Suchergebnisse

This study tests a central theoretical assumption of stress process and job strain models, namely that increases in employees' control and support at work should promote well-being. To do so, we use a group-randomized field trial with longitudinal data from 867 information technology (IT) workers to investigate the well-being effects of STAR, an organizational intervention designed to promote greater employee control over work time and greater supervisor support for workers' personal lives. We also offer a unique analysis of an unexpected field effect—a company merger—among workers surveyed earlier versus later in the study period, before or after the merger announcement. We find few STAR effects for the latter group, but over 12 months, STAR reduced burnout, perceived stress, and psychological distress, and increased job satisfaction, for the early survey group. STAR effects are partially mediated by increases in schedule control and declines in family-to-work conflict and burnout (an outcome and mediator) by six months. Moderating effects show that STAR benefits women in reducing psychological distress and perceived stress, and increases non-supervisory employees' job satisfaction. This study demonstrates, with a rigorous design, that organizational-level initiatives can promote employee well-being.

Although China's government is rapidly expanding access to antiretroviral therapy, little is known about barriers to adherence among Chinese HIV-infected patients, particularly among injection drug users (IDUs). To better understand barriers to antiretroviral treatment adherence, we conducted a qualitative research study, using both focus group and key informant methods, among 36 HIV-positive men and women in Dali, in southwestern China. All interviews utilized semi-structured question guides and were conducted in Mandarin, audio-recorded, and translated into English for analysis. The most commonly cited adherence challenges were stigma, including secondary stigma experienced by family members; mental health issues; and economic concerns, particularly related to finding and maintaining employment. Distinctive gender differences emerged, partly due to previous heroin use among male respondents. Optimizing adherence may require that antiretroviral therapy programs be linked to other services, including drug addiction treatment, mental health services, and vocational treatment and support. HIV care and service providers, and policy makers in China responsible for HIV treatment, should be aware of these important barriers to adherence.

Schedule control and supervisor support for family and personal life may help employees manage the work-family interface. Existing data and research designs, however, have made it difficult to conclusively identify the effects of these work resources. This analysis utilizes a group-randomized trial in which some units in an information technology workplace were randomly assigned to participate in an initiative, called STAR, that targeted work practices, interactions, and expectations by (1) training supervisors on the value of demonstrating support for employees' personal lives and (2) prompting employees to reconsider when and where they work. We find statistically significant, although modest, improvements in employees' work-family conflict and family time adequacy, and larger changes in schedule control and supervisor support for family and personal life. We find no evidence that this intervention increased work hours or perceived job demands, as might have happened with increased permeability of work across time and space. Subgroup analyses suggest the intervention brought greater benefits to employees more vulnerable to work-family conflict. This study uses a rigorous design to investigate deliberate organizational changes and their effects on work resources and the work-family interface, advancing our understanding of the impact of social structures on individual lives.

Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- SERIES FOREWORD -- LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS -- Introduction. The Health and Well-Being of Sexual Minority Couples -- 1. Serious Mental Illness in Same-Sex and Different-Sex Unions -- 2. Well-Being during Time with a Partner among Men and Women in Same-Sex Unions -- 3. Consequences of Unequal Legal Recognition -- 4. Postpartum Depression and Anxiety in Male-Partnered and Female-Partnered Sexual Minority Women -- 5. Health and Health Behaviors among Same-Sex and Different-Sex Coupled Adults with and without Children -- 6. Couples' Conjoint Work Hours and Health Behaviors -- 7. Union Status and Overweight or Obesity among Sexual Minority Men and Women -- 8. Same-Sex Contact and Alternative Medicine Usage among Older Adults -- 9. Activity Limitation Disparities between Same-Sex and Different-Sex Couples -- 10. Same-Sex Unions and Adult Mortality Risk -- 11. Access to Health Care for Partnered and Nonpartnered Sexual Minorities -- 12. Law and Same-Sex Couples' Experiences of Childbirth -- 13. Married in Texas -- 14. Social Context and the Stability of Same-Sex and Different-Sex Relationships -- 15. Same-Sex Marriage and Mental Health -- 16. First Sexual Experience with a Same-Sex Partner in the United States -- 17. "Two Sides of a Coin" -- Conclusion. Future Directions for Research on Health of Sexual Minority Couples -- NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS -- INDEX