To date, research directed at the work–life balance (WLB) has focused mainly on the work and family domains. However, the current labor force is heterogeneous, and workers may also value other nonworking domains besides the family. The aim of this study was to investigate the importance of other nonworking domains in the WLB with a particular focus on health. Moreover, the importance of the effects of the work–family balance (WFB) and the work–health balance (WHB) on job satisfaction was investigated. Finally, we explored how the effects of the WFB and the WHB on job satisfaction change according to worker characteristics (age, gender, parental status, and work ability). This study involved 318 workers who completed an online questionnaire. The importance of the nonworking domains was compared with a t-test. The effect of the WFB and the WHB on job satisfaction was investigated with multiple and moderated regression analyses. The results show that workers considered health as important as family in the WLB. The WHB explained more of the variance in job satisfaction than the WFB. Age, gender and parental status moderated the effect of the WFB on job satisfaction, and work ability moderated the effect of the WHB on job satisfaction. This study highlights the importance of the health domain in the WLB and stresses that it is crucial to consider the specificity of different groups of workers when considering the WLB.
3 March 2021 in Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology
Prior to COVID-19, telework was a key action adopted by companies to foster employee wellbeing, but the evidence of its effects was equivocal. This study aims to 1) develop and validate a questionnaire measuring the quality of telework (QoT-q) and 2) assess the impact of telework on employee work engagement and work-family balance in the case of high-quality telework (HqT), low-quality telework (LqT), and no telework (NoT). The sample consists of 260 workers from three Italian organizations. Through principal component analysis and Cronbach’s alpha values, the final QoT-q comprised three areas: 1) agile workplaces, 2) flexible worker, and 3) virtual leadership. ANOVAs showed that job resources, work engagement, and work-family balance are significantly higher among HqT, while job demands do not differ or were lower. The Job Demands-Resources model was useful to explain the effects of telework. Implications for future research and practice are presented. Antes del COVID-19, el teletrabajo era una de las principales medidas que adoptaban las empresas para fomentar el bienestar de los empleados, pero la evidencia de sus efectos era dudosa. Este estudio tiene como objetivo 1) desarrollar y validar un cuestionario que mide la calidad del teletrabajo (QoT-q) y 2) evaluar el impacto del teletrabajo en el compromiso laboral de los empleados y el equilibrio trabajo-familia en el caso del teletrabajo de alta calidad (HqT), teletrabajo de baja calidad (LqT) y ningún teletrabajo (NoT). La muestra está formada por 260 trabajadores de tres organizaciones italianas. A través del análisis de componentes principales y los valores alfa de Cronbach, la QoT-q final comprendía tres áreas: 1) lugares de trabajo ágiles, 2) trabajador flexible y 3) liderazgo virtual. Los ANOVA mostraron que los recursos laborales, el compromiso laboral y el equilibrio entre el trabajo y la familia son significativamente más altos entre HqT, mientras que las demandas laborales no difieren o son más bajas. El modelo demandas-recursos del puesto de trabajo ha sido útil para explicar los efectos del teletrabajo. Se presentan las implicaciones para la investigación y la práctica futura.
7 December 2022 in New Technology, Work and Employment
Research has shown that the provision of pertinent health information to patients with cardiovascular disease is associated with better adherence to medical prescriptions, behavioral changes, and enhanced perception of control over the disease. Yet there is no clear knowledge on how to improve information pertinence. Identifying and meeting the information needs of patients and their preferences for sources of information is pivotal to developing patient-led services. This prospective, observational study was aimed at exploring the information needs and perceived relevance of different information sources for patients during the twenty-four months following an acute coronary syndrome. Two hundred and seventeen newly diagnosed patients with acute coronary syndrome were enrolled in the study. The patients were primarily men (83.41 %) with a mean age of 57.28 years (range 35–75; SD = 7.98). Patients’ needs for information and the perceived relevance of information sources were evaluated between 2 and 8 weeks after hospitalization (baseline) and during three follow-ups at 6, 12 and 24 months after baseline. Repeated measures ANOVA, Bonferroni post hoc tests and Cochran’s Q Test were performed to test differences in variables of interest over time. Results showed a reduction in information needs, but this decrease was significant only for topics related to daily activities, behavioral habits, risk and complication. At baseline, the primary sources of information were specialists and general practitioners, followed by family members and information leaflets given by physicians. Relevance of other sources changed differently over time. The present longitudinal study is an original contribution to the investigation of changes in information needs and preferences for sources of information among patients who are diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome. One of the main results of this study is that information on self-disease management is perceived as a minor theme for patients even two years after the event. Knowledge on how patients’ information needs and perceived relevance of information sources change over time could enhance the quality of chronic disease management, leading health-care systems to move toward more patient-tailored care.
This study aimed to standardize the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), a psychometrically sound, worldwide-spread tool among Italian physicians. Methods: Nine hundred and fifteen Italian physicians were web-administered the CBI, Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE). The present CBI included 18 items (range=19-90) assessing Personal, Work-related and Client-related Burnout. Client-related adaptation was performed. Construct validity, factorial structure (Confirmatory Factor Analysis) and internal consistency were tested. Diagnostic accuracy was assessed simultaneously against the PHQ-8, GAD-7 and GSE. All CBI measures yielded optimal internal consistency (Cronbach’s α=0.90-0.96). Results: The CBI met its original three-factor model (CFI=0.94; TLI=0.93; RMSEA=0.09; SRMR=0.04), was positively related to the PHQ-8 (r=0.76) and GAD-7 (r=0.73), whereas negatively with the GSE (r=0.39) and yielded optimal diagnostics (AUC=0.93; sensitivity=0.91 and specificity=0.85 at the optimal cutoff of 69/90). Conclusion: The CBI is thus a valid, reliable, and normed tool to assess burnout levels in physicians.
1 December 2008 in Journal of Psychosomatic Research