Multi-level analysis of individual and work environment factors associated with nurses' perceived emotional exhaustion.

BACKGROUND: Several factors at the individual- and work environment-level were suggested to correlate with emotional exhaustion development in nurses. AIM: To explore nurses' perceived emotional exhaustion and associated factors by employing hierarchical modelling techniques. METHODS: 1539 nurses completed the cross-sectional survey. Generalized Linear Mixed Model was performed to identify predictors of emotional exhaustion. RESULTS: At the individual level, female gender, high workload and emotional job demands increased the risk of emotional exhaustion; instead, higher education, satisfaction with the role of follower, perceiving nursing profession as meaningful, feeling independent at work, and group closeness were protective factors. At the work environment level, hospital ward type did not affect emotional exhaustion. CONCLUSIONS: Emotional exhaustion is largely influenced by ward culture and organizational policies, and to a lower extent by socio-demographic variables. Moreover, it emerges as an intrinsic risk of the nursing profession rather than being associated with the clinical area profile.

The miR-133a, TPM4 and TAp63γ Role in Myocyte Differentiation Microfilament Remodelling and Colon Cancer Progression.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an essential role in the regulation of a number of physiological functions. miR-133a and other muscular miRs (myomiRs) play a key role in muscle cell growth and in some type of cancers. Here, we show that miR133a is upregulated in individuals that undertake physical exercise. We used a skeletal muscle differentiation model to dissect miR-133a's role and to identify new targets, identifying Tropomyosin-4 (TPM4). This protein is expressed during muscle differentiation, but importantly it is an essential component of microfilament cytoskeleton and stress fibres formation. The microfilament scaffold remodelling is an essential step in cell transformation and tumour progression. Using the muscle system, we obtained valuable information about the microfilament proteins, and the knowledge on these molecular players can be transferred to the cytoskeleton rearrangement observed in cancer cells. Further investigations showed a role of TPM4 in cancer physiology, specifically, we found that miR-133a downregulation leads to TPM4 upregulation in colon carcinoma (CRC), and this correlates with a lower patient survival. At molecular level, we demonstrated in myocyte differentiation that TPM4 is positively regulated by the TA isoform of the p63 transcription factor. In muscles, miR-133a generates a myogenic stimulus, reducing the differentiation by downregulating TPM4. In this system, miR-133a counteracts the differentiative TAp63 activity. Interestingly, in CRC cell lines and in patient biopsies, miR-133a is able to regulate TPM4 activity, while TAp63 is not active. The downregulation of the miR leads to TPM4 overexpression, this modifies the architecture of the cell cytoskeleton contributing to increase the invasiveness of the tumour and associating with a poor prognosis. These results add data to the interesting question about the link between physical activity, muscle physiology and protection against colorectal cancer. The two phenomena have in common the cytoskeleton remodelling, due to the TPM4 activity, that is involved in stress fibres formation.

Job demands and perceived distance in leader-follower relationships: A study on emotional exhaustion among nurses.

BACKGROUND: Emotional exhaustion is the most important component of burnout syndrome, which is a threat to nurses' psychological well-being. OBJECTIVES: The study investigated the impact of job demands - workload, cognitive demands, emotional demands, role conflict - and perceived leader-follower interaction frequency on emotional exhaustion among nurses. METHODS: This study was conducted at three hospitals in northern Italy through an anonymous self-report questionnaire administered to 560 nurses. Multiple hierarchical regression was performed. RESULTS: Workload and role conflict were positively related to emotional exhaustion, whereas cognitive demands and perceived leader-follower interaction frequency were negatively related. Emotional demands displayed a non-significant relationship with emotional exhaustion. Further analyses were performed to comment on the unexpected outcome of cognitive demands. A critical role of the perception of "distance" in leader-follower relationships on burnout was found. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides novel insights into the relationship between job demands and burnout, and much needed empirical evidence on leader-follower relationships among nurses, pointing to the important role played by leader distance in nurses' well-being at work. Findings highlight the importance of training head nurses in managing their working relationship distance from their followers in order to help them soothing emotional exhaustion.

Job crafting and well-being at work: an exploratory analysis during health emergency period.

INTRODUCTION: During the health emergency in 2020, in order not to interrupt production processes and at the same time to protect the health of citizens and workers, alternative working methods were adopted different from the traditional ones, to which workers were directed without any previous notice or specific training. AIMS: The purpose of the research is to explore the relationships between meaning of work, job crafting and emotional exhaustion during the first month of lockdown in the Italian territory. The study therefore aims to identify possible strengthening factors related to working well-being. METHODS: The different constructs were detected through an online questionnaire from 11 March to 2 April 2020, involving 405 subjects. After verifying the reliability of the constructs, a mediation model was performed using nonparametric structural equations (PLS-SEM). RESULTS: Model's constructs show adequate reliabilities. The study highlights the total mediation of job crafting in the relationship between the meaning of work and emotional exhaustion. In particular, the regression relationship between meaning of work and emotional exhaustion is equal to c'=-0.04, p=0.480. On the contrary, the relationship between the meaning of work and job crafting is a=0.44 (p<0.001), and the one between job crafting and emotional exhaustion is b=-0.14, p=0.014. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that job crafting can be considered a factor able to buffer workers' emotional exhaustion and can guide new lines of intervention, in particular in relation to post-emergency reactivation.

The relationships of meaningful work and narcissistic leadership with nurses' job satisfaction.

AIM: The study investigated the association of narcissistic leadership, workload and emotional demands with nurses' job satisfaction and the mediational role of meaningful work. BACKGROUND: Considering the strong positive relationship that meaningful work has with job satisfaction, investigating its antecedents is crucial. METHOD: A group of 602 nurses participated in the study completing a self-report questionnaire. Structural equation model analysis was applied. RESULTS: Narcissistic leadership showed a negative association while emotional demands showed a positive one with meaningful work. The three determinants had a negative association with job satisfaction, while meaningful work showed a positive one. The indirect relationship with job satisfaction mediated by meaningful work was negative for narcissistic leadership and positive for emotional demands. CONCLUSION: The study adds to the literature mainly by the investigation of the mediational role of meaningful work in a sample of nurses. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Measures should promote supportive, instead of narcissistic, leadership behaviours. Moreover, nurses should be assisted in identifying emotional demands as a meaningful aspect of their work.

Empagliflozin influences blood viscosity and wall shear stress in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus compared with incretin-based therapy.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular protection following empagliflozin therapy is not entirely attributable to the glucose lowering effect. Increased hematocrit might influence the shear stress that is the main force acting on the endothelium, regulating its anti-atherogenic function. OBJECTIVE: We designed the study with the aim of investigating the effect of empagliflozin on blood viscosity and shear stress in the carotid arteries. A secondary endpoint was the effect of empagliflozin on carotid artery wall thickness. METHODS: The study was a non-randomized, open, prospective cohort study including 35 type 2 diabetic outpatients who were offered empagliflozin or incretin-based therapy (7 liraglutide, 8 sitagliptin) in combination with insulin and metformin. Blood viscosity, shear stress and carotid wall thickness were measured at baseline and at 1 and 3 months of treatment. Blood viscosity was measured with a viscometer, and shear stress was calculated using a validated formula. Intima-media thickness (IMT) of the carotid artery was detected by ultrasound and was measured with dedicated software. RESULTS: Blood viscosity (4.87 ± 0.57 vs 5.32 ± 0.66 cP, p < 0.02) and shear stress significantly increased in the Empagliflozin group while no change was detected in the Control group (4.66 ± 0.56 vs 4.98 ± 0.73 cP, p = NS). IMT significantly decreased in the Empagliflozin group after 1 and 3 months (baseline: 831 ± 156, 1-month 793 ± 150, 3-month 766 ± 127 µm; p < 0.0001), while in the liraglutide group, IMT significantly decreased only after 3 months (baseline 879 ± 120; 1-month 861 ± 163; 3-month 802 ± 114 µm; p < 0.001). In the sitagliptin group, IMT remained almost unchanged (baseline 901 ± 135; 1-month 902 ± 129; 3-month 880 ± 140 µm; p = NS). CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to describe a direct effect of empagliflozin on blood viscosity and wall shear stress. Furthermore, IMT was markedly reduced early on in the Empagliflozin group.

Work-family conflict and enrichment in nurses: between job demands, perceived organisational support and work-family backlash.

AIM: This study investigated how work relationships (perceived organisational support, supervisor and co-worker work-family backlash) and job demands (workload, emotional dissonance) can interact with work-family conflict and work-family enrichment. BACKGROUND: Despite the extensive literature on the work-family interface, few studies on the nursing profession have considered the role of job demands and work relationships, focusing on both the positive and negative side of the work-family interface. METHOD: The study involved a sample of 500 nurses working in an Italian hospital. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to test hypotheses. RESULTS: Analyses showed that work-family conflict has a positive relationship with job demands and supervisor backlash, and a negative relationship with perceived organisational support. Work-family enrichment was found to have a negative relationship with job demands and a positive relationship with perceived organisational support. No significant relationships were found between work-family enrichment and both backlash dimensions. CONCLUSION: The study confirmed the importance of promoting a balance between job demands and resources in order to create favourable conditions for work-family enrichment and to prevent work-family conflict. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: The findings suggest that it may be advisable for health-care organisations to invest in measures at individual, team and organisational levels, specifically in training and counselling for nurses and supervisors.

[The role of safety climate and the relationship with job satisfaction: an exploratory study across three different occupational contexts.] / Il ruolo della percezione del clima di sicurezza e la relazione con la soddisfazione lavorativa: uno studio esplorativo in tre differenti contesti occupazionali.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the role of the "safety climate", or the organization's attention to health and safety of workers, and of job demand and resources in relation with job satisfaction. Wellbeing at work is a topic of growing interest, in line with the legislation and the programs on health and safety of workers and management and the evaluation of psychosocial risks. Several studies show that organizational actions concerning health and safety can be an indicator of the attention to employees' wellbeing, even if studies about the relationship between safety climate and some psychosocial outcomes are scant. METHODS: The study analysed the relationship between job demand, job resources, safety climate and job satisfaction in three different occupational contexts (public authority, N = 224; social care organization, N = 115; pharmaceutical company, N = 127); workers were divided into groups based on the risk level appeared in the objective assessment of work-related stress, in order to identify differences. The self-report questionnaire gathered information about: job satisfaction, work efforts, supervisors' support, colleagues support, safety climate (α between .72 and .93). Data analysis provided: Cronbach α, analysis of variance, correlations, stepwise multiple regressions. RESULTS: The results showed that job satisfaction (R2 between .23 and .88) had a negative relationship with efforts and a positive relationship with job resources and safety climate. CONCLUSIONS: It emerges the importance of safety climate: to support and promote wellbeing at work, organizations could endorse training and information programs on health and safety for all workers and management, not only for professional groups with high-risk level. Future studies could explore the relation between safety climate and other outcomes, such as emotional exhaustion or objective indicators of organizational health (e.g. absenteeism, accidents, etc.).

Evidence of hydrogen sulfide involvement in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a motor neuron disease whose pathophysiological deficits, causing impairment in motor function, are largely unknown. Here we propose that hydrogen sulfide (H2 S), as a glial-released inflammatory factor, contributes to ALS-mediated motor neuron death. METHODS: H2 S concentrations were analyzed in the cerebrospinal fluid of 37 sporadic ALS patients and 14 age- and gender-matched controls, in tissues of a familial ALS (fALS) mouse model, and in spinal cord culture media by means of a specific and innovative high-performance liquid chromatography method. The effects of H2 S on motor neurons cultures was analyzed immunohistochemically and by patch clamp recordings and microfluorometry. RESULTS: We found a significantly high level of H2 S in the spinal fluid of the ALS patients. Consistently, we found increased levels of H2 S in the tissues and in the media from mice spinal cord cultures bearing the fALS mutation SOD1G93A. In addition, NaHS, an H2 S donor, added to spinal culture, obtained from control C57BL/6J mice, is toxic for motor neurons, and induces an intracellular Ca(2+) increase, attenuated by the intracytoplasmatic application of adenosine triphosphate. We further show that H2 S is mainly released by astrocytes and microglia. INTERPRETATION: This study unravels H2 S as an astroglial mediator of motor neuron damage possibly involved in the cellular death characterizing ALS.

Nurses' exhaustion: the role of flow at work between job demands and job resources.

AIM: In the light of the job demands-resources model, this study aimed to detect the mediating role of flow at work between job demands and job resources on one side, and exhaustion on the other. BACKGROUND: In a historical period where it is necessary to reduce the abandonment of nursing profession, flow is a useful tool to investigate the factors that can promote work motivation and prevent psychological distress. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a hospital, and 279 nurses completed a questionnaire. Analyses conducted are descriptive statistics, alphas, correlations and a structural equations model that considers the mediating role of flow at work. RESULTS: Findings show both the central role of job resources in determining flow at work, and the mediating role of flow at work in decreasing exhaustion, starting from job resources, and in decreasing the effect of job demands on exhaustion. Moreover, flow at work directly decreases exhaustion. CONCLUSIONS: Results show the relevance of containing job demands and provide job resources to promote positive experiences at work. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: To promote flow at work, organizations should offer specific resources, such as supervisors' support, job autonomy, and psychological support to manage the emotional charge.

From work-related stress evaluation to organizational wellbeing promotion: the case of an Italian pharmaceutical company. / Dalla valutazione dello stress lavoro-correlato alla promozione del benessere organizzativo: il caso di una azienda farmaceutica italiana.

BACKGROUND: Work-related stress evaluation is a legal requirement for companies that, in some cases, might be seen as an opportunity to examine wellbeing at work and the dimensions related to it, through the involvement of employees. To that end, this study considers the job demands-resources model as a theoretical framework. OBJECTIVES: The study has a twofold objective: a) to describe the process of subjective evaluation carried out in the Italian plant of a pharmaceutical company; and b) to show and discuss results of the analyses performed on variables, examining in detail the relationship between two outcomes (job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion) and some job demands (workload and job effort), job resources (safety climate, clarity of roles, clarity and applicability of procedures, supervisor relational justice and colleague support), and personal resources (internal locus of control and job-related self-efficacy). METHODS: The research was conducted through focus groups and a self-report questionnaire that involved all plant employees. Final respondents were 143 (85.1% of employees). RESULTS: The regression model, with job satisfaction as a dependent variable, showed a positive relationship with some organizational resources: clarity of roles, clarity and applicability of procedures, supervisor relational justice and colleague support. The regression model, with emotional exhaustion as a dependent variable, showed a positive relationship with two job demands, workload and job effort, and a negative relationship with job-related self-efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: The study confirmed how important it is to consider wellbeing at work, in its cognitive and emotional dimensions, and its relationship with job demands and resources, within subjective evaluation of work-related stress. Starting from the study results, the research identified a plan of interventions designed for specific areas of improvement.

p63 isoforms regulate metabolism of cancer stem cells.

p63 is an important regulator of epithelial development expressed in different variants containing (TA) or lacking (ΔN) the N-terminal transactivation domain. The different isoforms regulate stem-cell renewal and differentiation as well as cell senescence. Several studies indicate that p63 isoforms also play a role in cancer development; however, very little is known about the role played by p63 in regulating the cancer stem phenotype. Here we investigate the cellular signals regulated by TAp63 and ΔNp63 in a model of epithelial cancer stem cells. To this end, we used colon cancer stem cells, overexpressing either TAp63 or ΔNp63 isoforms, to carry out a proteomic study by chemical-labeling approach coupled to network analysis. Our results indicate that p63 is implicated in a wide range of biological processes, including metabolism. This was further investigated by a targeted strategy at both protein and metabolite levels. The overall data show that TAp63 overexpressing cells are more glycolytic-active than ΔNp63 cells, indicating that the two isoforms may regulate the key steps of glycolysis in an opposite manner. The mass-spectrometry proteomics data of the study have been deposited to the ProteomeXchange Consortium ( http://proteomecentral.proteomexchange.org ) via the PRIDE partner repository with data set identifiers PXD000769 and PXD000768.

Stop (to Work) and Go (to Recover) During Mandatory Work From Home: A Three-Wave Study.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many workers have been forced to work from home. In this situation, the boundaries between work and private life have become particularly blurred, and recovering from work was even more difficult than in traditional times, with negative consequences for workers' health. Among the psychological experiences that might underlie the recovery process, mastery played a crucial role as people sought new stimuli and challenging situations. However, there are few articles that have explored the role of this specific recovery experience, its antecedents, and the health consequences under conditions of work from home. Therefore, in this multiwave study, we aimed to investigate the role of mastery as a mediator between supervisor support and insomnia problems. The study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy and had a three-wave design. A convenience sample of 130 employees (67% women) completed an online questionnaire. Hypotheses were tested using a three-wave autoregressive cross-lagged panel model. According to the results, supervisor support at Time 1 was positively related to mastery at Time 2, which in turn showed a negative association with insomnia at Time 3. The results demonstrated that mastery experiences have played a crucial role during COVID-19 mandatory work from home, which points to some potential implications for workers' health in the adoption of teleworking beyond the emergency situation.

[Predictors of intention to leave the nursing profession in two Italian hospitals]. / Predittori dell'intenzione di abbandonare la professione infermieristica in due ospedali italiani.

AIM: Nursing shortage is acknowledged as worldwide issue: understanding the factors that foster nurses' intention to leave the profession (ITL) is therefore essential in lessening its impact. The present study aims at providing insight into the factors influencing nurses' ITL, taking into account personal characteristics, context characteristics and job satisfaction factors. METHOD: The study was conducted in two hospitals of Northern Italy, by a questionnaire administered to all nurses employed; 746 questionnaires were distributed, of which 525 (70.4%) were returned completed. The questionnaire consisted of four sections: personal characteristics, context characteristics, job satisfaction (44 items of Italian adaptation of Stamps' Index of Work Satisfaction), and ITL (single-item). Descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, univariate analysis and multiple logistic regression model were carried using Pasw18. RESULTS: A higher job satisfaction was registered for Interaction with nurses, Professional status, and Autonomy; on the other hand, a perception of dissatisfaction was registered for Pay and Job requirements; 14.6% of respondents reported ITL. Finally, a low job satisfaction for Professional status, Pay, and Work organization policies, age < 30 years, and part-time schedule are associated to higher ITL. DISCUSSION: The study allowed to identify various predictors of ITL, enhancing the importance of regular monitoring of ITL. To limit ITL, organizations should: invest on some job satisfaction factors, promote organizational integration of newcomers, and prevent the escalation of work-family and work-life conflict.

Burnout without a job: An explorative study on a sample of Italian unemployed jobseekers.

Background: Search for work is in itself a job and its outcomes are similar to those of job burnout: it can generate feelings of exhaustion, detachment from the commitment to research, and a sense of ineffectiveness. The aim of the present study is to investigate the construct of burnout within the category of long-term unemployed people engaged in job search activity. Design and methods: The study has a cross-sectional, descriptive, and exploratory nature. Two hundred eight Italian unemployed jobseekers compiled an adaptation of the OCS Burnout scale, by Maslach and Leiter. An Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was performed to investigate the psychometric features of the instrument. The relations between the instrument and age and months of job search variables were assessed through Spearman's Rho coefficient of co-graduation. Finally, a MANOVA was carried out. Results: The questionnaire is able to intercept and describe the dimensions of respondents' burnout with respect to four dimensions: Exhaustion, Disengagement, Effectiveness in job search, Disillusion. Correlation analysis shows that the duration of the job search period has a positive relationship with Exhaustion, Disillusion, and Disengagement; a negative relationship with Effectiveness in job search. Finally, MANOVA shows that older unemployed people rate themselves less effective in job searching and more exhausted, compared to younger unemployed people. Conclusions: The psychosocial effects of job search on the unemployed are still little studied, and this research, through the construct of burnout, proposes a comprehensive and articulated key to its understanding.

Job Seekers' Burnout and Engagement: A Qualitative Study of Long-Term Unemployment in Italy.

Long-term unemployment has major consequences from an economic, physical and psychosocial perspective. Several authors have pointed out that the search for employment is in itself work, which can generate feelings of exhaustion of psychophysical energies, cynicism and disinvestment, as well as a sense of ineffectiveness to the point of complete disillusion. The construct of burnout can be used to describe this psychological process. This study evaluated the burnout and engagement dimensions in individuals searching for work for a long time, from a qualitative perspective. Fifty-six semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of long-term unemployed job seekers (Sardinia, Italy), based on Maslach's model of burnout (exhaustion, cynicism, effectiveness in job search). The answers to the semi-structured interviews were processed through T-Lab, a semi-automatic textual analysis software. Four thematic cores emerged: exhaustion vs. engagement, cynicism vs. trust, inefficacy vs. efficacy in job search and disillusion vs. hope. This result is consistent with the four-dimensional theoretical model of burnout, originally proposed by Edelwich and Brodsky, recently taken up by Santinello, and framed as the opposite of engagement, as shown in the JD-R model. This study highlights that burnout can describe the psychosocial experiences of long-term unemployed job seekers.

Development and validation of the Remote Working Benefits & Disadvantages scale.

The changes that are constantly occurring in the labour sector have led organisations and companies to move towards digital transformation. This process was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and  conducted to a massive recourse to the practice of remote working, which in this study is understood as the term for the way of performing work outside the usual workplace and with the support of ICT. Currently, there are no flexible scales in the literature that allow measuring the benefits and disadvantages of remote working with a single instrument. Thus, the distinction between the positive and negative consequences of working remotely, substantiated by a solid literature, provides a framework for a systematical understanding of the issue. The aim of the present study is to develop and validate a scale on remote working benefits and disadvantages (RW-B&D scale). For this end, a preliminary Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) with 304 participants, a tailored EFA with a sample of 301 workers and a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) with 677 workers were conducted. Participants were all Italian employees who worked remotely during the period of the COVID-19 health emergency. Data were collected between October 2020 and April 2021. The psychometric robustness of the model was assessed through bootstrap validation (5000 resamples), fit indices testing and measurement of factorial invariance. The statistical analyses demonstrated the bifactorial nature of the scale, supporting the research hypothesis. The model showed good fit indices, bootstrap validation reported statistically significant saturations, good reliability indices, and convergent and discriminant validity. Measurement invariance was tested for gender and organisational sector. The results suggested that the novel scale facilitates the quantitative measurement of the benefits and disadvantages associated with remote working in empirical terms. For this reason, it could be a streamlined and psychometrically valid instrument to identify the potential difficulties arising from remote working and, at the same time, the positive aspects that can be implemented to improve organisational well-being.

Leaders' Role in Shaping Followers' Well-Being: Crossover in a Sample of Nurses.

The link between well-being at work and leadership has received considerable attention. Leaders have the power to influence followers not only due to formal position, but also their positive behaviors could reinforce the followers' positive working experience. Following the crossover model (Westman, 2001), this study investigates whether leaders' work-related positive psychological states (i.e., work engagement) cross over to those of the followers (i.e., work engagement and job satisfaction) through the mediation of the latter's perception of transformational leadership. We used MPlus 8 to test two multilevel mediations in a sample of 1505 nurses nested in 143 groups led by as many leaders (87.19% of nurses and 56.50% of head nurses of the entire population). Results show that while there is not a crossover of leader work engagement to nurse work engagement, manager work engagement can cross over to nurse job satisfaction, enhancing their well-being through transformational leadership behaviors. This study adds further insights both on crossover theory and on the importance of leaders in expanding and transferring resources to followers at work. Fostering work engagement at a managerial level in the healthcare sector could be the driver to facilitate the well-being of nurses at work, address negative outcomes, and promote positive ones.

"Don't Stop the Music," Please: The Relationship between Music Use at Work, Satisfaction, and Performance.

Although there are several studies in the literature that have examined how different types of music affect performance or other organisational outcomes, knowledge about how music affects individuals in the workplace is still limited, especially in terms of perceived music use. This study aims to examine the effects of three different uses of music-namely, emotional, cognitive, and background music-on individual perceptions of job satisfaction and performance. A sample of 244 workers from different backgrounds was included in the study. We tested a full structural equation model. The results show that (1) emotional use has a positive relationship to performance, both directly and indirectly through mediating job satisfaction; (2) cognitive use has no significant effect on satisfaction and performance (even indirectly); and (3) background use has a negative relationship to job satisfaction and no relationship to performance. This work suggests that listening to music during work activities could be a positive organisational practice. Future studies could further investigate the role of music listening as a resource, taking into account other personal and contextual characteristics.

Animal-Assisted Intervention and Health Care Workers' Psychological Health: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Healthcare settings have recently increased the use of companion animals in the workplace to provide emotional support to people with disabilities, but there is limited empirical research on the effects of these programs on healthcare workers. However, it is reasonable to speculate that Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAIs) may have positive effects on health care workers (HCWs) by buffering the negative effects of work-related stress and other occupational psychosocial risk factors. The aim of this review was to examine the beneficial effects of AAIs on the psychological well-being of HCWs. A systematic review was conducted in December 2021 to gain insight into the positive effects of pets on HCWs in the workplace. Searches were conducted in the following databases: Scopus, PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, including studies between 2001 and December 2021, and 12 articles were included in the review. The results indicate that implementing the AAI program in a busy clinic is feasible and that the program is accepted by medical professionals because of the immense psychological benefits it provides. However, the healthcare professionals disliked the experimental design that forced them to leave their workplaces at a certain time.