Living a Calling During COVID-19: A Resource Gain Perspective.

Massive disruptions to work and threats to employee well-being due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have highlighted the need to identify resources which enable employees to gain other valuable resources. Using a resource gain perspective, we examined the role of living a calling as a potentially robust resource, enabling employees to gain work readiness during the COVID-19 pandemic, and, in turn, resulting in a greater well-being in the form of lower job strain. Using a sample of clergy (N = 216) from various denominations, we provide initial evidence that living a calling may be associated with lower levels of job strain through increased COVID-19 work readiness. This study underscores the relevance of living a calling in a time of high potential or actual loss of resources.

Worry as a mediator between psychosocial stressors and emotional sequelae: Moderation by contrast avoidance.

BACKGROUND: Worry is the core feature of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), which is prevalent among emerging adults. The contrast avoidance model proposes that individuals with GAD use worry to avoid negative emotional contrasts by maintaining a state of negative affect. Research suggests worry in response to stressors increases anxiety, but more research is needed to examine depression as an outcome and the predictions of contrast avoidance in the context of multiple stressor subtypes. The current study examined whether worry may be associated with increased symptoms of anxiety and depression, regardless of stressors, due to the use of worry as an avoidance strategy, moderating these associations. METHODS: 367 undergraduate college students from a medium-sized, public university completed self-report questionnaires online. RESULTS: Worry significantly mediated the associations from academic stressors and social stressors to symptoms of anxiety and depression. Contrast avoidance significantly moderated associations between academic stressors and worry as well as worry and anxiety. For those high in contrast avoidance, worry was relatively high regardless of academic stressors; for those low in contrast avoidance, students with fewer academic stressors reported less worry. LIMITATIONS: The present study relied on self-report. In addition, the cross-sectional design limits the ability to draw conclusions about temporal relations. CONCLUSIONS: Contrast avoidance elevated worry regardless of academic stressors, and strengthened the association between worry and anxiety but not worry and depression. Individuals who experience high levels of contrast avoidance may benefit from cognitive interventions focusing on reducing beliefs about the perceived benefits of worry.

Beyond Same-Sex Attraction: Gender-Variant-Based Victimization Is Associated with Suicidal Behavior and Substance Use for Other-Sex Attracted Adolescents.

Gender-variant-based victimization is victimization based on the way others perceive an individual to convey masculine, feminine, and androgynous characteristics through their appearance, mannerisms, and behaviors. Previous work identifies gender-variant-based victimization as a risk factor for health-risking outcomes among same-sex attracted youths. The current study seeks to examine this relationship among other-sex attracted youths and same-sex attracted youth, and determine if gender-variant-based victimization is similarly or differentially associated with poor outcomes between these two groups. Anonymous data from a school-based survey of 2,438 racially diverse middle and high school students in the Eastern U.S. was examined. For other-sex attracted adolescents, gender-variant-based victimization was associated with a higher odds of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, regular use of cigarettes, and drug use. When compared to same-sex attracted adolescents, the harmful relationship between gender-variant-based victimization and each of these outcomes was similar in nature. These findings suggest that gender-variant-based victimization has potentially serious implications for the psychological wellbeing and substance use of other-sex attracted adolescents, not just same-sex attracted adolescents, supporting the need to address gender expression as a basis for victimization separate from sexuality- or gender-minority status. The impact that gender-variant-based victimization has on all adolescents should not be overlooked in research and interventions aimed at addressing sexual orientation-based and gender-variant-based victimization, substance use, and suicide prevention.

Feasibility of a web-based gatekeeper training: implications for suicide prevention.

Web-based training programs have advantages such as increased scheduling flexibility and decreased training costs. Yet the feasibility of applying them to injury prevention programs such as suicide prevention gatekeeper training has not been empirically verified. Two studies were conducted to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of a web-based version of the Question, Persuade, and Refer (QPR) gatekeeper training program. Results of Study 1 revealed that participants in a web-based training demonstrated significant gains in knowledge of suicide prevention, self-efficacy for suicide prevention, and behavioral intentions to engage in suicide prevention, as compared to those in a control group. Results of Study 2 further showed that the web-based training may be as effective as the face-to-face QPR training across pre- (T1) and post training (T2); however, knowledge, self-efficacy, and behavioral intentions in both groups generally declined from T2 to 6-months after the training. Overall, these results provide initial evidence to support the feasibility of adopting web-based media to deliver gatekeeper training. Moreover, the present findings suggest the need to understand how to maintain gatekeepers' knowledge, confidence, motivation, and skills after training.

The potential role of meaning in life in the relationship between bullying victimization and suicidal ideation.

Adolescent bullying is a common problem in schools across America. The consequences of bullying are significant, and can include severe psychological trauma and suicide. A better understanding of the mechanisms that link bullying and suicidal ideation is needed in order to develop effective prevention and intervention initiatives. Meaning in life is a potential mechanism that has not been studied in this context. It was hypothesized that meaning in life could serve as both a mediator and a moderator of the relationship between bullying victimization and suicidal ideation. As a mediator, meaning in life is considered to explain why bullying victimization leads to suicidal ideation. As a moderator, meaning in life is considered to buffer the ill effect of bullying victimization on suicidal ideation. Data collected from an ethnically diverse sample of 2,936 (50% female), 6th-12th grade students from one urban school district in the Northeastern US were used to examine the hypotheses. The model for girls was consistent with mediation (i.e., meaning in life may explain how victimization leads to suicidal ideation). The model for boys was consistent with moderation (i.e., the ill effect of victimization on suicidal ideation was attenuated as meaning in life increased). Implications for prevention are discussed.

Construction workers' reasons for not reporting work-related injuries: an exploratory study.

Although under-reporting of work-related injuries by workers is recognized as a significant problem in construction and other industries, little is known about the specific reasons for such occurrences. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used in this study to (a) identify reasons why construction workers may choose not to report work-related injuries, and (b) to investigate the frequency of the identified reasons. Twenty-seven percent of a sample of construction workers (N = 135) indicated that they had failed to report a work-related injury. The most frequent reasons given were related to perceptions of injuries as "small" and "part of the job" as well as fear of negative consequences, which may follow injury reporting. These findings are discussed in terms of practical implications. Strategies to overcome these reasons are suggested to decrease the under-reporting of injuries in the construction industry.

Measurement equivalence and mean comparisons of a safety climate measure across construction trades.

The use of safety climate measures for needs assessment and interventions has become increasingly popular. However, no research to date has examined whether the meaning and level of safety climate may differ across different groups of interest. This study used multi-group confirmatory factor analyses to investigate the measurement equivalence of a multidimensional safety climate measure across ten construction trade groups (N=4725). In addition, observed mean differences in safety climate perceptions between trades were examined. Results revealed strong measurement equivalence of the safety climate measure across the construction trade groups. Further, significant mean differences were found between the ten trade groups on all four safety climate scales.

The effects of situational obstacles and social support on suicide- prevention gatekeeper behaviors.

BACKGROUND: Although the effectiveness of suicide-prevention gatekeeper-training programs in improving knowledge, attitudes, and referral practices has been documented, their effects do not seem to be lasting. AIMS: This study investigated situational obstacles at work that prevent suicide-prevention gatekeepers from engaging in suicide-prevention behavior and the role of social support in modifying the relationship between situational obstacles and suicide-prevention behaviors. METHODS: 193 gatekeepers completed an online survey to rate the obstacles they had experienced at work since completing a gatekeeper-training program and the support received from coworkers, supervisors, and the organization. Participants also reported the frequency of suicide-prevention behaviors performed. RESULTS: The results indicated that both situational obstacles and social support predicted the number of suicide-prevention behaviors performed, as expected. There was also a trend that support from supervisors and the organization may alleviate the adverse effect of situational obstacles on suicide-prevention behavior. LIMITATIONS: The cross-sectional nature of the study does not allow for directional, causal conclusions to be drawn. CONCLUSIONS: By understanding the roles of situational obstacles faced by trained gatekeepers at their work and the support they receive from supervisors and organizations, appropriate strategies can be identified and applied to facilitate gatekeeper performance.

Individual safety performance in the construction industry: development and validation of two short scales.

In the current research a short measure of safety performance is developed for use in the construction industry and the relationships between different components of safety performance and safety outcomes (e.g., occupational injuries and work-related pain) are explored within the construction context. This research consists of two field studies. In the first, comprehensive measures of safety compliance and safety participation were shortened and modified to be appropriate for use in construction. Evidence of reliability and validity is provided. Both safety compliance and safety participation were negatively related to occupational injuries, yet these two correlations were not statistically different. In the second study, we investigated the relationships between these two components of safety performance and work-related pain frequency, in addition to replicating Study 1. Safety compliance had a stronger negative relationship with pain than safety participation. Implications for research are discussed.

[Case Study] CityCenter and Cosmopolitan Construction Projects, Las Vegas, Nevada: lessons learned from the use of multiple sources and mixed methods in a safety needs assessment.

PROBLEM: The present study describes a response to eight tragic deaths over an eighteen month times span on a fast track construction project on the largest commercial development project in U.S. history. METHODS: Four versions of a survey were distributed to workers, foremen, superintendents, and senior management. In addition to standard Likert-scale safety climate scale items, an open-ended item was included at the end of the survey. RESULTS: Safety climate perceptions differed by job level. Specifically, management perceived a more positive safety climate as compared to workers. Content analysis of the open-ended item was used to identify important safety and health concerns which might have been overlooked with the qualitative portion of the survey. DISCUSSION: The surveys were conducted to understand workforce issues of concern with the aim of improving site safety conditions. Such efforts can require minimal investment of resources and time and result in critical feedback for developing interventions affecting organizational structure, management processes, and communication. SUMMARY: The most important lesson learned was that gauging differences in perception about site safety can provide critical feedback at all levels of a construction organization. IMPACT ON THE INDUSTRY: Implementation of multi-level organizational perception surveys can identify major safety issues of concern. Feedback, if acted upon, can potentially result in fewer injuries and fatal events.

The effects of error management climate and safety communication on safety: a multi-level study.

Work in the construction industry is considered inherently dangerous, despite the technological improvements regarding the safety of work conditions and equipment. To address the urgent need to identify organizational predictors of safety performance and outcomes among construction workers, the present study examined multi-level effects of two important indicators of safety climate, namely contractor error management climate and worker safety communication, on safety behavior, injury, and pain among union construction workers. Data were collected from 235 union construction workers employed by 15 contractors in Midwest and Northwest regions of the United States. Results revealed significant main effects for safety communication and error management climate on safety behaviors and pain, but not on injuries. Our findings suggest that positive safety communication and error management climate are important contributors to improving workplace safety. Specific implications of these results for organizational safety research and practice are discussed.