Psychosocial working conditions and mental health among medical assistants in Germany: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Medical assistants (MA) constitute one of the largest professions in outpatient health care in Germany. The psychosocial working conditions of health care staff are generally believed to be challenging and to thereby increase the risk of poor mental health. A review of MA's psychosocial working conditions and mental health is lacking, however. We aimed to systematically identify and summarize existing research on psychosocial working conditions and mental health of MA by addressing (1) Which methods, concepts, and instruments have been used to capture the psychosocial working conditions and mental health among MA in Germany? (2) What findings are available? and (3) What are the research gaps? METHODS: We systematically searched Medline, Scopus, CCMed and Google Scholar. Using the Population Concept Context (PCC)-framework, we applied the following eligibility criteria: (a) Language: English or German, (b) publication between 2002-2022, (c) original study, (d) study population: mainly MA (i.e., ≥ 50% of the study population), (e) concept: psychosocial working conditions and/or mental health, and (f) context: Germany. Two reviewers extracted data independently, results were compared for accuracy and completeness. RESULTS: Eight hundred twenty-seven sources were identified. We included 30 publications (19 quantitative, 10 qualitative, and one mixed methods study). Quantitative studies consistently reported high job satisfaction among MA. Quantitative and mixed methods studies frequently reported aspects related to job control as favorable working conditions, and aspects related to job rewards as moderate to unfavorable. Qualitative studies reported low job control in specific work areas, high demands in terms of workload, time pressure and job intensity, and a desire for greater recognition. Social interactions seemed to be important resources for MA. Few studies (n = 8) captured mental health, these reported inconspicuous mean values but high prevalences of anxiety, burnout, depression, and stress among MA. Studies suggested poorer psychosocial working conditions and mental health among MA during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative studies tend to suggest more favorable psychosocial working conditions among MA than qualitative studies. We suggest mixed methods to reconcile this alleged inconsistency. Future research should examine discrepancies between job satisfaction and unfavorable working conditions and if psychosocial working conditions and mental health remain changed after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Can an educational intervention in the context of inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation improve asthma self-management at work? A study protocol of a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Asthma self-management (e.g., trigger avoidance or correct medication use) is a cornerstone of therapy. Its successful implementation in everyday working life is determined by psychosocial working conditions, in particular by support from superiors and colleagues and the job decision latitude (i.e., when and how to carry out which tasks). To empower individuals with asthma to modify their working conditions, employees need to use certain communication skills and acquire specific knowledge. Both could be taught as part of patient education during pulmonary rehabilitation. Therefore, the aim of the planned study is the development and multicentre implementation of an education module for individuals with asthma during their rehabilitation and to generate evidence on its effectiveness. METHODS: Participants (n ≥ 180) will be recruited, randomized into an intervention and a control group, trained and surveyed in two rehabilitation clinics. The intervention group will receive the supplementary patient education module "Asthma and Work" while the control group will participate in a program on " Eating behaviour" (both 2 × 50 min). The effectiveness of the intervention will be examined based on pre-post measurements (T1 and T2) and a 3-month follow-up (T3). We will consider behavioural intention (T2) and asthma self-management at work (T3) as primary outcomes. Secondary outcomes will include self-management-related knowledge, self-efficacy, number of sick days, number of exacerbations, asthma control (Asthma Control Test), asthma-related quality of life (Marks Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire), and subjective employment prognosis (Brief Scale Measuring the Subjective Prognosis of Gainful Employment). The pre-post comparisons are to be evaluated using univariate analyses of covariance. DISCUSSION: Improving asthma self-management at work could increase the work ability and social participation of employees with asthma. This could reduce costs, e.g. in terms of asthma-related sick leave. TRIAL REGISTRATION: German Clinical Trials Register (ID: DRKS00031843).

Psychosocial working conditions, perceived patient safety and their association in emergency medical services workers in Germany - a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Emergency medical service (EMS) workers face challenging working conditions that are characterized by high stress and a susceptibility to making errors. The objectives of the present study were (a) to characterize the psychosocial working conditions of EMS workers, (b) to describe the perceived quality of patient care they provide and patient safety, and (c) to investigate for the first time among EMS workers associations of psychosocial working conditions with the quality of patient care and patient safety. METHODS: For this cross-sectional study, we carried out an online survey among 393 EMS workers who were members of a professional organization. Working conditions were measured by the Demand-Control-SupportQuestionnaire (DCSQ) and seven self-devised items covering key stressors. Participants reported how often they perceived work stress to affect the patient care they provided and we inquired to what extent they are concerned to have made a major medical error in the last three months. Additionally, we used parts of the Emergency Medical Services - Safety Inventory (EMS-SI) to assess various specific errors and adverse events. We ran descriptive analyses (objective a and b) and multivariable logistic regression (objective c). RESULTS: The most common stressors identified were communication problems (reported by 76.3%), legal insecurity (69.5%), and switching of colleagues (48.9%) or workplaces (44.5%). Overall, 74.0% reported at least one negative safety outcome based on the EMS-SI. Concerns to have made an important error and the perception that patient care is impaired by work stress and were also frequent (17.8% and 12.7%, respectively). Most psychosocial working conditions were associated with the perception that patient care is impaired due to work stress. CONCLUSIONS: Work stress in EMS staff is pronounced and negative safety outcomes or potential errors are perceived to occur frequently. Poor psychosocial working conditions were only consistently associated with perceived impairment of patient care due to work stress. It seems necessary to reduce communication problems and to optimize working processes especially at interfaces between emergency services and other institutions. Legal insecurity could be reduced by clarifying and defining responsibilities. Communication and familiarity between team colleagues could be fostered by more consistent composition of squads.

Implementing the Patient Needs in Asthma Treatment (NEAT) questionnaire in routine care: a qualitative study among patients and health professionals.

BACKGROUND: Many patients with asthma report unmet health care needs. The Patient Needs in Asthma Treatment (NEAT) questionnaire is a validated instrument to quantify these unmet needs. We explored how health professionals evaluated the instrument's utility as well as patients' and professionals' perspectives of how NEAT could be incorporated into routine clinical practice. METHODS: Qualitative interviews were conducted by telephone between February and September 2021 with 19 patients with asthma and 21 health professionals (i.e., general practitioners, pneumologists, health professionals in pulmonary rehabilitation, and medical assistants). Interview recordings were transcribed verbatim and content-analyzed using both deductive and inductive approaches using MAXQDA. RESULTS: Health professionals could see the potential value of using NEAT to inform clinical decisions. However, health professionals tended to be skeptical towards the routine use of NEAT in outpatient settings, mainly due to a lack of time. Implementation of NEAT was seen as more valuable in the context of patient education (i.e., in Disease Management Programs [DMPs] or pulmonary rehabilitation) by patients and health professionals alike, because it offered greater opportunities to address any unmet needs identified. Both patients and health professionals considered it more useful to use the questionnaire for the first time some time after the initial diagnosis has been made (e.g., when the treatment regime is found rather than at time of initial diagnosis). In the context of DMPs and pulmonary rehabilitation, NEAT could be used twice, i.e., before and after patient education to support patient-centered planning and evaluation. CONCLUSION: Both patients and health professionals consider the use of the NEAT, in particular in educational programs (i.e., during DMPs or pulmonary rehabilitation), as feasible and useful. There is now a need to undertake a feasibility trial in routine care.

Work-family conflict, financial issues and their association with self-reported health complaints among ready-made garment workers in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to quantify the degree of work-family conflict (WFC) and financial issues among ready-made garment (RMG) workers in Bangladesh and to investigate their potential associations with self-reported health outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 1118 RMG workers in labor colonies in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in February and March 2021. Descriptive analyses were performed to characterize WFC (i.e., family life disturbing the job or facing problems in family due to the job) and financial issues (i.e., savings, debt, financial obligations, financial support). We ran multivariable Poisson regression models to examine possible associations between WFC and financial issues and workers' health (self-reported general health and 10 specific health complaints). RESULTS: We found low levels of WFC, low levels of savings, moderate levels of debt, and high levels of financial obligations: virtually all workers agreed they had to keep their job to financially support their spouse, children or other relatives. Only about a third of workers expected they would be able to receive financial support in case of a job loss. Work-family conflict was positively associated with poor health but not consistently with specific symptoms. Financial support was negatively associated, whereas being indebted was weakly positively associated with poor health. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest low levels of WFC among RMG workers but high levels of financial obligations. Work-family conflict was positively associated with poor health, but not consistently with specific symptoms. Being indebted was weakly positively associated with poor health. Future prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Prevalence and correlates of workplace violence against medical assistants in Germany: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Workplace violence is widespread, but studies on workplace violence against health professions in outpatient settings are sparse. We aimed to examine, for the first time, the prevalence of workplace violence against medical assistants as well as potential sociodemographic, occupational and health-related correlates of the exposure to workplace violence. METHODS: We used data from a survey (03-05/2021) among medical assistants in Germany (n = 424). We assessed the 12-month prevalence (yes/no) of verbal violence, physical violence, and sexual harassment as well as the types of perpetrators of workplace violence. Further, information was gathered on sociodemographic (e.g., age, educational level), occupational (e.g., years in job), and mental health-related factors (i.e., anxiety, depression). The 12-month prevalences of the different types of workplace violence were merged into a single variable ("any workplace violence" vs. none) for association analysis. We ran multivariable Poisson regression models to examine potential associations between sociodemographic and occupational correlates (i.e., independent variables) with any workplace violence as dependent variable and in addition between any workplace violence (independent variable) and dichotomized mental health as dependent variable. RESULTS: Overall, 59.4% of the medical assistants reported verbal violence, 5.9% reported physical violence, 3.8% reported sexual harassment, and 60.1% reported any workplace violence in the previous 12 months. Patients were reported to be the main perpetrators, followed by patients' relatives. Younger age, being single, and working in a medical care center were sociodemographic and occupational correlates of workplace violence (PRs ≥ 1.27). Workplace violence was significantly associated with mental health variables (PRs ≥ 1.72). CONCLUSION: Medical assistants experience workplace violence, in particular verbal violence. To devise preventive measures, prospective studies are needed to confirm the potential risk groups for workplace violence and the potential mental health sequels of workplace violence observed in our study.

Asthma self-management at work, asthma morbidity, and the subjective prognosis of gainful employment - the role of work engagement and overcommitment: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: Work engagement is considered a constructive and satisfying state of mind promoting well-being, whereas overcommitment contributes to ill-health. We investigated if these psychosocial factors are related to asthma self-management at the workplace (i.e. physical activity, trigger avoidance, acute symptom management, communication), asthma control, asthma-specific quality of life, and the subjective prognosis of gainful employment among employees with asthma. METHODS: Questionnaires were distributed in three pulmonary rehabilitation clinics (10/2017-05/2018) in Germany. Work engagement was measured by three items from the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire and overcommitment by six items from the effort-reward imbalance questionnaire. Asthma self-management was mainly assessed by self-developed items, asthma morbidity by the Asthma Control Test and the Marks Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire, and the subjective prognosis of gainful employment by a validated three-item scale. After dichotomization of all variables we ran Poisson regression analyses to calculate multivariable prevalence ratios with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: The sample comprised 221 individuals with asthma. Low work engagement was related to physical inactivity. Low work engagement and high overcommitment were associated with inadequate trigger avoidance and acute symptom management, reduced asthma-specific quality of life, and a poor prognosis of gainful employment. No relationships were observed with communication or asthma control. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the potential contribution of high levels of work engagement to adequate asthma self-management, good quality of life, and a positive subjective prognosis of gainful employment among employees with asthma. Overcommitment shows associations with those outcomes in the opposite direction, which suggests a detrimental role in asthma.

Social stressors and social resources at work and their association with self-reported health complaints among ready-made garment workers in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Bangladesh is one of the world's largest garment exporters. Physical working conditions of garment workers are precarious and known to largely affect their health. Research on garment workers' psychosocial working conditions, however, is scarce. We aimed to quantify psychosocial working conditions of garment workers and possible associations with workers' health. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 1,118 ready-made garment (RMG) workers in labor colonies in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in February 2021. Descriptive analyses were performed to characterize social stressors (e.g., being bullied at work, poor leadership) and social resources at work (e.g., receiving support at work, vertical trust between management and employees, beneficial leadership) and workers' health (self-reported overall health and 10 specific health complaints). To examine links of social stressors and social resources with self-reported health outcomes we ran multivariable Poisson regression models yielding prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: We found low to moderate levels of workplace bullying and high levels of poor leadership (i.e., supervisors not caring about workers' problems). We also found high levels of social support, vertical trust and beneficial leadership (i.e., supervisors taking decisions free of bias). Garment workers frequently suffered from health complaints, first and foremost headache (68.3%), cold (55.3%), and back pain (50.7%). Health outcomes were poorer among workers who reported to be bullied at work versus not bullied (e.g., PR 1.55 [95% CI 1.32-1.92] for poor self-reported health when bullied by colleagues) and health was better among those reporting to feel supported versus unsupported (e.g., PR 0.61 [0.52-0.71] for poor self-reported health when supported by supervisor). Perceived vertical trust between workers and management was weakly associated with better health. Leadership behavior did not display a consistent pattern. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that working conditions of RMG workers are rather good (e.g., characterized by low levels of bullying and high levels of support, vertical trust and beneficial leadership). The majority of workers reported good or very good health, although health complaints were frequently mentioned, first and foremost headache, cold, and back pain. Associations between psychosocial working conditions and health indicate worse working conditions being associated with poorer health.

Psychosocial working conditions as determinants of concerns to have made important medical errors and possible intermediate factors of this association among medical assistants - a cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to examine the association of psychosocial working conditions with concerns to have made important medical errors and to identify possible intermediate factors in this relationship. METHODS: We used data from 408 medical assistants (MAs) in Germany who participated in a 4-year prospective cohort study (follow-up period: 03-05/2021). Psychosocial working conditions were assessed at baseline by the effort-reward imbalance questionnaire and by a MA-specific questionnaire with seven subscales. MAs reported at follow-up whether they are concerned to have made an important medical error throughout the last 3 months, 12 months or since baseline (yes/no). These variables were merged into a single variable (any affirmative response vs. none) for primary analyses. Potential intermediate factors measured at baseline included work engagement (i.e., vigor and dedication, assessed by the UWES), work satisfaction (COPSOQ), depression (PHQ-2), anxiety (GAD-2) and self-rated health. We ran Poisson regression models with a log-link function to estimate relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Doing so, we employed the psychosocial working condition scales as continuous variables (i.e. z-scores) in the primary analyses. Potential intermediate factors were added separately to the regression models. RESULTS: Poor collaboration was the only working condition, which was significantly predictive of the concern of having made an important medical error (RR = 1.26, 95%CI = 1.00-1.57, p = 0.049). Partial intermediate factors in this association were vigor, depression and anxiety. CONCLUSION: We found weak and mostly statistically non-significant associations. The only exception was poor collaboration whose association with concerns to have made an important medical error was partially explained by vigor and poor mental health.

[Return to work of employees after a mental disorder]. / Rückkehr an den Arbeitsplatz von Beschäftigten nach einer psychischen Erkrankung: Entwicklung eines Leitfadens und eines Schulungsmoduls für Betriebsärztinnen/Betriebsärzte.

Objectives: Returning to work often fails due to conflicting expectations and goals of the stakeholders involved. Due to their medical expertise and workplace-related knowledge, occupational physicians could effectively promote mutual understanding and cooperation between the stakeholders. The study aimed to develop a manual and training session for its application that will support occupational physicians to assume a mediating role in the integration of employees with a mental illness. Methods: Based on a literature review and extensive qualitative preliminary work on the expectations of the stakeholders, the manual and training materials were developed, discussed and revised in several consecutive steps based on a participatory approach with occupational physicians and other experts. Finally, occupational physicians were trained to use the manual during their specialization training in order to subsequently test its practicability in everyday work. Results: The manual presents information on the potentially different expectations of the actors for the return process and offers comprehensive advice for the mediating work of the occupational physicians. After a manualized training of approximately 2h, 9 out of 37 participants used the manual for return interviews within 4 months and 6 out of 9 rated it as helpful. Conclusion: The first positive experiences of using the material developed with the target group justify a larger interventional study to investigate the presumed beneficial effects on the success of reintegration.

Attitudes and stressors related to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic among emergency medical services workers in Germany: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The aim was to investigate attitudes and stressors related to the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak among emergency medical services (EMS) workers in Germany. We further aimed to detect possible changes within a 5-week period and potential determinants of attitudes and stressors. METHODS: We conducted two cross-sectional studies using an online questionnaire in early April 2020 (i.e., the first peak of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Germany) and five weeks later. The study instrument comprised sociodemographic items, self-devised items on pandemic-related attitudes, stressors and work outcomes, and established instruments assessing depressive symptoms and symptoms of anxiety. Logistic regression was performed to identify possible determinants. RESULTS: Data of 1537 participants was included in the analysis (April: n = 1124, May: n = 413, 83.1% male, median age 32). Most participants agreed that their personal risk of infection was higher compared to the general population (April: 87.0% agreement, May: 78.9%). The greatest stressor was uncertainty about the pandemic's temporal scope (82.0 and 80.9%, respectively). Most participants (69.9, 79.7%) felt sufficiently prepared for the pandemic and only few felt burdened by their financial situation (18.8, 13.3%). Agreement to all stressors decreased from April to May except related to the childcare situation. Regression analysis identified subgroups to be burdened more frequently such as older employees, those with SARS-CoV-2 cases among their colleagues, and those with lower paramedic training levels. CONCLUSIONS: We identified key SARS-CoV-2-related stressors whose levels generally decreased within a 5-week period. Our results indicate that EMS workers are less affected by existential fears and rather worry about their personal infection risk.

"The Heidelberg Five" personality dimensions: Genome-wide associations, polygenic risk for neuroticism, and psychopathology 20 years after assessment.

HeiDE is a longitudinal population-based study that started in the 1990s and, at baseline, assessed an array of health-related personality questionnaires in 5133 individuals. Five latent personality dimensions (The Heidelberg Five) were identified and interpreted as Emotional Lability (ELAB), Lack of Behavioral Control (LBCN), Type A Behavior (TYAB), Locus of Control over Disease (LOCC), and Psychoticism (PSYC). At follow-up, 3268 HeiDE participants (post-QC) were genotyped on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays. To further characterize The Heidelberg Five, we analyzed genomic underpinnings, their relations to the genetic basis of the Big Five trait Neuroticism, and longitudinal associations with psychiatric symptoms at follow-up. SNP-based heritability was significant for ELAB (34%) and LBCN (29%). A genome-wide association study for each personality dimension was conducted; only the phenotype PSYC yielded a genome-wide significant finding (p < 5 × 10-8 , top SNP rs138223660). Gene-based analyses identified significant findings for ELAB, TYAB, and PSYC. Polygenic risk scores for Neuroticism were only associated with ELAB. Each of The Heidelberg Five was related to depressive symptoms at follow-up. ELAB, LBCN, and PSYC were also associated with lifetime anxiety symptoms. These results highlight the clinical importance of health-related personality traits and identify LBCN as a heritable "executive function" personality trait.

The role of self-efficacy and locus of control in asthma-related needs and outcomes: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: This study sought to identify psychological resources, which are associated with improved asthma outcomes. Methods: A total of 205 patients who reported physician-diagnosed asthma were surveyed between September 2017 and March 2018. Psychological resources included self-efficacy (i.e. the belief in one's capabilities to organize and execute required behavior [SE]; assessed by the Short Scale for Measuring General Self-Efficacy Beliefs), and internal and external locus of control (i.e. one's beliefs about whether a given event is the result of one's behavior or of forces outside one's control [LoC]; Scale for Internal External Locus of Control-4). Outcome variables included asthma control (Asthma Control Test), asthma-related quality of life (QoL; Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire-Sydney) and patient needs (Patient Needs in Asthma Treatment Questionnaire). Associations were estimated by linear regressions. Results: We observed that higher self-efficacy and internal LoC scores, but lower scores on the external LoC subscale were associated with improved asthma control (SE: ß = 0.19, p = 0.01; internal LoC: ß = 0.17, p = 0.02; external LoC: ß = -0.18, p = 0.01), better asthma-related QoL (SE: ß = -0.38, p < 0.01; internal LoC: ß = -0.40, p < 0.01; external LoC: ß = 0.46, p < 0.01) and less unmet needs (SE: ß = -0.16, p = 0.02; internal LoC: ß = -0.18, p < .01; external LoC: ß = 0.32, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Our study provides novel evidence on psychological resources among patients with asthma, which are associated with improved asthma outcomes.

Impact of pulmonary rehabilitation on patients' health care needs and asthma control: a quasi-experimental study.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary rehabilitation offers potential benefits to people with asthma. It is however unknown if rehabilitation favourably affects patients' health care needs. We therefore examined if rehabilitation reduced needs and, in addition, if it improved asthma control. METHODS: One hundred fifty patients with asthma were surveyed in three rehabilitation clinics at admission and at discharge. Additionally, we surveyed 78 participants with asthma twice 4 weeks apart. The latter sample (i.e. the control group) was recruited through other pathways than rehabilitation clinics. The Patient Needs in Asthma Treatment (NEAT) questionnaire and the Asthma Control Test (ACT) were completed at baseline and follow-up. Differences between baseline and follow-up and between rehabilitation and control group were examined by t-tests and chi-squared-tests. Univariate ANCOVAS were used to examine if NEAT and ACT follow-up scores differed significantly between groups. Within the rehabilitation group, linear regressions were used to examine if self-reported utilization of more interventions that addressed needs were associated with NEAT scores at follow-up. RESULTS: At baseline, there were no differences between the rehabilitation and the control group regarding needs and asthma control. At follow-up, the rehabilitation group showed reduced needs (t(149) = 10.33, p <  0.01) and increased asthma control (t(130) = -6.67, p <  0.01), whereas members of the control group exhibited no changes. Univariate ANCOVAS showed that unmet follow-up needs (F(1, 212) = 36.46, p <  0.001) and follow-up asthma control (F(1, 195) = 6.97, p = 0.009) differed significantly between groups. In the rehabilitation group, self-reported utilization of more interventions was associated with reduced needs (ß = 0.21; p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides preliminary evidence suggestion that pulmonary rehabilitation in adults with asthma may reduce asthma-related needs and confirms previous findings that rehabilitation may improve asthma control.

'When I have time pressure, sport is the first thing that is cancelled': A mixed-methods study on barriers to physical activity among university students in Germany.

The transition from school to university has been found to be associated with a decline in physical activity (PA). As regular engagement in PA plays an important role in preventing obesity and various chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, a deeper understanding on barriers that hinder university students from being physically active is necessary. We therefore conducted a mixed-methods study which built, first, on conducting a quantitative online survey across Germany (n = 689; 69.5% female) to examine barriers among university students. Afterwards, we explored these barriers in more detail by conducting 20 in-depth qualitative interviews (65.0% female). While we identified in our quantitative survey that especially time-related and motivational barriers hindered university students to engage in PA, our qualitative interviews indicate that connections between these barriers seem to exist. Moreover, the qualitative interviews enabled us to identify additional transition-related barriers (e.g., missing routines in everyday life, difficulties in finding a new sports club) that were not included in the quantitative questionnaire. Thus, such barriers should be incorporated into quantitative instruments to assess these barriers in larger samples of university students in the future. Moreover, our findings provide potential starting points for promoting PA in German university settings.

The Patient Needs in Asthma Treatment (NEAT) questionnaire: Further evidence on its psychometric properties.

BACKGROUND: Building on previous psychometric work, we sought to assess the Patient Needs in Asthma Treatment (NEAT) questionnaire's validity, responsiveness to change, and the minimal important change (MIC) over a 3-year period (Study 1) and its reliability and the smallest detectable change (SDC) in a test-retest study (Study 2) among patients self-reporting physician-diagnosed asthma. METHODS: In Study 1, a total of 207 patients completed a survey which included the NEAT, the Asthma Control Test (ACT), the Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire-Sydney (AQLQ-S), and a question on treatment satisfaction in 2014 and 2017. In Study 2, a total of 78 patients completed NEAT twice on average four weeks apart in 2018. RESULTS: Concurrent validity: In linear regressions, unmet patient needs were cross-sectionally associated with poorer asthma control (ß = -0.21; P = 0.01), asthma-related quality of life (QoL) (ß = 0.31; P < 0.01), and treatment satisfaction (ß = -0.59; P < 0.01). Predictive Validity: Higher unmet needs at baseline predicted worse treatment satisfaction at follow-up (ß = -0.28; P < 0.01), but neither asthma control nor asthma-related QoL. Responsiveness to change was demonstrated by linear regressions of changes in the total NEAT score and changes in AQLQ-S (ß = 0.21; P < 0.01) and treatment satisfaction (ß = -0.36; P < 0.01). MIC: Patients whose NEAT score increased between baseline and follow-up by the identified MIC (0.301) reported lower treatment satisfaction at follow-up (ß = -0.17; P = 0.01). Test-retest reliability was demonstrated by correlations between NEAT baseline and follow-up scores (eg, intra-class correlation coefficients for total score = 0.78). The SDC (0.384) was slightly larger than MIC. CONCLUSION: NEAT is a promising tool for assessing asthma treatment needs.

General practitioner visits and physical activity with asthma-the role of job decision authority: a cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: Psychosocial working conditions-in terms of job decision authority, among others-may influence asthma self-management at work and in leisure time, as recent qualitative research has shown. We sought to statistically investigate potential relationships between job decision authority and two types of self-management behaviours: physical activity (PA) and visits to the general practitioner (GP). METHODS: We combined data from waves 1 and 2 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) for cross-sectional analyses. The sample was restricted to participants who were employed and reported asthma but no other chronic lung disease (n = 387). The three key variables were each measured by one item. We estimated the prevalence ratios of adequate PA (i.e., more than once a week) and regular GP visits (i.e., ≥ 4 per year) according to job decision authority (low vs. high) using Poisson regression with the robust variance. RESULTS: We found no evidence of a relationship between job decision authority and PA. However, employees with low levels of job decision authority had a higher prevalence of reporting that they consulted their GP at least four times per year (prevalence ratio = 1.30; 95% confidence interval = 1.03-1.65). CONCLUSIONS: This study was the first to quantitatively investigate the relationship between job decision authority and PA specifically among individuals with asthma. Our results contradict prior epidemiological studies among general working populations, which reported a positive relationship between job decision authority and PA. Our results concerning the association between low job decision authority and more GP visits are inconsistent with our qualitative findings but supported by epidemiological studies among general occupational samples.

Urban road traffic noise and noise annoyance-a study on perceived noise control and its value among the elderly.

Noise annoyance may reflect a pro-participatory attitude towards public information and consultation according to the European Environmental Noise Directive. However, noise annoyance is also indicative of a stress response to perceived uncontrollable noise exposure. Using cross-sectional data on a sample of elderly citizens (n = 1772), we investigated whether the value residents ascribed to being able to control noise exposure at home moderated the potential indirect effect of road traffic noise on annoyance through perceived noise control. Our results confirmed the presence of such a moderated mediation, which may justify studying the impact of residents' valuing perceived noise control on participation readiness.

Associations of ambivalent leadership with distress and cortisol secretion.

Ambivalent social ties, i.e., whereby a relationship is evaluated simultaneously in positive and negative terms, are a potential source of distress and can perturb health-relevant biological functions. Social interactions at the workplace, in particular with supervisors, are often described in ambivalent terms, but the psychological and psychobiological impact of such interactions has received little scientific attention. The current study examined associations between ambivalent attitudes towards one's supervisor, perceived distress (general and work-related), and diurnal dynamics of the stress hormone cortisol. 613 employees evaluated their supervisor in terms of positive and negative behaviors, which was combined into an ambivalent index. Higher ambivalence was associated with higher perceived distress and work-related stress (p < .001), and with a larger cortisol awakening response and higher day-time secretion post-awakening (p < .01). The present study is the first to identify ambivalence towards supervisors as a predictor of employee distress and stress-related endocrine dysregulation. In consequence, focusing solely on positive or negative leader behavior may insufficiently capture the true complexity of workplace interactions and attempts to compensate negative behaviors with positive are unlikely to reduce distress-but quite the opposite-by increasing ambivalence.

Stressors and resources related to academic studies and improvements suggested by medical students: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Prior evidence suggests that medical students' mental health is poor and deteriorates during the course of academic studies. This qualitative study therefore aims to improve our understanding of medical students' perceptions of i) stressors related to their academic studies, ii) resources that may facilitate coping with those stressors and iii) suggestions to potentially reduce stress. METHODS: Eight focus groups were conducted with medical students enrolled at a medical school in Germany until thematic saturation was reached. A topic guide was used to facilitate the discussion. Subsequently, focus group discussions were transcribed and content-analyzed using MaxQDA. RESULTS: Organizational factors especially related to inadequate information flow as well as exams (e.g. repeat exams, scheduling, perceived unfair grading), poor theoretical and practical teaching quality, time and performance pressure, social interactions and individual characteristics (e.g. self-expectations, fear of failure) emerged as major contributors to stress. Resources perceived to facilitate coping with those stressors pertained to some other organizational aspects (e.g. flexibility, availability of contact persons), career prospects, practical training, social support, personal characteristics (e.g. knowledge base, past experience) and leisure time. Suggestions for improvement related primarily to organizational measures rather than individual-level measures. CONCLUSIONS: Besides well-known stressors (e.g. exams and high performance pressure), some new aspects emerged from our study including stress related to organizational factors and repeat exams. Accordingly, students' wishes for organizational-level interventions, including better information systems and better interweaving of practical and theoretical education, could be first target areas for improvement.