The work-health balance questionnaire: cultural adaptation and validation in Spanish

El objetivo de este estudio fue hacer una adaptación cultural del cuestionario del balance trabajo-salud (WHBq; (Gragnano et al., 2017) al idioma español y proporcionar evidencia mediante el análisis factorial, la confiabilidad y validez. Este instrumento se compone de tres escalas: Incompatibilidad trabajo-salud (WHI), clima de salud (HC) y apoyo externo (ES), con un total de 17 ítems. Este se aplicó a una muestra de trabajadores mexicanos (n = 316). El análisis factorial confirmatorio reveló un modelo de tres factores reproducido en la estructura original, el cual mostró un buen ajuste (CFI = 0.950; SRMR = 0.051; RMSEA = 0.069). La confiabilidad de cada factor y del cuestionario en su totalidad fue satisfactorio (ω mayor a 0.70). El AVE fue inferior a 0.50 solo en ES. Se discuten las soluciones para este problema. La validez de constructo se evaluó por criterio externo. El WHBq en su versión al español mostró adecuadas propiedades psicométricas y su relación teórica consistente con variables externas. Con estos resultados se confirma que este instrumento es una herramienta válida y confiable para su uso en México.(AU)

This study aimed to adapt the Work-Health Balance question-naire (WHBq; (Gragnano, Miglioretti, Frings-Dresen, & de Boer, 2017)in-to Spanish and to provide evidence for its factorial structure, reliability, and validity. WHBq comprises 17 itemswith three scales: Work-Health In-compatibility (WHI), Health Climate (HC) and External Support (ES). It was applied to a sample of Mexican workers (n =316). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the three-factor model replicating the original struc-ture provided good fit (CFI = 0.950; SRMR = 0.051; RMSEA = 0.069). The reliability of each factor and the whole questionnaire were satisfactory (α and ω higher than0.70). The AVE was lower than 0.50 only for ES. So-lutions to this problem are discussed. Concurrent and differential validitywas examined with external criteria.The WHBq in its Spanishversion shows good psychometric properties and theoretically consistent relation-ships with external variables. These findings provide support for its use as a valid and reliable tool in Mexico.(AU)

The association between work-related physical and psychosocial factors and musculoskeletal disorders in healthcare workers: Moderating role of fear of movement.

OBJECTIVES: Knowledge is lacking on the interaction between fear of movement (FOM) and work-related physical and psychosocial factors in the development and persistence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 305 healthcare workers from several Belgian hospitals filled out a questionnaire including sociodemographic factors, work-related factors (social support, autonomy at work, workload, and physical job demands), FOM, and MSDs for different body regions during the past year. Path analysis was performed to investigate (1) the association between the work-related factors, FOM and MSDs, and (2) the moderating role of FOM on the association between the work-related factors and MSDs among healthcare workers. RESULTS: Complaints were most frequently located at the neck-shoulder region (79.5%) and lower back (72.4%). Physical job demands (odds ratio [OR] 2.38 and 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.52-3.74), autonomy at work (OR 1.64 CI [1.07-2.49]) and FOM (OR 1.07 CI [1.01-1.14] and OR 1.12 CI [1.06-1.19]) were positively associated with MSDs. Healthcare workers who experienced high social support at work (OR 0.61 CI [0.39-0.94]) were less likely to have MSDs. Fear of movement interacted negatively with workload (OR 0.92 CI [0.87-0.97]) and autonomy at work (OR 0.94 CI [0.88-1.00]) on MSDs. CONCLUSIONS: Work-related physical and psychosocial factors as well as FOM are related to MSDs in healthcare workers. FOM is an important moderator of this relationship and should be assessed in healthcare workers in addition to work-related physical and psychosocial factors to prevent or address MSDs.

Psychosocial demands and resources for working time organization in GP practices. Results from a team-based ethnographic study in Germany.

BACKGROUND: General practitioners (GPs) are challenged, e.g. by long working hours, and as employers they are responsible for the creation of working conditions that prevent work-related psychosocial risks. Leadership behaviour plays an important role within the working conditions of employees, thus we focused on two research questions: To what extent and how do GPs fulfil their role as entrepreneurs and leaders responsible for occupational safety and health of the team members in the organization of working time of the employees? What psychosocial factors result from the way of organization of working time for the practice team? METHODS: Data was collected by participant observations, individual interviews with six GPs, and five focus group discussions with 19 members of the practice staff in total. We gained access to five general practices through a teaching network associated with the Institute for General Medicine, University Hospital Essen (Germany). The analysis was carried out according to the Grounded Theory approach. RESULTS: GPs have several roles and related tasks to fulfil in the organization of working time. This can lead to perceived psychological stress. With regard to the organization of predictable working hours, vacations and sickness absence, the GPs determined the scope of action of the practice assistants. The delegation of these tasks took place to varying degrees and resulted in different work-related resources and stressors. CONCLUSION: We described transactional and transformational leadership behaviours which are all related to specific psychosocial demands and resources and may overlap on site. Leadership training seems recommendable as part of the training of GPs and other future leaders of micro-enterprises to promote self-reflection by the entrepreneurs and leaders and strengthen occupational health of leaders and staff.

Fostering Work Ability Among Menopausal Women. Does Any Work-Related Psychosocial Factor Help?

INTRODUCTION: Due to the aging workforce, it will become even more common for organizations to count, among their employees, women who are dealing with menopause. To date, no knowledge is available regarding the work ability among menopausal women. With this view, the aim of the present study was to identify work-related psychosocial factors associated with work ability in a sample of menopausal working women. METHODS: A self-report questionnaire was administered to 1069 menopausal women employed as administrative officers in the Italian public sector. The study design was cross-sectional. RESULTS: Work ability was found to be negatively associated with family-work conflict (ß = -0.21, p = 0.0001) and positively associated with health-oriented organizational climate (ß = 0.12, p = 0.0001), job autonomy (ß = 0.08, p= 0.006), and skill discretion (ß = 0.08, p= 0.048). Conversely, work ability did not show significant associations with job demands, flexible working hours, and social support. DISCUSSION: From a practical point of view, our study identifies various areas of intervention that could foster job sustainability during menopause. In particular, our findings suggest that, to improve women's job sustainability across their entire work-life span, it may be crucial to develop organizational policies, training, and activities specifically dedicated to sustaining menopausal women's well-being.

Does removal of work stress explain improved sleep following retirement? The Finnish Retirement and Aging study.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Relief from work stress has been hypothesized to explain improvements in sleep duration and quality following retirement, but this has not been confirmed with longitudinal studies. By using repeat sleep data, we examined the role of removal of work-related stressors in changes in sleep at retirement. METHODS: The study population consisted of 2,053 participants from the Finnish Retirement and Aging study. Participants' sleep duration, sleep difficulties (difficulties falling asleep, difficulties maintaining sleep, waking up too early in the morning, nonrestorative sleep), daytime tiredness, and sleep loss due to worry were assessed using surveys conducted once a year before and after retirement (average number of repeat surveys 3.5 [range 2-5] per participant). We used Poisson regression with generalized estimating equations to examine the associations between work-related stressors (job strain, low work time control, effort-reward imbalance, and organizational injustice) and changes in sleep at retirement. RESULTS: An increase in sleep duration and decrease in waking up too early in the morning, nonrestorative sleep, daytime tiredness, and sleep loss due to worry were observed shortly after retirement. No systematic associations across the work-related stressors and changes in sleep characteristics were observed. Higher number of work-related stressors before retirement was not associated with a greater magnitude of favorable changes in any of the postretirement sleep characteristics investigated. CONCLUSIONS: This longitudinal study suggests that perceived sleep improves shortly after retirement and that these changes are mainly driven by factors other than relief from work stress.

A longitudinal study of work-related psychosocial factors and injuries: Implications for the aging United States workforce.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to identify psychosocial work factors that may individually or, in combination, influence injury outcomes among aging United States (U.S.) workers. METHODS: Data from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (HRS) of 3305 working adults, aged 50 years and above, were used to identify associations between work-related psychosocial factors and injury incidence from 2006 to 2014, using adjusted incidence rate ratios. RESULTS: Employees perceiving their work as high in psychological and physical demands/efforts, low in support, and rewards, compared to those in workplaces with low demands, high support, and high rewards, had a risk of injury two times greater. Males, compared with females, had a greater risk for injuries when interactions among several psychosocial work-related factors were modeled. CONCLUSIONS: The fact that important gender-based differences emerged when interactions among the psychosocial factors and injury were modeled, suggests opportunities for further research and potential interventions to enhance the working environment.

Work-related psychosocial factors and onset of metabolic syndrome among workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Metabolic syndrome is an important public health target because of its high prevalence worldwide. Work-related psychosocial factors have been identified as determinants of metabolic syndrome components. However, there have been no systematic reviews or meta-analyses conducted to evaluate the relationship between work-related psychosocial factors and metabolic syndrome as an aggregated cluster. The aim of this study is to examine this association from published prospective studies. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The systematic review and meta-analysis will be conducted using published studies that will be identified from electronic databases (ie, PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES and Japan Medical Abstracts Society). Studies that (1) examined the association between work-related psychosocial factors and the onset of metabolic syndrome, (2) had a longitudinal or prospective cohort design, (3) were conducted among workers, (4) provided sufficient data for calculating ORs or relative risk with a 95% CI, (5) were published as original articles written in English or Japanese, and (6) having been published until the end of 2016 will be included. Study selection, data collection, quality assessment and statistical syntheses will be conducted based on discussions among investigators. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval was not required for this study because it was based on published studies. The results and findings of this study will be submitted and published in a scientific peer-reviewed journal. The findings from this study could be useful for assessing metabolic syndrome risk factors in the workplace, and determining approaches for prevention of metabolic syndrome in the future. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42016039096 (http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO_REBRANDING/display_record.asp?ID=CRD42016039096).

A comparison of the relationships between psychosocial factors, occupational strain, and work ability among 4 ethnic teacher groups in China.

The present study compared the level of occupational strain and work ability among Han, Hui, Uygur, Hui, and Kazakh teachers, and explored ethnic differences based on the associations of psychosocial factors at work, occupational strain, and work ability. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 2,941 teachers in primary and secondary schools in Xinjiang Province, China. Psychosocial factors, occupational strain, and work ability were measured using the Occupation Stress Inventory-Revised Edition (OSI-R) and Work Ability Index. Han and Hui teachers experienced reduced work ability compared with Uygur and Kazakh teachers, and this finding was caused, in part, by exposure to psychosocial factors at work. The vocational and psychological strains caused by these factors play an important role in reduced work ability among all ethnic teacher groups. The findings indicate the importance of taking action to reduce occupational strain for promoting teachers' work ability in multiethnic workplaces.

Evaluation of Work-related Psychosocial and Ergonomics Factors in Relation to Low Back Discomfort in Emergency Unit Nurses.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: High prevalence of low back pain is one of the most common problems among nurses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relation of the intensity of low back discomfort to two low back pain contributor factors (Ergonomics risk factors and psychosocial factors). METHODS: This cross-sectional survey was conducted on 120 emergency unit nurses in Esfahan. Job content, ergonomics hazards and nordic questionnaire were used in that order for daily assessment of Psychosocial and Ergonomics factors and the intensity of low back discomfort. Nurses were questioned during a 5-week period, at the end of each shift work. The final results were analyzed with SPSS software18/PASW by using Spearman, Mann-Whitney and Kolmogorov-Smirnove test. RESULTS: There was a significant relationship between work demand, job content, social support and intensity of low back discomfort (P value <0.05). But, there was not any link between intensity of low back discomfort and job control. Also, there was significant relationship between intensity of low back discomfort and ergonomics risk factors. CONCLUSION: This study showed an indirect relationship between the intensity of low back discomfort and social support. This study also confirmed a direct relationship between the intensity of low back discomfort and work demand, job content, ergonomics factors (Awkward Postures (rotating and bending), manual patient handling and repetitiveness, standing continuously more than 30 min). So, to decrease work related low back discomfort, psychosocial factors should be attended in addition to ergonomics factors.

Psychosocial Factors and Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders among Southeastern Asian Female Workers Living in Korea.

OBJECTIVES: A rapid increase in the population of migrant workers in Korea has brought new challenges regarding the possible effects of acculturation on health. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of acculturation- and work-related psychosocial factors on work-related musculoskeletal disorders among migrant female workers living in Korea. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey design was used. A translated, structured questionnaire was administrated to 156 southeastern Asian female full-time workers living in Korea. RESULTS: About 35% of the participants experienced some type(s) of work-related musculoskeletal disorder(s), which were more prevalent in Vietnamese women than in Thai and Filipino women. Women who preferred to maintain their own heritage and to reject the host country heritage were at risk for work-related musculoskeletal disorders. CONCLUSION: Acculturation strategy and nationality were found to be significant factors associated with work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Health professionals need to accommodate acculturation contexts into risk assessment and intervention development for work-related musculoskeletal disorders separately for different nationalities.

Psychosocial Factors and Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders among Southeastern Asian Female Workers Living in Korea

OBJECTIVES: A rapid increase in the population of migrant workers in Korea has brought new challenges regarding the possible effects of acculturation on health. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of acculturation- and work-related psychosocial factors on work-related musculoskeletal disorders among migrant female workers living in Korea. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey design was used. A translated, structured questionnaire was administrated to 156 southeastern Asian female full-time workers living in Korea. RESULTS: About 35% of the participants experienced some type(s) of work-related musculoskeletal disorder(s), which were more prevalent in Vietnamese women than in Thai and Filipino women. Women who preferred to maintain their own heritage and to reject the host country heritage were at risk for work-related musculoskeletal disorders. CONCLUSION: Acculturation strategy and nationality were found to be significant factors associated with work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Health professionals need to accommodate acculturation contexts into risk assessment and intervention development for work-related musculoskeletal disorders separately for different nationalities.