Objective: Health quarantines produce serious deterioration in psychological health, which becomes more affected the longer the quarantine lasts. According to the Conservation of Resources theory from Hobfoll (1989, American Psychologist , 44, 513), those people who have a good supply of resources will be able to cope better with the adversities and will show less distress. The objective of this research is to identify what are the resources that, in a situation of confinement under the threat of COVID‐19, predict eustress or well‐being, and the loss or lack of which resources predict distress or discomfort. Design and Method: A total of 839 people complete an online questionnaire during the first week of COVID‐19 confinement in Spain. The sample is weighted to obtain a distribution that is similar to the Spanish population. Using multiple linear regression analysis, factors are identified that are associated with eustress and distress based on the Conservation of Resources theory. Results: A model is identified that explains 55% of the variance of eustress consisting mostly of personal resources, with vitality as the recourse having the most weight. The factors that explain distress (18.9% of the variance) are those related to work (employment situation, work satisfaction, and time devoted to work) and conditions in the home (space). Conclusions: The models that predict eustress and distress are completely different. Based on these results, a series of recommendations are proposed aimed at increasing eustress and reducing distress in a situation of confinement. Additionally, proposals are offered for future research.
The aim of the present study is to analyse the psychometric properties of the work ability index (WAI) within a sample of Spanish health centre workers. The WAI was translated into Spanish using transcultural and forward–backward translation processes and administered to 1184 Spanish health centre workers. Internal consistency, predictive validity, and discriminative ability were examined. Exploratory factor analysis, via principal components analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, determined the most appropriate questionnaire structure. All indices in relation to predictive validity and reliability were acceptable. Exploratory factor analysis supported validity of the one-factor structure, however, confirmatory factor analysis suggested better properties in relation to a two-factor structure (χ2 = 59.52; CFI = 0.98; TLI = 0.96; RMSEA = 0.06). Items 3, 4, and 5 loaded onto factor one, and items 1, 2, 6, and 7 loaded onto factor two. The two factors could be broadly described as “subjectively estimated work ability” and “ill-health-related ability”. The WAI is valid and reliable when administered to health centre workers in Spain. In contrast to that suggested by studies conducted in other countries, future research and practical application with similar respondents and settings should proceed using the two-factor structure.
Burnout is a significant problem faced by professionals in the healthcare setting, and yet there is a lack of validated screening tools in the Spanish context. The present study examined the psychometric properties of a single-item measure of burnout (SIB) within a sample of 675 health professionals working at five centres in Spain, with the brief burnout questionnaire (BBQ) providing the main comparison measure. Predictive validity was acceptable, with high positive correlations between SIB, overall BBQ and the three BBQ dimensions. Construct validity, examined using confirmatory factor analysis, found that the SIB sufficiently covered the components of the three factors of burnout described by the BBQ and the components of the three dimensions of the burnout syndrome factor. Convergent validity was confirmed through significant negative correlations between SIB and good perceived health and job satisfaction. Acceptable cut-points were established. The Spanish-language SIB provides an acceptable and sensitive screening measure of burnout for use with health professionals.
In relation to COVID-19, little research has focused on the study of variables that affect well-being during this pandemic. The purpose of this research is twofold: (1) to find out if people experiencing a quarantine are able to appreciate any positive aspects of it, and to analyze how these responses are categorized and (2) to check if there are differences in levels of well-being according to these categories. There were 243 representative participants of the Spanish population according to sex, age, and educational level. The methodology was mixed, qualitative for the first objective and quantitative for the second. The first used the Thematic Network, while the second used logistic regression. From the qualitative analysis, three major categories were extracted: intrinsic orientation, extrinsic orientation, and empty orientation. The quantitative results showed a clear advantage in well-being for the intrinsically oriented group. The group of intrinsic orientation presented a better coping ability while the group of extrinsic orientation was as little adaptive as the group of empty orientation. Recommendations are extracted from the results.
Background: There is a high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among personnel working in the healthcare sector, mainly among nursing assistants and orderlies. Objective: The objective is to analyze the effectiveness of a multi-component intervention that included postural feedback in reducing musculoskeletal risk. Method: A total of 24 nursing assistants and orderlies in a hospital setting were randomly assigned to an intervention group or a control group. After collecting sociodemographic information, a selection of tasks was made and assessed using the REBA (rapid entire body assessment) method. A multi-component intervention was designed combining theoretical and practical training, including feedback on the postures performed by the professionals involved, especially those involving high musculoskeletal risk. This program was applied only to participants in the intervention group. Subsequently, eight months after the first assessment and intervention, the second assessment was carried out using the same method and process as in the first evaluation. Results: The results indicate that the musculoskeletal risk in the second assessment in the intervention group was significantly reduced. However, no significant changes were observed in the control group. Conclusion: The multi-component intervention applied can significantly reduce the musculoskeletal risk of nursing assistants and orderlies. In addition, it is a low-cost intervention with great applicability.
The predictive value of work ability for several health and occupational outcomes is well known. Maintaining the ability to work of all employees has become an important topic in research although some evidence suggests that some groups of workers need greater attention than others. Healthcare workers ( = 54.46 ± 5.64 years) attending routine occupational health checkups completed their work ability, occupational risk and sociodemographic measures. An analysis examined whether work ability differed according to gender, age and professional category. Mediation of these relationships by occupational risk variables, such as work–family conflict, was examined. Females and older adults had worse work ability than their counterparts. Professional group was not independently associated. Gender-related differences were mediated by current and historic ergonomic risk, psychosocial risk and work–family conflict. Age-related differences were mediated by violence/discrimination at work. All job risk variables, apart from current ergonomic risk, mediated associations between professional category and work ability. The present study identified the importance of risk variables for the work ability of health workers according to gender, age and professional job type. Perceptions of work–family conflict and violence–discrimination seem particularly important and should be considered when targeting improvements in work ability.