A contribution to the validation of the Italian version of the work-related quality of life scale.

BACKGROUND: Quality of working life has been shown to play a key role in reducing strain inside and outside the workplace, supporting the fulfillment of workers' wellbeing and increasing workforce productivity. Van Laar et al. in 2007 developed the Work-Related Quality of Life (WRQoL) scale that was applied to several different work environments and translated into nine languages. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to test and validate an Italian version of the WRQoL scale. METHODS: A cross-sectional design was conducted to collect a sample of healthcare professionals (N=430) in 8 hospitals in the Northwest of Italy. Internal consistency of each scale was tested through Cronbach's alpha. A Confirmatory factor analysis was performed. Independent samples t-tests and ANOVA were performed to determine whether the scores on the subscales differed according to various socio-demographic variables. RESULTS: A seven factors structure was confirmed (Control at work; General well-being; Home-work interface; Stress at Work; Job and career satisfaction; Working conditions; Employee Engagement; χ2=682.453, p<.001; χ2 and df(251) ratio=2.71; CFI=.90; RMSEA=.06; SRMR=.06). All subdimensions showed Cronbach's alphas ≥ 0.70 but for Stress at Work (alpha 0.65). The subscales differentiated between groups of people according to several socio-demographic characteristics (i.e., profession, age, length of employment). DISCUSSION: The Italian version of WRQoL is a brief and sufficiently reliable tool that can contribute to a more complex and complete evaluation of the psychological well-being at work due to its multidimensionality. Overall, the use of this tool in occupational health practice, in addition to that of other instruments already available, should prove useful in monitoring workers' well-being before and after interventions.

Latent variables underlying the memory beliefs of Chartered Clinical Psychologists, Hypnotherapists and undergraduate students.

In courts in the United Kingdom, understanding of memory phenomena is often assumed to be a matter of common sense. To test this assumption 337 UK respondents, consisting of 125 Chartered Clinical Psychologists, 88 individuals who advertised their services as Hypnotherapists (HTs) in a classified directory, the Yellow PagesTM, and 124 first year undergraduate psychology students, completed a questionnaire that assessed their knowledge of 10 memory phenomena about which there is a broad scientific consensus. HTs' responses were the most inconsistent with the scientific consensus, scoring lowest on six of these ten items. Principal Components Analysis indicated two latent variables - reflecting beliefs about memory quality and malleability - underlying respondents' responses. In addition, respondents were asked to rate their own knowledge of the academic memory literature in general. There was no significant relationship between participants' self reported knowledge and their actual knowledge (as measured by their responses to the 10-item questionnaire). There was evidence of beliefs among the HTs that could give rise to some concern (e.g., that early memories from the first year of life are accurately stored and are retrievable).

Impact of a one-day inter-professional course (ALERT) on attitudes and confidence in managing critically ill adult patients.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that anxiety and lack of confidence in managing acutely ill patients adversely affects performance. We evaluated the impact of attending an ALERT course on the confidence levels and attitudes of healthcare staff in relation to the recognition and management of acutely ill patients. A questionnaire, which examined knowledge, experience, confidence and teamwork, was distributed to participants prior to commencing an ALERT course. One hundred and thirty-one respondents agreed to participate in a follow-up questionnaire 6 weeks after completing the course. Respondents reported significantly more knowledge (pre 5.47+/-1.69, post 7.37+/-1.22; p < 0.01) in recognising a critically ill patient after attending an ALERT course. Mean scores for respondents' confidence in their ability to recognise a critically ill patient (pre 6.04; post 7.71; t = 11.74; p < 0.01), keep such a patient alive (pre 5.70; post 7.30; t = 10.01; p < 0.01) and remember all the life-saving measures (pre 5.60; post 7.32; t = 11.71; p < 0.01) were increased. Fewer respondents were very worried about being responsible for a critically ill patient (pre 13; post 2; chi2 = 8.55; p < 0.003). There was a significant increase in the number of respondents indicating that they would use a system of assessment for acute illness (pre 23; post 37; chi2 = 4.25; p = 0.035). More staff said that they would approach a registrar or a consultant for help (chi2 = 3.29, n = 131, p < 0.05; chi2 = 7.51, n = 131, p < 0.01). There was a significant improvement in attendees' confidence in working in an interdisciplinary team when caring for critically ill patients (pre 40.66; post 42.91; t = 2.32; p = 0.05). We conclude that attending an ALERT course has beneficial effects on the confidence levels and attitudes of healthcare staff in relation to the recognition and management of acutely ill patients.

Systematic review of cognitive behavioural therapy for the management of headaches and migraines in adults.

AIM: This systematic review aimed to establish if cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can reduce the physical symptoms of chronic headache and migraines in adults. METHODS: Evidence from searches of eight databases was systematically sought, appraised and synthesised. Screening of title and abstracts was conducted independently by two reviewers. Full papers were screened, data extracted and quality assessed by one reviewer and checked by a second. Data were synthesised narratively by intervention due to the heterogeneity of the studies. The inclusion criteria specified randomised controlled trials with CBT as an intervention in adults suffering from chronic headaches/migraines not associated with an underlying pathology/medication overuse. CBT was judged on the basis of authors describing the intervention as CBT. The diagnosis of the condition had to be clinician verified. Studies had to include a comparator and employ headache/migraine-specific outcomes such as patient-reported headache days. RESULTS: Out of 1126 screened titles and abstracts and 20 assessed full papers, 10 studies met the inclusion criteria of the review. Some studies combined CBT with another intervention, as well as employing varying numbers of comparators. CBT was statistically significantly more effective in improving some headaches-related outcomes in CBT comparisons with waiting lists (three studies), in combination with relaxation compared with relaxation only (three studies) or antidepressant medication (one study), with no statistically significant differences in three studies. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this review were mixed, with some studies providing evidence in support of the suggestion that people experiencing headaches or migraines can benefit from CBT, and that CBT can reduce the physical symptoms of headache and migraines. However, methodology inadequacies in the evidence base make it difficult to draw any meaningful conclusions or to make any recommendations.

Social validation data on three methods of physical restraint: views of consumers, staff and students.

The use and evaluation of restraint methods with people with mental retardation is a continuing area of concern. Twenty-four undergraduate students, 21 residential care staff and 18 service-users from community settings rated videotapes of three physical restraint procedures. Two of the methods involved restraining an individual on the floor and a third method involved restraining an individual in a chair. Participants answered two open-ended questions to rate the methods of restraint and rated the methods on a 5-point scale of satisfaction [J. Ment. Defic. Res. 30 (1986) 369]. Participants also rated the three restraint methods by a forced-choice comparison. Restraint was rated negatively by all participants. However, both the satisfaction ratings and the forced-choice methods rated the chair method of restraint as most acceptable all three groups of participants. Consumers rated restraint more negatively than other groups. Restraint was evaluated negatively by all three groups, but the chair method was rated the least worst.

The Work-Related Quality of Life scale for healthcare workers.

AIM: This paper is a report of a study to develop and test the psychometric properties of the Work-Related Quality of Life scale for healthcare workers. BACKGROUND: As problems associated with stress and job satisfaction are evident for healthcare workers and nurses, a reliable tool to assess employees' quality of working life is required. However, previous research has produced inconsistent factor structures and inadequate psychometric properties for a range of quality of working life measures. This new scale expands the concept of quality of working life by incorporating a broad six-factor structure derived from a theoretical review of the field. METHOD: We used data from a 2003 survey of 953 healthcare workers. Eighty-six per cent of the sample is female and 36% had been employed by the organization for 1-5 years. Approximately 50% of workers were employed full-time. FINDINGS: Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis using split-half data sets produced a good fit and a reliable 23-item, six-factor measurement model of Work-Related Quality of Life. The factors generated were labelled: Job and Career Satisfaction, General Well-Being, Home-Work Interface, Stress at Work, Control at Work and Working Conditions. CONCLUSION: The Work-Related Quality of Life measure is one of the most succinct yet psychometrically valid and reliable Quality of Working Life scales in the literature. We propose that it can appropriately be used in healthcare organizations to assess quality of working life. Further research is required to refine the instrument and assess its applicability to other areas.