Measuring digital transformation stress at the workplace-Development and validation of the digital transformation stress scale.

Despite the unquestionable advantages of digital transformation (DT) in organizations, the very process of DT could have an impact on the level of stress of the employees. The negative effects of the digital transformation process can be observed during the implementation of information and communication technologies (ICT) solutions. They are further enhanced by the effects of COVID-19 pandemic, as digital transformation has accelerated to allow for remote work. Herein we distinguish between general stress at the workplace and the very specific type of stress, namely digital transformation stress (DTS). We assumed that this type of stress appears when rapid implementation of ICT solutions is introduced with time pressure and incertitude of further results. To quantify this phenomenon, we developed a new self-report scale-the Digital Transformation Stress Scale (DTSS), measuring employees' stress stemming from the process of digital transformation in organizations. The psychometric validity of the scale was evaluated in two studies: Study1 conducted at the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 (N = 229) and Study 2 in 2021 (N = 558), after a year of mostly remote work. The results confirmed good reliability with Cronbach's Alpha α = .91 in Study 1 and α = .90 in Study 2 and assumed unidimensional factorial validity of the scale in both studies. All items of the scale had good difficulty and discrimination values evaluated in Item Response Theory, i.e., IRT approach. The scale showed predicted convergent validity as the indicator of the digital transformation stress moderately correlated with general stress at work. Moreover, the assumption that even employees with high ICT skills could be affected by DTS was confirmed. Additionally, the results indicated that digital transformation stress was significantly higher among employees who reported both issues: ongoing digital solutions projects at the workplace and high impact of COVID-19 pandemic on their work. The scale could be used in future work on measuring and counteracting digital transformation stress at the workplace.

Blended Online Intervention to Reduce Digital Transformation Stress by Enhancing Employees' Resources in COVID-19.

Generally, the solutions based on information and communication technologies (ICT) provide positive outcomes for both companies and employees. However, the process of digital transformation (DT) can be the cause of digital transformation stress (DTS), when the work demands caused by fast implementation of ICT are elevated and employees' resources are limited. Based on the Job Demand-Resources (JD-R) Model we claim that DT, rapidly accelerating in the COVID-19 pandemic, can increase the level of DTS and general stress at work. To reduce these negative effects of DTS, we propose the online intervention aimed to strengthen employees' resources, such as self-efficacy. In this article we evaluate the effectiveness of the blended intervention, based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and social cognitive therapy, composed of a prototyped online training (e-stressless) and series of interactive online workshops. In a longitudinal study, we examined the change in DTS, perceived stress at work, attitudes toward DT, self-efficacy and burnout in two time points, before and after the intervention. We compared five groups of participants (558 in total), three groups not qualified (n = 417), and two groups qualified to intervention (n = 141). Our results revealed that the designed blended intervention decreased DTS and one of the dimensions of burnout, namely disengagement. More specifically, the results showed that in the group of active participants of the blended intervention DTS significantly decreased [M T1 = 3.23, M T2 = 3.00, t(432) = 1.96, p = 0.051], and in the group of ineligible participants DTS significantly increased [M T1 = 1.76, M T2 = 2.02, t(432) = 4.17, p < 0.001]. This research paves way for the creation of blended online intervention which could help in addressing employee digital transformation stress before it starts having adverse effects on employee performance and well-being.

Kidney stones are common in patients with short-bowel syndrome receiving long-term parenteral nutrition: A predictive model for urolithiasis.

BACKGROUND: In short-bowel syndrome (SBS) treated with parenteral nutrition (PN), multiple complications can occur. The etiology of kidney stones may be linked to the underlying disease thrombosis, surgical complications, complications of therapy for cancer, Crohn's disease, metabolic abnormalities resulting from morphological and functional changes in the gastrointestinal tract, and to treatment used. We analyzed all these parameters in a large cohort of patients receiving home PN (HPN), to define the incidence of stones and groups of patients particularly at risk of stone formation. One of the objectiveswas to develop a predictive model of urolithiasis. METHODS: This observational retrospective study included 459 patients with SBS recieving HPN in a single center. Patient records were evaluated for demographics, SBS etiology, and underlying disease, anatomy of the gastrointestinal tract, intestinal failure classification, nutrition regimen, and presence of urolithiasis. RESULTS: Kidney stones were diagnosed in 24% of patients. Nodifferences in incidence were noted between the various etiologic groups. The incidence in patients with a colon in continuity and those with an end stoma was similar. The length of residual small bowel did not play a role in stone formation. There were no differences between patients according to the severity of intestinal failure. In patients treated with PN and limited oral feeding, the risk of urolithiasis was twice as high as in patients receiving PN only. CONCLUSIONS: Patients developed urolithiasis with no relation to the SBS etiology. The risk of kidney stone formation was higher in patients recieving PN with oral feeding.

Measuring Stereotype Threat at Math and Language Arts in Secondary School: Validation of a Questionnaire.

A stereotype threat arises when a negative stereotype about group to which an individual belongs is activated. It affects the achievement and interest of students in a particular academic domain, e.g., girls at math or boys at language arts. Hence, it is important to assess the level of stereotype threat at school (STaS) in order to identify the vulnerability of students to its negative consequences. This study devised and validated two parallel versions of the STaS scale: girls in mathematics and boys in language arts in a nationally representative sample of Polish secondary school students (N = 1,241; 13-16 years). The results of a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in a complex sample approach showed one general factor. Furthermore, a multiple-group CFA confirmed metric invariance and partial scalar invariance. The variances for boys and girls were equal. This suggests that the construct of stereotype threat is similarly conceptualized by both genders despite being in different domains. Finally, the comparison of means of latent variables revealed a higher level of stereotype threat among boys in the language domain than girls in mathematics. Possible theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Psychometric Properties and Configural Invariance of the Polish - Language Version of the 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale in Non-clinical and Alcohol Addict Persons.

AIM: The development and assessment of the psychometric properties of the Polish-language version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (Bagby et al., 1994a, b) is described in this article. The aim of this study was to translate the TAS - 20 into Polish and establish the psychometric properties of this instrument evaluating alexithymia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were collected via self-report measures from a total sample of 676 participants: a total of 180 participants (115 males and 65 females) diagnosed with alcohol dependence, and 496 control group (347 males and 149 females). RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analyses found the factor structure of the original English-language TAS 20 for the three subscales translated into Polish: Difficulty in Identifying Feeling (DIF); Difficulty in Describing Feeling (DDF); Externally Oriented Thinking (EOT). All three subscales showed good internal consistency in non-clinical group and two subscales, DIF and DDF in alcohol addict group. Several EOT items loaded poorly on their intended factor. CONCLUSION: The results from the present study indicate that the Polish version of the TAS - 20 is a reliable and valid measure of alexithymia with good levels of internal consistency, homogeneity, and construct validity. We conclude that the TAS-20 has, for the most part, adequate psychometric properties, though interpretation should focus only on the total scale score and DIF and DDF subscales, especially in clinical groups.

The relationship between work, mental health, physical health, and fatigue in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A cross-sectional study.

To evaluate the relationship between work, mental health, physical health, and fatigue in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, the data of 282 participants were drawn from baseline. The results of structural equation modeling showed that among rheumatoid arthritis patients, those who were engaged in occupational activity had lower levels of fatigue compared to those who did not work and that this relationship was mediated by better mental health, not by physical health.

Chronic Stereotype Threat Is Associated With Mathematical Achievement on Representative Sample of Secondary Schoolgirls: The Role of Gender Identification, Working Memory, and Intellectual Helplessness.

Stereotype threat affects performance in many different groups across many different domains. Despite a large body of experimental research on situational stereotype threat, little attention has been paid to the consequences of repeated experience of stereotype threat. Using structural equation modeling on data from a representative sample of girls from secondary schools, the current research examined the relations of chronic stereotype threat with mathematical achievement, and effectiveness of working memory functions. Moving beyond past theory, this study examined a new mechanism by which chronic stereotype threat decreases school achievement - namely intellectual helplessness. We assumed that repeated experience of stereotype threat works as intellectual helplessness training. After the phase of cognitive mobilization, cognitive exhaustion appears, because the individual has no gain from intense cognitive effort. Corroborating previous research on acute stereotype threat, we demonstrated that chronic stereotype threat is negatively associated with mathematical achievement. Additionally, it was also associated with lower effectiveness of working memory functions, which seems to show depletion of working memory as an effect of chronic stereotype threat. The results also demonstrated that both mediational paths from chronic stereotype threat to mathematical achievement: through working memory depletion and through intellectual helplessness were significant but only for girls that were highly identified with their gender group. In sum, we extended a well-established model of acute stereotype threat to its chronic version and suggested a new mechanism of chronic stereotype threat, which involves intellectual helplessness. Implications for stereotype threat theory and educational practice are discussed.

Associations Between Fixed-Term Employment and Health and Behaviors: What are the Mechanisms?

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the associations between fixed-term employment and health (work ability and mental health) and behaviors (engagement and performance). Psychological contract fulfilment (PCF) and breach (PCB) are investigated as potential mediators of these associations. METHODS: Seven hundred workers employed on fixed-term contracts from a broad range of organizations participated in the study. The Structural Equation Model was performed to analyze the data. RESULTS: Mediation analyses revealed that good physical and mental health and productivity are more likely to be achieved by those workers who perform non-manual work and (to some extent) accept their contracts because they experience high levels of PCF and low levels of PCB. CONCLUSIONS: Apart from the lack of physical workload, psychological contract fulfilment has been revealed as yet another significant mediator between a higher socioeconomic position and good health and productivity of fixed-term workers.

Stereotype threat as a determinant of burnout or work engagement. Mediating role of positive and negative emotions.

Stereotype threat as an example of serious interpersonal strain at workplace can lead either to impaired work engagement or it can motivate workers to strengthen their efforts to disconfirm a stereotype and can result in excessive work engagement. Thus, the basic aim of the study was to examine whether stereotype threat is related to burnout or to work engagement. The mediating role of the negative and positive emotions were also tested in the classical approach. Mediational analysis revealed a linear relation of stereotype threat and burnout, mediated by negative emotions and a quadratic relationship between stereotype threat and work engagement. In the latter analysis none of the mediators were significant. Therefore, the results showed that both burnout and work engagement are associated with stereotype threat at the workplace, probably depending on the stage of response to the stereotype threat. Further research should confirm these associations in a longitudinal study.

Authentic leadership, social support and their role in workplace bullying and its mental health consequences.

The aim of this study was to show how authentic leadership is related to social support and exposure to workplace bullying and how these variables are related to mental health. For our sample of 820 office workers employed in different Polish organizations and sectors, social support from supervisors moderated the relationship between authentic leadership and workplace bullying. Social support from co-workers moderated the relationship between workplace bullying and mental health and authentic leadership moderated the relationship between workplace bullying and mental health.

The Face of the Chameleon: The Experience of Facial Mimicry for the Mimicker and the Mimickee.

This research addressed three questions concerning facial mimicry: (a) Does the relationship between mimicry and liking characterize all facial expressions, or is it limited to specific expressions? (b) Is the relationship between facial mimicry and liking symmetrical for the mimicker and the mimickee? (c) Does conscious mimicry have consequences for emotion recognition? A paradigm is introduced in which participants interact over a computer setup with a confederate whose prerecorded facial displays of emotion are synchronized with participants' behavior to create the illusion of social interaction. In Experiment 1, the confederate did or did not mimic participants' facial displays of various subsets of basic emotions. Mimicry promoted greater liking for the confederate regardless of which emotions were mimicked. Experiment 2 reversed these roles: participants were instructed to mimic or not to mimic the confederate's facial displays. Mimicry did not affect liking for the confederate but it did impair emotion recognition.

Psychometric properties of the Polish version of Karasek's Job Content Questionnaire.

AIM: The objective of this study was to test the psychometric properties of selected scales, namely, Decision Latitude, Psychological Job Demand, Social Support and Job Insecurity, from the Polish version of Karasek's 29-item Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ). METHOD: The study covered 2626 workers from a wide range of occupations. Estimation of internal consistency with Cronbach's α, and both exploratory factor analysis (with principal axis method) and confirmatory factor analysis were the main statistical methods. Predictive validity was assessed by regressing the outcomes of JCQ scales on the outcomes of Goldberg and Williams's General Health Questionnaire. RESULTS: The internal consistency of the scales was satisfactory, ranging from .60 to .85. The 4-dimensional structure of the measured version was generally confirmed; the 4 dimensions being Decision Latitude; Psychological Job Demands and Job Insecurity merged into 1 factor; Co-workers' Social Support; and Supervisors' Social Support. Fit indexes for this model were satisfactory, it was also proved that this model predicted mental health. CONCLUSIONS: The Polish version of Karasek's 29-item JCQ has satisfactory psychometric properties; it is a short, easy method for assessing psychosocial work conditions.

Psychological factors at work and musculoskeletal disorders: a one year prospective study.

The etiology of musculoskeletal disorders is complex, with physical and psychosocial working conditions playing an important role. This study aimed to determine the relationship between psychosocial work conditions, such as psychological job demands, decision latitude, social support and job insecurity and musculoskeletal complains (MSCs) and (repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) in a 1-year prospective study. The job content questionnaire, the Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire and provocation tests were used to study 725 employees aged 20-70 years. Pain in the lower back (58 % of subjects), neck (57 %), wrists/hands (47 %) and upper back (44 %) was most frequent. The carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) (33.6 %), rotator cuff tendinitis (15.4 %), Guyon's canal syndrome (13.4 %), lateral epicondylitis (7.6 %), medial epicondylitis (5.3 %), tendinitis of forearm-wrist extensors (7.8 %) and tendinitis of forearm-wrist flexors (7.3 %) were the most frequent RSIs. Logistic analysis showed that increased psychological job demands statistically significantly increased the probability of lateral and medial epicondylitis, and increased control (decision latitude) statistically significantly decreased the risk of CTS. There was no relationship between job insecurity, social support and the studied RSIs. Psychosocial factors at work predict prevalence of MSCs and RSIs, irrespectively of demographic factors, e.g., age or gender, and organizational and physical factors.

Work time control and mental health of workers working long hours: the role of gender and age.

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between work time control and mental health in workers working long hours. The study also attempted to show how that relationship depended on age and gender. Three hundred and six white-collar workers doing clerical work for over 8 h daily were diagnosed on work time control and mental health with the 28-item General Health Questionnaire. The results of an analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that participants working long hours but having high control over their work time had a significantly higher level of their mental health with regard to somatic complaints and anxiety and marginally higher with regard to social dysfunction than workers with low control over their work time. Male and female workers reported different problems with their mental health depending on what age (stage of life) they were at. It is hypothesized that the work-family conflict, inability to fulfil social commitments and poor working conditions can influence those effects.

The role of similarity and dissimilarity focus in sequential judgments of physical attractiveness.

The present results indicate that procedurally priming comparison focus can change the contrast effect in judgments of physical attractiveness (Kenrick & Gutierres, 1980). Participants were primed to search for similarities vs. differences between target and standard of comparison in a task using material irrelevant to the subsequent physical attractiveness judgment. Focusing participants on similarities testing produced the assimilation effect: evaluation of target and comparison standard as being similar. Focusing participants on dissimilarity testing produced the contrast effect: evaluating the target as different from the standard of comparison.

[Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Validity and reliability of different versions of the scale--review]. / Geriatryczna Skala Depresji (GDS). Trafnosc i rzetelnosc róznych wersji tego narzedzia--przeglad badan.

Diagnosing depression in the elderly poses a serious problem because of the ageing process and various diseases that influence and mask symptoms of depressed mood. For instance, depression is often confused with dementia. It is therefore crucial to use a diagnostic tool that takes these problems into account. The presented paper is a review of the recently published studies concerning the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). The properties of the original 30-items version of the GDS are described, along with the information on shorter versions of the scale (i.e. the scales consisting of 20, 15, 12, 10, 5, and 4 items). The psychometric properties i.e. validity, reliability, sensitivity, and specificity of the original version ofGDS are presented. Also presented is the information on scoring for both 30- and 15-item version of the scale. The results of the studies concerning shorter versions of the GDS were discussed in the context of their usability in various settings. Different ways of administering the GDS are mentioned. In the last part of the article, general problems concerning diagnostic usability of the Geriatric Depression Scale are discussed.