Occupational Roles Research Articles

Factor Structure, Psychometric Properties, and Measurement Invariance of the Pandemic Experiences and Perceptions Scale Among Italian Hospital Workers.

The COVID-19 pandemic represented substantial risks to hospital workers' physical and mental health. The availability of validated measures on the impact of the pandemic on workplaces is crucial for developing data-driven interventions. The primary purpose of our study was to translate it into Italian and assess factor structure, psychometric properties, and measurement invariance of the Pandemic Experiences and Perceptions Scale (PEPS). The survey was completed by 766 workers from an Italian hospital. We examined the internal structure of the PEPS using confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) and exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) techniques and testing the invariance for clinical vs. nonclinical workers. The six-factor ESEM solution showed an excellent fit to the data (CFI=0.956, TLI=0.932, RMSEA=0.050), supporting the superiority of the ESEM solution. The factorial invariance of the PEPS across occupational roles (clinical vs. nonclinical hospital workers) was supported, and the ESEM-based McDonald's omega was good for all factors. The results from this study provided evidence for the factorial validity, reliability, and measurement invariance across occupational roles of the Italian version of the PEPS. Thus, the Italian version of the PEPS is a reliable and valid tool for assessing pandemic experiences and perceptions among Italian workers.

A Critical Discourse Analysis of Gender Representation in a Cameroonian ESL Textbook

This paper examines a Cameroonian ESL textbook – Mastering English: Student’s Book for Form 1, with the aim of investigating gender representation in this textbook. The study employed a document analysis design because data for the study was collected exclusively from the textbook. Data was collected by observing the images and by reading through the passages, dialogues and sentences in the textbook, and noting the various representations of the male and female genders. The study adopted the Critical Discourse Analysis approach to analyse data related to visibility, occupational roles and firstness in presentation in order to unveil the inequalities and power imbalance between the representation of the male and female genders in the textbook. The findings revealed that the male gender is given more visibility above the female in terms of pictorial and lexical representations. Besides, more occupational roles are assigned to males than to females in the textbook. Males equally dominate the first position in dialogues, common noun, proper noun and pronoun pairs. The study concludes that the dominance of the male over the female gender observed in the textbook is a replication of the gender imbalance that exists in the Cameroonian society. This study therefore brings to the limelight these gender imbalances in Cameroonian textbooks, and recommends that curriculum developers should always endeavour to strike a balance between the representation of the male and the female genders when designing educational materials.

Automotive workers: the role of coordinative and conditional abilities as effectiveness wellness indicator.

Noncommunicable diseases are on the rise due to sedentary and unhealthy lifestyles. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommend maintaining a healthy diet and engaging in regular physical activity, particularly in the workplace. Prolonged and repetitive work tasks can result in extended sick leave and decreased productivity while at work. Therefore, it is important to identify predictive factors that can act as indicators of the health status of employees. Utilizing motor abilities assessment tests can help to identify health issues at an early stage. Promoting preventive health measures is crucial for addressing chronic diseases and enhancing overall occupational well-being. The purpose of the study was to characterize workers' motor abilities and fitness levels and identify potential indicators. A total of 605 workers participated in this study, including 529 male participants with a height of 176 ± 0.09 cm and a body mass of 75.9 ± 14.1 kg and 77 female participants with a height of 162 ± 0.11 cm and an average body mass of 58.9 ± 11.1 kg. These individuals were enrolled during an Italian automotive corporation's mandatory annual medical check-up. The participants were categorized into three groups based on their occupational roles: blue-collar, manager, and white-collar groups. The participants underwent motor abilities assessment tests for upper-limb strength, trunk flexibility, and reaction time. The blue-collar group reported the best results in upper-limb strength (93.3 kgf ± 18.60), but had the worst results in flexibility (21.7 cm ± 7.90), total reaction time (58.8 s ± 4.74); and average intermedium (0.68 ms ± 0.11). The white-collar group reported the best result in flexibility (23.7 cm ± 8.94) and reaction time (48.5 s ± 4.38; 0.64 ms ± 0.09). Despite being frequently used to assess health status, handgrip measurements may not provide accurate differentiations because of the common use of blue-collar workers for tasks that require upper-limb strength. In contrast, reaction time metrics appear more reliable and discriminative in evaluating a worker's physical fitness.

Risk of opioid-related harms by occupation within a large cohort of formerly injured workers in Ontario, Canada: findings from the Occupational Disease Surveillance System

ObjectiveWorking-age individuals have been disproportionately affected by the opioid crisis, prompting interest in the potential role of occupation as a contributor. This study aimed to estimate the risk of opioid-related...

Disrupted Candidacy: A Longitudinal Examination of the Constrained Healthcare-Access Journeys of National Health Service Workers in Scotland Seeking Supports for Long COVID Illness.

Evidence examines how persons experiencing Long COVID (LC) struggle to secure healthcare for symptoms. However, few studies examine healthcare workers experiencing LC, nor the complex and multiple difficulties faced when seeking and receiving healthcare. This study is based on two phases of longitudinally conducted qualitative interviews, 6 months apart, with National Health Service (NHS) workers experiencing LC, from different occupational roles at NHS locales in Scotland (first interviews, n = 50; second interviews, n = 44). Multiple factors restricted healthcare access, including worries about pressuring the NHS and concerns over LC being legitimised. When healthcare was sought, workers struggled to secure support, referrals and treatment. The following reasons were included: (1) context: the restrictive pandemic healthcare context; (2) illness climate: low GP knowledge surrounding LC and how this could be treated, trends for ascribing symptoms to other causes and reluctance to diagnose LC; (3) sense-making of LC: healthcare availability linked to occupational role identity. To visualise and examine healthcare barriers, candidacy theory is applied, drawing inferences between healthcare context, illness climate, sense-making and identities. NHS workers' complex journeys represent Disrupted Candidacy, intersecting challenges across candidacy domains, restricting the seeking and receiving of LC healthcare. Findings provide insights into why NHS workers resisted and withdrew from healthcare-seeking, and the barriers they faced when attempting to secure LC support. This study presents a pathway for future LC illness research to use a modified candidacy theory framework. This research focuses on amplifying and learning from lived experiences, and the voices of NHS workers in Scotland experiencing LC. Interviews represent primary data for this study; thus, participants and their healthcare journeys are centred in this research and all aspects of production, reporting and output. Explicit discussions of stakeholder group involvement are highlighted in the methods section.

Plastic deformation and strengthening mechanisms in CoNiCrFe high entropy alloys: The role of lattice site occupancy

The work herein presents the designing of two γʹ strengthened high entropy alloys guided by density function theory (DFT) and thermodynamics calculations with compositions Co34Ni34Cr12Al8Nb3Ti4Fe5 and Co31.5Ni31.5Cr12Al8Nb3Ti4Fe10 (referred as 5Fe and 10Fe). These alloys in the peak aged condition (900 °C for 20 h) exhibit similar precipitates sizes, shapes, volume fractions and γ/γʹ lattice misfit (∼ 0.56). Intriguingly, despite their microstructural similarities, these alloys show different trends in yield strength (YS) evolution over a temperature range. The 5Fe alloy shows a better combination of strength and ductility at room temperature (RT), with YS and elongation of 970 ± 25 MPa, ∼ 18 (%), respectively, in comparison to 850 ± 20 MPa, and ∼ 15(%) in the 10Fe alloy. The precipitate chemistry analyses carried out by 3D atom probe tomography suggest that Fe atoms occupy B-sites in the 5Fe alloy, while it occupies both A and B-sites in the 10Fe alloy. The site occupancy behaviour rendered a higher stacking fault energy (SFE) of the 5Fe alloy, making the γʹ shearing more difficult compared to the 10Fe alloy. The synchrotron X-ray measurements further confirm higher stacking fault (SF) probability in the γ matrix compared to γʹ precipitates in the 5Fe alloy. The role of deformation substructure evolution is also carefully discussed to explain the differences in the high temperature behavior. These results on the effects of alloying chemistry in high entropy alloys enable tuning the mechanical properties of alloys and widening the alloy spectrum with improved high-temperature properties.

A Canadian national study of provincial and territorial correctional workers' suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts.

Correctional workers (CWs) endure several operational stressors (e.g., exposures to potentially psychologically traumatic events) and organisational stressors (e.g., shift work, staff shortages), which are associated with positive screens for mental disorders and self-reports of suicidal behaviours and thus urgently warrant further inquiry. The Canadian Provincial and Territorial Correctional Worker Mental Health and Well-Being Study (CWMH) used an online survey to collect data from Canadian correctional service organisations across all 13 provinces and territories. This national Canadian study investigates suicidal behaviours among CWs across diverse occupational roles and provincial and territorial jurisdictions (n=3740, 50.1% female). The results estimated prevalence proportions for self-reported past-year and lifetime suicidal thoughts, planning, and attempts across the 13 Canadian provincial and territorial correctional systems, with the exceptions of past-year suicidal planning in Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, and Yukon where jurisdictional considerations and requests precluded the inclusion of select questions. Substantial proportions of participants reported past-year or lifetime suicidal ideation (i.e., 9.1%, 29.2%, respectively), planning (i.e., 4.1%, 14.7%, respectively), or attempts (i.e., 0.8%, 7.2%, respectively). Sociodemographic variables (i.e., sex, age, marital status, total years of service, occupational category) were associated with past-year and lifetime suicidal behaviours. Findings provide opportunities for future research and can inform tailored efforts by clinicians, service providers, and organisational leaders to support proactive interventions and treatments, including supporting the partners and families of CWs, fostering social support networks, and improving access to timely mental health treatment.

Dynamics in the heritability of leadership role occupancy: Evidence from a three-wave twin sample

Studies show that genetics matter in who becomes a leader. However, we know little about the dynamic properties of the heritability of leadership emergence or how genetics might interact with environmental conditions to shape leadership emergence. We track leadership role occupancy at three time points among a cohort of 1,079 Danish twin pairs over ten years. Our results suggest that genetics matter less when the cohort is young and increase over time as the cohort grows older. We argue that labor market entry costs coupled with free access to education constrain the effect of genetics in the cohort during early adulthood, suggesting differing effects of the environment on genetic expression as the cohort ages. Sorting based on individual predisposition towards leadership likely strengthens as the cohort grows older and gains labor market experience. This result implies that we should not view the effect of genes on leadership role occupancy as static and that environmental experiences could disproportionately affect critical early leadership advancement. Our study reinforces calls to consider dynamic properties such as gene x environment interactions to advance our broader understanding of leadership’s biology.

Tokens or Trailblazers: Identity Construction of Occupants of New Inclusion-Driven Roles

Tokens or Trailblazers: Identity Construction of Occupants of New Inclusion-Driven Roles

Digital automation and working life of HR practitioners: a gender analysis of the implications for workforce and work practices

Human Resources (HR) has emerged as a critical target for digital automation, aiming to reduce costs, improve quality, and expedite repetitive processes within organizations. Several literature reviews have explored this topic, yielding mixed results depending on factors related to the specific national and organizational context. They have highlighted issues such as lack of competence, safety and ethical dilemmas, and bias in decision-making processes. However, despite HR being predominantly female dominated, few studies have examined the gendered implications of digital automation in this field. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the gendered implications of digital automation in recruitment processes and work practices within HR. Drawing upon gender theory, we will conduct a critical literature review based on existing reviews to reevaluate current knowledge. The findings suggest that while digital automation can enhance administrative efficiency in recruitment processes, it does not significantly impact the gender balance of the workforce. However, the findings also indicate that digital automation will likely transform the occupational role into a more masculinized way of working. This transformation is characterized by social distancing, technological rationality, and reliance on self-service systems. In conclusion, digital automation is poised to reshape the HR occupation into what we term “screen-level HR,” comprising a predominantly female workforce engaged in masculine coded work practices.

An exploratory examination of the symptoms of moral injury and posttraumatic growth in veterinary professionals following exposure to potentially morally injurious events

Through their occupational role, veterinary professionals are regularly exposed to potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs). These events can elicit negative (pathogenic) psychological outcomes of moral distress. However, PMIEs can also result in positive (salutogenic) outcomes of posttraumatic growth. Both outcomes are characterised by specific symptomology that is suggestive of a pathogenic or salutogenic trajectory. This study employed data from 194 veterinary professionals from Australia and New Zealand and sought to examine symptoms experienced by professionals following exposure to PMIEs. Respondents reported more symptoms of moral distress than posttraumatic growth following PMIE exposure. Negative symptoms included both affective and work-related factors including consideration of leaving the profession, while positive factors included increased confidence, personal growth, and staff cohesion. Potential factors contributing to the disparity in salutogenic and pathogenic outcomes are discussed. An integrated approach comprising both individual- and organisation-level factors is recommended to facilitate more salutogenic outcomes for veterinary professionals following PMIE exposure.

The occupational roles of nurses and midwives in the UK: an analysis of the Nursing and Midwifery Council-census England and Wales 2021 data linkage study

ObjectiveThe nursing and midwifery professions are facing challenges to recruitment and retention. Understanding the occupational choices of people registered as nurses and midwives can inform policy as to the potential of initiatives to encourage registrants back to practice. This study thus aims to ascertain the occupational roles taken by nurses and midwives in the UK in 2021 and the drivers behind choosing to work outside of direct clinical practice. ApproachThe Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register contains information on everyone meeting required standards to practice in those professions in England and Wales (currently around 800 thousand people). Registrants must not only complete a course of study for registration but must revalidated every three years. The register has been linked to the 2021 census for England and Wales. The census includes questions ascertaining occupation. Information provided is categorised to provide indication of individuals’ main occupation. These include codes for nursing and for midwifery which provides indication not only to occupation but also to engagement in clinical practice. Analysis uses logistic regression to ascertain how socio-demographics influence engagement in clinical practice or otherwise. Conclusions and ImplicationsData linkage for this study is now completed with the conference being the first time results will be shared. This will be the first time there has been concrete evidence as to nurses and midwives actual occupational roles. A stakeholder group supporting this work includes individuals from Chief Nurses’ Offices to enable findings to feed into policy.

Inappropriate complementary feeding practice and associated factors among children aged 6–23 months in Shashemene, Southern Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study

BackgroundInappropriate complementary feeding is widely practiced in low and middle income countries. These contribute to undernutrition, morbidity and mortality among young children. The incidence of malnutrition in the first two years of life has been directly linked with inappropriate complementary feeding practices along with high infectious disease levels.ObjectiveTo assess the level of inappropriate complementary feeding practice and associated factors among children aged 6 to 23 months in Shashemene, Southern Ethiopia.MethodA community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from July to August 2021 among 609 children aged 6 to 23 months paired with their caregivers. Systematic random sampling was used to identify study participants. Data were analyzed by using SPSS version 25 software. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of inappropriate complementary feeding practice. Statistical significance was determined using Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI).ResultsThe prevalence of inappropriate complementary feeding practice among children aged 6–23 months was 55.3%. Being a mother under the age of 25 years [AOR = 2.07, 95% CI: 1.30, 3.31], aged 25–34 years [AOR = 1.82, 95% CI: 1.14, 2.91], having an occupation [AOR = 2.73, 95% CI: 1.84, 4.05], and households where husbands’ are the sole decision makers on their income [AOR = 2.41, 95% CI: 1.54, 3.77] increased the chance of inappropriate complementary feeding practice. On the other hand, mother’s whose infants were aged 9–11 months [AOR = 0.30, 95% CI: 0.19–0.45] were less likely to practice inappropriate complementary feeding.ConclusionsThe prevalence of inappropriate complementary feeding practice in the study area was high compared to the WHO recommendation. Child’s age, maternal age, maternal occupation, and decision-making role on income were found to be associated with inappropriate complementary feeding practice. Appropriate behavioral change communication to family and community decision-makers, and involvement of husbands in infant and young child feeding practice are recommendable.

Impact of Psychological Stress on Cardiovascular Health and Strategies for Management

Psychological stress has been demonstrated to precipitate physiological disorders via the hypothalamic-pituitary nerves. Consequently, this phenomenon has been the subject of growing interest in recent years, particularly in the context of cardiovascular disease. In the modern era, there has been a notable rise in the prevalence of psychological stress among the general population. A great number of factors can contribute to the development of psychological stress, including demanding occupational roles and familial relationships. Prior research has demonstrated that elevated psychological stress levels are associated with an increased risk of arrhythmia, elevated blood pressure, and other adverse outcomes. The incidence of cardiovascular disease is higher in individuals who experience elevated levels of psychological stress. And the preventative measures are regular exercise and meditation, which have been demonstrated to reduce psychological stress in individuals. Therefore, the paper presents a review of the causes of psychological stress, methods of assessment, and the mechanisms affecting cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, arrhythmia, and coronary heart disease, and also discusses non-pharmacological interventions. The results indicate that the application of the scientific method allows individuals to more effectively regulate stress, maintain cardiovascular health, and ultimately achieve a higher sense of overall health and well-being.

School-Based Occupational Therapists' Roles Supporting Transitions Into and Throughout Kindergarten to Grade 12: A Scoping Review.

Large educational transitions occur when students enter and exit school or move between grades or divisions within the kindergarten to Grade 12 (K-12) school system. For students with disabilities, the quality of large educational transitions affects academic and postschool outcomes, which is germane to school-based occupational therapists. To explore the school-based occupational therapy literature to describe the roles of occupational therapists in supporting large educational transitions and to identify relevant terminology. We searched six databases (CINAHL, EMCare, Embase, ERIC, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO) for peer-reviewed publications in English with no date limitations. We included articles focused on children and youth with disabilities and school-based occupational therapy services supporting large transitions within K to 12 education. Using directed content analysis, we reported on publication characteristics, occupational therapy roles, and terminology. We included 46 publications spanning 37 yr that addressed transitions into school (n = 3), within K to 12 grades or divisions (n = 10), or to exit secondary education (n = 33). Occupational therapists assumed many roles in supporting large transitions, some much more frequently than others; 125 transition terms were used across included articles with few terms explicitly defined. School-based occupational therapists' involvement in educational transitions is extensive, with potential for expansion. Consistency in terminology would support future research and practice. Plain-Language Summary: A large educational transition occurs when students move between a school, grade, or division as part of their K to 12 education. For students with disabilities, the quality of a large educational transition affects their academic and postschool outcomes. This review provides an understanding of how school-based occupational therapists support educational transitions for youth with disabilities. The review found that occupational therapists took on many roles, with the potential for expanding their roles. The review also identified 125 transition terms that were used across the literature review and found that few terms were explicitly defined. Consistency in terminology would support future research and expanded occupational therapy practice in this area.

Geospatial Mapping the Prevalence of Interstitial Lung Diseases Identified in Tertiary Care Facility and Determining the Role of Occupation in the Occurrence: A Cross-sectional Study

Interstitial Lung Diseases (ILD) is a class of lung diseases involving diffuse parenchyma affecting alveolar, interstitial, and small airways which worsen quality of life and cause early mortality. It is important to comprehend how various occupations affect interstitial lung diseases. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of ILD and the relationship between ILD and occupation. Methods and Materials: In June 2022, a retrospective analysis was carried out in a tertiary care facility. Using purposive sampling, 252 participants were chosen from the medical records. Occupation along with the duration, area of residence, and associated illness was evaluated using a questionnaire. The latitude and longitude of the areas were mapped using Q-GIS mapping and plotted on the map. Results: Among the 252 study participants, the majority of them (71%) were non-industrial workers and 29% were industrial workers. ILD affected 40% of the research patients. It was discovered that there were 86 cases of interstitial lung disease (84.3%) among industrial workers compared to 16 cases (15.7%) among non-industrial workers. This difference was statistically significant (p-value <0.05). In the Q-GIS Mapping, Clustering was found in Mysuru district, extension to Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh. Conclusion: According to the Geospatial mapping of RespiratoryDisease cases from the past 5 years, the majority distribution is in and around Mysuru. There was a relationship between occupation and ILD was found in this study. Hence, further preventive measures are to be taken to prevent ILD in certain occupations.

Emboldened in the rap "game": How severely stigmatized video models navigate disrespect and vulnerability to workplace mistreatment.

Moral stigma attached to an occupation can scar workers through discrediting, shaming, and denying respect. It can also open the door to interpersonal mistreatment, but little is known about how morally stigmatized workers navigate anticipated disrespect to potentially avoid harm. We explore this issue in a study of an occupation carrying severe moral stigma and where disrespect and workplace mistreatment are pervasive: models in hip-hop and rap music videos. Through analyses of 71 interviews with 48 video models and 19 industry informants, field observations, and archival data, we show how severe moral stigma and industry constraints promote generalized disrespect of video models (i.e., denial of worth to all role occupants) and, thus, each model's personal vulnerability to mistreatment. Two distinct groups of models emerged from our analysis-those who viewed themselves as emboldened in their role identity and those who did not-and this emboldened role identity was associated with differing perceptions of their personal vulnerability to mistreatment and their behaviors to mitigate it. The first group of models, those reporting an emboldened role identity, perceived their vulnerability to mistreatment as controllable. They strategically used both assertive behaviors (that earned respect from others) and passive behaviors (that avoided disrespect from others) to mitigate mistreatment. By contrast, the second group perceived their vulnerability to mistreatment as uncontrollable and reported using only passive behaviors (to avoid disrespect) when mistreatment was imminent. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of our findings, advancing knowledge of dirty work, workplace mistreatment, respect dynamics, and identity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The Role of Human Capital Components in Gender Wage Inequality in India

This study investigates the gender wage gap in the Indian labour market by analysing a range of human capital components, including education, work experience, cognitive and technical skills and occupational choices, using data from the India Human Development Survey 2011–2012. We employ the recentred influence functions (RIF) regression and Firpo, Fortin and Lemieux (FFL) decomposition techniques. The results from the RIF regression analysis underscore the significant role of education, work experience, skills and occupation in wage inequality. While education and English language proficiency lead to widening wage inequality for both men and women, the effects are much larger for the latter. Next, the FFL decomposition unveils a positive gender wage gap, indicating potential favourable returns for women’s qualifications and skills, yet it exposes a concerning wage structure effect suggesting women are often employed in lower-paying jobs. These results suggest that enhancing education and skills among women can be important tools in reducing gender wage inequality. JEL codes: E24, J24, J16

Gendered stereotype content for people with a nonbinary gender identity

Background Gender stereotypes about women and men have a complementary structure, where women and men are seen as high/low in feminine characteristics and low/high in masculine characteristics. These stereotypes are related to representation within social roles, where beliefs about social role occupation influences which characteristics are associated with women or men. It is not known how people with gender identities that do not fit a binary structure are stereotyped. The current study provides a first step towards addressing this gap. Methods Swedish participants (N = 152) reported descriptive stereotype content (positive/negative feminine/masculine personality characteristics) and estimations of representation within domestic and occupational social roles for people with a nonbinary gender identity for the past, present, and future in a between-groups design. Stereotype content for the past included a higher degree of feminine compared to masculine characteristics, but ratings for the present and future showed no differentiation between femininity and masculinity. Results People with a nonbinary gender identity were believed to more frequently occupy feminine compared to masculine social roles for all time points; this was especially pronounced for occupational social roles. The theorised connection between social role occupation and stereotype content did not emerge: degree of positive masculinity and femininity correlated positively with representation in masculine domestic and occupational roles respectively, but positive femininity was negatively correlated with representation in feminine occupational roles. Conclusions These results indicate that stereotypes about people with a nonbinary gender identity do not show the same complementary pattern or reliance on social roles as gender stereotypes about women and men, but that there is a feminine bias in perceptions of social role occupation for people with a nonbinary gender identity.

The hidden lessons in textbooks: Gender representation and stereotypes in European mathematics and language books

AbstractThis cross‐national European comparison examined gender representation and stereotypes in mathematics and language textbooks from Germany, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Romania. The results showed that female characters were numerically underrepresented. Female characters were also less often a main character or individually portrayed compared to male characters, but not proportionally to the overall lower number of female characters. Characters in occupational roles were less often female than male, whereas among characters with gender non‐conform characteristics, these were more often female than male in some textbooks. There was no sexual diversity among characters. The differences in gender representation are found within each country, but gender differences were smaller in more gender‐egalitarian countries. If textbooks are to offer the same learning benefits to both boys and girls, students should be equally represented in a diversity of roles and occupations.