The effects of Baduanjin exercise vs. brisk walking on physical fitness and cognition in middle-aged patients with schizophrenia: A randomized controlled trial.

Objective: Patients with schizophrenia have deficits in physical and cognitive function that may become salient in their middle ages. These deficits need active intervention to prevent functional decline. Baduanjin and brisk walking show promise as interventions in patients with schizophrenia. This study investigated the effects of Baduanjin exercise vs. brisk walking in middle-aged patients with schizophrenia. Methods: In this single-blind, 2-arm, parallel, randomized controlled trial, 48 participants aged older than 40 years were enrolled and assigned to the intervention group (Baduanjin) or the control group (brisk walking). The training of both groups took place twice a week, 60 min per session, for 12 weeks. The participants were evaluated with physical, cognitive, and functional outcomes at baseline, postintervention, and 4 weeks after the intervention. Results: The results of the study demonstrated significant time effects in walking distance (p = 0.035, η2 = 0.094) and lower extremity strength (p = 0.006, η2 = 0.152). Post-hoc analysis revealed both groups had significant improvement in changes from baseline to the postintervention assessment (ps < 0.05) and follow-up (ps < 0.05). The results demonstrated a significant group-by-time interaction in change scores of global cognition (F = 7.01, p = 0.011, η2 = 0.133). Post-hoc analysis revealed a significant improvement in the Baduanjin group from baseline to postintervention (p = 0.021), but the improvements were not maintained at the follow-up assessment (p = 0.070). The results also demonstrated significant group effects in balance function (p < 0.001, η2 = 0.283), motor dual-task performance (p = 0.026, η2 = 0.103), and cognitive dual-task performance (p < 0.001, η2 = 0.307). Post-hoc analysis revealed that the Baduanjin group improved more than the brisk walking group in the above outcomes (ps < 0.05). Conclusion: This study demonstrated the differential effects of Baduanjin exercise and brisk walking in middle-aged patients with schizophrenia. Baduanjin might be a beneficial regimen for improving physical and cognitive function in this population. Further research with a larger sample is warranted. Clinical trial registration: [ClinicalTrials.gov], identifier [202000817B0C602].

Beyond individual job insecurity: A multilevel examination of job insecurity climate on work engagement and job satisfaction.

To address the recent call for investigations of job insecurity as a collective construct-namely, job insecurity climate-this study developed and tested a multilevel model of consequences of job insecurity climate. Specifically, we examined the association of job insecurity climate with employees' perceived organizational obstruction, which, in turn, relates to their work engagement and job satisfaction. In the current study, cross-sectional data were collected from a sample of 357 full-time Taiwanese employees in 42 work units. Using multilevel structural equation modeling analyses to test our hypotheses, we found that job insecurity climate was positively related to employees' perceived organizational obstruction. We also found that job insecurity climate had a negative indirect association with employees' work engagement and job satisfaction through the perceived organizational obstruction. Our results shed light on the relationship between job insecurity climate and employee outcomes beyond individual job insecurity and the psychological mechanism through which job insecurity climate relates to employee work engagement and job satisfaction. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Core Self-Evaluations and Job and Life Satisfaction: The Mediating and Moderated Mediating Role of Job Insecurity.

This study examined the mediating role of job insecurity in the relationship between core self-evaluations (CSE) and job satisfaction, while also investigating the moderating role of job insecurity in the mediated relationship between CSE and life satisfaction via job satisfaction. Survey data were collected from a sample of 346 full-time employees in Taiwan. We found that job insecurity partially mediated the CSE-job satisfaction relationship. Moreover, we found that job insecurity moderated not only the relationship between CSE and job satisfaction but also the mediated relationship between CSE and life satisfaction via job satisfaction. Specifically, both the CSE-job satisfaction relationship and the CSE-job satisfaction-life satisfaction relationship became stronger when job insecurity was low. Our results emphasize the importance of raising employees' CSE, which is beneficial not only for diminishing their perceptions of job insecurity, but also for boosting their job and life satisfaction. Practical implications and directions for future research are discussed.