Suchergebnisse

Abstract
Employment conditions and psychosocial factors have been linked to various health-related outcomes in different occupational groups, but few studies focus on the conditions in academia. This study explores the effects of effort, reward, and their interaction to explain health-related outcomes, namely burnout, self-rated health, and work-family conflict among academic faculty in Sweden. We also explore these effects among those with permanent and fixed-term employment contracts. Questionnaire data, collected online in 2016, came from 2335 employees (57% women) with a doctoral degree, working at a Swedish higher education institution. Latent moderation analysis combined with multi-group analysis was conducted. Main effects of effort were found for all health-related outcomes revealing that effort was associated with higher burnout, poorer self-rated health, and greater work-family conflict. Reward was negatively associated with burnout and self-rated health revealing that reward reduced burnout and improved self-rated health. The interaction between effort and reward was significantly associated with all outcomes among permanent contract employees, but was non-significant among those with fixed-term contracts. This may suggest that fixed-term faculty are less affected by the presence or lack of reward. Overall, the findings emphasize the importance of the psychosocial work environment to understand health-related consequences for permanent and fixed-term faculty with a doctoral degree.

Work and family are sources of both satisfaction and conflicting demands. A challenge is to identify individuals at risk for conflict and factors that potentially reduce conflict. This study investigated how gender and socioeconomic status (SES) were associated with work–family interference (WFI) and family–work interference (FWI) and how control at work and at home related to WFI and FWI. Data from 1991–1993 and 1997–1999 of the Whitehall II study of British civil servants, including 3484 (827 women and 2657 men) employees in three SES-levels, were analysed. Women reported a higher risk for WFI and FWI. High SES employees reported higher WFI. Less control at home increased risks for WFI and FWI as did low control at work but only for WFI. This suggests that high SES women are especially at risk for conflict and that aspects from the spheres of both work and home should be considered in further research and practice.

Abstract
In occupational life, performing cognitive work tasks in between fatiguing physical work tasks may allow recovery and reduce stress without losing productive working time. The temporal pattern of such alternations is likely a determinant of the recovery effect, influencing both stress and fatigue; the difficulty of the cognitive task (CT) would also be a likely determinant. The aim of this study was to determine to what extent the temporal pattern of alternations between a repetitive physical task and a CT of different difficulties influenced perceived fatigability, performance fatigability, stress-related outcomes, and performance. Fifteen women performed four work sessions comprising 110 min of repeated bouts of a repetitive physical task (pipetting), alternating with a CT (n-back). Sessions differed in bout cycle time (short: 7 + 3 min versus long: 14 + 6 min) and CT difficulty (CTdiff; easy versus difficult). Fatigue was assessed from recordings of maximal voluntary contraction force in shoulder elevations and handgrip pre- and post-work, electromyography (EMG) from the right trapezius and right forearm extensors during work, and repeated self-ratings of fatigue and pain throughout the session. Stress was assessed using electrocardiography (heart rate variability), salivary alpha-amylase, and self-reports. Perceived fatigue increased significantly over time for all protocols and more in long-cycle than short-cycle conditions. EMG activity did not increase markedly over time in any condition. Neither objective nor subjective indicators suggested that stress increased over time, regardless of the temporal pattern. Pipetting performance remained stable in all conditions. Cognitive performance, measured by the proportions of correct positive and false positive answers, differed between CTdiff levels but remained stable over time, with no significant difference between temporal patterns. In summary, temporal patterns of alternating tasks influenced fatigue to some extent but had no obvious influence on stress indicators or performance. Thus, designing job rotation with alternating physical and cognitive work should consider the temporal patterns of alternations to minimize fatigue.

Objective: During the COVID pandemic, government authorities worldwide have tried to limit the spread of the virus. Sweden's distinctive feature was the use of voluntary public health recommendations. Few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of this strategy. Based on data collected in the spring of 2020, this study explored associations between compliance with recommendations and observed symptoms of contagion in others, using self-report data from university students. Results: Compliance with recommendations ranged between 69.7 and 95.7 percent. Observations of moderate symptoms of contagion in "Someone else I have had contact with" and "Another person" were markedly associated with reported self-quarantine, which is the most restrictive recommendation, complied with by 81.2% of participants. Uncertainty regarding the incidence and severity of contagion in cohabitants was markedly associated with the recommendation to avoid public transportation, a recommendation being followed by 69.7%. It is concluded that students largely followed the voluntary recommendations implemented in Sweden, suggesting that coercive measures were not necessary. Compliance with recommendations were associated with the symptoms students saw in others, and with the perceived risk of contagion in the student's immediate vicinity. It is recommended that voluntary recommendations should stress personal relevance, and that close relatives are at risk.

OBJECTIVE: During the COVID pandemic, government authorities worldwide have tried to limit the spread of the virus. Sweden's distinctive feature was the use of voluntary public health recommendations. Few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of this strategy. Based on data collected in the spring of 2020, this study explored associations between compliance with recommendations and observed symptoms of contagion in others, using self-report data from university students. RESULTS: Compliance with recommendations ranged between 69.7 and 95.7 percent. Observations of moderate symptoms of contagion in "Someone else I have had contact with" and "Another person" were markedly associated with reported self-quarantine, which is the most restrictive recommendation, complied with by 81.2% of participants. Uncertainty regarding the incidence and severity of contagion in cohabitants was markedly associated with the recommendation to avoid public transportation, a recommendation being followed by 69.7%. It is concluded that students largely followed the voluntary recommendations implemented in Sweden, suggesting that coercive measures were not necessary. Compliance with recommendations were associated with the symptoms students saw in others, and with the perceived risk of contagion in the student's immediate vicinity. It is recommended that voluntary recommendations should stress personal relevance, and that close relatives are at risk.

Objective: During the COVID pandemic, government authorities worldwide have tried to limit the spread of the virus. Swedens distinctive feature was the use of voluntary public health recommendations. Few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of this strategy. Based on data collected in the spring of 2020, this study explored associations between compliance with recommendations and observed symptoms of contagion in others, using self-report data from university students. Results: Compliance with recommendations ranged between 69.7 and 95.7 percent. Observations of moderate symptoms of contagion in "Someone else I have had contact with" and "Another person"were markedly associated with reported self-quarantine, which is the most restrictive recommendation, complied with by 81.2% of participants. Uncertainty regarding the incidence and severity of contagion in cohabitants was markedly associated with the recommendation to avoid public transportation, a recommendation being followed by 69.7%. It is concluded that students largely followed the voluntary recommendations implemented in Sweden, suggesting that coercive measures were not necessary. Compliance with recommendations were associated with the symptoms students saw in others, and with the perceived risk of contagion in the students immediate vicinity. It is recommended that voluntary recommendations should stress personal relevance, and that close relatives are at risk. ; Funding Agencies|Malmo University - Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsradet) [2019-01127]