The associations between basic psychological need satisfaction at work and the wellbeing of Indigenous and non-Indigenous employees.

We investigated how satisfaction of the basic psychological needs at work was associated with the psychological and physical wellbeing of Indigenous and non-Indigenous employees both within and outside of the workplace. Participants included 1,146 Indigenous (n = 559) and non-Indigenous Australians (60.9% female), aged 18 to 81 years (Mage = 43.54) who were recruited through their employer or online advertisements. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the data, and Indigenous status and occupation type were investigated as moderators. Results revealed that independent of income, autonomy satisfaction was related to better physical and psychological health, satisfaction of the need for relatedness was associated with increased family and community thriving, and competence satisfaction was linked to decreased psychological distress. Results also showed that autonomy, competence, and relatedness need satisfaction was lower among Indigenous employees compared to non-Indigenous employees. Moderation analyses suggested that relatedness at work was especially important for non-Indigenous employees' connection with their community, as were high levels of competence satisfaction for Indigenous employees. These findings are discussed in the context of self-determination theory and the implications for organizations wanting to improve the wellbeing of their Indigenous and non-Indigenous workforce.

Attitude to Non-Violence Scale: Validity and Practical Use.

This study used recent advances in attitude and self-perception research to develop an Attitude to Non-Violence Scale (ANVS). Participants were students from six high schools in Australia ( N = 727). Confirmatory factor analysis using within-construct and between-construct validation approaches found two positive attitude sub-scales: Cognitive (proactive understanding) and Affective (do not endorse violence), both showing convergent and discriminant validity. Scale equivalence tests found that the sub-scales were applicable to boys and girls and to junior and senior grades. Structural equation modeling found that boys had less supportive attitudes to non-violence cognitively, whereas female students in senior secondary classes had less positive attitudes to non-violence affectively. The ANVS can be easily administered to assess youth's non-violence attitudes, which may direct interventions focusing on boys' cognitive aspects while maintaining girls' positive affective attitudes toward non-violence as they mature. The positively framed instrument is suitable for education settings especially in high-risk locations where violence is prevalent.

Identifying teachers at risk in Hong Kong: Psychosomatic symptoms and sources of stress.

OBJECTIVE: The present study attempts to examine the relationships between certain common psychosomatic symptoms and sources of stress in Hong Kong teachers. METHODS: A total of 261 teachers (134 males and 127 females) from 13 high schools in different regions of Hong Kong responded to the Teacher Stress Inventory (TSI) with a return rate of 52.2%. Retired and in-service teachers were involved in the development of TSI, which included items related to sources of stress in the context of Hong Kong education system, psychosomatic symptoms in the form of stress arousal, and global stress. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis identified six distinct teacher stress sources: students, others, curriculum, nonteaching duties, teaching workload, and recognition. These stress sources were positively correlated with a global teacher stress measure, supporting their construct validity. Structural equation models showed that each stress source was positively related to teachers' psychosomatic symptoms, to which the path coefficient from teaching workload was the highest (beta=.47, P<.05). CONCLUSION: The heavy workload experienced by the Hong Kong teachers that is directly related to the daily teaching routine tends to be the most detrimental to their health conditions. Measures such as reducing teacher-student ratio by adopting smaller class sizes, increasing teacher numbers, and reframing teaching practice should be given due consideration in Hong Kong. There is a need for the inclusion of stress management programs for both trainees and in-service teachers.