This study aims to examine social support at work amongst the employees of Icelandic municipalities and its relationship to job satisfaction, bullying and harassment. The study is based on an online survey conducted in 2021. A total of 4973 employees answered the questionnaire in part or in full after three reminders (57% response rate). The majority of the participants in the study were women (82%), but this gender ratio was representative of the population. The results show that social support gave an average score of 4.2 on a scale of 1–5; 87% of the participants were rather often or always satisfied with their job, 8% had experienced bullying at work, 2% had experienced sexual harassment and 3% had experienced gender-based harassment. Social support has a positive, moderately strong correlation with employee job satisfaction and a weak negative correlation with bullying at work. Based on the results, social support is an important factor related to the job satisfaction of employees and is a protective factor against bullying and sexual harassment at work. This finding demonstrates that managers and those responsible for employee well-being in the workplace should focus on social support at work, especially now that the psychosocial work environment is fragile because of COVID-19.

This study examines the self-rated health and well-being of Icelandic teachers just before and over a year after COVID-19 first appeared. We ask, what was the stress level in 2021 compared to 2019 and the impact of mental and physical health and health symptoms on perceived stress? Were there any changes in self-assessed mental and physical health? Were there any changes in self-assessed mental and physical health symptoms? The study is based on an online survey conducted in 2019 and 2021. A total of 920 primary school teachers answered the questionnaire in part or in full, after three reminders. The main findings show increased stress, worsening mental and physical health, and increasing mental and physical symptoms in 2021 compared to 2019. The results also show a higher percentage of women than men reporting high stress, with women scoring higher on the PSS scale, but the gender patterns for mental and physical health are less clear. The results show that the COVID-19 pandemic had negative consequences on the health and well-being of the teachers. The study demonstrates the importance of school authorities keeping an exceptionally watchful eye on the welfare and well-being of teachers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Middle managers have not received enough attention within the healthcare field, and little is known how stressful factors in their work environment coupled with a lack of adequate sleep are related to musculoskeletal pain. The aim of this study was to examine the correlation between stressful factors in the work environment, lack of adequate sleep, and pain/discomfort in three body areas. Methods: Questionnaire was sent electronically to all female nursing unit managers (NUM) in Iceland through the outcome-survey system. The response rate was 80.9%. Results: NUM who had high pain/discomfort in the neck area also had very high pain/discomfort in the shoulder area and pain in the lower back. The results also revealed positive a medium-strong correlation between mental and physical exhaustion at the end of the workday and musculoskeletal pain. Stress in daily work, mental strain at work, and being under time-pressures had hardly any correlation with pain/discomfort in the three body parts. Adequate sleep had a significant negative correlation with all stressful factors in the work environment and all three body parts under review. Conclusion: The results will hopefully lead to a better consideration of stressful factors in the work environment, sleep, and musculoskeletal pain in middle managers.

Introduction: Full findings from the European Commission funded EU-NET-ADB study (Safer Internet Programme) will be presented.Objectives: Empirical findings that elucidate the development of an internet addictive behaviour are still incomplete. This is also related to risk as well as protective factors of internet use. Here a process oriented approach to identify underlying conditions of an internet addictive behaviour was chosen.Aims: The aim of the study is to enhance the knowledge and understanding of underlying processes which lead to situation were internet addictive behaviour can evolve.Methods: In total 124 in-depth interviews were conducted with adolescents with an age of 14-17 year. Adolescents from seven different European countries (Greece, Spain, Poland, Germany, Romania, Netherlands & Iceland) participated in this study. Eligibility was granted when adolescents scored more than 30 point or equal in the Internet Addiction Test (IAT; Young, 1998). Data analysis was conducted by use of a step-wise full version of Grounded Theory (Strauss & Corbin, 1990; 1998).Results: Adolescents employed maladaptive and adaptive strategies in regard to their involvement in the internet. Thus different Digital Outcomes such as “I am addicted” (Stuck Online) ranging to more adaptive internet behaviour like (Juggling it All) and patterns of self-correcting (Coming Full Cycle) were identified. These Digital Outcomes were consequently linked to adolescent's developmental pathways and can be characterized by the core category “Navigating Adolescent Pathways”.Conclusions: Contextual and developmental factors that mediate the development of an internet addictive behaviour could be identified and linked to multiple Digital Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: In 2008, many Western countries faced a great economic recession, the result of which was increased unemployment and reduced public expenditure. OBJECTIVE: This article focuses on changes in the self-reported mental and physical health an