Th; Williams, A Mark; Young, William R

2018-03-22

Published reports suggest a disparity between perceived and actual balance abilities, a trait associated with increased fall-risk in older adults. We investigate whether it is possible to 'recalibrate' these disparities using a novel gaming intervention. We recruited 26 older adults for a 4-week intervention in which they participated in 8-sessions using a novel gaming intervention designed to provide explicit, augmented feedback related to postural control. Measures of perceived balance abilities (Falls Efficacy Scale-International) and actual postural control (limits of stability) were assessed pre- and post-intervention. We used focus groups to elicit the opinions of participants about how the game may have influenced balance abilities and confidence. A stronger alignment was observed between postural control and perceived balance capabilities post-intervention (i.e., significant correlations between Falls Efficacy Scale-International scores and limits of stability which were not present pre-intervention). Also, significant improvements in measures of postural control were observed, with these improvements confined to the aspects of postural control for which the exergame provided explicit, augmented feedback. Qualitative data revealed that the intervention made participants more "aware" of their balance abilities. Our results demonstrate that it is possible to recalibrate the perceptions of older adults relating to their balance abilities through a targeted, short-term intervention. We propose that the post-intervention improvements in postural control may have been, in part, the result of this recalibration; with altered perceptions leading to changes in balance performance. Findings support the application of novel interventions aimed at addressing the psychological factors associated with elderly falls.

Self-perceived competence and social acceptance of young children who stutter: Initial findings.

PubMed

Hertsberg, Naomi; Zebrowski, Patricia M

The goals of this study were to determine whether young children who stutter (CWS) perceive their own competence and social acceptance differently than young children who do not stutter (CWNS), and to identify the predictors of perceived competence and social acceptance in young speakers. We administered the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children (PSPCSA; Harter & Pike, 1984) to 13 CWS and 14 CWNS and examined group differences. We also collected information on the children's genders, temperaments, stuttering frequencies, language abilities, and phonological skills to identify which of these factors predicted PSPCSA scores. CWS, as a group, did not differ from CWNS in their perceived general competence or social acceptance. Gender predicted scores of perceived general competence, and stuttering frequency predicted perceived social acceptance. Temperament, language abilities, and phonological skills were not significant predictors of perceived competence or social acceptance in our sample. While CWS did not significantly differ from CWNS in terms of perceived competence and social acceptance, when both talker groups were considered together, girls self-reported greater perceived competence than boys. Further, lower stuttering frequency was associated with greater perceived social acceptance. These preliminary findings provide motivation for further empirical study of the psychosocial components of childhood stuttering. Readers will be able to describe the constructs of perceived competence and social acceptance in young children, and whether early stuttering plays a role in the development of these constructs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An Empirical Research on the Correlation between Human Capital and Career Success of Knowledge Workers in Enterprise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Wenchen; Xiao, Hongjun; Yang, Xi

Human capital plays an important part in employability of knowledge workers, also it is the important intangible assets of company. This paper explores the correlation between human capital and career success of knowledge workers. Based on literature retrieval, we identified measuring tool of career success and modified further; measuring human capital with self-developed scale of high reliability and validity. After exploratory factor analysis, we suggest that human capital contents four dimensions, including education, work experience, learning ability and training; career success contents three dimensions, including perceived internal competitiveness of organization, perceived external competitiveness of organization and career satisfaction. The result of empirical analysis indicates that there is a positive correlation between human capital and career success, and human capital is an excellent predictor of career success beyond demographics variables.

Safety and health perceptions and concerns of custom harvesters.

PubMed

Steffen, R W; Frazier, K W; Watson, D G; Harrison, T V

2007-11-01

This study elicited the perceptions and concerns of custom harvesters regarding safety and health issues faced in their operations, self-perceived knowledge of selected regulations, and self-perceived ability to train employees on the safe operation of equipment. The average age of custom harvesters' (CH) employees was 22 to 25 years (47.2%). The most common length of the harvest season was 5 to 6 months (70.9%). The most common responses to length of work day were 9 to 11 hours (34.5%) and 12 to 14 hours (54.5%). In general, CH ranked combine operation experience as most important when hiring employees. The CH felt inexperience was the leading contributor to lost-time incidents. They were most concerned about DOT regulations and Worker's Compensation rules, but also felt they had a good knowledge of those areas.

Reconceptualizing Agency within the Life Course: The Power of Looking Ahead1

PubMed Central

Hitlin, Steven; Johnson, Monica Kirkpatrick

2015-01-01

Empirical treatments of agency have not caught up with theoretical explication; empirical projects almost always focus on concurrent beliefs about one’s ability to act successfully without sufficiently attending to temporality. We suggest that understanding the modern life course necessitates a multidimensional understanding of subjective agency involving a) perceived capacities and b) perceived life-chances, or expectations about what life holds in store. We also suggest that a proper understanding of agency’s potential power within a life course necessitates moving beyond the domain-specific expectations more typical of past sociological work. Utilizing the Youth Development Study (YDS), we employ a scale of general life expectations in adolescence to explore the potential influence of a general sense of optimistic life-expectations in addition to the traditional agency-as-efficacy approach on a range of important outcomes. PMID:26166833

Awareness of ethical issues in medical education: an interactive teach-the-teacher course.

PubMed

Chiapponi, Costanza; Dimitriadis, Konstantinos; Özgül, Gülümser; Siebeck, Robert G; Siebeck, Matthias

2016-01-01

We conducted an international, interdisciplinary teach-the-teacher course to sensitize physicians from different countries to ethical issues in medical education. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of this course. Before and after participating in a short session on ethical issues in medical education, 97 physicians from different countries in Africa, Asia, and Europe completed a self-assessment questionnaire on their competence and interest in this field. The short session consisted of working in small groups to identify, analyze and discuss ethical dilemmas described in case vignettes adapted from published examples or written by medical students. In addition to the questionnaire, we conducted a large-group experience to explore four basic orientations of participants in ethical thinking: relativism, intentionalism, consequentialism, and absolutism. We found a significant self-perceived increase in the participants' ability to identify and describe ethical issues and students' dilemmas, in their knowledge about these issues and teaching professionalism, and in their ability to describe both students' perspectives and teachers' and students' behaviors. In addition, participants' feeling of understanding their own culturally learned patterns of determining what is right and wrong increased after taking part in the course. The four contrasting basic ethical orientations showed no significant differences between participants regarding nationality, age, or gender. Ethics of education is an important issue for medical teachers. Teachers' self-perceived competence can be increased by working on case vignettes in small groups.

Awareness of ethical issues in medical education: an interactive teach-the-teacher course

PubMed Central

Chiapponi, Costanza; Dimitriadis, Konstantinos; Özgül, Gülümser; Siebeck, Robert G.; Siebeck, Matthias

2016-01-01

Purpose: We conducted an international, interdisciplinary teach-the-teacher course to sensitize physicians from different countries to ethical issues in medical education. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of this course. Method: Before and after participating in a short session on ethical issues in medical education, 97 physicians from different countries in Africa, Asia, and Europe completed a self-assessment questionnaire on their competence and interest in this field. The short session consisted of working in small groups to identify, analyze and discuss ethical dilemmas described in case vignettes adapted from published examples or written by medical students. In addition to the questionnaire, we conducted a large-group experience to explore four basic orientations of participants in ethical thinking: relativism, intentionalism, consequentialism, and absolutism. Results: We found a significant self-perceived increase in the participants’ ability to identify and describe ethical issues and students’ dilemmas, in their knowledge about these issues and teaching professionalism, and in their ability to describe both students’ perspectives and teachers’ and students’ behaviors. In addition, participants’ feeling of understanding their own culturally learned patterns of determining what is right and wrong increased after taking part in the course. The four contrasting basic ethical orientations showed no significant differences between participants regarding nationality, age, or gender. Conclusion: Ethics of education is an important issue for medical teachers. Teachers’ self-perceived competence can be increased by working on case vignettes in small groups. PMID:27275510

An Adaptive Neural Mechanism for Acoustic Motion Perception with Varying Sparsity

PubMed Central

Shaikh, Danish; Manoonpong, Poramate

2017-01-01

Biological motion-sensitive neural circuits are quite adept in perceiving the relative motion of a relevant stimulus. Motion perception is a fundamental ability in neural sensory processing and crucial in target tracking tasks. Tracking a stimulus entails the ability to perceive its motion, i.e., extracting information about its direction and velocity. Here we focus on auditory motion perception of sound stimuli, which is poorly understood as compared to its visual counterpart. In earlier work we have developed a bio-inspired neural learning mechanism for acoustic motion perception. The mechanism extracts directional information via a model of the peripheral auditory system of lizards. The mechanism uses only this directional information obtained via specific motor behaviour to learn the angular velocity of unoccluded sound stimuli in motion. In nature however the stimulus being tracked may be occluded by artefacts in the environment, such as an escaping prey momentarily disappearing behind a cover of trees. This article extends the earlier work by presenting a comparative investigation of auditory motion perception for unoccluded and occluded tonal sound stimuli with a frequency of 2.2 kHz in both simulation and practice. Three instances of each stimulus are employed, differing in their movement velocities–0.5°/time step, 1.0°/time step and 1.5°/time step. To validate the approach in practice, we implement the proposed neural mechanism on a wheeled mobile robot and evaluate its performance in auditory tracking. PMID:28337137

Using Rasch Analysis to Examine the Dimensionality Structure and Differential Item Functioning of the Arabic Version of the Perceived Physical Ability Scale for Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abd-El-Fattah, Sabry M.; AL-Sinani, Yousra; El Shourbagi, Sahar; Fakhroo, Hessa A.

2014-01-01

This study uses the Rasch model technique to examine the dimensionality structure and differential item functioning of the Arabic version of the Perceived Physical Ability Scale for Children (PPASC). A sample of 220 Omani fourth graders (120 males and 100 females) responded to an Arabic translated version of the PPASC. Data on students'…

Association between psychosomatic symptoms and work stress among Taiwan police officers.

PubMed

Chueh, Ke-Hsin; Yen, Cheng-Fang; Lu, Luo; Yang, Mei-Sang

2011-04-01

The aim of the study was to explore the association between the severity of psychosomatic symptoms and perceived work stress among male police officers in southern Taiwan. By stratified random sampling, a total of 698 male police officers were recruited into this study (the response rate was 73.4%; 512 of 698). A structured self-administered questionnaire on demographic and working characteristics, the severity of psychosomatic symptoms, perceived work stress, and social support was used to collect data anonymously. The results of multiple regression analysis revealed that (1) the police officers who perceived high-work stress reported more severe psychosomatic symptoms than those who perceived low-work stress; and (2) perceived social support had a moderating effect on the association between severity of psychosomatic symptoms and perceived work stress. Perceived work stress is an indicator of psychosomatic symptoms in police officers. Strategies for reducing psychosomatic symptoms of police officers include police administrators taking into account the level of work stress as well as more attention being paid to the resources of social support. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Taiwan LLC. All rights reserved.

Intrinsic motivation towards sports in Singaporean students: the role of sport ability beliefs.

PubMed

Wang, C K John; Biddle, Stuart J H

2003-09-01

This study investigated determinants of active lifestyles in Singaporean university students. Using confirmatory factor analysis, a measure of lay beliefs concerning athletic ability was confirmed. Other results confirmed hypotheses that beliefs reflecting that athletic ability can be developed over time (incremental beliefs) predict an achievement task (self-referenced) orientation, while beliefs reflecting that athletic ability is relatively stable (entity beliefs) predict an ego (other-person, comparative) orientation. Goal orientations directly affect perceived competence which, in turn, influence intrinsic motivation to be physically active. A task orientation had a direct link to intrinsic motivation. Results suggest that intrinsic motivation towards sport and physical activity might be enhanced through interventions that focus on self-referenced and self-improvement notions of ability as well as perceived competence.

Confidence in emotion perception in point-light displays varies with the ability to perceive own emotions.

PubMed

Lorey, Britta; Kaletsch, Morten; Pilgramm, Sebastian; Bischoff, Matthias; Kindermann, Stefan; Sauerbier, Isabell; Stark, Rudolf; Zentgraf, Karen; Munzert, Jörn

2012-01-01

One central issue in social cognitive neuroscience is that perceiving emotions in others relates to activating the same emotion in oneself. In this study we sought to examine how the ability to perceive own emotions assessed with the Toronto Alexithymia Scale related to both the ability to perceive emotions depicted in point-light displays and the confidence in these perceptions. Participants observed video scenes of human interactions, rated the depicted valence, and judged their confidence in this rating. Results showed that people with higher alexithymia scores were significantly less confident about their decisions, but did not differ from people with lower alexithymia scores in the valence of their ratings. Furthermore, no modulating effect of social context on the effect of higher alexithymia scores was found. It is concluded that the used stimuli are fit to investigate the kinematic aspect of emotion perception and possibly separate people with high and low alexithymia scores via confidence differences. However, a general difference in emotion perception was not detected in the present setting.

Parental management of adrenal crisis in children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia

PubMed Central

Fleming, Louise; Knafl, Kathleen; Knafl, George; Van Riper, Marcia

2018-01-01

Purpose Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) requires parents to inject their child with hydro-cortisone intramuscularly during times of illness and adrenal crisis. The purpose of this study was to describe circumstances surrounding adrenal crisis events in children with CAH; to explore parents’ perceptions of the consequences of having a child with a life-threatening condition; and to examine a relationship between parents’ perceived management ability and the impact CAH has on the family. Methods In Phase 1 of this mixed-methods, cross-sectional study, 77 parents were asked to complete questionnaires comprising measures of family life in the context of childhood illness. Descriptive statistics were computed with four separate analyses using linear mixed models allowing for correlation between responses from parents of the same family and for the variance to be different for fathers and mothers. The following relationships were examined: (1) parental management ability and type of provider instruction on how to manage adrenal crises; (2) parental management ability and child age; (3) the perceived impact of the condition on the family and management ability; and (4) the age of the child and number of adrenal crisis events. In Phase 2, 16 semi-structured interviews were conducted to elicit detailed descriptions of parents’ experiences in managing crises. Results There was a significant, positive relationship between detailed provider instruction to parents on adrenal crisis management and perceived management ability (p = .02), additionally the stronger the perceived management ability, the less impact CAH had on the family (p < .001). From birth to age 5, parents reported more frequent crisis events and less perceived ability to manage the condition when compared with parents of older children (p = .009). The threat of an adrenal crisis event is a pervasive concern for parents, especially when they are not being properly prepared by providers. Practice Implications Provider support is needed for these parents throughout childhood, but especially in the first 5 years of life when parents are adjusting to having a child with a life-threatening condition. Identifying gaps in parent education by healthcare providers is necessary to promote positive family outcomes. PMID:28771930

Parental management of adrenal crisis in children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

PubMed

Fleming, Louise; Knafl, Kathleen; Knafl, George; Van Riper, Marcia

2017-10-01

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) requires parents to inject their child with hydrocortisone intramuscularly during times of illness and adrenal crisis. The purpose of this study was to describe circumstances surrounding adrenal crisis events in children with CAH; to explore parents' perceptions of the consequences of having a child with a life-threatening condition; and to examine a relationship between parents' perceived management ability and the impact CAH has on the family. In Phase 1 of this mixed-methods, cross-sectional study, 77 parents were asked to complete questionnaires comprising measures of family life in the context of childhood illness. Descriptive statistics were computed with four separate analyses using linear mixed models allowing for correlation between responses from parents of the same family and for the variance to be different for fathers and mothers. The following relationships were examined: (1) parental management ability and type of provider instruction on how to manage adrenal crises; (2) parental management ability and child age; (3) the perceived impact of the condition on the family and management ability; and (4) the age of the child and number of adrenal crisis events. In Phase 2, 16 semi-structured interviews were conducted to elicit detailed descriptions of parents' experiences in managing crises. There was a significant, positive relationship between detailed provider instruction to parents on adrenal crisis management and perceived management ability (p = .02), additionally the stronger the perceived management ability, the less impact CAH had on the family (p < .001). From birth to age 5, parents reported more frequent crisis events and less perceived ability to manage the condition when compared with parents of older children (p = .009). The threat of an adrenal crisis event is a pervasive concern for parents, especially when they are not being properly prepared by providers. Provider support is needed for these parents throughout childhood, but especially in the first 5 years of life when parents are adjusting to having a child with a life-threatening condition. Identifying gaps in parent education by healthcare providers is necessary to promote positive family outcomes. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Social Work Grand Challenges: Leaders' Perceptions of the Potential for Partnering with Business.

PubMed

Long, Ashley

2018-04-23

Social work's ability to address complex societal problems such as those identified in the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare's Grand Challenges for Social Work is reliant on being innovative in how we prepare social workers and how we collaborate with others, including business. This research seeks to understand how leaders of major social work organizations perceive potential partnership with the business sector-including both possible threats and opportunities. Interviews were conducted with those serving on the Council on Social Work Education's Leadership Roundtable. The research explores how emerging partnership models can be helpful and ways in which the profession can prepare practitioners for better partnering with the business sector. Qualitative findings identify four key strategies to address the grand challenges and enhance partnerships: (1) more interdisciplinary work is needed, (2) social work students need to be adequately equipped for collaborative work, (3) a cohesive message is needed from the field, and (4) the potential benefits for partnering with business outweigh the risks.

Functional, interactive and critical health literacy: Varying relationships with control over care and number of GP visits.

PubMed

van der Heide, Iris; Heijmans, Monique; Schuit, A Jantine; Uiters, Ellen; Rademakers, Jany

2015-08-01

The aim of this study is to examine the extent to which functional, interactive and critical health literacy are associated with patients' perceived control over care and frequency of GP visits. Data from the Dutch 'National Panel of People with Chronic Illness or Disability' was used (N=2508). Health literacy was assessed by the Functional, Communicative and Critical Health Literacy measure. Perceived control over care was indicated by perceived ability to organize care, interact with providers and to perform self-care. By multivariate linear and logistic regression analyses, associations between health literacy and perceived control over care and subsequently frequency of GP visits were studied. Mainly interactive health literacy was associated with patients' perceived ability to organize care, interact with healthcare providers and perform self-care, whereas only functional health literacy was associated with number of GP visits. The results imply that some patients' may be less able to exert control over their care because of lower health literacy. Functional, interactive and critical health literacy vary in their relevance for patients' ability to exert control. Initiatives for strengthening patients' role in healthcare may be improved by paying attention to patients' health literacy, specifically functional and interactive health literacy. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Differences in Perceived Difficulty in Print and Online Patient Education Materials

PubMed Central

Farnsworth, Michael

2014-01-01

Context: Written patient education materials frequently exceed the reading ability of the general public. Patients are often intimidated by the task of reading patient education materials, perceiving the materials’ difficulty levels as prohibitive, even when they do not exceed the patients’ reading abilities. It is unclear how the delivery mechanism—print or a computer screen—affects a patient’s reading experience through his/her perception of its difficulty. Objective: To determine whether first-year college students perceived online or print-based patient education materials as more difficult to read. Design: Convenience sampling of first-year college students. Results: Some first-year college students perceived online patient education materials to be more difficult to read than print-based ones—even when the reading level of the patient education materials was similar. Demographic information about this sample’s high levels of digital literacy suggests that other populations might also perceive online patient education materials as more difficult to read than print-based equivalents. Patients’ perceptions of the difficulty of patient education materials influenced their ability to effectively learn from those materials. Conclusion: This article concludes with a call for more research into patients’ perceptions of difficulty of patient education materials in print vs on a screen. PMID:25662526

Perceived exertion at work in women with fibromyalgia: explanatory factors and comparison with healthy women.

PubMed

Palstam, Annie; Larsson, Anette; Bjersing, Jan; Löfgren, Monika; Ernberg, Malin; Bileviciute-Ljungar, Indre; Ghafouri, Bijar; Sjörs, Anna; Larsson, Britt; Gerdle, Björn; Kosek, Eva; Mannerkorpi, Kaisa

2014-09-01

To investigate perceived exertion at work in women with fibromyalgia. A controlled cross-sectional multi-centre study. Seventy-three women with fibromyalgia and 73 healthy women matched by occupation and physical workload were compared in terms of perceived exertion at work (0-14), muscle strength, 6-min walk test, symptoms rated by Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), work status (25-100%), fear avoidance work beliefs (0-42), physical activity at work (7-21) and physical workload (1-5). Spearman's correlation coefficient and linear regression analysis were conducted. Perceived exertion at work was significantly higher in the fibromyalgia group than in the reference group (p = 0.002), while physical activity at work did not differ between the groups. Physical capacity was lower and symptom severity higher in fibromyalgia compared with references (p < 0.05). In fibromyalgia, perceived exertion at work showed moderate correlation with physical activity at work, physical workload and fear avoidance work beliefs (rs = 0.53-0.65, p < 0.001) and a fair correlation with anxiety (rs = 0.26, p = 0.027). Regression analysis indicated that the physical activity at work and fear avoidance work beliefs explained 50% of the perceived exertion at work. Women with fibromyalgia perceive an elevated exertion at work, which is associated with physical work-related factors and factors related to fear and anxiety.

A dyadic model of the work-family interface: a study of dual-earner couples in China.

PubMed

Ho, Man Yee; Chen, Xuefei; Cheung, Fanny M; Liu, Huimin; Worthington, Everett L

2013-01-01

This study adopted a spillover-crossover model to examine the roles of personality and perceived social support as antecedents of the work-family interface among dual-earner couples in China. Married couples (N = 306) from 2 major cities in China (Shanghai and Jinan) completed questionnaires measuring a relationship-oriented personality trait (i.e., family orientation), perceived family and work support, and work-family conflict and enhancement. The results showed that family orientation and perceived family support was positively associated with family-to-work enhancement and negatively associated with family-to-work conflict for both husbands and wives. Perceived work support was positively associated with family-to-work enhancement for wives and negatively associated with work-to-family conflict for husbands. Similarities in family orientation between partners were positively correlated with the individual's family-to-work enhancement. This study also illustrated the crossover of the work-family interface between dual-earner couples by using the actor-partner interdependence model. The pattern of associations between personality trait and perceived social support varied by gender. Husbands' family orientation was negatively correlated with work-to-family enhancement experienced by wives, and husbands' perceived work support was positively correlated with work-to-family enhancement experienced by wives. Wives' perceived work support was positively correlated with family-to-work conflict experienced by husbands.

Overall Accessibility to Traveling by Rail for the Elderly with and without Functional Limitations: The Whole-Trip Perspective

PubMed Central

Sundling, Catherine; Berglund, Birgitta; Nilsson, Mats E.; Emardson, Ragne; Pendrill, Leslie R.

2014-01-01

Elderly persons’ perceived accessibility to railway traveling depends on their functional limitations/diseases, their functional abilities and their travel behaviors in interaction with the barriers encountered during whole trips. A survey was conducted on a random sample of 1000 city residents (65–85 years old; 57% response rate). The travels were perceived least accessible by respondents with severely reduced functional ability and by those with more than one functional limitation/disease (e.g., restricted mobility and chronic pain). Those who traveled “often”, perceived the accessibility to be better than those who traveled less frequently. For travelers with high functional ability, the main barriers to more frequent traveling were travel costs and low punctuality. For those with low functional ability, one’s own health was reported to be the main barrier. Our results clarify the links among existing functional limitations/functional abilities, the barriers encountered, the travel behavior, and the overall accessibility to traveling. By operationalizing the whole-trip concept as a chain of events, we deliver practical knowledge on vulnerable groups for decision-making to improve the transport environment for all. PMID:25514149

A two-year follow-up on a program theory of return to work intervention.

PubMed

Jensen, Anne Grete Claudi

2013-01-01

Validation of a salutogenic theory for return to work (RTW) and an associated program process theory. A longitudinal non-randomized one-year trial study design was used with a two-year follow-up and with comparison to a reference group. Changes in attitudes and active behaviour in the intervention group and at the workplace were supported by cognitive and behavioural approaches. The intervention group included 118 unskilled Danish public employees and privately employed house-cleaners on sick leave due to musculoskeletal and/or common mental illnesses. Significant improvements of work ability index and perceived health (SF36 subgroups) were reported. A significantly higher RTW and a shorter sick leave than in the reference group also emerged. Positive predictors of RTW were keeping the pre-sick-leave job and improving work ability index and physical impairment/role physical. Decline in self-efficacy was a negative predictor. Support for the theory and associated program process theory was found. The intervention seemed to influence RTW and the employees' attitudes, behaviour and health by affecting comprehensibility, meaningfulness and manageability. Sustainable RTW emerged from a synergism of support from the work place and improved personal resources, especially such as concern mental health. The approach is consistent with integrating health promotion in RTW.

Impact of satisfaction, nurse-patient interactions and perceived benefits on health behaviors following a cardiac event.

PubMed

Zrinyi, Miklos; Horvath, Teodora

2003-07-01

To describe patient perceptions of quality and satisfaction with nursing care, nurse-patient interactions and barriers to and benefits of implementing a healthy lifestyle. A pretest-posttest cross-sectional correlational research design was used. Subjects were randomly selected between November 2001 and January 2002 from patients admitted to the National Institute of Cardiology in Budapest, Hungary. Participants completed 3 self-reported measures and a demographic survey, which assessed individual lifestyle behaviors (e.g. frequency of smoking, physical activity, stress and unhealthy dieting). Satisfaction with nursing care and nurse-patient interactions influenced both perceived benefits and barriers. Patient satisfaction and perceived benefits at discharge were associated with more frequent exercising and less smoking. Among other factors, perceived benefits at discharge were predicted by attentive nurse behaviors toward patients and by patients' ability to initiate discussion with nurses. Findings support effects of patient satisfaction and nurse-patient relationships on perceived benefits/barriers. Compared to barriers, perceived benefits more importantly determined health behaviors. Attentive nursing care and the patient's ability to discuss health concerns with nurses appear more influential in modifying patient perceptions. Exploring nursing interventions to maximize perceived benefits during hospitalization is suggested.

“The only thing I wish I could change is that they treat us like people and not like animals”: Injury and Discrimination among Latino Farmworkers

PubMed Central

Snipes, Shedra A.; Cooper, Sharon P.; Shipp, Eva M.

2017-01-01

Objective This paper describes how perceived discrimination shapes the way Latino farmworkers encounter injuries and seek out treatment. Methods After 5 months of ethnographic fieldwork, 89 open-ended, semi-structured interviews were analyzed. NVivo was used to code and qualitatively organize the interviews and field notes. Finally, codes, notes, and co-occurring dynamics were used to iteratively assess the data for major themes. Results The primary source of perceived discrimination was the “boss” or farm owner. Immigrant status was also a significant influence on how farmworkers perceived the discrimination. Specifically, the ability to speak English and length of stay in the United States were related to stronger perceptions of discrimination. Finally, farm owners compelled their Latino employees to work through their injuries without treatment. Conclusions This ethnographic account brings attention to how discrimination and lack of worksite protections are implicated in farmworkers' injury experiences, and suggests the need for policies that better safeguards vulnerable workers. PMID:27749157

Exploratory Factor Analysis of the Anxiety Control Questionnaire among Older Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gerolimatos, Lindsay A.; Gould, Christine E.; Edelstein, Barry A.

2012-01-01

Among young adults and clinical populations, perceived inability to control internal and external events is associated with anxiety. At present, it is unclear what role perceived anxiety control plays in anxiety among older adults. The Anxiety Control Questionnaire (ACQ) was developed to assess one's perceived ability to cope with anxiety-related…

Spatial Abilities of High-School Students in the Perception of Geologic Structures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kali, Yael; Orion, Nir

1996-01-01

Characterizes specific spatial abilities required in geology studies through the examination of the performance of high school students in solving structural geology problems on the geologic spatial ability test (GeoSAT). Concludes that visual penetration ability and the ability to perceive the spatial configuration of the structure are…

Problem-solving skills and hardiness as protective factors against stress in Iranian nurses.

PubMed

Abdollahi, Abbas; Talib, Mansor Abu; Yaacob, Siti Nor; Ismail, Zanariah

2014-02-01

Nursing is a stressful occupation, even when compared with other health professions; therefore, it is necessary to advance our knowledge about the protective factors that can help reduce stress among nurses. The present study sought to investigate the associations among problem-solving skills and hardiness with perceived stress in nurses. The participants, 252 nurses from six private hospitals in Tehran, completed the Personal Views Survey, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Problem-Solving Inventory. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to analyse the data and answer the research hypotheses. As expected, greater hardiness was associated with low levels of perceived stress, and nurses low in perceived stress were more likely to be considered approachable, have a style that relied on their own sense of internal personal control, and demonstrate effective problem-solving confidence. These findings reinforce the importance of hardiness and problem-solving skills as protective factors against perceived stress among nurses, and could be important in training future nurses so that hardiness ability and problem-solving skills can be imparted, allowing nurses to have more ability to control their perceived stress.

An Investigation into the Perceived Level of Personal Subject Knowledge and Competence of a Group of Pre-Service Physical Education Teachers towards the Teaching of Secondary School Gymnastics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sloan, Stephen

2007-01-01

The future of physical education (PE) depends on the quality of emerging committed professionals and their ability to teach across the different activity areas contained within the National Curriculum for Physical Education (NCPE). It is a role that requires extensive subject knowledge and perceived competence in the ability to use it effectively.…

Mastering moral misery: Emotional and coping responses to intragroup morality (vs. competence) evaluations.

PubMed

van der Lee, Romy; Ellemers, Naomi; Scheepers, Daan

2016-01-01

In social groups, individuals are often confronted with evaluations of their behaviour by other group members and are motivated to adapt their own behaviour accordingly. In two studies we examine emotional responses towards, and perceived coping abilities with, morality vs. competence evaluations individuals receive from other in-group members. In Study 1, we show that evaluations of one's immoral behaviour primarily induce guilt, whereas evaluations of incompetent behaviour raise anger. In Study 2, we elaborate on the psychological process associated with these emotional responses, and demonstrate that evaluations of immorality, compared to incompetence, diminish group members' perceived coping abilities, which in turn intensifies feelings of guilt. However, when anticipating an opportunity to restore one's self-image as a moral group member, perceived coping abilities are increased and the experience of guilt is alleviated. Together these studies demonstrate how group members can overcome their moral misery when restoring their self-image.

The structural relationships between organizational commitment, global job satisfaction, developmental experiences, work values, organizational support, and person-organization fit among nursing faculty.

PubMed

Gutierrez, Antonio P; Candela, Lori L; Carver, Lara

2012-07-01

GUTIERAIM: The aim of this correlational study was to examine the relations between organizational commitment, perceived organizational support, work values, person-organization fit, developmental experiences, and global job satisfaction among nursing faculty. The global nursing shortage is well documented. At least 57 countries have reported critical shortages. The lack of faculty is finally being recognized as a major issue directly influencing the ability to admit and graduate adequate numbers of nurses. As efforts increase to both recruit and retain faculty, the concept of organizational commitment and what it means to them is important to consider. A cross-sectional correlational design was used. The present study investigated the underlying structure of various organizational factors using structural equation modelling. Data were collected from a stratified random sample of nurse faculty during the academic year 2006-2007. The final model demonstrated that perceived organizational support, developmental experiences, person-organization fit, and global job satisfaction positively predicted nurse faculty's organizational commitment to the academic organization. Cross-validation results indicated that the final full SEM is valid and reliable. Nursing faculty administrators able to use mentoring skills are well equipped to build positive relationships with nursing faculty, which in turn, can lead to increased organizational commitment, productivity, job satisfaction, and perceived organizational support, among others. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Perceived Barriers and Facilitators for Return to Work Among Colorectal Cancer Survivors: Malaysian Healthcare Professionals Experience-　A Qualitative Inquiry.

PubMed

Chow, Sze Loon; Loh, Siew Yim; Su, Tin Tin

2015-06-01

Return to work (RTW) can be a challenging occupational health (OH) issue among previously-employed colorectal cancer survivors. This study aimed to explore the various perceived barriers and facilitators encountered during the RTW process in cancer survivorship, from the perception of healthcare professionals (HCP). Face to face, semistructured interviews were carried out on twelve HCP (government and private sectors) from various disciplines. Data collected were transcribed verbatim and data management was aided by NVivo software 8.0. A new theory from contextual data was generated using open coding, axial coding and selective coding. The HCP shared numerous barriers and facilitators associated with RTW, under four categories. The key barriers were disturbing side effects, psychological barriers (personal factor), compensation (financial factor), poor ability to multitask (work-related factor), long paid medical leaves policy, employer's lackadaisical attitude, lack of knowledge and awareness of RTW (environmental factor). Key facilitators identified were desire to resume working life and to contribute to society (personal factor), financial pressure, maintain organizational health insurance (financial factor), less physically demanding job (work-related factor), supportive workplace and strict organizational policy on medical leaves (environmental factor). While not all HCP were trained in RTW, they all agreed that RTW is important for survivors and workplace. Occupational health doctors have a direct role in helping survivors RTW. Early Intervention on RTW during survivorship should involve occupational health doctors and employers, targeting the modifiable factors (environmental and work-related) to improve RTW after cancer.

Expectancies mediate the relationship between perceived injustice and return to work following whiplash injury: A 1-year prospective study.

PubMed

Carriere, J S; Thibault, P; Adams, H; Milioto, M; Ditto, B; Sullivan, M J L

2017-08-01

Emerging evidence suggests that perceived injustice is a risk factor for work disability in individuals with whiplash injury. At present, however, little is known about the processes by which perceived injustice impacts on return to work. The purpose of this study was to examine whether expectancies mediated the relationship between perceived injustice and return to work in patients with whiplash injury. One hundred and fifty-two individuals (81 men, 71 women) with a primary diagnosis of whiplash injury completed self-report measures of pain intensity, perceived injustice and return-to-work expectancies following admission to a rehabilitation programme. Work status was assessed 1 year after discharge. Consistent with previous research, high scores on a measure of perceived injustice were associated with prolonged work disability. Results indicated that high perceptions of injustice were associated with low return-to-work expectancies. Causal mediation analyses revealed that expectancies fully mediated the relationship between perceived injustice and return to work. The findings suggest that intervention techniques designed to target expectancies could improve return-to-work outcomes in patients with whiplash injury. Discussion addresses the processes by which expectancies might impact on return-to-work outcomes and the manner in which negative return-to-work expectancies might be modified through intervention. The study confirms that expectancies are the mechanism through which perceived injustice impacts return to work following whiplash injury. The findings suggest that interventions designed to specifically target return-to-work expectancies might improve rehabilitation outcomes in patients with whiplash injury. © 2017 European Pain Federation - EFIC®.

Career success implications of political skill.

PubMed

Todd, Samuel Y; Harris, Kenneth J; Harris, Ranida B; Wheeler, Anthony R

2009-06-01

The authors investigated the individual characteristic of political skill and its relation to 5 different career-related outcomes (total compensation, promotions, career satisfaction, life satisfaction, and perceived external job mobility). They examined data obtained from a sample of 191 employees working a wide range of occupations. The results reveal that political skill is associated with 4 of the 5 outcomes. In addition, they examined the 4 dimensions of political skill and found that the networking ability dimension dominates the relations with the examined outcomes. The authors discuss practical implications, limitations, and directions for future research.

Aging and the Haptic Perception of Material Properties.

PubMed

Norman, J Farley; Adkins, Olivia C; Hoyng, Stevie C; Dowell, Catherine J; Pedersen, Lauren E; Gilliam, Ashley N

2016-12-01

The ability of 26 younger (mean age was 22.5 years) and older adults (mean age was 72.6 years) to haptically perceive material properties was evaluated. The participants manually explored (for 5 seconds) 42 surfaces twice and placed each of these 84 experimental stimuli into one of seven categories: paper, plastic, metal, wood, stone, fabric, and fur/leather. In general, the participants were best able to identify fur/leather and wood materials; in contrast, recognition performance was worst for stone and paper. Despite similar overall patterns of performance for younger and older participants, the younger adults' recognition accuracies were 26.5% higher. The participants' tactile acuities (assessed by tactile grating orientation discrimination) affected their ability to identify surface material. In particular, the Pearson r correlation coefficient relating the participants' grating orientation thresholds and their material identification performance was -0.8: The higher the participants' thresholds, the lower the material recognition ability. While older adults are able to effectively perceive the solid shape of environmental objects using the sense of touch, their ability to perceive surface materials is significantly compromised.

Respiratory poliomyelitis: a follow-up study.

PubMed Central

Alcock, A J; Hildes, J A; Kaufert, P A; Kaufert, J M; Bickford, J

1984-01-01

Data from the medical records of 113 patients living in Manitoba who had contracted respiratory poliomyelitis between 1952 and 1959 were compared with information obtained from interviews with these patients in 1980. The study was designed to determine whether the patients' respiratory function, mobility, ability to perform daily tasks, and employment, residential and marital status had changed between 1 year after the onset of polio and 1980. The patients' dependence on mechanical aids and other people was also studied. More than half (56%) of the patients perceived their respiratory impairment to be the same as it was 1 year after the onset of polio, 27% perceived the impairment to be increased, and 17% perceived it to be decreased. There was an association between level of respiratory function, mobility and ability to perform daily tasks. The 69 patients who lived at home had better respiratory function, mobility and ability to perform daily tasks than the 24 patients who were assisted by a home care program and the 20 who lived in hospital. The latter group had the lowest levels of respiratory and functional ability. PMID:6586273

A students' survey of cultural competence as a basis for identifying gaps in the medical curriculum.

PubMed

Seeleman, Conny; Hermans, Jessie; Lamkaddem, Majda; Suurmond, Jeanine; Stronks, Karien; Essink-Bot, Marie-Louise

2014-10-11

Assessing the cultural competence of medical students that have completed the curriculum provides indications on the effectiveness of cultural competence training in that curriculum. However, existing measures for cultural competence mostly rely on self-perceived cultural competence. This paper describes the outcomes of an assessment of knowledge, reflection ability and self-reported culturally competent consultation behaviour, the relation between these assessments and self-perceived cultural competence, and the applicability of the results in the light of developing a cultural competence educational programme. 392 medical students, Youth Health Care (YHC) Physician Residents and their Physician Supervisors were invited to complete a web-based questionnaire that assessed three domains of cultural competence: 1) general knowledge of ethnic minority care provision and interpretation services; 2) reflection ability; and 3) culturally competent consultation behaviour. Additionally, respondents graded their overall self-perceived cultural competence on a 1-10 scale. 86 medical students, 56 YHC Residents and 35 YHC Supervisors completed the questionnaire (overall response rate 41%; n= 177). On average, respondents scored low on general knowledge (mean 46% of maximum score) and knowledge of interpretation services (mean 55%) and much higher on reflection ability (80%). The respondents' reports of their consultation behaviour reflected moderately adequate behaviour in exploring patients' perspectives (mean 64%) and in interaction with low health literate patients (mean 60%) while the score on exploring patients' social contexts was on average low (46%). YHC respondents scored higher than medical students on knowledge of interpretation services, exploring patients' perspectives and exploring social contexts. The associations between self-perceived cultural competence and assessed knowledge, reflection ability and consultation behaviour were weak. Assessing the cultural competence of medical students and physicians identified gaps in knowledge and culturally competent behaviour. Such data can be used to guide improvement efforts to the diversity content of educational curricula. Based on this study, improvements should focus on increasing knowledge and improving diversity-sensitive consultation behaviour and less on reflection skills. The weak association between overall self-perceived cultural competence and assessed knowledge, reflection ability and consultation behaviour supports the hypothesis that measures of sell-perceived competence are insufficient to assess actual cultural competence.

Evaluative threat and ambulatory blood pressure: cardiovascular effects of social stress in daily experience.

PubMed

Smith, Timothy W; Birmingham, Wendy; Uchino, Bert N

2012-11-01

Physiological effects of social evaluation are central in models of psychosocial influences on physical health. Experimental manipulations of evaluative threat evoke substantial cardiovascular and neuroendocrine responses in laboratory studies, but only preliminary evidence is available regarding naturally occurring evaluative threats in daily life. In such nonexperimental ambulatory studies, it is essential to distinguish effects of evaluative threat from related constructs known to alter stress, such as ability perceptions and concerns about appearance. 94 married, working couples (mean age 29.2 years) completed a 1-day (8 a.m. to 10 p.m.) ambulatory blood pressure protocol with random interval-contingent measurements using a Suntech monitor and Palm Pilot-based measures of control variables and momentary experiences of social-evaluative threat, concerns about appearance, and perceived ability. In hierarchical analyses for couples and multiple measurement occasions (Proc Mixed; SAS) and controlling individual differences (BMI, age, income) and potential confounds (e.g., posture, activity), higher reports of social-evaluative threat were associated with higher concurrent systolic (estimate = .87, SE = .34) and diastolic blood pressure (estimate = 1.06; SE = .26), both p < .02. Effects of social-evaluative threat remained significant when perceived ability and appearance concerns were controlled. Naturally occurring social-evaluative threat during daily activity is associated with increased systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Given associations between ambulatory blood pressure and risk of cardiovascular disease, the findings support conceptual models of threats to the social self as a potentially important influence on physical health.

Phonological perception by birds: budgerigars can perceive lexical stress.

PubMed

Hoeschele, Marisa; Fitch, W Tecumseh

2016-05-01

Metrical phonology is the perceptual "strength" in language of some syllables relative to others. The ability to perceive lexical stress is important, as it can help a listener segment speech and distinguish the meaning of words and sentences. Despite this importance, there has been little comparative work on the perception of lexical stress across species. We used a go/no-go operant paradigm to train human participants and budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) to distinguish trochaic (stress-initial) from iambic (stress-final) two-syllable nonsense words. Once participants learned the task, we presented both novel nonsense words, and familiar nonsense words that had certain cues removed (e.g., pitch, duration, loudness, or vowel quality) to determine which cues were most important in stress perception. Members of both species learned the task and were then able to generalize to novel exemplars, showing categorical learning rather than rote memorization. Tests using reduced stimuli showed that humans could identify stress patterns with amplitude and pitch alone, but not with only duration or vowel quality. Budgerigars required more than one cue to be present and had trouble if vowel quality or amplitude were missing as cues. The results suggest that stress patterns in human speech can be decoded by other species. Further comparative stress-perception research with more species could help to determine what species characteristics predict this ability. In addition, tests with a variety of stimuli could help to determine how much this ability depends on general pattern learning processes versus vocalization-specific cues.

Resident duty hour modification affects perceptions in medical education, general wellness, and ability to provide patient care.

PubMed

Moeller, Andrew; Webber, Jordan; Epstein, Ian

2016-07-13

Resident duty hours have recently been under criticism, with concerns for resident and patient well-being. Historically, call shifts have been long, and some residency training programs have now restricted shift lengths. Data and opinions about the effects of such restrictions are conflicting. The Internal Medicine Residency Program at Dalhousie University recently moved from a traditional call structure to a day float/night float system. This study evaluated how this change in duty hours affected resident perceptions in several key domains. Senior residents from an internal medicine training program in Canada responded to an anonymous online survey immediately before and 6 months after the implementation of duty hour reform. The survey contained questions relating to three major domains: resident wellness, ability to deliver quality health care, and medical education experience. Mean pre- and post-intervention scores were compared using the t-test for paired samples. Twenty-three of 27 (85 %) senior residents completed both pre- and post-reform surveys. Residents perceived significant changes in many domains with duty hour reform. These included improved general wellness, less exposure to personal harm, fewer feelings of isolation, less potential for error, improvement in clinical skills expertise, increased work efficiency, more successful teaching, increased proficiency in medical skills, more successful learning, and fewer rotation disruptions. Senior residents in a Canadian internal medicine training program perceived significant benefits in medical education experience, ability to deliver healthcare, and resident wellness after implementation of duty hour reform.

Eye of the beholder: the individual and dyadic contributions of empathic accuracy and perceived empathic effort to relationship satisfaction.

PubMed

Cohen, Shiri; Schulz, Marc S; Weiss, Emily; Waldinger, Robert J

2012-04-01

This study examined links between two distinct facets of empathy-empathic accuracy and perceived empathic effort-and one's own and one's partner's relationship satisfaction. Using a video recall procedure, participants (n = 156 couples in committed relationships) reported on their own emotions and their perceptions of partners' emotions and partners' empathic intentions during moments of high affect in laboratory-based discussions of upsetting events. Partners' data were correlated as a measure of how accurately they were able to read what the other was feeling and to what degree they felt the other was trying to be empathic at those moments. The perception of empathic effort by one's partner was more strongly linked with both men's and women's relationship satisfaction than empathic accuracy. Men's relationship satisfaction was related to the ability to read their partners' positive emotions accurately, whereas women's relationship satisfaction was related to their partners' ability to read women's negative emotions accurately. Women's ability to read their husbands' negative emotions was positively linked to both men's and women's relationship satisfaction. Findings suggest that the perception of a partner's empathic effort-as distinct from empathic accuracy-is uniquely informative in understanding how partners may derive relationship satisfaction from empathic processes. When working with couples in treatment, heightening partners' perceptions of each other's empathic effort, and helping partners learn to demonstrate effort, may represent particularly powerful opportunities for improving satisfaction in relationships. (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.

Psychosocial factors at work and perceived health among agricultural meat industry workers in France.

PubMed

Cohidon, Christine; Morisseau, Patrick; Derriennic, Francis; Goldberg, Marcel; Imbernon, Ellen

2009-07-01

The objective of this study was to describe the perceived health status of the meat industry employees--i.e., working in the slaughtering, cutting, and boning of large animals and poultry--and its relation to their organisational and psychosocial constraints at work. This postal survey included all 3,000 employees of the meat industry (beef, pork and poultry) in four districts in Brittany, France, whose companies were affiliated with the agricultural branch of the national health insurance fund. The questionnaire asked for social and demographic data and information describing their job and the organisation of their work. The psychosocial factors at work were described according to Karasek's questionnaire (demand, latitude and social support at work). Perceived health was measured with the Nottingham Health Profile perceived health indicator. This study shows the high prevalence of poor health reported by the workers in this industry. This poor perceived health was worse in women and increased regularly with age. Among the psychosocial factors studied, high quantitative and qualitative demand at work, inadequate resources for good work and to a lesser extent, inadequate prospects for promotion appear especially associated with poor perceived health. Other factors often associated with poor perceived health included young age at the first job and work hours that disrupt sleep rhythms (especially for women). Our results show that this population of workers is especially vulnerable from the point of view of perceived physical and psychological health and is exposed to strong physical, organisational and psychosocial constraints at work. They also demonstrate that poor perceived health is associated with some psychosocial (such as high psychological demand and insufficient resources) and organisational factors at work. These results, in conjunction with those from other disciplines involved in studying this industry, may help the companies to develop preventive activities.

Motivation and Perceived Control in Early Adolescent Friendships: Relations with Self-, Friend-, and Peer-Reported Adjustment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ojanen, Tiina; Stratman, Aaron; Card, Noel A.; Little, Todd D.

2013-01-01

Motivation is assumed to influence behaviors via perceived agency over goal pursuits, but empirical research integrating motivation and action-control processes in social development is close to nonexistent. We applied this perspective to the study of early adolescent friendships by examining motivation for and perceived control (ability and…

The Investigation of Social Problem Solving Abilities of University Students in Terms of Perceived Social Support

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tras, Zeliha

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study is to analyze of university students' perceived social support and social problem solving. The participants were 827 (474 female and 353 male) university students. Data were collected Perceived Social Support Scale-Revised (Yildirim, 2004) and Social Problem Solving (Maydeu-Olivares and D'Zurilla, 1996) translated and…

Curbing the DUI offender’s self-efficacy to drink and drive: A laboratory study

PubMed Central

Roberts, Walter; Fillmore, Mark T.

2017-01-01

Background People arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) are at high risk to reoffend. One reason for this high rate of recidivism among DUI offenders is that these individuals systematically underestimate the degree to which alcohol impairs their ability to drive. This study compared perceived and objective driving ability following alcohol and performance feedback in drivers with and without a history of DUI. Method Adult drivers with (n = 20) and without (n = 20) a history of DUI arrest attended two dose challenge sessions where they received 0.64 g/kg alcohol or placebo, completed a simulated driving task, and provided measures of subjective impairment. They attended a third retesting session where they received feedback that they were impaired by alcohol. They received 0.64 g/kg alcohol and their objective and perceived driving ability was retested. Results Both groups showed significant impairment of driving performance following 0.64 g/kg alcohol compared to placebo. DUI offenders rated themselves as less impaired than controls. After performance feedback, self-reported impairment during the alcohol retest increased for DUI offenders but not for controls. There was no effect of performance feedback on objective driving ability. Conclusions These results support the notion that under alcohol DUI offenders characteristically perceive themselves as better able to drive than non-offenders. These perceptions can be tempered by performance feedback. To the extent that perceived ability to drive safely after drinking contributes to DUI and its recidivism, feedback geared towards lowering this self-efficacy could reduce willingness to engage in this behavior. PMID:28152449

Swedish nurses encounter barriers when promoting healthy habits in children.

PubMed

Ljungkrona-Falk, Lena; Brekke, Hilde; Nyholm, Maria

2014-12-01

To increase the understanding of difficulties in promoting healthy habits to parents, we explore barriers in health-care provision. The aim of this study is to describe nurses' perceived barriers when discussing with parents regarding healthy food habits, physical activity and their child's body weight. A mixed method approach was chosen. Nurses (n = 76) working at 29 different Child Health Care Centers' in an area in west Sweden were included in the study. Three focus group interviews were conducted and 17 nurses were selected according to maximum variation. Data were categorized and qualitative content analysis was the chosen analysis method. In the second method, data were obtained from a questionnaire distributed to all 76 nurses. The latent content was formulated into a theme: even with encouragement and support, the nurses perceive barriers of both an external and internal nature. The results identified four main barriers: experienced barriers in the workplace-internal and external; the nurse's own fear and uncertainty; perceived obstacles in nurse-parent interactions and modern society impedes parents' ability to promote healthy habits. The nurses' perceived barriers were confirmed by the results from 62 of the nurses who completed the questionnaire. Despite education and professional support, the health professionals perceived both external and internal barriers in promoting healthy habits to parents when implementing a new method of health promotion in primary care. Further qualitative studies are needed to gain deeper understanding of the perceived barriers when promoting healthy habits to parents. © The Author (2013). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Perceived Cognitive Deficits in a Sample of Persons Living With Multiple Sclerosis.

PubMed

Henneghan, Ashley; Stuifbergen, Alexa; Becker, Heather; Kullberg, Vicki; Gloris, Nicole

2017-10-01

The aims of this study were to describe the nature and diversity of perceived cognitive deficits using the Perceived Deficits Questionnaire (PDQ), to assess the reliability of the PDQ, and to explore self-reported predictors of PDQ scores in a large community-based sample of persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). Persons with MS enrolled in a randomized controlled trial provided demographic data and completed the PDQ along with measures of cognitive and memory strategies, cognitive abilities, self-efficacy, and depressive symptoms and neuropsychological tests. Most of the 183 participants were non-Hispanic white women, approximately 49 years old, and diagnosed with MS 12.5 years prior. The most frequent cognitive complaints regarded trouble remembering telephone numbers, mind drifting, and forgetting why one came into a room. The PDQ scores were significantly related to self-rated cognitive abilities, depressive symptoms, self-efficacy, and use of cognitive strategies, but not to scores on neuropsychological performance tests. When controlling for other variables, self-rated cognitive abilities was the strongest, significant predictor of perceived cognitive deficits. Persons with MS most frequently experience deficits related to short-term memory and attention. The PDQ total is a reliable measure of perceived cognitive deficits in persons with MS, is feasible for use by nurses in clinical settings-can be administered in approximately 5 minutes, and is easily scored.

How accurately can other people infer your thoughts-And does culture matter?

PubMed

Valanides, Constantinos; Sheppard, Elizabeth; Mitchell, Peter

2017-01-01

This research investigated how accurately people infer what others are thinking after observing a brief sample of their behaviour and whether culture/similarity is a relevant factor. Target participants (14 British and 14 Mediterraneans) were cued to think about either positive or negative events they had experienced. Subsequently, perceiver participants (16 British and 16 Mediterraneans) watched videos of the targets thinking about these things. Perceivers (both groups) were significantly accurate in judging when targets had been cued to think of something positive versus something negative, indicating notable inferential ability. Additionally, Mediterranean perceivers were better than British perceivers in making such inferences, irrespective of nationality of the targets, something that was statistically accounted for by corresponding group differences in levels of independently measured collectivism. The results point to the need for further research to investigate the possibility that being reared in a collectivist culture fosters ability in interpreting others' behaviour.

Brands as Intentional Agents Framework: How Perceived Intentions and Ability Can Map Brand Perception.

PubMed

Kervyn, Nicolas; Fiske, Susan T; Malone, Chris

2012-04-01

Building on the Stereotype Content Model, this paper introduces and tests the Brands as Intentional Agents Framework. A growing body of research suggests that consumers have relationships with brands that resemble relations between people. We propose that consumers perceive brands in the same way they perceive people. This approach allows us to explore how social perception theories and processes can predict brand purchase interest and loyalty. Brands as Intentional Agents Framework is based on a well-established social perception approach: the Stereotype Content Model. Two studies support the Brands as Intentional Agents Framework prediction that consumers assess a brand's perceived intentions and ability and that these perceptions elicit distinct emotions and drive differential brand behaviors. The research shows that human social interaction relationships translate to consumer-brand interactions in ways that are useful to inform brand positioning and brand communications.

Brands as Intentional Agents Framework: How Perceived Intentions and Ability Can Map Brand Perception

PubMed Central

Kervyn, Nicolas; Fiske, Susan T.; Malone, Chris

2013-01-01

Building on the Stereotype Content Model, this paper introduces and tests the Brands as Intentional Agents Framework. A growing body of research suggests that consumers have relationships with brands that resemble relations between people. We propose that consumers perceive brands in the same way they perceive people. This approach allows us to explore how social perception theories and processes can predict brand purchase interest and loyalty. Brands as Intentional Agents Framework is based on a well-established social perception approach: the Stereotype Content Model. Two studies support the Brands as Intentional Agents Framework prediction that consumers assess a brand’s perceived intentions and ability and that these perceptions elicit distinct emotions and drive differential brand behaviors. The research shows that human social interaction relationships translate to consumer-brand interactions in ways that are useful to inform brand positioning and brand communications. PMID:24403815

How accurately can other people infer your thoughts—And does culture matter?

PubMed Central

Valanides, Constantinos; Sheppard, Elizabeth; Mitchell, Peter

2017-01-01

This research investigated how accurately people infer what others are thinking after observing a brief sample of their behaviour and whether culture/similarity is a relevant factor. Target participants (14 British and 14 Mediterraneans) were cued to think about either positive or negative events they had experienced. Subsequently, perceiver participants (16 British and 16 Mediterraneans) watched videos of the targets thinking about these things. Perceivers (both groups) were significantly accurate in judging when targets had been cued to think of something positive versus something negative, indicating notable inferential ability. Additionally, Mediterranean perceivers were better than British perceivers in making such inferences, irrespective of nationality of the targets, something that was statistically accounted for by corresponding group differences in levels of independently measured collectivism. The results point to the need for further research to investigate the possibility that being reared in a collectivist culture fosters ability in interpreting others’ behaviour. PMID:29112972

Relationships among perceived career support, affective commitment, and work engagement.

PubMed

Poon, June M L

2013-01-01

This study sought to test the predictive effects of perceived career support and affective commitment on work engagement. It was hypothesized that perceived career support would relate positively to work engagement and this relationship would be transmitted through affective commitment. Survey data were collected from 115 full-time employees enrolled as part-time graduate students in a large public university in Malaysia. Multiple regression analysis yielded results indicating that the relationship between perceived career support and work engagement was mediated by affective commitment. This finding suggests that employers can promote employee work engagement by ensuring employees perceive their organization to be supportive of their career and increasing employees' level of affective commitment.

Impact of cardiac symptoms on self-reported household task performance in women with coronary artery disease.

PubMed

Kimble, L P

2001-01-01

Household tasks are highly salient physical activities for women. Inability to perform household tasks may serve as an important marker of limitations imposed by cardiac symptoms. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of cardiac symptoms on perceived ability to perform household tasks in women with coronary artery disease and to examine relationships among age, whether the woman lived alone, ability to perform household tasks, and cardiac-related quality of life. Forty-one women with confirmed diagnosis of coronary artery disease and a mean age of 66 years (SD 12 years) were interviewed about the impact of their cardiac symptoms and perceived ability to perform household tasks (Household Activities Scale) and cardiac-related quality of life (Seattle Angina Questionnaire). The women were primarily white (89.4%) and retired (65.9%). Forty-six percent were married, and 26.8% lived alone. "Washing dishes" (51.3%) was the only task a majority of the sample could perform without limitation. Household tasks most commonly reported as no longer performed included carrying laundry (24.4%), vacuuming (30.0%), and scrubbing the floor (51.2%). The task most commonly modified because of cardiac symptoms was changing bed linens (60%). Of the 14 household tasks, women performed a mean of 3.39 (SD 3.36) activities without difficulty. Total number of household activities performed without difficulty was associated with better quality of life in the area of exertional capacity (r = 0.50, P = 0.001). Women who lived alone reported greater perceived ability to perform household tasks than women who did not live alone (r = 0.31, P = 0.05). Age was not significantly associated with perceived household task performance (r = -0.22, P = 0.17). Women with coronary artery disease (CAD) perceived cardiac symptoms as disrupting their ability to perform household tasks. Future research is needed to determine the independent impact of cardiac symptoms on functional limitations, especially in older women with heart disease, and whether changes in ability to perform household tasks could be a marker for coronary artery disease progression in women.

Assessing Workplace Emotional Intelligence: Development and Validation of an Ability-based Measure.

PubMed

Krishnakumar, Sukumarakurup; Hopkins, Kay; Szmerekovsky, Joseph G; Robinson, Michael D

2016-01-01

Existing measures of Emotional Intelligence (EI), defined as the ability to perceive, understand, and manage emotions for productive purposes, have displayed limitations in predicting workplace outcomes, likely in part because they do not target this context. Such considerations led to the development of an ability EI measure with work-related scenarios in which respondents infer the likely emotions (perception) and combinations of emotion (understanding) that would occur to protagonists while rating the effectiveness of ways of responding (management). Study 1 (n = 290 undergraduates) used item-total correlations to select scenarios from a larger pool and Study 2 (n = 578) reduced the measure-termed the NEAT-to 30 scenarios on the basis of structural equation modeling. Study 3 (n = 96) then showed that the NEAT had expected correlations with personality and cognitive ability and Study 4 (n = 85) demonstrated convergent validity with other ability EI measures. Last, study 5 (n = 91) established that the NEAT had predictive validity with respect to job satisfaction, job stress, and job performance. The findings affirm the importance of EI in the workplace in the context of a valid new instrument for assessing relevant skills.

Apparent height and body mass index influence perceived leadership ability in three-dimensional faces.

PubMed

Re, Daniel E; Dzhelyova, Milena; Holzleitner, Iris J; Tigue, Cara C; Feinberg, David R; Perrett, David I

2012-01-01

Facial appearance has a well-documented effect on perceived leadership ability. Face judgments of leadership ability predict political election outcomes across the world, and similar judgments of business CEOs predict company profits. Body height is also associated with leadership ability, with taller people attaining positions of leadership more than their shorter counterparts in both politics and in the corporate world. Previous studies have found some face characteristics that are associated with leadership judgments, however there have been no studies with three-dimensional faces. We assessed which facial characteristics drive leadership judgments in three-dimensional faces. We found a perceptual relationship between height and leadership ability. We also found that facial maturity correlated with leadership judgments, and that faces of people with an unhealthily high body mass index received lower leadership ratings. We conclude that face attributes associated with body size and maturity alter leadership perception, and may influence real-world democratic leadership selection.

The public's opinions of physicians: do perceived choice and exercised choice matter?

PubMed

Tai-Seale, Ming; Pescosolido, Bernice

2003-09-01

To assess whether the public's opinions of physicians are affected by one's perceived ability to choose providers and by past experience with switching providers or health plans. Cross-sectional survey of the American general public in 1998. Multivariate quantitative analyses of opinions according to respondents' perceived ability to choose providers, history of exercising choice of providers or plans, and health status. Exploratory factor analyses resulted in 4 scales of opinions: trusting personal physician, positive opinions of physicians as a group, negative opinions of physicians as a group, and concerns about the influence of managed care on personal physicians' practice patterns. Although 75% (879/1172) of the sample perceived that they could use any physician they wanted, only 20% had ever switched health providers or plans owing to dissatisfaction. Perceived lack of choice is associated with lower levels of trust in personal physicians and with higher levels of concern about the influence of managed care on personal physicians. Individuals who have not switched in the past are more positive about physicians as a group and are less concerned about the influence of managed care. Health status affected opinions significantly. Educational attainment is negatively associated with opinions. The public's opinions of physicians are significantly associated with one's perceived ability to choose any provider, past experience with switching health providers or plans, health status, and education. Ensuring consumer choice of providers and targeting those who have switched in the past and the sick could potentially improve the public's opinions. Meaningful provider quality information is necessary to ensure choices that can enhance consumer welfare.

Osteogenesis imperfecta in childhood: effects of spondylodesis on functional ability, ambulation and perceived competence.

PubMed

Tolboom, N; Cats, E A; Helders, P J M; Pruijs, J E H; Engelbert, R H H

2004-03-01

We studied the effects of spondylodesis on spinal curvature, functional outcome, level of ambulation and perceived competence in 11 children with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). Mean age at surgical intervention was 13.1 years (SD 2.5 years) and follow-up amounted to 3.4 years (SD 2.3 years). Spinal curvature was measured according to Cobb. The level of ambulation was scored according to the modified criteria of Bleck. Functional abilities and the amount of parental assistance were scored using the Dutch version of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI). Perceived competence was measured using the Harter Self-Perception Profile for Children. The amount of fatigue, spinal pain and presence of subjective dyspnea were scored with a visual analog scale. The median progression per year before spondylodesis was 6.1 degrees (interquartile range 2.9 degrees -12.9 degrees ) and after the spondylodesis it was 5.0 degrees (interquartile range 1.6 degrees -11.0 degrees ). No significant progression or regression in the level of ambulation was found. Perceived competence improved slightly. In the total score of the perceived competence, a borderline significant increase was found ( P-value 0.068). We concluded that spinal fusion in children with OI does not materially influence functional ability and level of ambulation. Self-perceived competence seemed to improve after surgery. The amount of pain, fatigue and subjective dyspnea seemed to diminish after spinal surgery. Progression of scoliosis proceeded, as did development of spinal curvature at the junction of the spondylodesis. Therefore, oral or intravenous bisphosphonates before and after spinal surgery should be considered.

Music therapists' research activity and utilization barriers: a survey of the membership.

PubMed

Waldon, Eric G

2015-01-01

Music therapists have access to a rapidly expanding body of research supporting the use of music-based interventions. What is not known is the extent to which music therapists access these resources and what factors may prevent them from incorporating research findings into clinical work. After constructing the Music Therapists' Research Activity and Utilization Barrier (MTRAUB) database, the purposes of this study involved: assessing the extent to which American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) members engage in certain research-related activities; and identifying respondents' perceived barriers to integrating research into clinical practice. This study employed a quantitative, non-experimental approach using an online survey. Respondents included professional, associate, student/graduate student, retired, inactive, and honorary life members of AMTA. Instrumentation involved a researcher-designed Background Questionnaire as well as the Barriers to Research Utilization Scale (BARRIERS; Funk, Champagne, Wiese, & Tornquist, 1991), a tool designed to assess perceived barriers to incorporating research into practice. Of the 3,194 survey invitations distributed, 974 AMTA members replied (a response rate of 30%). Regarding research-related activities, descriptive findings indicate that journal reading is the most frequently reported research-related activity while conducting research is the least frequently reported activity. Results from the BARRIERS Scale indicated that Organizational and Communication factors are perceived as interfering most prominently with the ability to utilize research in clinical practice. Findings suggest that research-related activity and perceived barriers vary as a function of educational attainment, work setting, and occupational role. The author discusses these differential findings in detail, suggests supportive mechanisms to encourage increased research activity and utilization, and offers recommendations for further analysis of the MTRAUB data. © the American Music Therapy Association 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Work-based learning experiences help students with disabilities transition to careers: a case study of University of Washington projects.

PubMed

Bellman, Scott; Burgstahler, Sheryl; Ladner, Richard

2014-01-01

This case study describes evidence-based practices employed by a collection of University of Washington projects that engage high school and postsecondary students with disabilities in work-based learning experiences such as industry and research internships, career development activities, job shadows, field trips, and mock interviews. The purpose of the article is two-fold. First, authors share best practices with others who wish to increase the participation of students with disabilities in work-based learning and thereby contribute to their academic and career success. The article discusses methods used to recruit students, employers and mentors, match students with specific opportunities, and prepare students for success. Second, authors share outcomes from studies regarding participation in these work-based learning opportunities, which include increased employment success, motivation to work toward a career, knowledge about careers and the workplace, job-related skills, ability to work with supervisors and coworkers, skills in self-advocating for accommodations, and perceived career options.

Profiling nurses' job satisfaction, acculturation, work environment, stress, cultural values and coping abilities: A cluster analysis.

PubMed

Goh, Yong-Shian; Lee, Alice; Chan, Sally Wai-Chi; Chan, Moon Fai

2015-08-01

This study aimed to determine whether definable profiles existed in a cohort of nursing staff with regard to demographic characteristics, job satisfaction, acculturation, work environment, stress, cultural values and coping abilities. A survey was conducted in one hospital in Singapore from June to July 2012, and 814 full-time staff nurses completed a self-report questionnaire (89% response rate). Demographic characteristics, job satisfaction, acculturation, work environment, perceived stress, cultural values, ways of coping and intention to leave current workplace were assessed as outcomes. The two-step cluster analysis revealed three clusters. Nurses in cluster 1 (n = 222) had lower acculturation scores than nurses in cluster 3. Cluster 2 (n = 362) was a group of younger nurses who reported higher intention to leave (22.4%), stress level and job dissatisfaction than the other two clusters. Nurses in cluster 3 (n = 230) were mostly Singaporean and reported the lowest intention to leave (13.0%). Resources should be allocated to specifically address the needs of younger nurses and hopefully retain them in the profession. Management should focus their retention strategies on junior nurses and provide a work environment that helps to strengthen their intention to remain in nursing by increasing their job satisfaction. © 2014 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Does the quality of encounters affect return to work? Lay people describe their experiences of meeting various professionals during their rehabilitation process.

PubMed

Müssener, Ulrika; Ståhl, Christian; Söderberg, Elsy

2015-01-01

Among the many aspects of the rehabilitation process that may be relevant for its outcome, the impact of encounters with various professionals has received little attention. The objective was to gain a deeper understanding of how individuals with experiences of being on sick leave perceive their encounters with professionals, and how such encounters affected their ability to return to work, as well as their attitudes towards the sickness insurance system. An inductive qualitative approach was used to analyze data from 20 interviews with men and women, aged 33-59, in Sweden who had experience of being on sick leave for at least 28 days. The study shows how interviewees encounters with professionals affected their self-confidence and perception of their ability to return to work. Professionals' treatment of people on sick leave seems to be affected by the structural prerequisites for offering support, where sickness insurance regulations are suggested to have a large impact. An encouraging and supportive attitude on the part of the professionals is essential for empowering people to handle obstacles during the rehabilitation process; whereas feeling rejected and belittled in the return to work process may lead to disempowerment, and/or delays in measures and longer periods on sick leave.

Factors affecting members' evaluation of agri-business ventures' effectiveness.

PubMed

Hashemi, Seyyed Mahmoud; Hedjazi, Yousef

2011-02-01

This paper presents work to identify factors affecting effectiveness of agri-business ventures (A-BVs) on the side of providers as perceived by their members. A survey was conducted among 95 members of A-BVs in Zanjan province, Iran. To collect data, a questionnaire was designed. Two distinct groups of A-BVs with low (group 1) and high (group 2) perceived (evaluated) levels of effectiveness were revealed. The study showed that there were significant differences between the two groups on important characteristics of A-BVs and their members. The study also found that there were statistically significant relationships between A-BVs' governance structure and capacity, management and organization characteristics and the perceived effectiveness, whereas there were no statistically significant relationships between A-BVs' advisory methods characteristic applied by members and the perceived effectiveness. Logistic regression results also showed that level of application of rules encouraging members' active participation in important decision makings, clear terms of reference to guide contracting procedures, roles, and responsibilities of parties involved, type of people served and geographical area of program coverage, and members' ability to use Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) were predictors of the perceived (evaluated) effectiveness of A-BVs. The study showed that evaluation of members of effectiveness of A-BVs would not be the same. It is suggested that Iranian public agricultural extension organization, as responsible organization for monitoring and evaluating services conducted by A-BVs, considered these differences between members with different levels of some important variables. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sport ability beliefs, 2 x 2 achievement goals, and intrinsic motivation: the moderating role of perceived competence in sport and exercise.

PubMed

Wang, C K John; Liu, Woon Chia; Lochbaum, Marc R; Stevenson, Sarah J

2009-06-01

We examined whether perceived competence moderated the relationships between implicit theories, 2 x 2 achievement goals, and intrinsic motivation for sports and physical activity. We placed 309 university students into high and moderate perceived competence groups. When perceived competence was high, entity beliefs did not predict the performance-avoidance goal; yet when perceived competence was moderately low, entity beliefs did predict this goal. The mastery-avoidance goal had no relationship with intrinsic motivation when perceived competence was high, but had a significant negative relationship when perceived competence was moderately low. Our findings highlight the importance of reexamining the role of perceived competence when studying implicit beliefs and the 2 x 2 achievement goals.

Driving Task: How Older Drivers' On-Road Driving Performance Relates to Abilities, Perceptions, and Restrictions.

PubMed

Koppel, Sjaan; Charlton, Judith L; Langford, Jim; Di Stefano, Marilyn; MacDonald, Wendy; Vlahodimitrakou, Zafiroula; Mazer, Barbara L; Gelinas, Isabelle; Vrkljan, Brenda; Eliasz, Kinga; Myers, Anita; Tuokko, Holly A; Marshall, Shawn C

2016-06-01

This study examined a cohort of 227 older drivers and investigated the relationship between performance on the electronic Driver Observation Schedule (eDOS) driving task and: (1) driver characteristics; (2) functional abilities; (3) perceptions of driving comfort and abilities; and (4) self-reported driving restrictions. Participants (male: 70%; age: M = 81.53 years, SD = 3.37 years) completed a series of functional ability measures and scales on perceived driving comfort, abilities, and driving restrictions from the Year 2 Candrive/Ozcandrive assessment protocol, along with an eDOS driving task. Observations of participants' driving behaviours during the driving task were recorded for intersection negotiation, lane-changing, merging, low-speed maneuvers, and maneuver-free driving. eDOS driving task scores were high (M = 94.74; SD = 5.70) and significantly related to participants' perceived driving abilities, reported frequency of driving in challenging situations, and number of driving restrictions. Future analyses will explore potential changes in driving task scores over time.

Use of information systems in Air Force medical treatment facilities in strategic planning and decision-making.

PubMed

Yap, Glenn A; Platonova, Elena A; Musa, Philip F

2006-02-01

An exploratory study used Ansoff's strategic planning model as a framework to assess perceived effectiveness of information systems in supporting strategic business plan development at Air Force medical treatment facilities (MTFs). Results showed information systems were most effective in supporting historical trend analysis, strategic business plans appeared to be a balance of operational and strategic plans, and facilities perceived a greater need for new clinical, vice administrative, information systems to support strategic planning processes. Administrators believed information systems should not be developed at the local level and perceived information systems have the greatest impact on improving clinical quality outcomes, followed by ability to deliver cost effective care and finally, ability to increase market share.

Measuring the ability of military aircrews to adapt to perceived stressors when undergoing centrifuge training.

PubMed

Wang, Jenhung; Lin, Pei-Chun; Li, Shih-Chin

2014-01-01

This study assessed the ability of military aircrews to adapt to stressors when undergoing centrifuge training and determined what equipment items caused perceived stress and needed to be upgraded. We used questionnaires and the Rasch model to measure aircrew personnel's ability to adapt to centrifuge training. The measurement items were ranked by 611 military aircrew personnel. Analytical results indicated that the majority of the stress perceived by aircrew personnel resulted from the lightproof cockpit without outer reference. This study prioritized the equipment requiring updating as the lightproof cockpit design, the dim lighting of the cockpit, and the pedal design. A significant difference was found between pilot and non-pilot subjects' stress from the pedal design; and considerable association was discernible between the seat angle design and flight hours accrued. The study results provide aviators, astronauts, and air forces with reliable information as to which equipment items need to be urgently upgraded as their present physiological and psychological effects can affect the effectiveness of centrifuge training.

Exploring the relationships among performance-based functional ability, self-rated disability, perceived instrumental support, and depression: a structural equation model analysis.

PubMed

Weil, Joyce; Hutchinson, Susan R; Traxler, Karen

2014-11-01

Data from the Women's Health and Aging Study were used to test a model of factors explaining depressive symptomology. The primary purpose of the study was to explore the association between performance-based measures of functional ability and depression and to examine the role of self-rated physical difficulties and perceived instrumental support in mediating the relationship between performance-based functioning and depression. The inclusion of performance-based measures allows for the testing of functional ability as a clinical precursor to disability and depression: a critical, but rarely examined, association in the disablement process. Structural equation modeling supported the overall fit of the model and found an indirect relationship between performance-based functioning and depression, with perceived physical difficulties serving as a significant mediator. Our results highlight the complementary nature of performance-based and self-rated measures and the importance of including perception of self-rated physical difficulties when examining depression in older persons. © The Author(s) 2014.

Psychological well-being after spinal cord injury: perception of loss and meaning making.

PubMed

deRoon-Cassini, Terri A; de St Aubin, Ed; Valvano, Abbey; Hastings, James; Horn, Patricia

2009-08-01

This study examined the influence of medical injury severity, perceived loss of physical functioning (conceptualized as physical resource loss), and global meaning making on psychological well-being among 79 veterans living with a spinal cord injury. Structured interviews were completed to assess perceived loss of physical abilities using the Conservation of Resources-Evaluation and SF-36 Health Survey, global meaning making (Purpose in Life scale), and psychological well-being (Sense of Well-Being Inventory). Medical injury severity was calculated from medical records. Medical injury severity was not related to psychological well-being, whereas perceived loss of physical functioning was inversely associated. Global meaning making was significantly related to and accounted for a large portion of the variance in psychological well-being. Results suggest that global meaning making partially mediates perceived loss of physical resources and psychological well-being. The perceived loss of physical abilities and the generation of meaning and purpose in life are important variables that relate to positive adaptation following spinal cord injury. Treatment implications related to factors that increase quality of life following spinal cord injury are discussed. (c) 2009 APA

Robots As Intentional Agents: Using Neuroscientific Methods to Make Robots Appear More Social

PubMed Central

Wiese, Eva; Metta, Giorgio; Wykowska, Agnieszka

2017-01-01

Robots are increasingly envisaged as our future cohabitants. However, while considerable progress has been made in recent years in terms of their technological realization, the ability of robots to interact with humans in an intuitive and social way is still quite limited. An important challenge for social robotics is to determine how to design robots that can perceive the user’s needs, feelings, and intentions, and adapt to users over a broad range of cognitive abilities. It is conceivable that if robots were able to adequately demonstrate these skills, humans would eventually accept them as social companions. We argue that the best way to achieve this is using a systematic experimental approach based on behavioral and physiological neuroscience methods such as motion/eye-tracking, electroencephalography, or functional near-infrared spectroscopy embedded in interactive human–robot paradigms. This approach requires understanding how humans interact with each other, how they perform tasks together and how they develop feelings of social connection over time, and using these insights to formulate design principles that make social robots attuned to the workings of the human brain. In this review, we put forward the argument that the likelihood of artificial agents being perceived as social companions can be increased by designing them in a way that they are perceived as intentional agents that activate areas in the human brain involved in social-cognitive processing. We first review literature related to social-cognitive processes and mechanisms involved in human–human interactions, and highlight the importance of perceiving others as intentional agents to activate these social brain areas. We then discuss how attribution of intentionality can positively affect human–robot interaction by (a) fostering feelings of social connection, empathy and prosociality, and by (b) enhancing performance on joint human–robot tasks. Lastly, we describe circumstances under which attribution of intentionality to robot agents might be disadvantageous, and discuss challenges associated with designing social robots that are inspired by neuroscientific principles. PMID:29046651

Robots As Intentional Agents: Using Neuroscientific Methods to Make Robots Appear More Social.

PubMed

Wiese, Eva; Metta, Giorgio; Wykowska, Agnieszka

2017-01-01

Robots are increasingly envisaged as our future cohabitants. However, while considerable progress has been made in recent years in terms of their technological realization, the ability of robots to interact with humans in an intuitive and social way is still quite limited. An important challenge for social robotics is to determine how to design robots that can perceive the user's needs, feelings, and intentions, and adapt to users over a broad range of cognitive abilities. It is conceivable that if robots were able to adequately demonstrate these skills, humans would eventually accept them as social companions. We argue that the best way to achieve this is using a systematic experimental approach based on behavioral and physiological neuroscience methods such as motion/eye-tracking, electroencephalography, or functional near-infrared spectroscopy embedded in interactive human-robot paradigms. This approach requires understanding how humans interact with each other, how they perform tasks together and how they develop feelings of social connection over time, and using these insights to formulate design principles that make social robots attuned to the workings of the human brain. In this review, we put forward the argument that the likelihood of artificial agents being perceived as social companions can be increased by designing them in a way that they are perceived as intentional agents that activate areas in the human brain involved in social-cognitive processing. We first review literature related to social-cognitive processes and mechanisms involved in human-human interactions, and highlight the importance of perceiving others as intentional agents to activate these social brain areas. We then discuss how attribution of intentionality can positively affect human-robot interaction by (a) fostering feelings of social connection, empathy and prosociality, and by (b) enhancing performance on joint human-robot tasks. Lastly, we describe circumstances under which attribution of intentionality to robot agents might be disadvantageous, and discuss challenges associated with designing social robots that are inspired by neuroscientific principles.

'Sorry, I meant the patient's left side': impact of distraction on left-right discrimination.

PubMed

McKinley, John; Dempster, Martin; Gormley, Gerard J

2015-04-01

Medical students can have difficulty in distinguishing left from right. Many infamous medical errors have occurred when a procedure has been performed on the wrong side, such as in the removal of the wrong kidney. Clinicians encounter many distractions during their work. There is limited information on how these affect performance. Using a neuropsychological paradigm, we aim to elucidate the impacts of different types of distraction on left-right (LR) discrimination ability. Medical students were recruited to a study with four arms: (i) control arm (no distraction); (ii) auditory distraction arm (continuous ambient ward noise); (iii) cognitive distraction arm (interruptions with clinical cognitive tasks), and (iv) auditory and cognitive distraction arm. Participants' LR discrimination ability was measured using the validated Bergen Left-Right Discrimination Test (BLRDT). Multivariate analysis of variance was used to analyse the impacts of the different forms of distraction on participants' performance on the BLRDT. Additional analyses looked at effects of demographics on performance and correlated participants' self-perceived LR discrimination ability and their actual performance. A total of 234 students were recruited. Cognitive distraction had a greater negative impact on BLRDT performance than auditory distraction. Combined auditory and cognitive distraction had a negative impact on performance, but only in the most difficult LR task was this negative impact found to be significantly greater than that of cognitive distraction alone. There was a significant medium-sized correlation between perceived LR discrimination ability and actual overall BLRDT performance. Distraction has a significant impact on performance and multifaceted approaches are required to reduce LR errors. Educationally, greater emphasis on the linking of theory and clinical application is required to support patient safety and human factor training in medical school curricula. Distraction has the potential to impair an individual's ability to make accurate LR decisions and students should be trained from undergraduate level to be mindful of this. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Unpacking Early Work Experiences of Young Adults With Rheumatic Disease: An Examination of Absenteeism, Job Disruptions, and Productivity Loss.

PubMed

Jetha, Arif; Badley, Elizabeth; Beaton, Dorcas; Fortin, Paul R; Shiff, Natalie J; Gignac, Monique A M

2015-09-01

To examine work absenteeism, job disruptions, and perceived productivity loss and factors associated with each outcome in young adults living with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and juvenile arthritis (JA). One hundred forty-three young adults, ages 18-30 years with SLE (54.5%) and JA (45.5%), completed an online survey of work experiences. Demographic, health (e.g., fatigue, disease activity), psychosocial (e.g., independence, social support), and work context (e.g., career satisfaction, job control, self-disclosure) information was collected. Participants were asked about absenteeism, job disruptions, and perceived productivity loss in the last 6 months. Log Poisson regression analyses examined factors associated with work outcomes. A majority of participants (59%) were employed and reported a well-managed health condition. Employed respondents were satisfied with their career progress and indicated moderate job control. More than 40% of participants reported absenteeism, job disruptions, and productivity loss. Greater job control and self-disclosure, and less social support, were related to a higher likelihood of absenteeism. More disease activity was related to a greater likelihood of reporting job disruptions. Lower fatigue and higher job control were associated with a reduced likelihood of a productivity loss. Young adult respondents with rheumatic disease experienced challenges with employment, including absenteeism, job disruptions, and productivity loss. While related to greater absenteeism, job control could play a role in a young person's ability to manage their health condition and sustain productive employment. Greater attention should also be paid to understanding health factors and social support in early work experiences. © 2015, American College of Rheumatology.

Balancing health, work, and daily life: design and evaluation of a pilot intervention for persons with HIV/AIDS.

PubMed

Bedell, Gary

2008-01-01

To design and evaluate a pilot intervention to promote self-management skills and work transition for persons with HIV/AIDS. The seven-week group intervention consisted of 1.5-hour bi-weekly sessions focused on goal setting and developing strategies to manage health, work and daily life routines while participating in a job skills training program in New York City. Six successive groups received the intervention over the course of two years (n = 53). Existing and newly-developed measures were used to examine key outcomes. Differences between pre-intervention and post-intervention scores on outcome measures were examined using paired-tests and effect sizes. Employment outcomes and participant satisfaction were examined post-intervention. The intervention was feasible to implement and sessions were viewed favorably by the majority of participants. Moderate to large effect sizes were found immediately post-intervention in participants' perceived ability to work and balance health, work and daily life. Fifty two percent of the participants were working part or full time and 41% were actively searching for employment at three to five months follow-up. Small effect sizes demonstrating improved outcomes at follow-up were found in symptom severity, self-advocacy and medication adherence self-efficacy. Small effect sizes demonstrating a potential decrement in outcomes at follow-up were found in participants' need satisfaction and perceived symptom impact on work performance. The results are promising, but further research is needed due to design limitations and the preliminary nature of the intervention and measures used. The potential decrement in outcomes might reflect a shift in participants' needs or view of how their health affected work performance and suggests that ongoing supports were needed post-intervention.

Associations Among Nursing Work Environment and Health-Promoting Behaviors of Nurses and Nursing Performance Quality: A Multilevel Modeling Approach.

PubMed

Cho, Hyeonmi; Han, Kihye

2018-05-14

This study aimed to determine the relationships among the unit-level nursing work environment and individual-level health-promoting behaviors of hospital nurses in South Korea and their perceived nursing performance quality. This study used a cross-sectional design. Data were collected using self-reported questionnaires from 432 nurses in 57 units at five hospitals in South Korea. Nursing performance quality, nursing work environment, and health-promoting behaviors were measured using the Six Dimension Scale of Nursing Performance, Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index, and Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II, respectively. Nurses working in units with nurse managers who were characterized by better ability and by quality leadership, and who provided more support to nurses exhibited significantly greater health responsibility and physical activity. Nurses working with sufficient staffing and resources reported better stress management. Positive collegial nurse-physician relationships in units were significantly associated with more healthy eating among nurses. Nurses working in units with sufficient staffing and resources, and who had a higher level of spiritual growth and health responsibility, were more likely to perceive their nursing performance quality as being higher. To improve the quality of nursing practice, hospitals should focus on helping nurses maintain healthy lifestyles, as well as improving their working conditions in South Korea. Organizational support for adequate human resources and materials, mutual cooperation among nurses and physicians, and workplace health-promotion interventions for spiritual growth and health responsibility are needed. Organizational efforts to provide sufficient staffing and resources, boost the development of personal resources among nurses, and promote nurses' responsibility for their own health could be effective strategies for improving nursing performance quality and patient outcomes. © 2018 Sigma Theta Tau International.

Working memory training to improve speech perception in noise across languages

PubMed Central

Ingvalson, Erin M.; Dhar, Sumitrajit; Wong, Patrick C. M.; Liu, Hanjun

2015-01-01

Working memory capacity has been linked to performance on many higher cognitive tasks, including the ability to perceive speech in noise. Current efforts to train working memory have demonstrated that working memory performance can be improved, suggesting that working memory training may lead to improved speech perception in noise. A further advantage of working memory training to improve speech perception in noise is that working memory training materials are often simple, such as letters or digits, making them easily translatable across languages. The current effort tested the hypothesis that working memory training would be associated with improved speech perception in noise and that materials would easily translate across languages. Native Mandarin Chinese and native English speakers completed ten days of reversed digit span training. Reading span and speech perception in noise both significantly improved following training, whereas untrained controls showed no gains. These data suggest that working memory training may be used to improve listeners' speech perception in noise and that the materials may be quickly adapted to a wide variety of listeners. PMID:26093435

Working memory training to improve speech perception in noise across languages.

PubMed

Ingvalson, Erin M; Dhar, Sumitrajit; Wong, Patrick C M; Liu, Hanjun

2015-06-01

Working memory capacity has been linked to performance on many higher cognitive tasks, including the ability to perceive speech in noise. Current efforts to train working memory have demonstrated that working memory performance can be improved, suggesting that working memory training may lead to improved speech perception in noise. A further advantage of working memory training to improve speech perception in noise is that working memory training materials are often simple, such as letters or digits, making them easily translatable across languages. The current effort tested the hypothesis that working memory training would be associated with improved speech perception in noise and that materials would easily translate across languages. Native Mandarin Chinese and native English speakers completed ten days of reversed digit span training. Reading span and speech perception in noise both significantly improved following training, whereas untrained controls showed no gains. These data suggest that working memory training may be used to improve listeners' speech perception in noise and that the materials may be quickly adapted to a wide variety of listeners.

Preservice Teachers' Abilities, Beliefs, and Intentions regarding Technology Integration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Susan E.; Maninger, Robert M.

2007-01-01

This study investigated changes in and factors related to students' technology-related abilities, beliefs, and intentions. Participants were 76 preservice teachers who responded to pre- and post-course surveys while taking an introductory educational technology course. Statistically significant changes were found in students' perceived abilities,…

Physiological and comfort effects of a commercial "cooling cap" worn under protective helmets.

PubMed

Wickwire, P J; Bishop, P A; Green, J M; Richardson, M T; Lomax, R G; Casaru, C; Curtner-Smith, M

2009-08-01

Ballistic protective helmets can impair heat dissipation. A cooling device in the helmet (cooling pad, CP) could help prevent heat problems in military personnel and potentially enhance comfort. This study examined the effects of CP on rectal and skin temperatures, heart rate, percent change in plasma volume, urine specific gravity, rating of perceived exertion, and other subjective measures while performing light work in a hot environment. It was hypothesized that the CP would act as an insulator to the head, which would not positively affect any physiological variable but could positively affect wearer subjective comfort or temperature. Participants performed a work protocol for approximately 2 hr. A ballistic vest, slacks, short-sleeved button-up shirt, and a ballistic helmet (one trial with CP and one trial without) were worn. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed no differences (p > 0.05) between wearing and not wearing the CP for any physiological parameter. However, participants perceived the CP as cooler (p = 0.002). Other trends in perceptual data such as thermal strain and helmet comfort indicated the CP felt cooler. However, based on forehead temperature and participant comments, the CP lost its cooling ability relatively quickly (within approximately 30 min).

Evaluating impact of a multi-dimensional education programme on perceived performance of primary care professionals in diabetes care.

PubMed

Parekh, Sanjoti; Bush, Robert; Cook, Susan; Grant, Phillipa

2015-11-01

The purpose of this study is to evaluate an educational programme, 'Diabetes Connect: Connecting Professions', which was developed to enhance communication across primary care networks, to support best practice in clinical interventions and progress multidisciplinary team work to benefit patients in diabetes care. A total of 26 workshops were successfully delivered for 309 primary care professionals across the state of Queensland in Australia from November 2011. It consists of two separate, but complementary training elements: a series of online clinical education training modules and state-wide interprofessional learning workshops developed to enhance professional competencies. The evaluation design included completion of online surveys by the participants at two time points: first upon registering for the online modules or workshops; second, one week after attending a workshop. The survey included questions to evaluate the change in role performance measures. Overall, significant increases in participants' current knowledge, perceived ability to adopt this knowledge at work and willingness to change professional behaviour in the short term were observed. The study suggests that for maximum benefit both, workshop and online training, should be combined and made available widely. Future programmes should use a randomised trial design to test the delivery model.

Panel management, team culture, and worklife experience.

PubMed

Willard-Grace, Rachel; Dubé, Kate; Hessler, Danielle; O'Brien, Bridget; Earnest, Gillian; Gupta, Reena; Shunk, Rebecca; Grumbach, Kevin

2015-09-01

Burnout and professional dissatisfaction are threats to the primary care workforce. We investigated the relationship between panel management capability, team culture, cynicism, and perceived "do-ability" of primary care among primary care providers (PCPs) and staff in primary care practices. We surveyed 326 PCPs and 142 staff members in 10 county-administered, 6 university-run, and 3 Veterans Affairs primary care clinics in a large urban area in 2013. Predictor variables included capability for performing panel management and perception of team culture. Outcome variables included 2 work experience measures--the Maslach Burnout Inventory cynicism scale and a 1-item measure of the "do-ability" of primary care this year compared with last year. Generalized Estimation Equation (GEE) models were used to account for clustering at the clinic level. Greater panel management capability and higher team culture were associated with lower cynicism among PCPs and staff and higher reported "do-ability" of primary care among PCPs. Panel management capability and team culture interacted to predict the 2 work experience outcomes. Among PCPs and staff reporting high team culture, there was little association between panel management capability and the outcomes, which were uniformly positive. However, there was a strong relationship between greater panel management capability and improved work experience outcomes for PCPs and staff reporting low team culture. Team-based processes of care such as panel management may be an important strategy to protect against cynicism and dissatisfaction in primary care, particularly in settings that are still working to improve their team culture. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Psychosocial work conditions, perceived stress, perceived muscular tension, and neck/shoulder symptoms among medical secretaries.

PubMed

Larsman, Pernilla; Kadefors, Roland; Sandsjö, Leif

2013-01-01

Unfavorable psychosocial working conditions are hypothesized to lead to perceived stress, which, in turn, can be related to an increased risk of development of neck/shoulder symptoms through increased and sustained muscle activation. The aim of the present study was to test this hypothesized process model among medical secretaries, a female-dominated profession characterized by a high amount of visual display unit use and a high prevalence of neck/shoulder symptoms. In this cross-sectional study, a questionnaire survey was conducted among medical secretaries (n = 200). The proposed process model was tested using a path model framework. The results indicate that high work demands were related to high perceived stress, which in turn was related to a high perceived muscle tension and neck/shoulder symptoms. Low influence at work was not related to perceived stress, but was directly related to a high perceived muscle tension. In general, these cross-sectional results lend tentative support for the hypothesis that adverse psychosocial work conditions (high work demands) may contribute to the development of neck/shoulder symptoms through the mechanism of stress-induced sustained muscular activation. This process model needs to be further tested in longitudinal studies.

Return to Work After Traumatic Injury: Increased Work-Related Disability in Injured Persons Receiving Financial Compensation is Mediated by Perceived Injustice.

PubMed

Giummarra, Melita J; Cameron, Peter A; Ponsford, Jennie; Ioannou, Liane; Gibson, Stephen J; Jennings, Paul A; Georgiou-Karistianis, Nellie

2017-06-01

Purpose Traumatic injury is a leading cause of work disability. Receiving compensation post-injury has been consistently found to be associated with poorer return to work. This study investigated whether the relationship between receiving compensation and return to work was associated with elevated symptoms of psychological distress (i.e., anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder) and perceived injustice. Methods Injured persons, who were employed at the time of injury (n = 364), were recruited from the Victorian State Trauma Registry, and Victorian Orthopaedic Trauma Outcomes Registry. Participants completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist, Injustice Experience Questionnaire, and appraisals of pain and work status 12-months following traumatic injury. Results Greater financial worry and indicators of actual/perceived injustice (e.g., consulting a lawyer, attributing fault to another, perceived injustice, sustaining compensable injury), trauma severity (e.g., days in hospital and intensive care, discharge to rehabilitation), and distress symptoms (i.e., anxiety, depression, PTSD) led to a twofold to sevenfold increase in the risk of failing to return to work. Anxiety, post-traumatic stress and perceived injustice were elevated following compensable injury compared with non-compensable injury. Perceived injustice uniquely mediated the association between compensation and return to work after adjusting for age at injury, trauma severity (length of hospital, admission to intensive, and discharge location) and pain severity. Conclusions Given  that perceived injustice is associated with poor return to work after compensable injury, we recommend greater attention be given to appropriately addressing psychological distress and perceived injustice in injured workers to facilitate a smoother transition of return to work.

Medical-surgical nurses' perceived self-confidence and leadership abilities as first responders in acute patient deterioration events.

PubMed

Hart, Patricia L; Spiva, LeeAnna; Baio, Pamela; Huff, Barbara; Whitfield, Denice; Law, Tammy; Wells, Tiffany; Mendoza, Inocenica G

2014-10-01

To explore and understand medical-surgical nurses' perceived self-confidence and leadership abilities as first responders in recognising and responding to clinical deterioration prior to the arrival of an emergency response team. Patients are admitted to hospitals with multiple, complex health issues who are more likely to experience clinical deterioration. The majority of clinical deterioration events occur on medical-surgical units, and medical-surgical nurses are frequently the first healthcare professionals to identify signs and symptoms of clinical deterioration and initiate life-saving interventions. A prospective, cross-sectional, descriptive quantitative design using a survey method was used. Nurses were recruited from an integrated healthcare system located in the south-east United States. Nurses completed a demographic, a self-confidence and a leadership ability questionnaire. One hundred and forty-eight nurses participated in the study. Nurses felt moderately self-confident in recognising, assessing and intervening during clinical deterioration events. In addition, nurses felt moderately comfortable performing leadership skills prior to the arrival of an emergency response team. A significant, positive relationship was found between perceived self-confidence and leadership abilities. Age and certification status were significant predictors of nurses' leadership ability. Although nurses felt moderately self-confident and comfortable with executing leadership abilities, improvement is needed to ensure nurses are competent in recognising patients' deterioration cues and making sound decisions in taking appropriate, timely actions to rescue patients. Further strategies need to be developed to increase nurses' self-confidence and execution of leadership abilities in handling deterioration events for positive patient outcomes. Educational provisions should focus on various clinical deterioration events to build nurses' self-confidence and leadership abilities in handling clinical deterioration. Nurses should obtain national certification to increase their knowledge and clinical reasoning skills. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Pediatric crisis resource management training improves emergency medicine trainees' perceived ability to manage emergencies and ability to identify teamwork errors.

PubMed

Bank, Ilana; Snell, Linda; Bhanji, Farhan

2014-12-01

Improved pediatric crisis resource management (CRM) training is needed in emergency medicine residencies because of the variable nature of exposure to critically ill pediatric patients during training. We created a short, needs-based pediatric CRM simulation workshop with postactivity follow-up to determine retention of CRM knowledge. Our aims were to provide a realistic learning experience for residents and to help the learners recognize common errors in teamwork and improve their perceived abilities to manage ill pediatric patients. Residents participated in a 4-hour objectives-based workshop derived from a formal needs assessment. To quantify their subjective abilities to manage pediatric cases, the residents completed a postworkshop survey (with a retrospective precomponent to assess perceived change). Ability to identify CRM errors was determined via a written assessment of scripted errors in a prerecorded video observed before and 1 month after completion of the workshop. Fifteen of the 16 eligible emergency medicine residents (postgraduate year 1-5) attended the workshop and completed the surveys. There were significant differences in 15 of 16 retrospective pre to post survey items using the Wilcoxon rank sum test for non-parametric data. These included ability to be an effective team leader in general (P < 0.008), delegating tasks appropriately (P < 0.009), and ability to ensure closed-loop communication (P < 0.008). There was a significant improvement in identification of CRM errors through the use of the video assessment from 3 of the 12 CRM errors to 7 of the 12 CRM errors (P < 0.006). The pediatric CRM simulation-based workshop improved the residents' self-perceptions of their pediatric CRM abilities and improved their performance on a video assessment task.

Landmark lecture on cardiac intensive care and anaesthesia: continuum and conundrums.

PubMed

Laussen, Peter C

2017-12-01

Cardiac anesthesia and critical care provide an important continuum of care for patients with congenital heart disease. Clinicians in both areas work in complex environments in which the interactions between humans and technology is critical. Understanding our contributions to outcomes (modifiable risk) and our ability to perceive and predict an evolving clinical state (low failure-to-predict rate) are important performance metrics. Improved methods for capturing continuous physiologic signals will allow for new and interactive approaches to data visualization, and for sophisticated and iterative data modeling that will help define a patient's phenotype and response to treatment (precision physiology).

The impact of managing school-aged children's diabetes: the role of child behavior problems and parental discipline strategies.

PubMed

Wilson, Anna C; DeCourcey, Wendy M; Freeman, Kurt A

2009-09-01

Models of diabetes management in children emphasize family relationships, particularly parent-child interactions. In adolescents, parental involvement in disease-specific management relates to better health and adherence. However, information about parental involvement in disease management for young children is limited and mixed. This study investigated behavior problems of school-aged children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) in association with parent discipline strategies and parents' perceptions of (1) time spent managing diabetes and (2) the impact their child's diabetes has on their discipline strategies. Parents of children ages 5-12 with T1DM completed standardized measures of child misbehavior, parent discipline strategies, and responded to questions regarding perceived time spent managing diabetes, and perceived impact of diabetes on ability to discipline. Results showed child mealtime misbehavior was common and associated with overreactive parental discipline. Further, overreactive discipline was also associated with reports of less time spent managing child's illness. Child misbehavior was positively associated with parents' perceived amount of time spent managing diabetes and with the impact of child diabetes on discipline. Findings suggest the importance of considering parent discipline strategies and child misbehavior when working with young children with diabetes.

Consequences of boundary-spanning demands and resources for work-to-family conflict and perceived stress.

PubMed

Voydanoff, Patricia

2005-10-01

Using work-family border theory, this article examines relationships between boundary-spanning demands and resources and work-to-family conflict and perceived stress. The analysis uses data from 2,109 respondents from the 2002 National Study of the Changing Workforce. The demands that were positively related to work-to-family conflict and perceived stress were commuting time, bringing work home, job contacts at home, and work-family multitasking. Work-family multitasking partially explained the effects of bringing work home and job contacts at home on conflict and stress. For resources, time off for family responsibilities and a supportive work-family culture showed negative associations with conflict and stress. Work-to-family conflict partially mediated relationships between several demands and resources and perceived stress. Copyright (c) 2005 APA, all rights reserved.

Perceived Work Conditions and Turnover Intentions: The Mediating Role of Meaning of Work

PubMed Central

Arnoux-Nicolas, Caroline; Sovet, Laurent; Lhotellier, Lin; Di Fabio, Annamaria; Bernaud, Jean-Luc

2016-01-01

Perceived working conditions lead to various negative outcomes for employee behaviors, including turnover intentions. Although potential mediators for these relationships were previously identified, the importance of meaning of work has not yet been investigated. This study examines the role of this psychological resource as a mediator for the relationships between perceived working conditions and turnover intentions in a sample of 336 French workers from different job contexts. Results show that adverse working conditions were positively and significantly associated with turnover intentions. Meaning of work is negatively related to both perceived working conditions and turnover intentions. Mediation analyses for meaning of work demonstrated indirect effects of several adverse working conditions on turnover intentions. The role of meaning of work as a psychological resource for employees facing adverse working conditions is discussed, especially regarding its implications for research and practice within organizational contexts. PMID:27242616

Perceived Work Conditions and Turnover Intentions: The Mediating Role of Meaning of Work.

PubMed

Arnoux-Nicolas, Caroline; Sovet, Laurent; Lhotellier, Lin; Di Fabio, Annamaria; Bernaud, Jean-Luc

2016-01-01

Perceived working conditions lead to various negative outcomes for employee behaviors, including turnover intentions. Although potential mediators for these relationships were previously identified, the importance of meaning of work has not yet been investigated. This study examines the role of this psychological resource as a mediator for the relationships between perceived working conditions and turnover intentions in a sample of 336 French workers from different job contexts. Results show that adverse working conditions were positively and significantly associated with turnover intentions. Meaning of work is negatively related to both perceived working conditions and turnover intentions. Mediation analyses for meaning of work demonstrated indirect effects of several adverse working conditions on turnover intentions. The role of meaning of work as a psychological resource for employees facing adverse working conditions is discussed, especially regarding its implications for research and practice within organizational contexts.

Insufficient time for leisure and perceived health and stress in working parents with small children.

PubMed

Håkansson, Carita; Axmon, Anna; Eek, Frida

2016-10-17

More knowledge about how recovery may promote health among parents with small children is needed. To explore whether insufficient time for leisure was associated with poorer perceived health and higher stress in working parents. A further aim was to explore potential gender differences in the association between insufficient time for leisure and poor perceived health. A postal survey including the perceived stress scale and three measures of subjective health - self-rated health (SF-36), work-related fatigue (Swedish occupational fatigue questionnaire), and Lund subjective health complaints - as well as questions about time for leisure was completed by 965 women and 597 men. Risk ratios for poor perceived health and stress were estimated using Poisson regression, in which also gender interaction was analysed. The results showed higher risk for perceived stress among parents reporting insufficient time for relaxation, and more subjective health complaints among those reporting insufficient time to spend with their children. Overall, effects were larger among women than among men. A good balance between work and leisure seems to be of importance for working parents' perceived health and stress.

Associations between perceived crisis mode work climate and poor information exchange within hospitals.

PubMed

Patterson, Mark E; Bogart, Miller S; Starr, Kathleen R

2015-03-01

Because hospital units operating in crisis mode could create unsafe transitions of care due to miscommunication, our objective was to estimate associations between perceived crisis mode work climate and patient information exchange problems within hospitals. Self-reported data from 247,140 hospital staff members across 884 hospitals were obtained from the 2010 Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture. Presence of a crisis mode work climate was defined as respondents agreeing that the hospital unit in which they work tries to do too much too quickly. Presence of patient information exchange problems was defined as respondents agreeing that problems often occur in exchanging patient information across hospital units. Multivariable ordinal regressions estimated the likelihood of perceived problems in exchanging patient information across hospital units, controlling for perceived levels of crisis mode work climate, skill levels, work climate, and hospital infrastructure. Compared to those disagreeing, hospital staff members agreeing that the hospital unit in which they work tries to do too much too quickly were 1.6 times more likely to perceive problems in exchanging patient information across hospital units (odds ratio: 1.6, 95% confidence interval: 1.58-1.65). Hospital staff members perceiving crisis mode work climates within their hospital unit are more likely to perceive problems in exchanging patient information across units, underscoring the need to improve communication during transitions of care. © 2014 Society of Hospital Medicine.

The impact of a mind-body program on multiple dimensions of resiliency among geographically diverse patients with neurofibromatosis.

PubMed

Zale, Emily L; Pierre-Louis, Catherine; Macklin, Eric A; Riklin, Eric; Vranceanu, Ana-Maria

2018-04-01

The neurofibromatoses (NF) are incurable genetic disorders that can cause nerve sheath tumors, chronic pain, and disfiguration. Patients with NF report lower quality of life and greater distress, and may benefit from programs that promote resiliency. To test effects of an 8-week mind-body program (Relaxation Response Resiliency Program for NF [3RP-NF]) on resiliency, using data derived from a larger randomized controlled trial of the 3RP-NF versus attention placebo control (Vranceanu et al. in Neurology 87:806-814, 2016). Participants (N = 63; 46 female; 52 White) were randomized to 3RP-NF (n = 32, M age = 42.86) or control (n = 31, M age = 39.90), completed intervention sessions via group videoconferencing, and provided self-report measures of resiliency (i.e., perceived coping abilities, perceived social support, gratitude, optimism, spiritual well-being, mindfulness) at baseline, post-intervention, and 6-month follow-up. All participants attended at least 6/8 sessions and 83% (N = 52) provided 6-month follow-up data. The 3RP-NF (vs. control) produced greater improvements from pre- to post-intervention in perceived coping abilities (M difference = 6.68; p = .008), perceived social support (M difference = 9.16; p = .032), and mindfulness (M difference = 2.23; p = .035), which were maintained at 6-month follow up. We did not observe group differences in spiritual well-being, optimism, or gratitude. The 3RP-NF produced sustained increases in multiple dimensions of resiliency (perceived coping abilities, perceived social support, and mindfulness). Promoting resiliency may be particularly important for a population that is underserved and living with a chronic, incurable illness.

Domestic Violence in the Canadian Workplace: Are Coworkers Aware?

PubMed

MacGregor, Jennifer C D; Wathen, C Nadine; MacQuarrie, Barbara J

2016-09-01

Domestic violence (DV) is associated with serious consequences for victims, children, and families, and even national economies. An emerging literature demonstrates that DV also has a negative impact on workers and workplaces. Less is known about the extent to which people are aware of coworkers' experiences of DV. Using data from a pan-Canadian sample of 8,429 men and women, we examine: (1) awareness of coworker DV victimization and perpetration; (2) the warning signs of DV victimization and perpetration recognized by workers; (3) whether DV victims are more likely than nonvictims to recognize DV and its warning signs in the workplace; and (4) the impacts of DV that workers perceive on victims'/perpetrators' ability to work. Nearly 40% of participants believed they had recognized a DV victim and/or perpetrator in the workplace and many reported recognizing more than one warning sign. DV victims were significantly more likely to report recognizing victims and perpetrators in the workplace, and recognized more DV warning signs. Among participants who believed they knew a coworker who had experienced DV, 49.5% thought the DV had affected their coworker's ability to work. For those who knew a coworker perpetrating DV, 37.9% thought their coworker's ability to work was affected by the abusive behavior. Our findings have implications for a coordinated workplace response to DV. Further research is urgently needed to examine how best to address DV in the workplace and improve outcomes for victims, perpetrators, and their coworkers.

PoleStriding exercise and vitamin E for management of peripheral vascular disease.

PubMed

Collins, Eileen G; Edwin Langbein, W; Orebaugh, Cynthia; Bammert, Christine; Hanson, Karla; Reda, Domenic; Edwards, Lonnie C; Littooy, Fred N

2003-03-01

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the efficacy of PoleStriding exercise (a form of walking that uses muscles of the upper and lower body in a continuous movement similar to cross-country skiing) and vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) to improve walking ability and perceived quality of life (QOL) of patients with claudication pain secondary to peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Fifty-two subjects were randomized into four groups: PoleStriding with vitamin E (N = 13), PoleStriding with placebo (N= 14), vitamin E without exercise (N= 13), and placebo without exercise (N = 12). The dose of vitamin E was 400 IU daily. Only the PoleStriding with vitamin E and PoleStriding with placebo groups received PoleStriding instruction and training. Assignment to vitamin E or placebo was double blind. Subjects trained three times weekly for 30-45 min (rest time excluded). Individuals in vitamin E and placebo groups came to the laboratory biweekly for ankle blood-pressure measurements. Results of this randomized clinical trial provide strong evidence that PoleStriding significantly (P< 0.001) improved exercise tolerance on the constant work-rate and incremental treadmill tests. Ratings of perceived claudication pain were significantly less after the PoleStriding training program (P= 0.02). In contrast, vitamin E did not have a statistically significant effect on the subjects' ratings of perceived leg pain (P= 0.35) or treadmill walking duration ( P= 0.36). Perceived distance and walking speed (Walking Impairment Questionnaire) and perceived physical function (Rand Short Form-36) improved in the PoleStriding trained group only (P< 0.001, 0.022 and 0.003, respectively). PoleStriding effectively improved the exercise tolerance and perceived QOL of patients with PAD. Little additional benefit to exercise capacity was realized from vitamin E supplementation.

Construction of a new model of job engagement, psychological empowerment and perceived work environment among Chinese registered nurses at four large university hospitals: implications for nurse managers seeking to enhance nursing retention and quality of care.

PubMed

Fan, Yuying; Zheng, Qiulan; Liu, Shiqing; Li, Qiujie

2016-07-01

To explore the relationships among perceived work environment, psychological empowerment and job engagement of clinical nurses in Harbin, China. Previous studies have focused on organisational factors or nurses' personal characteristics contributing to job engagement. Limited studies have examined the effects of perceived work environment and psychological empowerment on job engagement among Chinese nurses. A cross-sectional quantitative survey with 923 registered nurses at four large university hospitals in China was carried out. Research instruments included the Chinese versions of the perceived nurse work environment scale, the psychological empowerment scale and the job engagement scale. The relationships of the variables were tested using structural equation modelling. Structural equation modelling revealed a good fit of the model, χ(2) /df = 4.46, GFI = 0.936, CFI = 0.957. Perceived work environment was a significant positive direct predictor of psychological empowerment and job engagement. Psychological empowerment was a significant positive direct contributor to job engagement and had a mediating effect on the relationship between perceived work environment and job engagement. Perceived work environment may result in increased job engagement by facilitating the development of psychological empowerment. For nurse managers wishing to increase nurse engagement and to achieve effective management, both perceived work environment and psychological empowerment are factors that need to be well controlled in the process of nurse administration. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Cultural and Intellectual Openness Differentially Relate to Social Judgments of Potential Work Partners.

PubMed

Porter, Caitlin M; Parrigon, Scott E; Woo, Sang Eun; Saef, Rachel M; Tay, Louis

2017-10-01

This study investigates the differential functioning of cultural and intellectual openness (the two aspects of Openness to Experience) in relation to social cognitive processes by examining how they influence people's perceptions and interpretations of social information when deciding to initiate working relationships. Using a policy-capturing design, 681 adult participants were asked to rate their similarity to and preference to work with potential work partners characterized by varying nationalities and levels of work-related competence. Multilevel moderated mediation was conducted to simultaneously evaluate whether the indirect effects of potential work partners' characteristics (i.e., nationalities and levels of work-related competence) on work partner preference through perceived similarity were moderated by cultural and intellectual openness. Perceived similarity mediated the relationships between work partner nationality and work-related competence and participants' work partner preferences. Furthermore, the negative indirect effect of work partner nationality on work partner preference via perceived similarity was attenuated by cultural openness, and the positive indirect effect of work partner work-related competence on work partner preference via perceived similarity was strengthened by intellectual openness. Cultural and intellectual openness may have distinct functions that influence how people perceive, evaluate, and appreciate social information when making social judgments. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Interplay between Subjective Abilities and Subjective Demands and Its Relationship with Academic Success. An Application of the Person-Environment Fit Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bohndick, Carla; Rosman, Tom; Kohlmeyer, Susanne; Buhl, Heike M.

2018-01-01

In this study, we draw on person-environment fit theory to analyze whether academic success is best explained by individual abilities subjectively "exceeding" situational demands or by abilities "matching" the demands. Moreover, we disentangled effects of perceived abilities and subjective person-environment (P-E) fit on…

Influential Factors for Knowledge Creation Practices of CTE Teachers: Mutual Impact of Perceived School Support, Transformational Leadership, and Work Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Song, Ji Hoon; Bae, Sang Hoon; Park, Sunyoung; Kim, Hye Kyoung

2013-01-01

This study examined the structural relationships among perceived school support, transformational leadership, teachers' work engagement, and teachers' knowledge creation practices. It also investigated the mediating effects of transformational leadership and work engagement in explaining the association between perceived school support…

Work satisfaction and posttraumatic growth 1 year after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake: the perceived stress as a moderating factor.

PubMed

Xu, Jiuping; Wu, Wei

2014-06-01

This study investigated the role of perceived stress as a possible moderating factor between posttraumatic growth (PTG) and work satisfaction. A stratified random sampling strategy was used to survey 2080 adult survivors of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, the Job Satisfaction Index Scale and the Perceived Stress Scale were used in the assessment of the posttraumatic growth, work satisfaction and perceived stress respectively, and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used for the analysis. The findings highlight work satisfaction as an important factor in both the prediction of posttraumatic growth and for its moderating effect on perceived stress. Some demographic characteristics, such as gender, education level, and housing condition were found to also affect the survivors' posttraumatic growth. This conclusion indicates that managers should pay closer attention to their employees' psychological state after a disaster and medical practitioners should consider survivors' work status and perceived stress when dispensing mental health care. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Work family conflict in its relations to perceived working situation and work engagement.

PubMed

Mache, Stefanie; Bernburg, Monika; Groneberg, David A; Klapp, Burghard F; Danzer, Gerhard

2016-02-15

These days physicians' work is characterized by an increase in economic demands, pressure and challenges in establishing a balance between work and family life. The current study investigates the relationship between physicians' job demands and resources, perceived job stress, work-family conflict, work engagement and job satisfaction. 564 clinicians specialising in different medical fields participated in the cross-sectional study. Self-administered questionnaires, including the COPSOQ and the UWES- Scale were administered. Our results illustrated significant relationships between physicians' work engagement and their job satisfaction as well as between job stress and work family conflict. Moreover, perceived job stress moderated the effect of high job demands on work family conflict. In addition, significant gender differences have been found in perceived stress levels, work family conflict and work engagement. This study proves and verified associations between work engagement, work-family conflict, job demands and resources that may influence employees' satisfaction. Implications for both working physicians and hospital management are given.

Perceived job-anxiety and general psychosomatic symptom load and perceived social support - Is there a relationship?

PubMed

Muschalla, Beate; Markova, Mariya; Linden, Michael

2010-01-01

Job-related distress has often been found to be related with low social support at work. The question is whether dimensions of social support outside work have a similar relation with job-anxiety or whether they are independent. A sample of 154 employed inpatients from a psychosomatic rehabilitation center (70% women) participated in this study. Participants completed self-rating questionnaires on perceived symptom load in the domain of work (job-anxiety) and in general life (general psychosomatic symptom load), and on perceived social support at work and outside work. Job-anxiety showed moderate correlations with the perceived level of social support through colleagues. Thereby the social support dimensions of "consolation and encouragement" and "criticism, overload, rejection" were more strongly related to job-anxiety than the dimension of "practical support". There were no significant correlations between job-anxiety and social support through household members, leisure time partners or neighbors. Social support is in a specific way important in the context of work other than concerning general mental health outside the work-context. Job-anxiety is a domain-specific clinical phenomenon and independent from perceived social support outside the workplace.

Chronic fatigue syndrome in adolescents: do parental expectations of their child's intellectual ability match the child's ability?

PubMed

Godfrey, Emma; Cleare, Anthony; Coddington, Alice; Roberts, Amanda; Weinman, John; Chalder, Trudie

2009-08-01

This cross-sectional study aimed to measure the discrepancy between actual and perceived IQ in a sample of adolescents with CFS compared to healthy controls. We hypothesized that adolescents with CFS and their parent would have higher expectations of the adolescent's intellectual ability than healthy adolescents and their parent. The sample was 28 CFS patients and 29 healthy controls aged 11-19 years and the parent of each participant. IQ was assessed using the AH4 group test of general intelligence and a self-rating scale which measured perceived IQ. Parents' perceptions of their children's IQ were significantly higher for individuals with CFS than healthy controls. High expectations may need to be addressed within the context of treatment.

Work-Family Conflict, Perceived Organizational Support and Professional Commitment: A Mediation Mechanism for Chinese Project Professionals

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Projects are characterized by long working hours, complex tasks and being a kind of temporary organization. As such, work-family conflict is particularly prominent for project employees. This research examined whether and how work-family conflict affects professional commitment among Chinese project professionals. Research hypotheses were developed to explore the relationship between work-family conflict, professional commitment to the project and the mediating effects of perceived organizational support. Data were collected from 327 project managers or professionals working in construction enterprises in China; data were analyzed using structural equation modeling, applying the bootstrapping method. Results showed that there were three dimensions of work-family conflict: time-based conflict, strain-based conflict and behavior-based conflict. There were two dimensions of perceived organizational support: emotional support and instrumental support. The study also tested the negative effect of work-family conflict on professional commitment and the positive effect of perceived organizational support on professional commitment. Specifically, time-based conflict and emotional support had positive effects on professional commitment. Perceived organizational support had a total mediating effect between work-family conflict and professional commitment. The strain-based conflict dimension of work-family conflict had negative impacts on professional commitment through perceived emotional support and instrumental support. Overall, our findings extend a better understanding of work-family conflict and professional commitment in the project setting and verify the importance of social support in balancing work and family and improving employee mobility. PMID:29462860

Work-Family Conflict, Perceived Organizational Support and Professional Commitment: A Mediation Mechanism for Chinese Project Professionals.

PubMed

Zheng, Junwei; Wu, Guangdong

2018-02-15

Projects are characterized by long working hours, complex tasks and being a kind of temporary organization. As such, work-family conflict is particularly prominent for project employees. This research examined whether and how work-family conflict affects professional commitment among Chinese project professionals. Research hypotheses were developed to explore the relationship between work-family conflict, professional commitment to the project and the mediating effects of perceived organizational support. Data were collected from 327 project managers or professionals working in construction enterprises in China; data were analyzed using structural equation modeling, applying the bootstrapping method. Results showed that there were three dimensions of work-family conflict: time-based conflict, strain-based conflict and behavior-based conflict. There were two dimensions of perceived organizational support: emotional support and instrumental support. The study also tested the negative effect of work-family conflict on professional commitment and the positive effect of perceived organizational support on professional commitment. Specifically, time-based conflict and emotional support had positive effects on professional commitment. Perceived organizational support had a total mediating effect between work-family conflict and professional commitment. The strain-based conflict dimension of work-family conflict had negative impacts on professional commitment through perceived emotional support and instrumental support. Overall, our findings extend a better understanding of work-family conflict and professional commitment in the project setting and verify the importance of social support in balancing work and family and improving employee mobility.

Test-retest reliability and responsiveness of the Barthel Index-based Supplementary Scales in patients with stroke.

PubMed

Lee, Ya-Chen; Yu, Wan-Hui; Hsueh, I-Ping; Chen, Sheng-Shiung; Hsieh, Ching-Lin

2017-10-01

A lack of evidence on the test-retest reliability and responsiveness limits the utility of the BI-based Supplementary Scales (BI-SS) in both clinical and research settings. To examine the test-retest reliability and responsiveness of the BI-based Supplementary Scales (BI-SS) in patients with stroke. A repeated-assessments design (1 week apart) was used to examine the test-retest reliability of the BI-SS. For the responsiveness study, the participants were assessed with the BI-SS and BI (treated as an external criterion) at admission to and discharge from rehabilitation wards. Seven outpatient rehabilitation units and one inpatient rehabilitation unit. Outpatients with chronic stroke. Eighty-four outpatients with chronic stroke participated in the test-retest reliability study. Fifty-seven inpatients completed baseline and follow-up assessments in the responsiveness study. For the test-retest reliability study, the values of the intra-class correlation coefficient and the overall percentage of minimal detectable change for the Ability Scale and Self-perceived Difficulty Scale were 0.97, 12.8%, and 0.78, 35.8%, respectively. For the responsiveness study, the standardized effect size and standardized response mean (representing internal responsiveness) of the Ability Scale and Self-perceived Difficulty Scale were 1.17 and 1.56, and 0.78 and 0.89, respectively. Regarding external responsiveness, the change in score of the Ability Scale had significant and moderate association with that of the BI (r=0.61, P<0.001). The change in score of the Self-perceived Difficulty Scale had non-significant and weak association with that of the BI (r=0.23, P=0.080). The Ability Scale of the BI-SS has satisfactory test-retest reliability and sufficient responsiveness for patients with stroke. However, the Self-perceived Difficulty Scale of the BI-SS has substantial random measurement error and insufficient external responsiveness, which may affect its utility in clinical settings. The findings of this study provide empirical evidence of psychometric properties of the BI-SS for assessing ability and self-perceived difficulty of ADL in patients with stroke.

Day laborers' life satisfaction: the role of familismo, spirituality, work, health, and discrimination.

PubMed

Ojeda, Lizette; Piña-Watson, Brandy

2013-07-01

Limited research exists on day laborers' mental health. This study identifies relevant factors that influence the life satisfaction of 143 predominantly undocumented Latino male day laborers. Findings demonstrated the importance of familismo, spirituality, work satisfaction, perceived health, and perceived discrimination on life satisfaction. Given the deleterious impact discrimination can have on mental health, we examined whether perceived discrimination's role on life satisfaction would be buffered by familismo, spirituality, work satisfaction, and perceived health. Among these variable, spirituality and perceived health were identified as protective factors against the role of perceived discrimination on life satisfaction. Implications for research and practice with Latino male day laborers are discussed. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

Measures of Cognitive Limitations and Their Relation to Perceived Work Limitations in Breast Cancer Survivors

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-06

impact work limitations in BCS and a Non-Cancer Comparison Group (NCCG) and to investigate the relationship between perceived and observed measures of...NCCG), and to investigate the relationship between perceived and observed measures of cognitive limitations, accounting for possible confounders in...accounting for proposed confounders; 3) replicate previous work indicating a stronger relationship between physical fatigue and work limitations in

Borderline personality disorder and emotional intelligence.

PubMed

Peter, Mathell; Schuurmans, Hanneke; Vingerhoets, Ad J J M; Smeets, Guus; Verkoeijen, Peter; Arntz, Arnoud

2013-02-01

The present study investigated emotional intelligence (EI) in borderline personality disorder (BPD). It was hypothesized that patients with BPD (n = 61) compared with patients with other personality disorders (PDs; n = 69) and nonpatients (n = 248) would show higher scores on the ability to perceive emotions and impairments in the ability to regulate emotions. EI was assessed with the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (Mayer, Salovey, and Caruso [New York: MHS, 2002]). As compared with the PD group and the nonpatient group, the patients with BPD displayed the anticipated deficits in their ability to understand, whereas no differences emerged with respect to their ability to perceive, use, and regulate emotions. In addition, a negative relationship was found between the severity of BPD and total EI score. However, this relationship disappeared when intelligence quotient was partialled out. These results suggest that BPD is associated with emotion understanding deficits, whereas temporary severity of BPD is associated with emotion regulation deficits.

Confronting Task Difficulty in Ego Involvement: Change in Performance Goals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kumar, Shamala; Jagacinski, Carolyn M.

2011-01-01

Both Dweck (1986) and Nicholls (1984) proposed that when ego-involved individuals encounter difficulty, they would begin to doubt their level of ability, and as a consequence, their commitment to the goal of demonstrating high ability would decline. As difficulty continued, perceived ability would decline, and eventually the goal would be…

Physical Activity and Adolescent Female Psychological Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Covey, Linda A.; Feltz, Deborah L.

1991-01-01

Relationships between self-reported past and present physical activity levels and self-image, sense of mastery, gender role identity, self-perceived physical ability, and self-perceived attractiveness were studied for 149 female high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Results are discussed in terms of adolescent emotional health. (SLD)

Interests in School Subjects and Vocational Preference.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sjoberg, Lennart; Drottz, Britt-Marie

1983-01-01

Reports a study in which Swedish high school students' academic interests were related to perceived effort, ability, and perceived vocational job prospects. Notes that academic interests were based on subjects' logical appeal and practical value. Notes that vocational preferences correlated strongly with individual job prospects but weakly with…

Perceived Self-Efficacy of Licensed Counselors to Provide Substance Abuse Counseling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chandler, Nichelle; Balkin, Richard S.; Perepiczka, Michelle

2011-01-01

This nationwide, quantitative study documented licensed counselors' perceived self-efficacy of adequately providing substance abuse services. Despite their lack of substance abuse training, counselors were highly confident in their ability to provide quality substance abuse services. Counselor training implications are discussed. (Contains 3…

[Japanese adults' general beliefs about changes in the ability to remember from childhood to old age as measured by the General Beliefs about Memory Instrument (GBMI)].

PubMed

Kinjo, Hikari; Shimizu, Hiroyuki

2012-12-01

This study examined and compared beliefs about the ability to remember of three groups of adults: 99 young, 97 middle-aged, and 104 older adults. The beliefs were assessed by asking participants to indicate the expected trajectory over the lifespan on a graphic rating scale, the General Beliefs about Memory Instrument (GBMI) (Lineweaver & Hertzog, 1998). The results showed the following. Although all age groups expect a decline in the ability to remember with age with the peak around 20-30 years old, older adults perceive an age-related sharp decline later in life than the other age groups do. All age groups perceive that remembering names is more affected by age than any other memory abilities. The trajectory of age decline in remembering in general coincides with that in remembering trivia. All age groups believe that the ability to remember at the age of 10 is as good as at the age of 40. All age groups responded to the scales based mainly on the abilities based on their experiences.

Reasons and Determinants for Perceiving Unmet Needs for Mental Health in Primary Care in Quebec

PubMed Central

Dezetter, Anne; Duhoux, Arnaud; Menear, Matthew; Roberge, Pasquale; Chartrand, Elise; Fournier, Louise

2015-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the mental health care needs perceived as unmet by adults in Quebec who had experienced depressive and (or) anxious symptomatology (DAS) in the previous 2 years and who used primary care services, and to identify the reasons associated with different types of unmet needs for care (UNCs) and the determinants of reporting UNCs. Method: Longitudinal data from the Dialogue Project were used. The sample consisted of 1288 adults who presented a common mental disorder and who consulted a general practitioner. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was used to measure DAS, and the Perceived Need for Care Questionnaire facilitated the assessment of the different types of UNCs and their motives. Results: About 40% of the participants perceived UNCs. Psychotherapy, help to improve ability to work, as well as general information on mental health and services were the most mentioned UNCs. The main reasons associated with reporting UNCs for psychotherapy and psychosocial interventions are “couldn’t afford to pay” and “didn’t know how or where to get help,” respectively. The factors associated with mentioning UNCs (compared with met needs) are to present a high DAS or a DAS that increased during the past 12 months, to perceive oneself as poor or to not have private health insurance. Conclusions: To reduce the UNCs and, further, to reduce DAS, it is necessary to improve the availability and affordability of psychotherapy and psychosocial intervention services, and to inform users on the types of services available and how to access them. PMID:26175326

Perceived risk of home fire and escape plans in rural households.

PubMed

Yang, Jingzhen; Peek-Asa, Corinne; Allareddy, Veerasathpurush; Zwerling, Craig; Lundell, John

2006-01-01

Homes in rural areas have a higher fire death rate. Although successful exit from a home fire could greatly reduce fire-related deaths and injuries, little is known about factors associated with behaviors of developing and practicing an escape plan. Between July 2003 and June 2004, a baseline survey was administered, in person, to 691 rural households. Information collected included a history of previous home fire, perceived risk of home fire, existing smoke alarms and their working status, and home fire safety practices, as well as home and occupant characteristics. The association of residents' perceived risk of home fire and fire escape plans was assessed. Forty-two percent of rural households reported having a fire escape plan. Of the households with a plan, less than two thirds (56.9%) discussed or practiced the plan. Households with children were more likely to develop and practice a fire escape plan. Households with an elderly or disabled person were less likely to develop or practice the plan. Compared to respondents who perceived low or very low risk of home fire, those who perceived a high or very high risk had 3.5 times greater odds of having a fire escape plan and 5.5 times greater odds of discussion or practicing their plan. Increasing awareness of the potential risk of home fires may help occupants develop and practice home fire escape plans. In order to reduce fire deaths and injuries, different strategies need to be developed for those households in which the occupants lack the ability to escape.

Workplace health promotion: a meta-analysis of effectiveness.

PubMed

Rongen, Anne; Robroek, Suzan J W; van Lenthe, Frank J; Burdorf, Alex

2013-04-01

An unhealthy lifestyle may contribute to ill health, absence due to sickness, productivity loss at work, and reduced ability to work. Workplace health promotion programs (WHPPs) aim to improve lifestyle and consequently improve health, work ability, and work productivity. However, systematic reviews on intervention studies have reported small effects, and the overall evaluation of effectiveness of WHPPs is hampered by a large heterogeneity in interventions and study populations. This systematic review aims to investigate the influence of population, study and intervention characteristics, and study quality on the effectiveness of workplace health promotion programs. A systematic literature search was conducted identifying RCTs, published before June 2012, evaluating the effect of a WHPP aimed at smoking cessation, physical activity, healthy nutrition, and/or obesity on self-perceived health, work absence due to sickness, work productivity, or work ability. Studies were included in the meta-analyses if quantitative information was present to calculate an effect size (ES). A meta-analysis, stratified meta-analyses, and meta-regression analyses were performed in Spring 2012 using Comprehensive Meta-analysis software 2.0 and PAWS 17.0.2. In 18 studies describing 21 interventions, the overall effect of a WHPP was small (ES=0.24, 95% CI=0.14, 0.34). The effectiveness of a WHPP was larger in younger populations, in interventions with weekly contacts, and in studies in which the control group received no health promotion. A 2.6-fold lower effectiveness was observed for studies performing an intention-to-treat analysis and a 1.7-fold lower effectiveness for studies controlling for confounders. Studies of poor methodologic quality reported a 2.9-fold higher effect size of the WHPP. The effectiveness of a WHPP is partly determined by intervention characteristics and statistical analysis. High-quality RCTs reported lower effect sizes. It is important to determine the effectiveness of WHPPs in RCTs of high quality. Copyright © 2013 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Measuring the Effect of an Online Learning Community on Engineering Cooperative Education Students' Perceived and Measured Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Todd, Anita M.

2013-01-01

This quasi-experimental, static-group comparison study of two non-equivalent groups examined how Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) community participation of at-work, cooperative education students affected student perceived performance, perceived learning, and measured learning with student grade point average (GPA) and work term as covariates. The…

Perceiving a calling, living a calling, and job satisfaction: testing a moderated, multiple mediator model.

PubMed

Duffy, Ryan D; Bott, Elizabeth M; Allan, Blake A; Torrey, Carrie L; Dik, Bryan J

2012-01-01

The current study examined the relation between perceiving a calling, living a calling, and job satisfaction among a diverse group of employed adults who completed an online survey (N = 201). Perceiving a calling and living a calling were positively correlated with career commitment, work meaning, and job satisfaction. Living a calling moderated the relations of perceiving a calling with career commitment and work meaning, such that these relations were more robust for those with a stronger sense they were living their calling. Additionally, a moderated, multiple mediator model was run to examine the mediating role of career commitment and work meaning in the relation of perceiving a calling and job satisfaction, while accounting for the moderating role of living a calling. Results indicated that work meaning and career commitment fully mediated the relation between perceiving a calling and job satisfaction. However, the indirect effects of work meaning and career commitment were only significant for individuals with high levels of living a calling, indicating the importance of living a calling in the link between perceiving a calling and job satisfaction. Implications for research and practice are discussed. (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.

Self-perceived health status, gender, and work status.

PubMed

Pino-Domínguez, Lara; Navarro-Gil, Patricia; González-Vélez, Abel E; Prieto-Flores, Maria-Eugenia; Ayala, Alba; Rojo-Pérez, Fermina; Fernández-Mayoralas, Gloria; Martínez-Martín, Pablo; Forjaz, Maria João

2016-01-01

This study analyzes the relationship between gender and self-perceived health status in Spanish retirees and housewives from a sample of 1,106 community-dwelling older adults. A multivariate linear regression model was used in which self-perceived health status was measured by the EQ-5D visual analogue scale and gender according to work status (retired men and women and housewives). Retired males reported a significantly better health status than housewives. Self-perceived health status was closely associated with physical, mental, and functional health and leisure activities. Finally, being a woman with complete dedication to domestic work is associated with a worse state of self-perceived health.

ASKing the kids: how children view their abilities after perinatal stroke.

PubMed

Barkat-Masih, Monica; Saha, Chandan; Golomb, Meredith R

2011-01-01

A total of 19 children with a history of perinatal stroke were asked how they saw their own motor abilities and disabilities using the Activities Scale for Kids (ASK) performance and capability questionnaires. The median ASK performance score was significantly lower (86.7) than the median ASK capability score (93.4; P = .03), suggesting children felt they were not doing everything they were capable of doing. Performance and capability total scores were not associated with gender or stroke type; lower performance and capability scores were associated with cerebral palsy. Within groups, performance scores were significantly lower than capability scores in girls (P = .02), children with presumed perinatal stroke (P = .02), children with unilateral stroke (P = .02), and children with large versus small branch unilateral middle cerebral artery stroke (P = .03). Further work is needed to understand why these children's performance does not match perceived capability.

[Mindfulness and the development of professional health competence in nursing].

PubMed

Brieskorn-Zinke, Marianne

2011-08-01

Health competence is not only a requirement for personal health action; it is also a condition for professionalisation of health promotion. Health promotion has meanwhile become a well recognised part of nursing. This is the reason why in this study the term "health competence", which is actually very much discussed in health sciences, is presented. This concept is knowledge based (health literacy). It is focused on the ability to read, understand and work with health information to be able to do decisions in daily life which are positive for the health. An experienced-based understanding, which focuses on the ability to feel and to perceive and which is regarded as a precondition of self care, is added to this knowledge-based understanding of "health competence". The concept for this interpretation is the "Leibkonzept" which has already been discussed as a fruitful concept in nursing science in other publications.

Communicating with patients who have advanced dementia: training nurse aide students.

PubMed

Beer, Laura E; Hutchinson, Susan R; Skala-Cordes, Kristine K

2012-01-01

The increase of dementia in older adults is changing how medical care is delivered. Recognizing symptoms of pain, managing behaviors, and providing quality of life for people who have advanced dementia requires a new skill set for caregivers. Researchers in this study targeted nurse aide students to test an educational module's effect on students' perceptions of dementia and their ability to care for patients with dementia. The results indicated the training was effective regarding nurse aides' understanding of residual cognitive abilities and need for meaningful contact among patients with advanced dementia; however, the training was not successful in terms of nurse aides' comfort level or perceived skills in working with this population of patients. The findings suggest a need to transform how caregivers are trained in communication techniques. Incorporating this training into nurse aide education has the potential to increase quality of life for people with dementia.

Body image, perceived physical ability, and motor performance in nonoverweight and overweight Italian children.

PubMed

Colella, Dario; Morano, Milena; Robazza, Claudio; Bortoli, Laura

2009-02-01

The purpose was to examine body image, perceived physical ability, and motor performance in nonoverweight (n=105, 53 boys and 52 girls) and overweight (n=105, 52 boys and 53 girls) children, ranging in age from 8 to 10 years and attending elementary schools in southeastern Italy. Body image was measured on Collins' Child Figure Drawings, while self-efficacy was assessed by the Perceived Physical Ability Scale for Children. Age-appropriate field-based tests of standing long jump, 1-kg medicine-ball throw, basketball throw, and 10-m and 20-m sprint from a standing position were also administered to gauge motor performance. Univariate analyses of variance [2 (group) x 2 (sex) x 3 (8, 9, 10 yr.)] showed that overweight children reported larger body-dissatisfaction scores, lower self-efficacy scores, and poorer performance on weight-bearing tasks than nonoverweight peers. In addition, boys had higher mean scores on physical self-efficacy and better performance on all motor tests. The correlation between Body Mass Index and body dissatisfaction was positive for boys and girls.

What drives perceived work intensity in neonatal intensive care units? Empirical evidence from a longitudinal study.

PubMed

Sülz, Sandra; Langhammer, Kristina; Becker-Peth, Michael; Roth, Bernhard

2017-10-01

To investigate the drivers of perceived work intensity among neonatal intensive care unit nurses. The consequences of high work intensity have been studied extensively, yet setting-specific drivers have received less attention. Prospective, longitudinal and monocentric study design. The study combined data from standardized diary surveys and passive observations of study nurses. Data were collected over a period of 6 months in 2015. We considered two scenarios: (1) the perception of normal work intensity relative to non-normal work intensity; and (2) the perception of high work intensity relative to non-high work intensity. Perceived work intensity was then analysed using mixed-effects probit regression models. We found that when direct and indirect care were provided more frequently than administrative and other duties were performed, the evaluated nurses perceived their work intensity to be higher. We also found that nurses who more frequently provided care for sick and preterm infants were less likely to perceive their work intensity as normal and this effect was stronger among nurses who cared for infants under mechanical ventilation than nurses who cared for infants receiving non-invasive respiratory support. In the interest of both nurses and infants and the pursuit of a reduction in perceived work intensity and the provision of better neonatal care, caution must be applied when assigning infants to nurses. Further research is needed to validate these findings using a multicentre study design. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Mere social categorization modulates identification of facial expressions of emotion.

PubMed

Young, Steven G; Hugenberg, Kurt

2010-12-01

The ability of the human face to communicate emotional states via facial expressions is well known, and past research has established the importance and universality of emotional facial expressions. However, recent evidence has revealed that facial expressions of emotion are most accurately recognized when the perceiver and expresser are from the same cultural ingroup. The current research builds on this literature and extends this work. Specifically, we find that mere social categorization, using a minimal-group paradigm, can create an ingroup emotion-identification advantage even when the culture of the target and perceiver is held constant. Follow-up experiments show that this effect is supported by differential motivation to process ingroup versus outgroup faces and that this motivational disparity leads to more configural processing of ingroup faces than of outgroup faces. Overall, the results point to distinct processing modes for ingroup and outgroup faces, resulting in differential identification accuracy for facial expressions of emotion. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved.

Residents' leadership styles and effectiveness as perceived by nurses.

PubMed

McCue, J D; Magrinat, G; Hansen, C J; Bailey, R S

1986-01-01

Although physicians are required to act as leaders in a variety of situations, leadership ability and leadership training have been largely ignored by medical educators. The leadership styles and leadership effectiveness of 17 residents in a community hospital were studied as part of a leadership training seminar. Self-ratings and ratings of the residents by nurses who had worked with them were used to assess the residents' leadership style and the nurses' perceptions of the effectiveness of those styles. Styles that emphasized relationships with co-workers (encouraging and coaching styles) predominated over low relationship-oriented styles (delegating and structuring). The nurses perceived individual residents who exhibited encouraging and coaching leadership styles as being distinctly more effective leaders than the residents who exhibited structuring and delegating styles. The residents, however, rated all four styles as similarly effective. Leadership training programs and studies of the type reported here may provide an opportunity for faculty members to help residents learn more appropriate and productive styles of leadership.

Numerical assessment affects aggression and competitive ability: a team-fighting strategy for the ant Formica xerophila.

PubMed

Tanner, Colby J

2006-11-07

The relationship between numerical advantage and competitive ability is a fundamental component in contests between groups of social animals. An individual's ability to correctly assess the numerical state of its group is of vital importance. In addition to numerical dominance, the group's fighting ability also plays an important role in competitive interactions. By staging experimental fights between two Formica ant species, I show that Formica xerophila are able to assess their own group's strength prior to any competitive encounter. Ants that perceive themselves as part of a large group act more aggressively toward a competitor than ants that perceive themselves as isolated individuals. This increase in aggression improves F. xerophila's competitive ability. Furthermore, the number of individuals in a contest was found to affect competitive ability. In contests with equal number of competitors, groups of F. xerophila were more successful than individual F. xerophila. Contrary to previous predictions using Lanchester's laws of fighting, F. xerophila's ability to kill competitors increased nonlinearly with group size. This nonlinearity was due to the collective fighting strategy of an F. xerophila group isolating and engaging a single Formica integroides competitors.

Numerical assessment affects aggression and competitive ability: a team-fighting strategy for the ant Formica xerophila

PubMed Central

Tanner, Colby J

2006-01-01

The relationship between numerical advantage and competitive ability is a fundamental component in contests between groups of social animals. An individual's ability to correctly assess the numerical state of its group is of vital importance. In addition to numerical dominance, the group's fighting ability also plays an important role in competitive interactions. By staging experimental fights between two Formica ant species, I show that Formica xerophila are able to assess their own group's strength prior to any competitive encounter. Ants that perceive themselves as part of a large group act more aggressively toward a competitor than ants that perceive themselves as isolated individuals. This increase in aggression improves F. xerophila's competitive ability. Furthermore, the number of individuals in a contest was found to affect competitive ability. In contests with equal number of competitors, groups of F. xerophila were more successful than individual F. xerophila. Contrary to previous predictions using Lanchester's laws of fighting, F. xerophila's ability to kill competitors increased nonlinearly with group size. This nonlinearity was due to the collective fighting strategy of an F. xerophila group isolating and engaging a single Formica integroides competitors. PMID:17015327

How do laboratory technicians perceive their role in the tuberculosis diagnostic process? A cross-sectional study among laboratory technicians in health centers of Central Java Province, Indonesia.

PubMed

Widjanarko, Bagoes; Widyastari, Dyah Anantalia; Martini, Martini; Ginandjar, Praba

2016-01-01

Detection of acid-fast bacilli in respiratory specimens serves as an initial pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis. Laboratories are the essential and fundamental part of all health systems. This study aimed to describe how laboratory technicians perceived their own self and work. This included perceived self-efficacy, perceived role, perceived equipment availability, perceived procedures, perceived reward and job, and perceived benefit of health education, as well as level of knowledge and attitudes related to work performance of laboratory technicians. This was a cross-sectional quantitative study involving 120 laboratory technicians conducted in Central Java. Interviews and observation were conducted to measure performance and work-related variables. Among 120 laboratory technicians, 43.3% showed fairly good performance. They complied with 50%-75% of all procedures, including sputum collection, laboratory tools utilization, sputum smearing, staining, smear examination, grading of results, and universal precaution practice. Perceived role, perceived self-efficacy, and knowledge of laboratory procedures were significantly correlated to performance, besides education and years of working as a laboratory technician. Perceived equipment availability was also significantly correlated to performance after the education variable was controlled. Most of the laboratory technicians believed that they have an important role in TB patients' treatment and should display proper self-efficacy in performing laboratory activities. The result may serve as a basic consideration to develop a policy for enhancing motivation of laboratory technicians in order to improve the TB control program.

Motion and Edge Sensitivity in Perception of Object Unity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, W. Carter; Johnson, Scott P.; Spelke, Elizabeth S.

2003-01-01

Although much evidence indicates that young infants perceive unitary objects by analyzing patterns of motion, infants' abilities to perceive object unity by analyzing Gestalt properties and by integrating distinct views of an object over time are in dispute. To address these controversies, four experiments investigated adults' and infants'…

On Older Listeners' Ability to Perceive Dynamic Pitch

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shen, Jing; Wright, Richard; Souza, Pamela E.

2016-01-01

Purpose: Natural speech comes with variation in pitch, which serves as an important cue for speech recognition. The present study investigated older listeners' dynamic pitch perception with a focus on interindividual variability. In particular, we asked whether some of the older listeners' inability to perceive dynamic pitch stems from the higher…

Standardized Patients Provide Realistic and Worthwhile Experiences for Athletic Training Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Stacy E.; Weidner, Thomas G.

2010-01-01

Context: Standardized patients are more prominently used to both teach and evaluate students' clinical skills and abilities. Objective: To investigate whether athletic training students perceived an encounter with a standardized patient (SP) as realistic and worthwhile and to determine their perceived comfort in future lower extremity evaluations…

Perceived Competence Scale for Children: Testing for Factorial Validity and Invariance across Age and Ability.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byrne, Barbara M.; Schneider, Barry H.

1988-01-01

For 241 normal and 132 gifted fifth graders and 113 normal and 117 gifted seventh graders in Ottawa (Ontario), exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses investigated the factorial validity of the Perceived Competence Scale for Children (PCSC). Overall, the PCSC demonstrated sound psychometric properties. (SLD)

Counselors' Perceived Person-Environment Fit and Career Satisfaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rehfuss, Mark C.; Gambrell, Crista E.; Meyer, Dixie

2012-01-01

This correlational study examined the relationship between career satisfaction and person-organization, demands-abilities, and needs-supplies fit with counselors (N = 464) using the Perceived Job Fit instrument (Cable & DeRue, 2002) and a scale of career satisfaction adapted from the Adult Career Concerns Inventory (Super, Thompson, Lindeman,…

Perception of Nonverbal Social Cues by Regular Education, ADHD, and ADHD/LD Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Cathy W.; Peterson, Andrea D.; Webster, Raymond E.; Bolen, Larry M.; Brown, Michael B.

1999-01-01

Study examined ability of attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) children with and without learning disability to perceive nonverbal social cues. ADHD/LD children demonstrated significant difficulty in comparison to their peers in effectively perceiving paralanguage cues. This group also showed significant improvement on the Postures and…

Development of design principles for automated systems in transport control.

PubMed

Balfe, Nora; Wilson, John R; Sharples, Sarah; Clarke, Theresa

2012-01-01

This article reports the results of a qualitative study investigating attitudes towards and opinions of an advanced automation system currently used in UK rail signalling. In-depth interviews were held with 10 users, key issues associated with automation were identified and the automation's impact on the signalling task investigated. The interview data highlighted the importance of the signallers' understanding of the automation and their (in)ability to predict its outputs. The interviews also covered the methods used by signallers to interact with and control the automation, and the perceived effects on their workload. The results indicate that despite a generally low level of understanding and ability to predict the actions of the automation system, signallers have developed largely successful coping mechanisms that enable them to use the technology effectively. These findings, along with parallel work identifying desirable attributes of automation from the literature in the area, were used to develop 12 principles of automation which can be used to help design new systems which better facilitate cooperative working. The work reported in this article was completed with the active involvement of operational rail staff who regularly use automated systems in rail signalling. The outcomes are currently being used to inform decisions on the extent and type of automation and user interfaces in future generations of rail control systems.

The interprofessional socialization and valuing scale: a tool for evaluating the shift toward collaborative care approaches in health care settings.

PubMed

King, Gillian; Shaw, Lynn; Orchard, Carole A; Miller, Stacy

2010-01-01

There is a need for tools by which to evaluate the beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes that underlie interprofessional socialization and collaborative practice in health care settings. This paper introduces the Interprofessional Socialization and Valuing Scale (ISVS), a 24-item self-report measure based on concepts in the interprofessional literature concerning shifts in beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes that underlie interprofessional socialization. The ISVS was designed to measure the degree to which transformative learning takes place, as evidenced by changed assumptions and worldviews, enhanced knowledge and skills concerning interprofessional collaborative teamwork, and shifts in values and identities. The scales of the ISVS were determined using principal components analysis. The principal components analysis revealed three scales accounting for approximately 49% of the variance in responses: (a) Self-Perceived Ability to Work with Others, (b) Value in Working with Others, and (c) Comfort in Working with Others. These empirically derived scales showed good fit with the conceptual basis of the measure. The ISVS provides insight into the abilities, values, and beliefs underlying socio-cultural aspects of collaborative and authentic interprofessional care in the workplace, and can be used to evaluate the impact of interprofessional education efforts, in house team training, and workshops.

Predictors of physical performance and functional ability in people 50+ with and without fibromyalgia.

PubMed

Jones, C Jessie; Rutledge, Dana N; Aquino, Jordan

2010-07-01

The purposes of this study were to determine whether people with and without fibromyalgia (FM) age 50 yr and above showed differences in physical performance and perceived functional ability and to determine whether age, gender, depression, and physical activity level altered the impact of FM status on these factors. Dependent variables included perceived function and 6 performance measures (multidimensional balance, aerobic endurance, overall functional mobility, lower body strength, and gait velocity-normal or fast). Independent (predictor) variables were FM status, age, gender, depression, and physical activity level. Results indicated significant differences between adults with and without FM on all physical-performance measures and perceived function. Linear-regression models showed that the contribution of significant predictors was in expected directions. All regression models were significant, accounting for 16-65% of variance in the dependent variables.

Aging and the visual perception of exocentric distance.

PubMed

Norman, J Farley; Adkins, Olivia C; Norman, Hideko F; Cox, Andrea G; Rogers, Connor E

2015-04-01

The ability of 18 younger and older adults to visually perceive exocentric distances was evaluated. The observers judged the extent of fronto-parallel and in-depth spatial intervals at a variety of viewing distances from 50cm to 164.3cm. Most of the observers perceived in-depth intervals to be significantly smaller than fronto-parallel intervals, a finding that is consistent with previous studies. While none of the individual observers' judgments of exocentric distance were accurate, the judgments of the older observers were significantly more accurate than those of the younger observers. The precision of the observers' judgments across repeated trials, however, was not affected by age. The results demonstrate that increases in age can produce significant improvements in the visual ability to perceive the magnitude of exocentric distances. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Work ability index and perceived work ability as predictors of disability pension: a prospective study among Finnish municipal employees.

PubMed

Jääskeläinen, Anne; Kausto, Johanna; Seitsamo, Jorma; Ojajärvi, Anneli; Nygård, Clas-Håkan; Arjas, Elja; Leino-Arjas, Päivi

2016-06-01

We analyzed the work ability index (WAI) and its first item (work ability score, WAS) - and subsequent four-year changes thereof - as predictors of disability pension (DP). We linked survey responses of 5251 Finnish municipal employees, aged 44-58 years, to pension and death register data until 2009. Job content (physical, mental, or mixed) was based on observation. Baseline (1981) WAI was divided into poor (<27), moderate (28-36), and good/excellent (>37) and WAS into poor (0-5), moderate (6-7), and good/excellent (8-10). Four-year changes in these scores were classified as strong decline (

Concordance between VDU-users' ratings of comfort and perceived exertion with experts' observations of workplace layout and working postures.

PubMed

Lindegård, A; Karlberg, C; Wigaeus Tornqvist, E; Toomingas, A; Hagberg, M

2005-05-01

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the concordance (agreement) between VDU-users' ratings of comfort and ergonomists' observations of workplace layout, and the concordance between VDU-users' ratings of perceived exertion and ergonomists' observations of working postures during VDU-work. The study population consisted of 853 symptom free subjects. Data on perceived comfort in different dimensions and data regarding perceived exertion in different body locations were collected by means of a questionnaire. Data concerning workplace layout and working postures were collected with an observation protocol, by an ergonomist. Concordance between ratings of comfort and observations of workplace layout was reasonably good for the chair and the keyboard (0.60, 0.58) and good regarding the screen and the input device (0.72, 0.61). Concordance between ratings of perceived exertion and observations of working postures indicated good agreement (0.63-0.77) for all measured body locations (neck, shoulder, wrist and trunk). In conclusion ratings of comfort and perceived exertion could be used as cost-efficient and user-friendly methods for practitioners to identify high exposure to poor workplace layout and poor working postures.

Predictors of Acquisition of Competitive Employment for People Enrolled in Supported Employment Programs.

PubMed

Corbière, Marc; Lecomte, Tania; Reinharz, Daniel; Kirsh, Bonnie; Goering, Paula; Menear, Matthew; Berbiche, Djamal; Genest, Karine; Goldner, Elliot M

2017-04-01

This study aims at assessing the relative contribution of employment specialist competencies working in supported employment (SE) programs and client variables in determining the likelihood of obtaining competitive employment. A total of 489 persons with a severe mental illness and 97 employment specialists working in 24 SE programs across three Canadian provinces were included in the study. Overall, 43% of the sample obtained competitive work. Both client variables and employment specialist competencies, while controlling for the quality of SE programs implementation, predicted job acquisition. Multilevel analyses further indicated that younger client age, shorter duration of unemployment, and client use of job search strategies, as well as the working alliance perceived by the employment specialist, were the strongest predictors of competitive employment for people with severe mental illness, with 51% of variance explained. For people with severe mental illness seeking employment, active job search behaviors, relational abilities, and employment specialist competencies are central contributors to acquisition of competitive employment.

The Specter of Divorce: Views From Working- and Middle-Class Cohabitors

PubMed Central

Miller, Amanda J.; Sassler, Sharon; Kusi-Appouh, Dela

2012-01-01

Young Americans increasingly express apprehension about their ability to successfully manage intimate relationships. Partially in response, cohabitation has become normative over the past few decades. Little research, however, examines social class distinctions in how emerging adults perceive challenges to sustaining intimate unions. We examine cohabitors’ views of divorce and how these color their sentiments regarding marriage. Data are from in-depth interviews with 122 working- and middle-class cohabitors. More than two thirds of respondents mentioned concerns with divorce. Working-class women, in particular, view marriage less favorably than do their male and middle-class counterparts, in part because they see marriage as hard to exit and are reluctant to assume restrictive gender roles. Middle-class cohabitors are more likely to have concrete wedding plans and believe that marriage signifies a greater commitment than does cohabitation. These differences in views of marriage and divorce may help explain the bifurcation of cohabitation outcomes among working- and middle-class cohabitors. PMID:22822285

Perceived unfairness at work, social and personal resources, and resting blood pressure.

PubMed

Ford, Michael T

2014-02-01

By drawing from theoretical perspectives suggesting that unfair conditions threaten fundamental psychological needs, perceived unfairness at work was proposed and tested as a predictor of resting blood pressure. As part of the Midlife Development in the United States Biomarkers project, participants completed questionnaires measuring perceived unfairness, self-esteem and coworker support. Resting blood pressure readings were also recorded as part of a larger physical examination. Results indicate that perceived unfairness at work was associated with higher resting diastolic and systolic blood pressure. Perceived unfairness was most strongly related to diastolic and systolic blood pressure among women with low levels of coworker support. Contrary to predictions, self-esteem did not moderate the association between perceived unfairness and blood pressure. These results suggest that high blood pressure may be a mechanism linking unfairness to negative health outcomes and point to coworker support as a moderator of the perceived unfairness-blood pressure relationship among women. Further research is needed exploring the mediating mechanisms linking unfair treatment at work to blood pressure and health. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Women (Do Not) Belong Here: Gender-Work Identity Conflict among Female Police Officers

PubMed Central

Veldman, Jenny; Meeussen, Loes; Van Laar, Colette; Phalet, Karen

2017-01-01

The current paper examines antecedents and consequences of perceiving conflict between gender and work identities in male-dominated professions. In a study among 657 employees working in 85 teams in the police force, we investigated the effect of being different from team members in terms of gender on employees’ perception that their team members see their gender identity as conflicting with their work identity. As expected in the police force as a male-dominated field, the results showed that gender-dissimilarity in the team was related to perceived gender-work identity conflict for women, and not for men. In turn, perceiving gender-work identity conflict was related to lower team identification for men and women. Although lowering team identification might enable employees to cope with conflicting social identities and hence protect the self, this may also have its costs, as lower team identification predicted higher turnover intentions, more burn-out symptoms, less extra role behavior, lower job satisfaction, lower work motivation, and lower perceived performance. Additionally, for women, experiencing support from their team members and team leader showed a trend to mitigate the relationship between gender-dissimilarity and perceived gender-work identity conflict, and a positive diversity climate was marginally related to less perceived gender-work identity conflict. The results show the importance of the team context in shaping a climate of (in)compatible identities for numerically underrepresented and historically undervalued social group members in order to hinder or protect their work outcomes. PMID:28220097

Women (Do Not) Belong Here: Gender-Work Identity Conflict among Female Police Officers.

PubMed

Veldman, Jenny; Meeussen, Loes; Van Laar, Colette; Phalet, Karen

2017-01-01

The current paper examines antecedents and consequences of perceiving conflict between gender and work identities in male-dominated professions. In a study among 657 employees working in 85 teams in the police force, we investigated the effect of being different from team members in terms of gender on employees' perception that their team members see their gender identity as conflicting with their work identity. As expected in the police force as a male-dominated field, the results showed that gender-dissimilarity in the team was related to perceived gender-work identity conflict for women, and not for men. In turn, perceiving gender-work identity conflict was related to lower team identification for men and women. Although lowering team identification might enable employees to cope with conflicting social identities and hence protect the self, this may also have its costs, as lower team identification predicted higher turnover intentions, more burn-out symptoms, less extra role behavior, lower job satisfaction, lower work motivation, and lower perceived performance. Additionally, for women, experiencing support from their team members and team leader showed a trend to mitigate the relationship between gender-dissimilarity and perceived gender-work identity conflict, and a positive diversity climate was marginally related to less perceived gender-work identity conflict. The results show the importance of the team context in shaping a climate of (in)compatible identities for numerically underrepresented and historically undervalued social group members in order to hinder or protect their work outcomes.

Differences in phonetic discrimination stem from differences in psychoacoustic abilities in learning the sounds of a second language: Evidence from ERP research

PubMed Central

Mo, Lei

2017-01-01

The scientific community has been divided as to the origin of individual differences in perceiving the sounds of a second language (L2). There are two alternative explanations: a general psychoacoustic origin vs. a speech-specific one. A previous study showed that such individual variability is linked to the perceivers’ speech-specific capabilities, rather than the perceivers’ psychoacoustic abilities. However, we assume that the selection of participants and parameters of sound stimuli might not appropriate. Therefore, we adjusted the sound stimuli and recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) from two groups of early, proficient Cantonese (L1)-Mandarin (L2) bilinguals who differed in their mastery of the Mandarin (L2) phonetic contrast /in-ing/, to explore whether the individual differences in perceiving L2 stem from participants’ ability to discriminate various pure tones (frequency, duration and pattern). To precisely measure the participants’ acoustic discrimination, mismatch negativity (MMN) elicited by the oddball paradigm was recorded in the experiment. The results showed that significant differences between good perceivers (GPs) and poor perceivers (PPs) were found in the three general acoustic conditions (frequency, duration and pattern), and the MMN amplitude for GP was significantly larger than for PP. Therefore, our results support a general psychoacoustic origin of individual variability in L2 phonetic mastery. PMID:29176886

The role of auditory and cognitive factors in understanding speech in noise by normal-hearing older listeners

PubMed Central

Schoof, Tim; Rosen, Stuart

2014-01-01

Normal-hearing older adults often experience increased difficulties understanding speech in noise. In addition, they benefit less from amplitude fluctuations in the masker. These difficulties may be attributed to an age-related auditory temporal processing deficit. However, a decline in cognitive processing likely also plays an important role. This study examined the relative contribution of declines in both auditory and cognitive processing to the speech in noise performance in older adults. Participants included older (60–72 years) and younger (19–29 years) adults with normal hearing. Speech reception thresholds (SRTs) were measured for sentences in steady-state speech-shaped noise (SS), 10-Hz sinusoidally amplitude-modulated speech-shaped noise (AM), and two-talker babble. In addition, auditory temporal processing abilities were assessed by measuring thresholds for gap, amplitude-modulation, and frequency-modulation detection. Measures of processing speed, attention, working memory, Text Reception Threshold (a visual analog of the SRT), and reading ability were also obtained. Of primary interest was the extent to which the various measures correlate with listeners' abilities to perceive speech in noise. SRTs were significantly worse for older adults in the presence of two-talker babble but not SS and AM noise. In addition, older adults showed some cognitive processing declines (working memory and processing speed) although no declines in auditory temporal processing. However, working memory and processing speed did not correlate significantly with SRTs in babble. Despite declines in cognitive processing, normal-hearing older adults do not necessarily have problems understanding speech in noise as SRTs in SS and AM noise did not differ significantly between the two groups. Moreover, while older adults had higher SRTs in two-talker babble, this could not be explained by age-related cognitive declines in working memory or processing speed. PMID:25429266

Effects of vocationally oriented medical rehabilitation for aircraft maintenance personnel--a preliminary study of long-term effects with 5-year follow-up.

PubMed

Holopainen, Kaj; Nevala, Nina; Kuronen, Pentti; Arokoski, Jari P A

2004-12-01

Changes in the physical capacity, musculoskeletal symptoms, and perceived work ability of Finnish Air Force maintenance personnel were studied after vocationally oriented medical rehabilitation (VOMR). Twenty persons with chronic musculoskeletal symptoms in their back or neck took part in VOMR courses. The measurements were carried out at the beginning of the rehabilitation course and after two follow-up periods (0.5 and 5 years). The subjects worked most of the time in a bent position and often with their backs twisted and their arms above their shoulders. The severity of low-back pain and the number of days of sick leave decreased significantly (p < 0.05-0.01) during the 5-years follow-up. Also the exercise breaks at work increased (p < 0.01). After half a year of medical rehabilitation the measured range of the cervical spine and the dynamic and endurance strength of the upper and lower extremities was greater (p < 0.05-0.001) than at the beginning of the rehabilitation. There were no statistically significant differences in the use of physical therapy, experienced work strain, physical exercise or maximal oxygen consumption during the follow-up. This is a preliminary follow-up study lasting 5 years showed some significant changes in physical capacity, musculoskeletal symptoms and work ability. However, controlled studies are needed to evaluate these preliminary findings of this kind of rehabilitation model.

Compromised encoding of proprioceptively determined joint angles in older adults: the role of working memory and attentional load.

PubMed

Goble, Daniel J; Mousigian, Marianne A; Brown, Susan H

2012-01-01

Perceiving the positions and movements of one's body segments (i.e., proprioception) is critical for movement control. However, this ability declines with older age as has been demonstrated by joint angle matching paradigms in the absence of vision. The aim of the present study was to explore the extent to which reduced working memory and attentional load influence older adult proprioceptive matching performance. Older adults with relatively HIGH versus LOW working memory ability as determined by backward digit span and healthy younger adults, performed memory-based elbow position matching with and without attentional load (i.e., counting by 3 s) during target position encoding. Even without attentional load, older adults with LOW digit spans (i.e., 4 digits or less) had larger matching errors than younger adults. Further, LOW older adults made significantly greater errors when attentional loads were present during proprioceptive target encoding as compared to both younger and older adults with HIGH digit span scores (i.e., 5 digits or greater). These results extend previous position matching results that suggested greater errors in older adults were due to degraded input signals from peripheral mechanoreceptors. Specifically, the present work highlights the role cognitive factors play in the assessment of older adult proprioceptive acuity using memory-based matching paradigms. Older adults with LOW working memory appear prone to compromised proprioceptive encoding, especially when secondary cognitive tasks must be concurrently executed. This may ultimately result in poorer performance on various activities of daily living.

The Perceived Impact of Unstable Gaps between Academic Ability and Performance on the Self-Image of Students with Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Einat, Amela

2017-01-01

Disparities among the different abilities of students with learning disabilities have attracted extensive research. The attention has largely focused on how low abilities mask good or high potential intellectual level, and the resulting frustration. Correspondingly, the literature has also concentrated on the methods of detection required to…

Cognitive Ability, Self-Assessed Intelligence and Personality: Common Genetic but Independent Environmental Aetiologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bratko, Denis; Butkovic, Ana; Vukasovic, Tena; Chamorro-Premuzic, Tomas; von Stumm, Sophie

2012-01-01

Self-perceived abilities (SPA), which play an important role in academic achievement, have been recently reported to be fully attributable to genetic and non-shared environmental influences. To replicate and extend this finding, 732 Croatian twins (15-22 years old) were assessed on cognitive ability, self-assessed intelligence (SAI), and Five…

Does a 3-week critical research appraisal course affect how students perceive their appraisal skills and the relevance of research for clinical practice? A repeated cross-sectional survey.

PubMed

Jelsness-Jørgensen, Lars-Petter

2015-01-01

Research utilisation is essential in developing evidence-based practices; although many students may be generally able to adopt such skills, there are reports of barriers related to critical appraisal skills. To explore how students perceive the relevance of research to future clinical practice and patients, and to what extent they read research (including reading pattern). Additionally, the objective was to explore whether a three-week intensive course in critical appraisal of research could affect these variables. A cross-sectional survey design, with a pre- and post-test. One large university college in Southeastern Norway. 196 multidisciplinary healthcare students at baseline and 147 after three weeks. A purposely-designed 21 item questionnaire was used to quantify students' attitudes towards using research and critical thinking. The questionnaire was based on themes emerging from prior focus group interviews with 10 nursing and social educator students as well as from the existing literature. At baseline, 6.1% and 7.1% of respondents perceived the research to be of little or very little importance for their future work and patients, respectively. Furthermore, 83.2% reported that they seldom or very seldom read scientific papers. At baseline, 40 different patterns of reading a scientific paper were identified. Additionally, 7.1% of respondents reported to read the introduction, methods and conclusion in combination. Significantly improved scores were found after completing the three-week course related to a) relevance of research for future work (p<0.01), b) self-perceived skills in critical appraisal (p<0.001), c) ability to find scientific papers (p≤0.01), and d) relevance of research for patients and users (p≤0.001). Teaching students' practical critical appraisal skills improved their view of the relevance of research for patients, future work as well as their own critical appraisal skills. Prospective studies are warranted to explore the effects of such teaching modules in the long-term. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Medical students' perceptions of a career in family medicine.

PubMed

Naimer, Sody; Press, Yan; Weissman, Charles; Zisk-Rony, Rachel Yaffa; Weiss, Yoram G; Tandeter, Howard

2018-02-12

In Israel, there is a shortage of family medicine (FM) specialists that is occasioned by a shortage of students pursuing a FM career. A questionnaire, based on methods adapted from marketing research, was used to provide insight into the medical specialty selection process. It was distributed to 6 th -year medical students from two Israeli medical schools. A response rate of 66% resulted in collecting 218 completed questionnaires. Nineteen of the students reported that they were interested in FM, 68% of them were women. When compared to students not interested in FM, the selection criteria of students interested in FM reflected greater interest in a bedside specialty which provides direct long-term patient care. These latter students were also more interested in a controllable lifestyle that allowed time to be with family and children and working outside the hospital especially during the daytime. These selection criteria aligned with their perceptions of FM, which they perceived as providing them with a controllable lifestyle, allowing them to work limited hours with time for family and having a reasonable income to lifestyle ratio. The students not interested in FM, agreed with those interested in FM, that the specialty affords a controllable lifestyle and the ability to work limited hours Yet, students not interested in FM more often perceived FM as being a boring specialty and less often perceived it as providing a reasonable income to lifestyle ratio. Additionally, students not interested in FM rated the selection criteria, academic opportunities and a prestigious specialty, more highly than did students interested in FM. However, they perceived FM as neither being prestigious nor as affording academic opportunities CONCLUSION: This study enriches our understanding of the younger generation's attitudes towards FM and thus provides administrators, department chairs and residency program directors with objective information regarding selection criteria and the students' perceptions of FM. We identified the disconnect between the selection criteria profiles and the perceptions of FM of students not inclined to pursue a residency in FM. This allowed for recommendations on how to possibly make FM more attractive to some of these students.

The relationships between perceived organizational support, affective commitment, psychological contract breach, organizational citizenship behaviour and work engagement.

PubMed

Gupta, Vishal; Agarwal, Upasna A; Khatri, Naresh

2016-11-01

This study examines the factors that mediate and moderate the relationships of perceived organizational support with work engagement and organization citizenship behaviour. Specifically, affective commitment is posited to mediate and psychological contract breach to moderate the above relationships. Nurses play a critical role in delivering exemplary health care. For nurses to perform at their best, they need to experience high engagement, which can be achieved by providing them necessary organizational support and proper working environment. Data were collected via a self-reported survey instrument. A questionnaire was administered to a random sample of 750 nurses in nine large hospitals in India during 2013-2014. Four hundred and seventy-five nurses (63%) responded to the survey. Hierarchical multiple regression was used for statistical analysis of the moderated-mediation model. Affective commitment was found to mediate the positive relationships between perceived organizational support and work outcomes (work engagement, organizational citizenship behaviour). The perception of unfulfilled expectations (psychological contract breach) was found to moderate the perceived organizational support-work outcome relationships adversely. The results of this study indicate that perceived organizational support exerts its influence on work-related outcomes and highlight the importance of taking organizational context, such as perceptions of psychological contract breach, into consideration when making sense of the influence of perceived organizational support on affective commitment, work engagement and citizenship behaviours of nurses. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Diagnosis of students' ability in a statistical course based on Rasch probabilistic outcome

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahmud, Zamalia; Ramli, Wan Syahira Wan; Sapri, Shamsiah; Ahmad, Sanizah

2017-06-01

Measuring students' ability and performance are important in assessing how well students have learned and mastered the statistical courses. Any improvement in learning will depend on the student's approaches to learning, which are relevant to some factors of learning, namely assessment methods carrying out tasks consisting of quizzes, tests, assignment and final examination. This study has attempted an alternative approach to measure students' ability in an undergraduate statistical course based on the Rasch probabilistic model. Firstly, this study aims to explore the learning outcome patterns of students in a statistics course (Applied Probability and Statistics) based on an Entrance-Exit survey. This is followed by investigating students' perceived learning ability based on four Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) and students' actual learning ability based on their final examination scores. Rasch analysis revealed that students perceived themselves as lacking the ability to understand about 95% of the statistics concepts at the beginning of the class but eventually they had a good understanding at the end of the 14 weeks class. In terms of students' performance in their final examination, their ability in understanding the topics varies at different probability values given the ability of the students and difficulty of the questions. Majority found the probability and counting rules topic to be the most difficult to learn.

Why Does Mentoring Work? The Role of Perceived Organizational Support

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baranik, Lisa E.; Roling, Elizabeth A.; Eby, Lillian T.

2010-01-01

The authors examined the mediating role of perceived organizational support in the relationship between mentoring support received and work attitudes. Perceived organizational support partly mediated the relationship between specific types of mentoring support and job satisfaction and affective organizational commitment. Specifically, sponsorship,…

A Pathway to Psychological Difficulty: Perceived Chronic Social Adversity and Its Symptomatic Reactions.

PubMed

Ding, Cody; Zhang, Jingqiu; Yang, Dong

2018-01-01

In this paper, we attempt to predict and explain psychological maladjustment or difficulty. Specifically, we discuss the concept of perceived chronic social adversity, and we expect that such perceived chronic social adversity may potentially lead to chronic stress responses. Accordingly, we propose the symptomatic reactions of perceived chronic social adversity. We put forward a set of hypotheses regarding the relationships between perceived chronic social adversity and those chronic stress responses, and we further hypothesize a mediating role of individualized negative essentialism brought by perceived chronical social adversity. Resilience and individual differences in the ability to cope with perceived adversity are discussed. Future research and prevention need to pay more attention to effects of subjective personal experiences on psychological difficulty, focusing on the importance of exploring daily social experiences in improving cognitive construction processes and developing appropriate preventions.

Older age, higher perceived disability and depressive symptoms predict the amount and severity of work-related difficulties in persons with multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Raggi, Alberto; Giovannetti, Ambra Mara; Schiavolin, Silvia; Brambilla, Laura; Brenna, Greta; Confalonieri, Paolo Agostino; Cortese, Francesca; Frangiamore, Rita; Leonardi, Matilde; Mantegazza, Renato Emilio; Moscatelli, Marco; Ponzio, Michela; Torri Clerici, Valentina; Zaratin, Paola; De Torres, Laura

2018-04-16

This cross-sectional study aims to identify the predictors of work-related difficulties in a sample of employed persons with multiple sclerosis as addressed with the Multiple Sclerosis Questionnaire for Job Difficulties. Hierarchical linear regression analysis was conducted to identify predictors of work difficulties: predictors included demographic variables (age, formal education), disease duration and severity, perceived disability and psychological variables (cognitive dysfunction, depression and anxiety). The targets were the questionnaire's overall score and its six subscales. A total of 177 participants (108 females, aged 21-63) were recruited. Age, perceived disability and depression were direct and significant predictors of the questionnaire total score, and the final model explained 43.7% of its variation. The models built on the questionnaire's subscales show that perceived disability and depression were direct and significant predictors of most of its subscales. Our results show that, among patients with multiple sclerosis, those who were older, with higher perceived disability and higher depression symptoms have more and more severe work-related difficulties. The Multiple Sclerosis Questionnaire for Job Difficulties can be fruitfully exploited to plan tailored actions to limit the likelihood of near-future job loss in persons of working age with multiple sclerosis. Implications for rehabilitation Difficulties with work are common among people with multiple sclerosis and are usually addressed in terms of unemployment or job loss. The Multiple Sclerosis Questionnaire for Job Difficulties is a disease-specific questionnaire developed to address the amount and severity of work-related difficulties. We found that work-related difficulties were associated to older age, higher perceived disability and depressive symptoms. Mental health issues and perceived disability should be consistently included in future research targeting work-related difficulties.

Physical fitness and perceived psychological pressure at work: 30-year ischemic heart disease and all-cause mortality in the Copenhagen Male Study.

PubMed

Holtermann, Andreas; Mortensen, Ole Steen; Burr, Hermann; Søgaard, Karen; Gyntelberg, Finn; Suadicani, Poul

2011-07-01

Investigate if workers with low physical fitness have an increased risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD) mortality from regular psychological work pressure. Thirty-year follow-up of 5249 middle-aged men without cardiovascular disease. Men perceiving regular psychological work pressure had no higher risk of IHD mortality than those who did not. Both among men perceiving regular and rare psychological work pressure, the physically fit had a reduced risk of IHD mortality referencing men with low physical fitness. For all-cause mortality, a stronger inverse association was found among men perceiving regular compared to rare psychological pressure at work. Physical fitness is equally important for the risk of IHD mortality among men experiencing regular and rare psychological pressure at work, but stronger associated to risk of all-cause mortality among men experiencing regular psychological pressure at work.

A neuroergonomic quasi-experiment: Predictors of situation awareness and display usability while performing complex tasks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harbour, Steven D.; Christensen, James C.

2015-05-01

Situation awareness (SA) is the ability and capacity to perceive information and act on it acceptably. Head Up Display (HUD) versus Head Down Display (HDD) manipulation induced variation in task difficulty. HUD and HDD cockpit displays or display designs promoted or impaired SA. The quantitative research presented in this paper examines basic neurocognitive factors in order to identify their specific contributions to the formation of SA, while studying display usability and the effects on SA. Visual attentiveness (Va), perceptiveness (Vp), and spatial working memory (Vswm) were assessed as predictors of SA under varying task difficulty. The study participants were 19 tactical airlift pilots, selected from the Ohio Air National Guard. Neurocognitive tests were administered to the participants prior to flight. In-flight SA was objectively and subjectively assessed for 24 flights. At the completion of this field experiment, the data were analyzed and the tests were statistically significant for the three predictor visual abilities Vp, Va, and Vswm as task difficulty was varied, F(3,11) = 8.125, p = .008. In addition, multiple regression analyses revealed that the visual abilities together predicted a majority of the variance in SA, R2 = 0.753, p = .008. As validated and verified by ECG and EEG data, the HUD yielded a full ability and capacity to anticipate and accommodate trends were as the HDD yielded a saturated ability to anticipate and accommodate trends. Post-hoc tests revealed a Cohen's f2 = 3.05 yielding statistical power to be 0.98. This work results in a significant contribution to the field by providing an improved understanding of SA and path to safer travel for society worldwide. PA 88ABW-2015-1282.

Employment and work-related issues in cancer survivors.

PubMed

Mehnert, Anja

2011-02-01

Purpose of this systematic literature review was to identify current knowledge about employment in cancer survivors. Sixty-four studies met inclusion criteria that were original papers published between 01/2000 and 11/2009. Overall, 63.5% of cancer survivors (range 24-94%) returned to work. The mean duration of absence from work was 151 days. Factors significantly associated with a greater likelihood of being employed or return to work were perceived employer accommodation, flexible working arrangements, counseling, training and rehabilitation services, younger age and cancer sites of younger individuals, higher levels of education, male gender, less physical symptoms, lower length of sick leave and continuity of care. Cancer survivors had a significantly increased risk for unemployment, early retirement and were less likely to be re-employed. Between 26% and 53% of cancer survivors lost their job or quit working over a 72-month period post diagnosis. Between 23% and 75% of patients who lost their job were re-employed. A high proportion of patients experienced at least temporary changes in work schedules, work hours, wages and a decline in work ability compared to non-cancer groups. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Working Memory Capacity is Associated with Optimal Adaptation of Response Bias to Perceptual Sensitivity in Emotion Perception

PubMed Central

Lynn, Spencer K.; Ibagon, Camila; Bui, Eric; Palitz, Sophie A.; Simon, Naomi M.; Barrett, Lisa Feldman

2017-01-01

Emotion perception, inferring the emotional state of another person, is a frequent judgment made under perceptual uncertainty (e.g., a scowling facial expression can indicate anger or concentration) and behavioral risk (e.g., incorrect judgment can be costly to the perceiver). Working memory capacity (WMC), the ability to maintain controlled processing in the face of competing demands, is an important component of many decisions. We investigated the association of WMC and anger perception in a task in which “angry” and “not angry” categories comprised overlapping ranges of scowl intensity, and correct and incorrect responses earned and lost points, respectively. Participants attempted to earn as many points as they could; adopting an optimal response bias would maximize decision utility. Participants with higher WMC more optimally tuned their anger perception response bias to accommodate their perceptual sensitivity (their ability to discriminate the categories) than did participants with lower WMC. Other factors that influence response bias (i.e., the relative base rate of angry vs. not angry faces and the decision costs & benefits) were ruled out as contributors to the WMC-bias relationship. Our results suggest that WMC optimizes emotion perception by contributing to perceivers’ ability to adjust their response bias to account for their level of perceptual sensitivity, likely an important component of adapting emotion perception to dynamic social interactions and changing circumstances. PMID:26461251

The Relationship between Supervisee Stress, Coping Resources, the Working Alliance, and the Supervisory Working Alliance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gnilka, Philip B.; Chang, Catherine Y.; Dew, Brian J.

2012-01-01

The authors examined the relationship of perceived stress, specific types of coping resources, the working alliance, and the supervisory working alliance among 232 counselor supervisees. The working alliance and the supervisory working alliance were negatively related to perceived stress and positively related to multiple coping resources. Two…

Associations between women's subjective perceptions of daily occupations and life satisfaction, and the role of perceived control.

PubMed

Håkansson, Carita; Björkelund, Cecilia; Eklund, Mona

2011-12-01

More knowledge is needed about the role of perceived control in the associations between different perceptions of daily occupations and positive health outcomes. The aim was to explore the associations between different subjective perceptions of daily occupations, in terms of occupational balance, occupational meaning, occupational value and satisfaction with occupations, and life satisfaction, and the role of perceived control in those associations. A questionnaire including questions about perceptions of daily occupations, perceived control and life satisfaction were answered by a random sample of 488 middle-aged Swedish women. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to test the associations between perceptions of daily occupations and life satisfaction, and the role of perceived control. After adjustments for perceived control women who perceived a high level of satisfaction with work and leisure, occupational balance, occupational meaning and occupational value perceived greater life satisfaction than the other women. Perceived control was not significant in the model. It seems that occupational balance and occupational meaning were pivotal for the women's life satisfaction, but satisfaction with work and leisure, as well as perceived occupational value, was also of importance. The assumption that perceived control would have a role in the association between perceptions of occupations and life satisfaction was not confirmed. The results indicate that occupational therapists need to focus on occupational balance, occupational meaning, occupational value and satisfaction with work and leisure to promote positive health outcomes, in terms of life satisfaction, when working with middle-aged female clients. © 2011 The Authors. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal © 2011 Occupational Therapy Australia.

How do laboratory technicians perceive their role in the tuberculosis diagnostic process? A cross-sectional study among laboratory technicians in health centers of Central Java Province, Indonesia

PubMed Central

Widjanarko, Bagoes; Widyastari, Dyah Anantalia; Martini, Martini; Ginandjar, Praba

2016-01-01

Purpose Detection of acid-fast bacilli in respiratory specimens serves as an initial pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis. Laboratories are the essential and fundamental part of all health systems. This study aimed to describe how laboratory technicians perceived their own self and work. This included perceived self-efficacy, perceived role, perceived equipment availability, perceived procedures, perceived reward and job, and perceived benefit of health education, as well as level of knowledge and attitudes related to work performance of laboratory technicians. Methods This was a cross-sectional quantitative study involving 120 laboratory technicians conducted in Central Java. Interviews and observation were conducted to measure performance and work-related variables. Results Among 120 laboratory technicians, 43.3% showed fairly good performance. They complied with 50%–75% of all procedures, including sputum collection, laboratory tools utilization, sputum smearing, staining, smear examination, grading of results, and universal precaution practice. Perceived role, perceived self-efficacy, and knowledge of laboratory procedures were significantly correlated to performance, besides education and years of working as a laboratory technician. Perceived equipment availability was also significantly correlated to performance after the education variable was controlled. Conclusion Most of the laboratory technicians believed that they have an important role in TB patients’ treatment and should display proper self-efficacy in performing laboratory activities. The result may serve as a basic consideration to develop a policy for enhancing motivation of laboratory technicians in order to improve the TB control program. PMID:27660502

Independent Coactors May Improve Performance and Lower Workload: Viewing Vigilance Under Social Facilitation.

PubMed

Claypoole, Victoria L; Szalma, James L

2018-04-01

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of an independent coactor on vigilance task performance. It was hypothesized that the presence of an independent coactor would improve performance in terms of the proportion of false alarms while also increasing perceived workload and stress. Vigilance, or the ability to maintain attention for extended periods, is of great interest to human factors psychologists. Substantial work has focused on improving vigilance task performance, typically through motivational interventions. Of interest to vigilance researchers is the application of social facilitation as a means of enhancing vigilance. Social facilitation seeks to explain how social presence may improve performance. A total of 100 participants completed a 24-min vigil either alone or in the presence of an independent (confederate) coactor. Participants completed measures of perceived workload and stress. The results indicated that performance (i.e., proportion of false alarms) was improved for those who completed the vigil in the presence of an independent coactor. Interestingly, perceived workload was actually lower for those who completed the vigil in the presence of an independent coactor, although perceived stress was not affected by the manipulation. Authors of future research should extend these findings to other forms of social facilitation and examine vigilance task performance in social contexts in order to determine the utility of social presence for improving vigilance. The use of coactors may be an avenue for organizations to consider utilizing to improve performance because of its relative cost-effectiveness and easy implementation.

Performance of a core of transversal skills: self-perceptions of undergraduate medical students.

PubMed

Ribeiro, Laura; Severo, Milton; Ferreira, Maria Amélia

2016-01-15

There is an increasingly growing trend towards integrating scientific research training into undergraduate medical education. Communication, research and organisational/learning skills are core competences acquired by scientific research activity. The aim of this study was to assess the perceived performance of a core of transversal skills, related with scientific research, by Portuguese medical students. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 611 Portuguese students attending the first, fourth and sixth years of the medical course, during the same academic year. A validated questionnaire was applied for this purpose. Medical students felt confident regarding the majority of the analyzed transversal skills, particularly regarding team work capacity (72.7% perceived their own capacity as good). On the other hand, the perceived ability to manage information technology, time and to search literature was classified only as sufficient by many of them. The progression over the medical course and participation in research activities were associated with an increasing odds of a good perceived performance of skills such as writing skills (research activity: OR = 2.00; 95% CI: 1.34-2.97) and English proficiency (research activity: OR = 1.59; 95% CI: 1.06-2.38/final year medical students: OR = 3.63; 95% CI: 2.42-5.45). In this line, the early exposure to research activities along undergraduate medical education is an added value for students and the implementation of an integrated research program on medical curriculum should be considered.

Young offenders' perspectives on their literacy and communication skills.

PubMed

Hopkins, Thomas; Clegg, Judy; Stackhouse, Joy

2016-01-01

Research has revealed that the youth offending population has low language ability when assessed on standardized language measures. However, little is known about the perceptions young offenders (YOs) have of their own literacy ability and their communicative interactions with others. Such knowledge might further our understanding of the possible association between language, literacy and offending behaviour. This study investigates the perceptions and experiences YOs have of using literacy and communicating with others. It addresses the following questions. How satisfied are YOs with their own literacy and communication skills and how important do YOs perceive these to be? How much do YOs believe they understand others in their communicative interactions? How satisfied are YOs with their communicative interactions with others and how does this influence conflict at home, school, and in the youth justice system? An opportunity sample of 31 YOs on court orders were recruited from a local youth offending service, excluding any who did not have English as a first language or were in receipt of current speech and language therapy provision. Twenty-six qualitative individual semi-structured interviews and two focus group interviews were carried out and analysed using a framework analysis method. Themes revealed participants were dissatisfied with their communication and literacy ability. Other themes identified were difficulty in understanding others, a perceived lack of support and respect gained from others, and a negative impact of communication on self-esteem. The findings suggest that YOs often found themselves in disputes with authority figures, but that they avoided using positive communication to solve such conflicts and also avoided confiding in others. The findings support the results found from quantitative research on the language abilities of YOs. This emphasizes the value in adopting qualitative methodology to understand the relationship between literacy, communication skills and offending behaviour in YOs. The findings highlight a need for increased language, literacy and communication training, and support for YOs, and for the staff who work alongside them. © 2015 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Weight Status, Parent Reaction, and Self-Concept in Five-Year-Old Girls

PubMed Central

Davison, Kirsten Krahnstoever; Birch, Leann Lipps

2008-01-01

Objective This study examined the relationship between weight status and self-concept in a sample of preschool-aged girls and whether parental concern about child overweight or restriction of access to food are associated with negative self-evaluations among girls. Method Participants were 197 5-year-old girls and their parents. Girls’ weight status (weight for height percentile) was calculated based on height and weight measurements. Girls’ self-concept was assessed using an individually administered questionnaire. Parents’ concern about their child’s weight status and restriction of their child’s access to food were assessed using a self-report questionnaire. Results Girls with higher weight status reported lower body esteem and lower perceived cognitive ability than did girls with lower weight status. Independent of girl’s weight status, higher paternal concern about child overweight was associated with lower perceived physical ability among girls; higher maternal concern about child overweight was associated with lower perceived physical and cognitive ability among girls. Finally, higher maternal restriction of girls’ access to foods was associated with lower perceived physical and cognitive ability among girls with higher weight status but not among girls with lower weight status. Conclusions At least as early as age 5 years, lower self-concept is noted among girls with higher weight status. In addition, parents’ concern about their child’s weight status and restriction of access to food are associated with negative self-evaluations among girls. Public health programs that raise parental awareness of childhood overweight without also providing constructive and blame-free alternatives for addressing child weight problems may be detrimental to children’s mental health. PMID:11134433

Factors relating to the perceived management of emergency situations: a survey of former Advanced Life Support course participants' clinical experiences.

PubMed

Rasmussen, Maria B; Tolsgaard, Martin G; Dieckmann, Peter; Issenberg, S Barry; Ostergaard, Doris; Søreide, Eldar; Rosenberg, Jens; Ringsted, Charlotte V

2014-12-01

This study explored individual, team, and setting factors associated with the quality of management of in-hospital emergency situations experienced by former Advanced Life Support (ALS) course participants. This study was a survey of former ALS course participants' long-term experience of management of in-hospital, emergency situations. The survey was carried out in 2012 in Denmark and Norway. A questionnaire was send to 526 potential responders and (281/479 × 100) 58.7% responded. The results demonstrated that 75% of the emergency situations were perceived as "managed well". In general, the responders' confidence in being ALS providers was high, mean 4.3 (SD 0.8), scale 1-5. Significant differences between the perceived "well" and "not well" managed situations were found for all questions, p<0.001. The largest differences related to perception of co-workers' ability to apply ALS principles, the team atmosphere and communication. Responders' ratings of quality of management of emergency situations increased with intensity of setting. However, the 'clinical setting' was rated significantly lower as attributor to ability to apply ALS principles compared to 'co-workers familiarity with ALS principles', 'own confidence as ALS-provider' and 'own social/inter-personal skills'. The results of this survey emphasise that ALS providers' perceived ability to apply ALS skills were substantially affected by teamwork skills and co-workers' skills. Team related factors associated with successful outcome were related to clear role distribution, clear inter-personal communication and attentive listening, as well as respectful behaviour and positive team atmosphere. Although intensity of setting was attributed to ability to apply ALS principles, this did not affect management of emergency situations to the same extent as individual and team factors. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Infant Perception of Atypical Speech Signals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vouloumanos, Athena; Gelfand, Hanna M.

2013-01-01

The ability to decode atypical and degraded speech signals as intelligible is a hallmark of speech perception. Human adults can perceive sounds as speech even when they are generated by a variety of nonhuman sources including computers and parrots. We examined how infants perceive the speech-like vocalizations of a parrot. Further, we examined how…

EFL Learners' Perceived Use of Conversation Maintenance Strategies during Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication with Native English Speakers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ino, Atsushi

2014-01-01

This study investigated the perceived use of conversation maintenance strategies during synchronous computer-mediated communication with native English speakers. I also correlated the relationships of the strategies used with students' speaking ability and comprehensive proficiency level. The research questions were: (1) how were the learners'…

The Effect of Behavioral Commitment and Ability Discrepancy on Attitudinal Persistence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DasGupta, Bikram; Liang, Ann

1988-01-01

Manipulated behavioral commitment and negative task discrepancy to observe effects on attitudinal persistence on feminist issues and perceived threat of trivia test score. Results indicated that non-active feminists (N=20) perceived greater threat from discrepant test score than did active feminists (N=20) and showed greater agreement to feminist…

Learned Helplessness: Perceived Effects of Ability and Effort on Academic Performance Among EH and LD/EH Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luchow, Jed P.; And Others

The Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Questionnaire, which measures perceived locus of control of academic outcomes, was administered to 28 emotionally handicapped (EH) and 25 learning disabled (LD)/EH children. Between group comparison revealed that EH children took significantly more personal responsibility for academic failure than did…

Children Perceive Speech Onsets by Ear and Eye

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jerger, Susan; Damian, Markus F.; Tye-Murrey, Nancy; Abdi, Herve

2017-01-01

Adults use vision to perceive low-fidelity speech; yet how children acquire this ability is not well understood. The literature indicates that children show reduced sensitivity to visual speech from kindergarten to adolescence. We hypothesized that this pattern reflects the effects of complex tasks and a growth period with harder-to-utilize…

Loneliness and life satisfaction of boys with developmental coordination disorder: the impact of leisure participation and perceived freedom in leisure.

PubMed

Poulsen, Anne A; Ziviani, Jenny M; Johnson, Helen; Cuskelly, Monica

2008-04-01

A theoretical model linking motor ability with perceived freedom in leisure, participation in team sports, loneliness, and global life satisfaction was tested using linear confirmatory path analysis. Participants were 173 boys aged 10-13 years who filled in self-report questionnaires about perceived freedom in leisure, loneliness, and global life satisfaction. Parents of boys completed 7-day diaries and 12-month retrospective recall questionnaires about their son's leisure-time activity participation. Results of path analyses confirmed that the fit of the hypothetical model was consistent with predictions. The inferred direct pathways of influence between both total loneliness and global life satisfaction on motor ability were in the expected directions (i.e., inverse and positive relationships, respectively). Perceived Freedom in Leisure (PFL) and participation in team sports were two intermediate variables indirectly influencing these relationships. Although PFL was identified as a motivational process influencing participation levels in team sports it was noted that other psychological and environmental factors must also be considered when evaluating child-activity-environment fit for boys with developmental coordination disorder.

People with low back pain perceive needs for non-biomedical services in workplace, financial, social and household domains: a systematic review.

PubMed

Chou, Louisa; Cicuttini, Flavia M; Urquhart, Donna M; Anthony, Shane N; Sullivan, Kaye; Seneviwickrama, Maheeka; Briggs, Andrew M; Wluka, Anita E

2018-04-01

What needs of non-biomedical services are perceived by people with low back pain? Systematic review of qualitative and quantitative studies examining perceived needs of non-biomedical services for low back pain, identified through searching of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and PsycINFO (1990 to 2016). Adults with low back pain of any duration. Descriptive data regarding study design and methodology were extracted. The preferences, expectations and satisfaction with non-biomedical services reported by people with low back pain were identified and categorised within areas of perceived need. Twenty studies (19 qualitative and one quantitative) involving 522 unique participants (total pool of 590) were included in this systematic review. Four areas emerged. Workplace: people with low back pain experience pressure to return to work despite difficulties with the demands of their occupation. They want their employers to be informed about low back pain and they desire workplace accommodations. Financial: people with low back pain want financial support, but have concerns about the inefficiencies of compensation systems and the stigma associated with financial remuneration. Social: people with low back pain report feeling disconnected from social networks and want back-specific social support. Household: people with low back pain report difficulties with household duties; however, there are few data regarding their need for auxiliary devices and domestic help. People with low back pain identified work place, financial and social pressures, and difficulties with household duties as areas of need beyond their healthcare requirements that affect their ability to comply with management of their condition. Consideration of such needs may inform physiotherapists, the wider health system, social networks and the workplace to provide more relevant and effective services. [Chou L, Cicuttini FM, Urquhart DM, Anthony SN, Sullivan K, Seneviwickrama M, Briggs AM, Wluka AE (2018) People with low back pain perceive needs for non-biomedical services in workplace, financial, social and household domains: a systematic review. Journal of Physiotherapy 64: 74-83]. Copyright © 2018 Australian Physiotherapy Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Emotional intelligence in the workplace: exploring its effects on occupational stress and health outcomes in human service workers.

PubMed

Ogińska-Bulik, Nina

2005-01-01

Emotional intelligence, an essential factor responsible for determining success in life and psychological well-being, seems to play an important role in shaping the interaction between individuals and their work environment. The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between emotional intelligence and perceived stress in the workplace and health-related consequences in human service workers. A sample of 330 participants (42.4% of men and 57.6% of women), representing various human service professions (physicians, nurses, teachers, probation officers and managers) was eligible for the study. The mean age of the participants was 38.4 years (SD = 8.45), and the employment period was 8.3 years (SD = 6.13). Three methods were used in the study: The Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire--INTE with Polish modification, the Subjective Work Evaluation Questionnaire developed in Poland, and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) with Polish modification. The results confirmed an essential, but not very strong, role of emotional intelligence in perceiving occupational stress and preventing employees of human services from negative health outcomes. The ability to effectively deal with emotions and emotional information in the workplace assists employees in coping with occupational stress therefore, it should be developed in stress managing trainings.

Nature Contacts: Employee Wellness in Healthcare.

PubMed

Trau, Deborah; Keenan, Kimberly A; Goforth, Meggan; Large, Vernon

2016-04-01

This study was designed to ascertain the amount of outdoor, indoor, and indirect nature contact exposures hospital employees have in a workweek. Hospital employees have been found particularly vulnerable to work-related stress. Increasing the nature contact exposure for hospital employees can reduce perceived stress; stress-related health behaviors; and stress-related health outcomes from outdoor, indoor, and indirect exposures to nature. Staff on the fourth floor postsurgical unit of a large hospital (N = 42) were ask to participate in an employee questionnaire "nature contact questionnaire". This 16-item nature environment questionnaire measures the amount and types of nature contact exposures employees have during a workweek. Majority of employees reported few, if any, nature contact exposures, specifically in the area of outdoor nature contacts with limited indoor and indirect contacts. These results indicated that employees on the fourth floor postsurgical floor have limited ability to reduce stress through nature contact exposures which could impact their perceived levels of work stress and stress-related behaviors and health outcomes. Nature contact exposures are both a relatively easy and an inexpensive way to improve employee stress. These findings indicate limitations to employees' exposure to nature contacts. Healthcare environments would benefit from a concerted effort to provide increased outdoor, indoor, and indirect nature contact exposures for employees. © The Author(s) 2015.

Discrimination, acculturation, acculturative stress, and Latino psychological distress: a moderated mediational model.

PubMed

Torres, Lucas; Driscoll, Mark W; Voell, Maria

2012-01-01

Prior research has found that perceived discrimination is associated with adverse mental health outcomes among Latinos. However, the process by which this relationship occurs remains an understudied area. The present study investigated the role of acculturative stress in underlying the relationship between perceived discrimination and Latino psychological distress. Also examined was the ability of acculturation to serve as a moderator between perceived discrimination and acculturative stress. Among a sample of Latino adults (N = 669), moderated mediational analyses revealed that acculturative stress mediated the perceived discrimination-psychological distress relationship, and that the link between perceived discrimination and acculturative stress was moderated by Anglo behavioral orientation but not Latino behavioral orientation. The findings are discussed within a stress and coping perspective that identifies the psychological consequences associated with perceived discrimination and acculturative stress.

Citizens advice in primary care: a qualitative study of the views and experiences of service users and staff.

PubMed

Burrows, J; Baxter, S; Baird, W; Hirst, J; Goyder, E

2011-10-01

To examine the views and experiences of staff and users of Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) services located in general practice, and to identify key factors perceived as contributing to the intervention's effectiveness. A qualitative study in an urban and rural primary care setting in the UK. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews (n = 22) with primary care and practice staff, CAB advisors and 12 service users. Key positive service features reported by all groups were: the confidential, non-stigmatizing and familiar environment of a general practitioner's (GP) surgery; the ability to make appointments and experienced advisor availability and continuity. Outcomes for service users were described as financial gain, managed debt, and beneficial social and mental health impacts. Perceived staff benefits were appropriate referral and better use of GP consultation time. Welfare advice in primary care has financial benefits and was perceived by participants to offer health and other benefits to patients and staff. However, while perceptions of gain from the intervention were evident, demonstration of measurable health improvement and well-being presents challenges. Further empirical work is needed in order to explore these complex cause-effect links and the cost-effectiveness of the intervention. Copyright © 2011 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fight fire with fire: the effect of perceived anger on punitive intuitions.

PubMed

Côté-Lussier, Carolyn

2013-12-01

The human ability to "mind-read" is fundamental in social interaction (e.g., contributing to the experience of empathy). The present research tests the hypothesis that perceiving anger in others on the basis of facial cues is sufficient to elicit very rapid punitive responses toward crime. The results suggest that individuals are faster to harshly punish criminals who appear to be angry, and that this effect emerges early in the decision-making process. Black criminals receive quicker punitive responses, but the effect of ethnicity is weakened at high levels of perceived anger. The results are discussed in terms of associative processes linking anger to punishment, the human ability to simulate and experience others' emotional responses, and the role of anger in eliciting hostile aggression. The findings also have important policy implications, as they suggest that drumming up anger toward crime could engender punitive intuitions.

An evaluation of methods for scaling aircraft noise perception

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ollerhead, J. B.

1971-01-01

One hundred and twenty recorded sounds, including jets, turboprops, piston engined aircraft and helicopters were rated by a panel of subjects in a paired comparison test. The results were analyzed to evaluate a number of noise rating procedures in terms of their ability to accurately estimate both relative and absolute perceived noise levels. It was found that the complex procedures developed by Stevens, Zwicker and Kryter are superior to other scales. The main advantage of these methods over the more convenient weighted sound pressure level scales lies in their ability to cope with signals over a wide range of bandwidth. However, Stevens' loudness level scale and the perceived noise level scale both overestimate the growth of perceived level with intensity because of an apparent deficiency in the band level summation rule. A simple correction is proposed which will enable these scales to properly account for the experimental observations.

Local implementation of the Essence of Care benchmarks.

PubMed

Jones, Sue

To understand clinical practice benchmarking from the perspective of nurses working in a large acute NHS trust and to determine whether the nurses perceived that their commitment to Essence of Care led to improvements in care, the factors that influenced their role in the process and the organisational factors that influenced benchmarking. An ethnographic case study approach was adopted. Six themes emerged from the data. Two organisational issues emerged: leadership and the values and/or culture of the organisation. The findings suggested that the leadership ability of the Essence of Care link nurses and the value placed on this work by the organisation were key to the success of benchmarking. A model for successful implementation of the Essence of Care is proposed based on the findings of this study, which lends itself to testing by other organisations.

The relation between working memory capacity and auditory lateralization in children with auditory processing disorders.

PubMed

Moossavi, Abdollah; Mehrkian, Saiedeh; Lotfi, Yones; Faghihzadeh, Soghrat; sajedi, Hamed

2014-11-01

Auditory processing disorder (APD) describes a complex and heterogeneous disorder characterized by poor speech perception, especially in noisy environments. APD may be responsible for a range of sensory processing deficits associated with learning difficulties. There is no general consensus about the nature of APD and how the disorder should be assessed or managed. This study assessed the effect of cognition abilities (working memory capacity) on sound lateralization in children with auditory processing disorders, in order to determine how "auditory cognition" interacts with APD. The participants in this cross-sectional comparative study were 20 typically developing and 17 children with a diagnosed auditory processing disorder (9-11 years old). Sound lateralization abilities investigated using inter-aural time (ITD) differences and inter-aural intensity (IID) differences with two stimuli (high pass and low pass noise) in nine perceived positions. Working memory capacity was evaluated using the non-word repetition, and forward and backward digits span tasks. Linear regression was employed to measure the degree of association between working memory capacity and localization tests between the two groups. Children in the APD group had consistently lower scores than typically developing subjects in lateralization and working memory capacity measures. The results showed working memory capacity had significantly negative correlation with ITD errors especially with high pass noise stimulus but not with IID errors in APD children. The study highlights the impact of working memory capacity on auditory lateralization. The finding of this research indicates that the extent to which working memory influences auditory processing depend on the type of auditory processing and the nature of stimulus/listening situation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pink triangles: antecedents and consequences of perceived workplace discrimination against gay and lesbian employees.

PubMed

Ragins, B R; Cornwell, J M

2001-12-01

A model of perceived sexual orientation discrimination was tested in a national sample of 534 gay and lesbian employees. The effects of legislation, organizational policies and practices, and work group composition on perceived sexual orientation discrimination were examined, as well as the attitudinal and organizational outcomes associated with discrimination. Gay employees were more likely to report discrimination when employed in groups that were primarily heterosexual and in organizations that lacked supportive policies and were not covered by protective legislation. Disclosure of sexual orientation at work was related to discrimination and antecedent variables. Perceived discrimination was associated with negative work attitudes and fewer promotions. Organizational policies and practices had the strongest impact on perceived discrimination and were directly related to outcomes.

The Relationship between Chinese High School Students' Implicit Theories of Ability in Sports and Perceived Enjoyment in Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhao, Qi; Li, Weidong

2016-01-01

According to theory, students' implicit theories of ability can affect their motivation and engagement in physical education (PE). Limited research has been conducted to examine the relationships between implicit theories of ability and motivation and engagement among K-12 students in PE. Our study examined the relationship between implicit…

An Investigation of the Relationship between Reading Disabilities and Oral Syntax and the Temporal Aspects of that Relationship.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dumas, Marsha Rose

Fifteen eight- and nine-year-old boys with reading disabilities and 15 with normal reading ability participated in a study of the relationships among reading disabilities, oral syntax, and temporal functioning ability (sequencing and the ability to perceive relationships in time). Each subject was given an individual battery of tests which…

Leadership Advisory Boards in Texas: Their Perceived Ability and Utilization as the Visioning Body for Program Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ripley, Jeff P.; Cummings, Scott R.; Lockett, Landry L.

2012-01-01

The ability of Leadership Advisory Boards within Texas AgriLife Extension Service to function as the primary visioning/needs assessment source is paramount to maintaining the grassroots connection for programs. The study reported here sought to measure the self-perceptions of members' ability to meet the demand associated with this role. The study…

Should Physicians Have Facial Piercings?

PubMed Central

Newman, Alison W; Wright, Seth W; Wrenn, Keith D; Bernard, Aline

2005-01-01

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to assess attitudes of patrons and medical school faculty about physicians with nontraditional facial piercings. We also examined whether a piercing affected the perceived competency and trustworthiness of physicians. DESIGN Survey. SETTING Teaching hospital in the southeastern United States. PARTICIPANTS Emergency department patrons and medical school faculty physicians. INTERVENTIONS First, patrons were shown photographs of models with a nontraditional piercing and asked about the appropriateness for a physician or medical student. In the second phase, patrons blinded to the purpose of the study were shown identical photographs of physician models with or without piercings and asked about competency and trustworthiness. The third phase was an assessment of attitudes of faculty regarding piercings. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Nose and lip piercings were felt to be appropriate for a physician by 24% and 22% of patrons, respectively. Perceived competency and trustworthiness of models with these types of piercings were also negatively affected. An earring in a male was felt to be appropriate by 35% of patrons, but an earring on male models did not negatively affect perceived competency or trustworthiness. Nose and eyebrow piercings were felt to be appropriate by only 7% and 5% of faculty physicians and working with a physician or student with a nose or eyebrow piercing would bother 58% and 59% of faculty, respectively. An ear piercing in a male was felt to be appropriate by 20% of faculty, and 25% stated it would bother them to work with a male physician or student with an ear piercing. CONCLUSIONS Many patrons and physicians feel that some types of nontraditional piercings are inappropriate attire for physicians, and some piercings negatively affect perceived competency and trustworthiness. Health care providers should understand that attire may affect a patient's opinion about their abilities and possibly erode confidence in them as a clinician. PMID:15836523

Employee stress management: An examination of adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies on employee health.

PubMed

Holton, M Kim; Barry, Adam E; Chaney, J Don

2015-01-01

Employees commonly report feeling stressed at work. Examine how employees cope with work and personal stress, whether their coping strategies are adaptive (protective to health) or maladaptive (detrimental to health), and if the manner in which employees cope with stress influences perceived stress management. In this cross-sectional study, a random sample of 2,500 full-time university non-student employees (i.e. faculty, salaried professionals, and hourly non-professionals) were surveyed on health related behaviors including stress and coping. Approximately 1,277 completed the survey (51% ). Hierarchical logistic regression was used to assess the ability of adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies to predict self-reported stress management, while controlling for multiple demographic variables. Over half of employees surveyed reported effective stress management. Most frequently used adaptive coping strategies were communication with friend/family member and exercise, while most frequently used maladaptive coping strategies were drinking alcohol and eating more than usual. Both adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies made significant (p < 0.05) contributions to predicting employee's perceived stress management. Only adaptive coping strategies (B = 0.265) predicted whether someone would self-identify as effectively managing stress. Use of maladaptive coping strategies decreased likelihood of self-reporting effective stress management. Actual coping strategies employed may influence employees' perceived stress management. Adaptive coping strategies may be more influential than maladaptive coping strategies on perceived stress management. Results illustrate themes for effective workplace stress management programs. Stress management programs focused on increasing use of adaptive coping may have a greater impact on employee stress management than those focused on decreasing use of maladaptive coping. Coping is not only a reaction to stressful experiences but also a consequence of coping resources. Thereby increasing the availability of resources in the workplace to facilitate the use of adaptive coping strategies is necessary for successful stress management and, ultimately, healthier employees.

Relationship of nurses' intrapersonal characteristics with work performance and caring behaviors: A cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Geyer, Nelouise-Marié; Coetzee, Siedine K; Ellis, Suria M; Uys, Leana R

2018-02-28

This study aimed to describe intrapersonal characteristics (professional values, personality, empathy, and job involvement), work performance as perceived by nurses, and caring behaviors as perceived by patients, and to examine the relationships among these variables. A cross-sectional design was employed. A sample was recruited of 218 nurses and 116 patients in four private hospitals and four public hospitals. Data were collected using self-report measures. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, hierarchical linear modelling, correlations, and structural equation modeling. Nurses perceived their work performance to be of high quality. Among the intrapersonal characteristics, nurses had high scores for professional values, and moderately high scores for personality, empathy and job involvement. Patients perceived nurses' caring behaviors as moderately high. Professional values of nurses were the only selected intrapersonal characteristic with a statistically significant positive relationship, of practical importance, with work performance as perceived by nurses and with caring behaviors as perceived by patients at ward level. Managers can enhance nurses' work performance and caring behaviors through provision of in-service training that focuses on development of professional values. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

The effects of gender composition on women's experience in math work groups.

PubMed

Grover, Sarah S; Ito, Tiffany A; Park, Bernadette

2017-06-01

The present studies tested a model outlining the effects of group gender composition on self- and others' perceptions of women's math ability in a truly interactive setting with groups composed entirely of naïve participants (N = 158 4-person groups across 3 studies). One woman in each group was designated to be the "expert" by having her complete a tutorial that gave her task-relevant knowledge for a subsequent group task. Group gender composition was hypothesized to influence perceptions of women's math ability through intrapersonal processes (stereotype threat effects on performance) and interpersonal processes (social cohesion between the expert and other group members). Group composition affected the experts' performance in the group math task, but importantly, it also affected their social cohesion with group members. Moreover, both of these effects-lowered performance and poorer social cohesion in male-dominated groups-made independent contributions in accounting for group gender composition effects on perceptions of women's math ability (Studies 1 and 2). Boundary conditions were examined in a 3rd study. Women who had a history of excelling in math and had chosen a math-intensive STEM major were selected to be the designated experts. We predicted and found this would be sufficient to eliminate the effect of group gender composition on interpersonal processes, and correspondingly the effect on women's perceived math ability. Interestingly (and consistent with past work on stereotype threat effects among highly domain-identified individuals), there were continued performance differences indicative of effects on intrapersonal processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Meeting the challenge of new fatherhood during the early weeks.

PubMed

St John, Winsome; Cameron, Catherine; McVeigh, Carol

2005-01-01

To explore new/subsequent Australian fathers' perspectives on the experiences, processes, and life changes in the early weeks of fatherhood. Interpretive study using in-depth interviews and grounded theory analysis techniques, based on a symbolic interactionist framework. Participants were recruited from the postnatal wards of a major public hospital, early discharge program, and early childhood centers in southeast Queensland, Australia. Eighteen first-time/subsequent fathers interviewed 6 to 12 weeks after the birth. Although rewarding, fathers found new or expanding fatherhood to be a significant challenge and time of change. Major themes included making a commitment, taking responsibility, negotiating responsibilities, developing and maintaining relationships, maintaining family integrity, balancing activities, and perceiving the self as father. Work had a major impact on fathers' ability to participate with their family and newborn. To manage, fathers sought to balance the demands of work and home, deal with stressors, manage their time, develop routines, and reprioritize. Fathers developed a sense of themselves as fathers over time, building confidence and deriving satisfaction from their fathering role. A range of competing factors affected fathers' ability to participate in the home with their newborn in the early weeks after birth.

Relationship between leadership styles of hospital pharmacists and perceptions of work-unit effectiveness.

PubMed

Bennett, C R; Grussing, P G; Hutchinson, R A; Stewart, J E

1988-08-01

Relationships between hospital pharmacists' perceptions of their own and their immediate supervisors' leadership styles and their perceptions of the effectiveness of their work units were examined. Pharmacists practicing in 12 large Chicago-area hospitals were asked to complete a four-part questionnaire that consisted of demographic questions, the LEADSelf instrument, the LEADOther instrument, and a measure of perceived work unit effectiveness. Respondents' primary, secondary, and combination leadership styles and their degree of style adaptability were determined and compared with the primary, secondary, and combination leadership styles and style adaptability of their immediate supervisors and with their perceptions of the effectiveness of their work units. Pharmacists involved in providing clinical or drug information services and pharmacists responsible for purchasing activities perceived their work units to be most and least effective, respectively. Most respondents perceived their primary leadership style to be high task-high relationship, but only 32% perceived their immediate supervisors to exhibit this style. Pharmacists who perceived their immediate supervisors to have high relationship leadership styles (based on primary and combination style classifications) had significantly more favorable perceptions of the effectiveness of their work units than did pharmacists who perceived their supervisors to exhibit low relationship styles. Respondents' perceptions of their supervisors' style adaptability were positively and significantly correlated with their perceptions of work-unit effectiveness. Respondents who thought their supervisors' leadership styles were more adaptable than their own had the most favorable perceptions of work-unit effectiveness.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The importance of autonomy support and the mediating role of work motivation for well-being: testing self-determination theory in a Chinese work organisation.

PubMed

Nie, Youyan; Chua, Bee Leng; Yeung, Alexander Seeshing; Ryan, Richard M; Chan, Wai Yen

2015-08-01

We examine relations between perceived organisational autonomy support and different types of work motivation and well-being outcomes in 266 teachers from two government schools in China. We hypothesised that greater autonomy support would be associated with more autonomous forms of employee motivation, and that teacher motivation would in turn mediate the effects of autonomy support on indicators of work well-being (i.e., job satisfaction, work stress and physical ill symptoms). Results generally supported the hypothesised relations between perceived autonomy support and SDT's five types of motivations. Findings also showed that perceived autonomy support predicted job satisfaction directly and indirectly through the mediating roles of intrinsic motivation, identified regulation, introjected regulation and external regulation. Perceived autonomy support predicted work stress directly and indirectly through the mediating roles of external regulation and amotivation. Autonomy support also predicted illness symptoms via the mediating roles of intrinsic motivation, introjected regulation and amotivation. The current findings highlight how perceived organisational support for autonomy relates to motivational differences in a Chinese work context, and the potential relevance of autonomy support for employee well-being. © 2014 International Union of Psychological Science.

Toward a Conceptualization of Perceived Work-Family Fit and Balance: A Demands and Resources Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Voydanoff, Patricia

2005-01-01

Using person-environment fit theory, this article formulates a conceptual model that links work, family, and boundary-spanning demands and resources to work and family role performance and quality. Linking mechanisms include 2 dimensions of perceived work-family fit (work demands--family resources fit and family demands--work resources fit) and a…

Links among high-performance work environment, service quality, and customer satisfaction: an extension to the healthcare sector.

PubMed

Scotti, Dennis J; Harmon, Joel; Behson, Scott J

2007-01-01

Healthcare managers must deliver high-quality patient services that generate highly satisfied and loyal customers. In this article, we examine how a high-involvement approach to the work environment of healthcare employees may lead to exceptional service quality, satisfied patients, and ultimately to loyal customers. Specifically, we investigate the chain of events through which high-performance work systems (HPWS) and customer orientation influence employee and customer perceptions of service quality and patient satisfaction in a national sample of 113 Veterans Health Administration ambulatory care centers. We present a conceptual model for linking work environment to customer satisfaction and test this model using structural equations modeling. The results suggest that (1) HPWS is linked to employee perceptions of their ability to deliver high-quality customer service, both directly and through their perceptions of customer orientation; (2) employee perceptions of customer service are linked to customer perceptions of high-quality service; and (3) perceived service quality is linked with customer satisfaction. Theoretical and practical implications of our findings, including suggestions of how healthcare managers can implement changes to their work environments, are discussed.

Medical students' perceptions of bedside teaching.

PubMed

Gray, David; Cozar, Octavian; Lefroy, Janet

2017-06-01

Bedside teaching is recognised as a valuable tool in medical education by both students and faculty members. Bedside teaching is frequently delivered by consultants; however, junior doctors are increasingly engaging in this form of clinical teaching, and their value in this respect is becoming more widely recognised. The aim of this study was to supplement work completed by previous authors who have begun to explore students' satisfaction with bedside teaching, and their perceptions of the relationship with the clinical teachers. Specifically, we aimed to identify how students perceive bedside teaching delivered by junior doctors compared with consultants. We aimed to identify how students perceived bedside teaching delivered by junior doctors compared with consultants METHODS: A questionnaire was distributed to all third-year medical students at Keele University via e-mail. Responses were submitted anonymously. Forty-six students responded (37.4%), 73.3 per cent of whom said that they felt more comfortable having bedside teaching delivered by junior doctors than by consultants. Consultants were perceived as more challenging by 60 per cent of respondents. Students appeared to value feedback on their performance, trust the validity of taught information, and to value the overall educational experience equally, regardless of the clinical grade of the teacher. Student preference does not equate to the value that they place on their bedside teaching. Junior doctors are perceived as being more in touch with students and the curriculum, whereas consultants are perceived as having higher expectations and as being both stricter and more knowledgeable. The clinical teacher's approachable manner and enthusiasm for teaching are more important than clinical grade, as is the ability to deliver well-structured constructive feedback. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Sport participation influences perceptions of mate characteristics.

PubMed

Schulte-Hostedde, Albrecht I; Eys, Mark A; Emond, Michael; Buzdon, Michael

2012-02-22

Sport provides a context in which mate choice can be facilitated by the display of athletic prowess. Previous work has shown that, for females, team sport athletes are more desirable as mates than individual sport athletes and non-participants. In the present study, the perceptions of males and females were examined regarding potential mates based on sport participation. It was predicted that team sport athletes would be more positively perceived than individual sport athletes and non-participants by both males and females. A questionnaire, a photograph, and manipulated descriptions were used to gauge perceptual differences with respect to team sport athletes, individual sport athletes, and extra-curricular club participants for 125 females and 119 males from a Canadian university. Both team and individual sport athletes were perceived as being less lazy, more competitive, and healthier than non-participants by both males and females. Interestingly, females perceived male athletes as more promiscuous than non-athletes, which upholds predictions based on previous research indicating (a) athletes have more sexual partners than non-athletes, and (b) females find athletes more desirable as partners than non-participants. Surprisingly, only males perceived female team sport athletes as more dependable than non-participants, and both team and individual sport athletes as more ambitious. This raises questions regarding the initial hypothesis that male team athletes would be perceived positively by females because of qualities such as the ability to cooperate, likeability, and the acceptance of responsibilities necessary for group functioning. Future studies should examine similar questions with a larger sample size that encompasses multiple contexts, taking into account the role of the social profile of sport in relation to mate choice and perception.

Unprotected anal intercourse behavior and intention among male sex workers in Shenzhen serving cross-boundary male clients coming from Hong Kong, China - prevalence and associated factors.

PubMed

Lau, Joseph T F; Cai, Wende; Tsui, Hi Yi; Chen, Lin; Cheng, Jinquan; Lin, Chunqing; Gu, Jing; Hao, Chun

2012-01-01

The HIV epidemic among men who have sex with men (MSM) in China is becoming very serious. Unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) among MSM during cross-boundary commercial sex spread HIV across geographic areas. This study interviewed 186 Chinese male sex workers (MSW) in Shenzhen, China, serving cross-boundary Hong Kong male clients; 49.5% had had UAI with their Hong Kong male clients (last six months) and 24.2% intended to do so (future six months). Multivariate analyses showed that perceived efficacy of condom use for HIV prevention, perceived prevalence of HIV among Hong Kong MSM (>4%), and perceived ability to convince Hong Kong male clients to use condoms during anal sex were associated with lower likelihoods of UAI with such clients (OR = 0.04-0.09); the reverse was true for those who left the decision of condom use to their Hong Kong male clients (OR = 6.44). Perceived condom efficacy, self-efficacy in protection against HIV infection, and perceived control over condom use were associated with an intention for UAI (OR = 0.06-80.44). Adjusting for background variables, the scales representing contextual (Clients Characteristics, Substance Use, or Environmental Influences) and affective factors (Fear of Diseases) were associated with UAI (adjusted OR = 0.44-32.61). Except the Fear of Diseases scale, other scales were associated with an intention for UAI (adjusted OR = 4.59-43.32). MSW are at high risk of HIV transmission. Various factors are associated with UAI with male cross-boundary clients; these factors and the context of sex work need to be considered when designing HIV prevention programs.

Assessing the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities of Public Health Professionals in Big City Governmental Health Departments.

PubMed

McGinty, Meghan D; Castrucci, Brian C; Rios, Debra M

2017-12-13

To identify essential knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) for and characterize gaps in KSAs of professionals working in large, urban health departments. A survey was disseminated to potentially eligible supervisors within 26 of 28 health departments in the largest, most urban jurisdictions in the country. A supervisor was eligible to participate if he or she supervised at least 1 staff member whose highest level of education was a master's degree. A total of 645 eligible supervisors participated in the workforce survey for a response rate of 27.1% and cooperation rate of 55.2%. Supervisors were asked to rate the importance of KSAs to their masters-level staffs' work and indicate their staffs' proficiency. Fifty-eight percent of supervisors reported supervising staff with a master of public health/master of science in public health degree. More than 30% of supervisors indicated that all of the 30 KSAs were essential. Four of the top 10 KSAs rated as essential by supervisors pertained to the ability to communicate. The top skills gaps perceived by supervisors were professional staffs' ability to apply quality improvement concepts to their work (38.0%), understanding of the political system (37.7%), and ability to anticipate changes (33.8%). Public health practitioners receive training in methods, theories, and evidence-based approaches, yet further investment in the workforce is necessary to advance population health. A focus should be placed developing strategic skills rather than advancing narrow specialties. Findings from this research can guide the creation and implementation of training curricula and professional development programs offered within local health departments or targeted to their staff, as well as satisfaction of accreditation requirements. By focusing on building strategic skills, we can ensure a public health workforce that is equipped with the KSAs necessary to practice Public Health 3.0 and leaders who are able to serve as their communities' chief health strategists.This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CCBY-NC-ND), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal.

A Pathway to Psychological Difficulty: Perceived Chronic Social Adversity and Its Symptomatic Reactions

PubMed Central

Ding, Cody; Zhang, Jingqiu; Yang, Dong

2018-01-01

In this paper, we attempt to predict and explain psychological maladjustment or difficulty. Specifically, we discuss the concept of perceived chronic social adversity, and we expect that such perceived chronic social adversity may potentially lead to chronic stress responses. Accordingly, we propose the symptomatic reactions of perceived chronic social adversity. We put forward a set of hypotheses regarding the relationships between perceived chronic social adversity and those chronic stress responses, and we further hypothesize a mediating role of individualized negative essentialism brought by perceived chronical social adversity. Resilience and individual differences in the ability to cope with perceived adversity are discussed. Future research and prevention need to pay more attention to effects of subjective personal experiences on psychological difficulty, focusing on the importance of exploring daily social experiences in improving cognitive construction processes and developing appropriate preventions. PMID:29755394

Empowerment variables for rehabilitation clients on perceived beliefs concerning work quality of life domains.

PubMed

Tschopp, Molly K; Frain, Michael P; Bishop, Malachy

2009-01-01

This article describes and presents an initial analysis of variables generally associated with empowerment towards perceived beliefs concerning quality of life work domains for individuals with disabilities. The model examines the domains of importance, satisfaction, control and degree of interference of disability that an individual feels towards work. The internet based study used results from 70 individuals with disabilities in varying aspects of work. The variables composing empowerment that correlated strongly with the work domains include: self-advocacy, self-efficacy, perceived stigma, and family resiliency as measured through coping. Quality of Life concerning work was measured through the DSC-C a domain specific QOL instrument.

Action-specific effects underwater.

PubMed

Witt, Jessica K; Schuck, Donald M; Taylor, J Eric T

2011-01-01

Action-specific effects on perception are apparent in terrestrial environments. For example, targets that require more effort to walk, jump, or throw to look farther away than when the targets require less effort. Here, we examined whether action-specific effects would generalize to an underwater environment. Instead, perception might be geometrically precise, rather than action-specific, in an environment that is novel from an evolutionary perspective. We manipulated ease to swim by giving participants swimming flippers or taking them away. Those who estimated distance while wearing the flippers judged underwater targets to be closer than did participants who had taken them off. In addition, participants with better swimming ability judged the targets to be closer than did those with worse swimming ability. These results suggest perceived distance underwater is a function of the perceiver's ability to swim to the targets.

Mathematical (Dis)abilities Within the Opportunity-Propensity Model: The Choice of Math Test Matters

PubMed Central

Baten, Elke; Desoete, Annemie

2018-01-01

This study examined individual differences in mathematics learning by combining antecedent (A), opportunity (O), and propensity (P) indicators within the Opportunity-Propensity Model. Although there is already some evidence for this model based on secondary datasets, there currently is no primary data available that simultaneously takes into account A, O, and P factors in children with and without Mathematical Learning Disabilities (MLD). Therefore, the mathematical abilities of 114 school-aged children (grade 3 till 6) with and without MLD were analyzed and combined with information retrieved from standardized tests and questionnaires. Results indicated significant differences in personality, motivation, temperament, subjective well-being, self-esteem, self-perceived competence, and parental aspirations when comparing children with and without MLD. In addition, A, O, and P factors were found to underlie mathematical abilities and disabilities. For the A factors, parental aspirations explained about half of the variance in fact retrieval speed in children without MLD, and SES was especially involved in the prediction of procedural accuracy in general. Teachers’ experience contributed as O factor and explained about 6% of the variance in mathematical abilities. P indicators explained between 52 and 69% of the variance, with especially intelligence as overall significant predictor. Indirect effects pointed towards the interrelatedness of the predictors and the value of including A, O, and P indicators in a comprehensive model. The role parental aspirations played in fact retrieval speed was partially mediated through the self-perceived competence of the children, whereas the effect of SES on procedural accuracy was partially mediated through intelligence in children of both groups and through working memory capacity in children with MLD. Moreover, in line with the componential structure of mathematics, our findings were dependent on the math task used. Different A, O, and P indicators seemed to be important for fact retrieval speed compared to procedural accuracy. Also, mathematical development type (MLD or typical development) mattered since some A, O, and P factors were predictive for MLD only and the other way around. Practical implications of these findings and recommendations for future research on MLD and on individual differences in mathematical abilities are provided. PMID:29867645

Mathematical (Dis)abilities Within the Opportunity-Propensity Model: The Choice of Math Test Matters.

PubMed

Baten, Elke; Desoete, Annemie

2018-01-01

This study examined individual differences in mathematics learning by combining antecedent (A), opportunity (O), and propensity (P) indicators within the Opportunity-Propensity Model. Although there is already some evidence for this model based on secondary datasets, there currently is no primary data available that simultaneously takes into account A, O, and P factors in children with and without Mathematical Learning Disabilities (MLD). Therefore, the mathematical abilities of 114 school-aged children (grade 3 till 6) with and without MLD were analyzed and combined with information retrieved from standardized tests and questionnaires. Results indicated significant differences in personality, motivation, temperament, subjective well-being, self-esteem, self-perceived competence, and parental aspirations when comparing children with and without MLD. In addition, A, O, and P factors were found to underlie mathematical abilities and disabilities. For the A factors, parental aspirations explained about half of the variance in fact retrieval speed in children without MLD, and SES was especially involved in the prediction of procedural accuracy in general. Teachers' experience contributed as O factor and explained about 6% of the variance in mathematical abilities. P indicators explained between 52 and 69% of the variance, with especially intelligence as overall significant predictor. Indirect effects pointed towards the interrelatedness of the predictors and the value of including A, O, and P indicators in a comprehensive model. The role parental aspirations played in fact retrieval speed was partially mediated through the self-perceived competence of the children, whereas the effect of SES on procedural accuracy was partially mediated through intelligence in children of both groups and through working memory capacity in children with MLD. Moreover, in line with the componential structure of mathematics, our findings were dependent on the math task used. Different A, O, and P indicators seemed to be important for fact retrieval speed compared to procedural accuracy. Also, mathematical development type (MLD or typical development) mattered since some A, O, and P factors were predictive for MLD only and the other way around. Practical implications of these findings and recommendations for future research on MLD and on individual differences in mathematical abilities are provided.

Striving for balance between family and work demands among Iranian nurses.

PubMed

Lagerström, Monica; Josephson, Malin; Arsalani, Narges; Fallahi-Khoshknab, Masoud

2010-04-01

The study reported here explored Iranian nurses' experience of managing work and family roles. Grounded theory method guided the data collection and data analysis from both individual and focus group interviews. Five categories emerged: family role, working conditions, seeking support, perceiving dissatisfaction, and perceiving threats to health. The core concept that emerged was striving for balance between family and work demands. In the work-family role the Iranian nurses faced significant pressures, and they mostly relied on their own capabilities to create balance, often neglecting their own needs. This resulted in perceived dissatisfaction and health threats.

Effects of sex composition by class and instructor's sex on physical self-efficacy of college men.

PubMed

Gibbons, E S; Rust, D M; Blassingame, C L; Reed, J L

2000-02-01

The relationship of sex composition of class and instructor's sex to Physical Self-efficacy has yielded conflicting results in several studies. This study examined the relationship of sex composition of class and instructor's sex to scores on Physical Self-efficacy, Perceived Physical Ability, and Physical Self-presentation Confidence of 80 male students enrolled in one of four sections of a strength training class. Analysis indicated no significant difference on Physical Self-efficacy between male students who were enrolled in all male classes or in coeducational classes; improvements in scores on Physical Self-efficacy were not specific to the sex composition of the class or sex of the instructor and no significant difference on Perceived Physical Ability and Physical Self-presentation Confidence between male students who joined an all male class or a coeducational class. Perceived Physical Ability improved from the pretest to the posttest in all classes; and no improvement in scores for Physical Self-presentation Confidence was found in all classes. In conclusion, the analysis showed sex composition of the class and sex of the instructor were not significantly related to scores for self-efficacy.

Perceived bullying among Norwegian doctors in 1993, 2004 and 2014–2015: a study based on cross-sectional and repeated surveys

PubMed Central

Rosta, Judith; Aasland, Olaf G

2018-01-01

Objectives To examine 12-month prevalence of perceived bullying at work for doctors in different job categories and medical disciplines in 1993, 2004 and 2014–2015, and personality traits, work-related and health-related factors associated with perceived workplace bullying. Design Cross-sectional questionnaire surveys in 1993, 2004 and 2014–2015 where the 2004 and the 2012–2015 samples are partly overlapping. Setting Norway. Participants Response rates were 72.8% (2628/3608) in 1993, 67% (1004/1499) in 2004 and 78.2% (1261/1612) in 2014–2015. 485 doctors responded both in 2004 and 2014–2015. Outcome measure Perceived bullying at work from colleagues or superiors at least a few times a month during the last year. Results Between the samples from 1993, 2004 and 2014–2015, there were no significant differences in the prevalence of perceived bullying at work. More senior hospital doctors and surgeons reported being bullied. Doctors with higher scores on the personality trait neuroticism were more likely to perceive bullying, as were female doctors, doctors with poor job satisfaction and poor self-rated health. Conclusions The fraction of doctors who experienced bullying at work was stable over a 20-year period. Psychological, psychosocial and cultural factors are predictors of perceived bullying. PMID:29431127

SUPERVISORS' TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND BULLYING IN THE WORKPLACE.

PubMed

Dussault, Marc; Frenette, Éric

2015-12-01

The study tests the relationship between supervisors' transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership and perceived bullying in the workplace. Transformational and transactional leaders can create conditions that make bullying at work less frequent but laissez-faire leadership may cause conflict that can result in bullying. The participants were 288 adults (122 women, 164 men; M age = 38.9 yr., SD = 11.7; M tenure = 7.2 yr.) employed across several organizations. Of the participants, 53.2% were contacted during an evening class in organizational behavior, and the others were workers from a waterproofing company. Scales measuring perceived leadership of a supervisor and perceived bullying at work were administered. Supervisor's transformational and transactional leadership were negatively related to work-related bullying, person-related bullying, and physically intimidating bullying. Transactional leadership was also negatively related to Work-related bullying, perceived Person-related bullying, and perceived Physically intimidating bullying. Supervisor's laissez-faire leadership was positively related to Work-related bullying, perceived Person-related bullying, and perceived Physically intimidating bullying. The use of Bass's model of transformational leadership in relation with the three-factor structure of the Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised is unique in research on leadership and bullying. The relationship between laissez-faire leadership and leadership support results from previous studies: transactional or transformational leadership is likely to provide an environment that makes bullying more rare than under a negative or passive leadership.

Social support and performance anxiety of college music students.

PubMed

Schneider, Erin; Chesky, Kris

2011-09-01

This study characterized perceived social support and performance anxiety of college music students, compared characteristics to those of non-music majors, and explored the relationships between social support and performance anxiety. Subjects (n = 609) completed a questionnaire that included demographics, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and visual analog scale measures of performance anxiety. Results showed that music majors perceived significantly lower levels of social support from significant others when compared to non-music majors. Perceived social support was significantly correlated with measures of performance anxiety. Students with greater perceived social support reported less frequent anxiety and lower levels of impact of anxiety on ability to perform. These findings may have practical implications for schools of music and conservatories.

The Relationship between Work Engagement Behavior and Perceived Organizational Support and Organizational Climate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Köse, Akif

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between work engagement and perceived organizational support and organizational climate. The present study, in which quantitative methods have been used, is carried out in the relational screening model. Perceived organizational support scale, organizational climate scale, and work…

Barriers to avoiding fast-food consumption in an environment supportive of unhealthy eating.

PubMed

Thornton, Lukar E; Jeffery, Robert W; Crawford, David A

2013-12-01

To investigate factors (ability, motivation and the environment) that act as barriers to limiting fast-food consumption in women who live in an environment that is supportive of poor eating habits. Cross-sectional study using self-reports of individual-level data and objectively measured environmental data. Multilevel logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with frequency of fast-food consumption. Socio-economically disadvantaged areas in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. Women (n 932) from thirty-two socio-economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods living within 3 km of six or more fast-food restaurants. Women were randomly sampled in 2007–2008 as part of baseline data collection for the Resilience for Eating and Activity Despite Inequality (READI) study. Consuming low amounts of fast food was less likely in women with lower perceived ability to shop for and cook healthy foods, lower frequency of family dining, lower family support for healthy eating, more women acquaintances who eat fast food regularly and who lived further from the nearest supermarket. When modelled with the other significant factors, a lower perceived shopping ability, mid levels of family support and living further from the nearest supermarket remained significant. Among those who did not perceive fruits and vegetables to be of high quality, less frequent fast-food consumption was further reduced for those with the lowest confidence in their shopping ability. Interventions designed to improve women's ability and opportunities to shop for healthy foods may be of value in making those who live in high-risk environments better able to eat healthily.

Applicability of the CIELAB and CIEDE2000 Formulae for Detection of Colour Changes in Colour-Changeable Chewing Gum for Evaluating Masticatory Function

PubMed Central

Yeerken, Yesiboli; Said, Mohamed; Li, Na; Taniguchi, Hisashi

2017-01-01

Introduction Mastication is one of the essential stomatognathic functions and is impaired when mandibulectomy is performed for removal of head and neck lesions. Aim The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between perceived chewing ability {Masticatory Score (MS)} and objective mixing ability (∆E) in patients who had undergone marginal mandibulectomy. Materials and Methods Twenty normal dentate subjects as control group and twenty mandibulectomy patients who had undergone marginal mandibulectomy and wearing a dentomaxillary prosthesis were enrolled. Perceived chewing ability MS and objective ∆E were evaluated using a food intake questionnaire and the colour-changeable chewing gum, respectively. They were instructed to chew the gum continuously for 100 strokes on their usual side. The chewed gum was measured using the CIELAB colour space defined by a colourimeter and L, a* and b* were obtained. The change in colour of the gum after chewing was calculated using CIELAB (∆Eab) and the CIEDE2000 (∆E00) formula. The relationships of a*, ∆Eab, and ∆E00 with MS score were analyzed using the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. Results A correlation was found between perceived chewing ability (MS) and objective mixing ability (index of the masticatory function {∆E}) in marginal mandibulectomy patients. (∆E00 = 0.481, a* = 0.587, ∆Eab = 0.668). Conclusion Within the limitations of this study, it can be concluded that the CIEDE2000 formula for calculation of colour difference can be used to evaluate masticatory function in patients who have undergone marginal mandibulectomy. PMID:28571278

A pilot study of rhythm and timing training as a supplement to occupational therapy in stroke rehabilitation.

PubMed

Hill, Valerie; Dunn, Leah; Dunning, Kari; Page, Stephen J

2011-01-01

Stroke is the leading cause of disability. A need exists for an effective intervention to enhance upper extremity (UE) motor abilities and activities of daily living (ADL) performance. The objectives of this pilot study were to (1) determine the feasibility of adding Interactive Metronome (IM) to an occupational therapy (OT) program; and (2) determine changes in UE impairments, function, quality of life, and perceived physical performance ability and satisfaction using a combined IM + OT regimen compared with OT alone for adults with chronic stroke. This pilot study (n=10) used a 2-group (OT or IM+OT) pretest-posttest design. The intervention involved 60 minutes of IM + OT or OT alone, 3 days a week for 10 weeks. Outcome measures included the UE Fugl-Meyer (impairment), the Arm Motor Ability Test (function), the Box and Block Test (function), Stroke Impact Scale (quality of life), and the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (perceived performance ability and satisfaction). It was feasible to add IM to OT. The IM+OT group demonstrated decreased impairment and increased quality of life. However, the OT-alone group demonstrated greater gains in function, perceived physical performance ability, and satisfaction. These findings suggest that rhythm and timing training using the IM is a feasible intervention to consider as part of therapy treatment. However, IM may fit best for prefunctional treatment, as it seemed to primarily decrease impairment. It may also serve as a supplement before or after treatment in order to maximize rehabilitation potential. Clinical implications and suggestions for future studies are provided.

The Relationship between Social-Emotional Learning Ability and Perceived Social Support in Gifted Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ogurlu, Üzeyir; Sevgi-Yalin, Hatun; Yavuz-Birben, Fazilet

2018-01-01

This study aimed to examine the relationship between social-emotional learning skills and perceived social support of gifted students. Based on this relationship, the authors also examined to what extent social and emotional learning skills were predictive of social support. In addition, gender variables were compared in social and emotional…

The Impacts of a National Internship Program on Interns' Perceived Leadership, Critical Thinking, and Communication Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duncan, Dennis W.; Birdsong, Victoria; Fuhrman, Nicholas; Borron, Abigail

2017-01-01

At perhaps all levels of education, strong leadership skills are often equated with the ability to engage in critical thinking, and effective oral and written communication. The purpose of this study was to identify the self-perceived expansion of animal health interns' leadership, critical thinking and communication competencies using the…

Development of a Tool to Assess Resident Physicians' Perceived Competence for Patient-Centered Obesity Counseling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burton, Amy M.; Brezausek, Carl M.; Hendricks, Peter S.; Agne, April A.; Hankins, Shirley L.; Cherrington, Andrea L.

2015-01-01

Physicians report a number of barriers to obesity counseling, among them low perceived competence in the ability to counsel. While there is increasing recognition of the need for resident training on counseling, implementation requires residency programs to have the necessary curricula and tools to evaluate training effectiveness. This study's…

Center Stage: Humiliation, Being Found Out, and the Myth of Supercompetence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson-Nathe, Ben

2008-01-01

Youth workers operate within a professional climate in which competence is perceived to be linked to a worker's ability to respond quickly and effectively to whatever situations clients may present. Many youth workers perceive their own inability to respond in moments of stuckness as indicative of their own failing and lack of professional skill.…

Profiles of Turkish Pre-Service Teachers of English in Terms of Language Learning Background

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uztosun, Mehmet Sercan

2017-01-01

This study aims to describe the language learning backgrounds of Turkish pre-service teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) with reference to their perceived language competence and satisfaction with perceived speaking ability. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through a questionnaire that was administered to 365 first-year…

Variant and Invariant Predictors of Perceived Popularity across Majority-Black and Majority-White Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meisinger, E. B.; Blake, J. J.; Lease, A. M.; Palardy, G. J.; Olejnik, S. F.

2007-01-01

Behavioral descriptors were identified as variant or invariant predictors of perceived popularity in a sample of 516 fourth, fifth, and sixth grade children located in 26 majority-Black or majority-White classrooms. Athletic ability, prosocial behavior, being "cool", social withdrawal, and "personal privilege" (i.e., having a lot of expensive…

Perceived reachability in hemispace.

PubMed

Gabbard, Carl; Ammar, Diala; Rodrigues, Luis

2005-07-01

A common observation in studies of perceived (imagined) compared to actual movement in a reaching paradigm is the tendency to overestimate. Of the studies noted, reaching tasks have been presented in the general midline range. In the present study, strong right-handers were asked to judge the reachability of visual targets projected onto a table surface at midline, right- (RVF), and left-visual fields (LVF). Midline results support those of previous studies, showing an overestimation bias. In contrast, participants revealed the tendency to underestimate their reachability in RVF and LVF. These findings are discussed from the perspective of actor 'confidence' (a cognitive state) possibly associated with visual information, perceived ability, and perceived task demands.

How comparable are children and adults in perceiving an optimal tempo for music? (L).

PubMed

Quinn, Sandra; O'Hare, Oona; Riby, Deborah M

2012-05-01

This research compared the abilities of children and adults to perceive an optimal tempo for pieces of music. Participants heard eight melodies played at a range of tempi and made a 2AFC of "too fast" or "too slow" for each presentation. Children (aged between 5 to 11 years) and adults (aged between 17 to 54 years) showed the same variation in perceived optimal tempi across melodies. The same variation in optimal tempi was also observed when pitch variations were removed. This suggests that the rhythmical structure was responsible for the perceived optimal tempi for these pieces of music.

Student-Perceived Mothers' and Fathers' Beliefs, Mathematics and English Motivations, and Career Choices.

PubMed

Lazarides, Rebecca; Watt, Helen M G

2017-12-01

According to Eccles and Jacobs' (1986) parent socialization model, parents' gendered ability and value beliefs influence girls' and boys' interpretations of those beliefs, and hence students' domain-specific valuing of tasks and competence beliefs and subsequent career plans. Studies have rarely analyzed how both student-perceived mothers' and fathers' beliefs affect girls' and boys' task values, success expectancies, and career plans across domains. This study analyzed survey data of 459 students (262 boys) assessed through Grades 9, 10, and 11 from three coeducational secondary schools in Sydney, Australia. Longitudinal structural equation models revealed gendered value transmission pathways for girls in mathematics. Although mathematics test scores did not vary statistically significantly, girls reported statistically significantly lower mothers' ability beliefs for them in mathematics than boys at Time 1, which led to their statistically significantly lower mathematics intrinsic value at Time 2 and mathematics-related career plans at Time 3. Such gendered pathways did not occur in English. Matched same-gender effects and gendered pathways in parent socialization processes were evident; perceived mothers' value beliefs were more strongly related to girls' than boys' importance values in English. Student-perceived fathers' ability beliefs positively predicted boys', not girls', importance value in mathematics. Implications for educational practice emphasize the need to target girls' and boys' interest when aiming to enhance their mathematical career motivations. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Research on Adolescence © 2017 Society for Research on Adolescence.

Work and the Perceived Quality of Life. A Final Report.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-12-01

The experience of work has the potential to substantially influence the perceived quality of life (pQL). The goal of this research program was to...Job satisfaction, life satisfaction, quality of life , quality of work life, unemployment, work-family conflict, job involvement, family involvement, job importance.

Discrimination, Acculturation, Acculturative Stress, and Latino Psychological Distress: A Moderated Mediational Model

PubMed Central

Torres, Lucas; Driscoll, Mark W.; Voell, Maria

2012-01-01

Prior research has found that perceived discrimination is associated with adverse mental health outcomes among Latinos. However, the process by which this relationship occurs remains an understudied area. The present study investigated the role of acculturative stress in underlying the relationship between perceived discrimination and Latino psychological distress. Also examined was the ability of acculturation to serve as a moderator between perceived discrimination and acculturative stress. Among a sample of Latino adults (N=669), moderated mediational analyses revealed that acculturative stress mediated the perceived discrimination-psychological distress relationship, and that the link between perceived discrimination and acculturative stress was moderated by Anglo behavioral orientation but not Latino behavioral orientation. The findings are discussed within a stress and coping perspective that identifies the psychological consequences associated with perceived discrimination and acculturative stress. PMID:22250895

Perceived Risk of Avian Influenza and Urbanization in Northern Vietnam.

PubMed

Finucane, Melissa L; Tuyen, Nghiem; Saksena, Sumeet; Spencer, James H; Fox, Jefferson M; Lam, Nguyen; Thau, Trinh Dinh; Vien, Tran Duc; Lewis, Nancy Davis

2017-03-01

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is an important public health concern because of potential for widespread morbidity and mortality in humans and poultry and associated devastating economic losses. We examined how perceptions of the risk of HPAI in poultry vary across communes/wards in the north of Vietnam at different levels of urbanization (rural, peri-urban, urban). Analyses of questionnaire responses from 1081 poultry raisers suggested that the perceived risk of HPAI in poultry was highest in peri-urban and rural settings. We also found that perceived risk was higher when respondents rated settings in which they did not live and that the process of change is related to perceived risk. Compared with others, respondents in peri-urban areas reported less disease management planning; respondents in rural areas reported less ability to separate infected poultry. These findings are consistent with, and add to, the limited previous research on the perceived risk of HPAI in poultry in developing countries. What is new in the present findings is that we describe how urbanization is related to people's perceptions of and ability to respond appropriately to variations in their environment. In particular, the inability to respond is not necessarily because of an inability to perceive change. Rather, rapid and extensive change poses different challenges for poultry management as communes move from rural to peri-urban to urban settings. Our results suggest that health promotion campaigns should address the perceptions and needs of poultry raisers in different settings.

Person-organization fit and turnover intention: exploring the mediating effect of work engagement and the moderating effect of demand-ability fit.

PubMed

Peng, Jui-Chen; Lee, Yin-Ling; Tseng, Mei-Man

2014-03-01

Person-organization (P-O) fit is an important influencing factor on the intentions and attitudes of hospital nurses. The authors used a motivation-mechanism approach to conceptualize work engagement as a mediator and demand-ability (D-A) fit as a moderator to elicit the role of P-O fit in the turnover intention of nurses. This article explores whether the work engagement of nurses mediates the relationship between P-O fit and turnover intention and examines whether D-A fit moderates this relationship. The sample comprised 349 nurses working for two regional hospitals in Yilan County, Taiwan. Linear regression modeling analysis was conducted to test the proposed hypotheses. Results indicate that P-O fit has a negative effect on participant turnover intention. In addition, the work engagement of participants was found to mediate the impact of P-O fit on turnover intention. A new significant interactive relationship was discovered such that high D-A fit strengthened the negative relationship between P-O fit and turnover intention. The work engagement of professional nurses has attracted increasing attention in the literature on fit, particularly with regard to the linkage between P-O and fit-turnover intention. This study enhances the understanding of the function of P-O fit by considering perceived D-A fit. Nurse turnover is the main reason for the current shortage of nurses in Taiwan. Therefore, if the cognitive values of nurses and the organizational culture fit with hospital value systems, common values may facilitate a higher degree of nurse work engagement and, in turn, decrease turnover intention. In addition, recruiting employees with high D-A fit may help hospitals enhance the negative relationship between P-O fit and nurse turnover intention.

Difference between Leisure and Work Contexts: The Roles of Perceived Enjoyment and Perceived Usefulness in Predicting Mobile Video Calling Use Acceptance

PubMed Central

Zhou, Ronggang; Feng, Caihong

2017-01-01

There is a rapidly growing body of literature on mobile video calling, which is a promising communication technology; however, little research has focused on user acceptance of mobile video calling, especially in different use contexts. This study explored factors (especially perceived enjoyment) influencing the intention of users to employ video calling in different contexts (a work and a leisure context) by applying the technology acceptance model (TAM) combined with the theory of planned behavior. The revised research model differentiated external factors (subjective norms and personal innovativeness) from internal factors (perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use (PEU), perceived enjoyment, and intention to use mobile video calling). In addition, the current study investigated predictors of perceived enjoyment across these two contexts. With the use of a structured questionnaire, participants were divided in two groups and completed self-report measures related to one context; a total of 386 student respondents’ responses were analyzed. The results indicated that users’ intentions were directly predicted by their perceived enjoyment of video calling (β ≥ 0.35) and the call’s perceived usefulness (β ≥ 0.27) and PEU (β = 0.13, only for the leisure context), which jointly explained at least 55.6% of the variance in use intention. In addition to the effects of these predictors on mobile video calling use acceptance, an assessment of the moderating effects of different contexts indicated that perceived enjoyment played a more important role in influencing intention for the leisure context, while perceived usefulness appeared to be more important for the work context. This study’s findings are important in that they provide strong support for the necessity of distinguishing among different types of contexts when predicting users’ intentions to use video calling. Furthermore, the results showed that perceived enjoyment was most significantly influenced by perceived usefulness (β ≥ 0.61), followed by PEU (β ≥ 0.13). In summary, the roles of core TAM variables (especially perceived enjoyment and perceived usefulness) and of external factors (subjective norms and personal innovativeness) differed between the leisure and work contexts. The implications of these findings are discussed. PMID:28337166

A summary of research investigating echolocation abilities of blind and sighted humans.

PubMed

Kolarik, Andrew J; Cirstea, Silvia; Pardhan, Shahina; Moore, Brian C J

2014-04-01

There is currently considerable interest in the consequences of loss in one sensory modality on the remaining senses. Much of this work has focused on the development of enhanced auditory abilities among blind individuals, who are often able to use sound to navigate through space. It has now been established that many blind individuals produce sound emissions and use the returning echoes to provide them with information about objects in their surroundings, in a similar manner to bats navigating in the dark. In this review, we summarize current knowledge regarding human echolocation. Some blind individuals develop remarkable echolocation abilities, and are able to assess the position, size, distance, shape, and material of objects using reflected sound waves. After training, normally sighted people are also able to use echolocation to perceive objects, and can develop abilities comparable to, but typically somewhat poorer than, those of blind people. The underlying cues and mechanisms, operable range, spatial acuity and neurological underpinnings of echolocation are described. Echolocation can result in functional real life benefits. It is possible that these benefits can be optimized via suitable training, especially among those with recently acquired blindness, but this requires further study. Areas for further research are identified. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.