Occupational Background Research Articles

A Gendered Pipeline? The Advancement of State Legislators to Congress in Five States

The pipeline theory predicts that women serving in lower levels of political office will leverage political resources and experience gained at those levels to advance to higher office. On the basis of this theory, several prominent scholars have predicted that the election of increasing numbers of women to state legislatures will result in proportionate increases in women's representation in Congress. This study analyzes patterns of congressional advancement among state legislators in five states and finds that female state legislators are less likely to advance to Congress than their male colleagues. There are gender-related differences in the occupational backgrounds and family situations that hinder the advancement of female state legislators to Congress. In addition, female legislators are older and less likely to have a background in the “springboard” professions of business or law. Given these findings, the pipeline theory should be refined to better account for the impact of gender-based differences on congressional advancement.

Prevalence and risk factors for common vision problems in children: data from the ALSPAC study

Objective:To estimate the distribution and predictors of some common visual problems (strabismus, amblyopia, hypermetropia) within a population-based cohort of children at the age of 7 years.Methods:Children participating in a birth...

How Health Care Complexity Leads to Cooperation and Affects the Autonomy of Health Care Professionals

Health professionals increasingly face patients with complex health problems and this pressurizes them to cooperate. The authors have analyzed how the complexity of health care problems relates to two types of cooperation: consultation and multidisciplinary teamwork (MTW). Moreover, they have analyzed the impact of these two types of cooperation on perceived professional autonomy. Two teams were studied, one team dealing with geriatric patients and another treating oncology patients. The authors conducted semi-structured interviews, studied written documents, held informal discussions and observed the teams at work. Consultation was most likely to take place when a patient had multiple problems. However, if these problems were interrelated, i.e. the solution for one problem interfered with solving another, then MTW was favored. The same was true when the available information was equivocal such that there were conflicting interpretations of a problem. How the professionals perceived the relationship between complexity and the need to cooperate depended on their expertise, their occupational background, and their work orientation. Consultation did not affect the professional autonomy of the health care professionals. MTW however did decrease the perceived level of professional autonomy. The extent to which this occurred seemed to depend on the quality of the interpersonal relations within the team. The findings can help in selecting the most appropriate and efficient type of cooperation based on the complexity of a patient's problems. They can also help team leaders to stimulate reflection and feedback processes, and medical trainers to develop competencies among students related to such teamwork behaviors.

Mother's Occupational Exposure to Carcinogenic Agents and Leukemia in Children. A New Method for Exposure

ISEE-872 Objective: This study's objective was to assess the association between the mother's level of occupational exposure to carcinogenic agents and the risk of developing acute leukemia in her offspring. Material and Methods: From 1999 to 2000, a case-control study was conducted based on 200 cases and 193 controls. These children were matched for age, sex, and social security. Hospital controls were selected from secondary-care hospitals that served as sources of the cases. Both, father and mother were interviewed. A validated questionnaire was administered in order to assess the degree of exposure; the mother's questionnaire was focused on their occupational background; the industrial process and working conditions for each job were also assessed. Along with the information a formula was used to determine the degree of exposure. Results: The odds ratios (OR) obtained by the logistic regression was: 1.4; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.6, 3.5 in the highest exposure, before the index pregnancy. During pregnancy the OR was 0.9 (95% CI 0.17, 4.8), breastfeeding period the OR was 3.4 (95% CI 0.3, 34.6); and after childbirth the OR was 1.3 (95% CI 0.3, 6.3). For exposure at any time the OR was 1.5 (95% CI 0.6, 3.6). Conclusions: Our results suggest that the mother's high occupational exposure to carcinogenic agents moderately increase the risk of developing acute leukemia in their offspring. This study was financed by CONACYT's SALUD-2003-C01-102 grant.

Maternal Demographic and Socioeconomic Characteristics of Live-Born Infants With Isolated Ocular Congenital Abnormalities

Purpose: To evaluate maternal age and birth order, in addition socioeconomic status and finally occupational background of mothers who delivered babies with different isolated ocular congenital abnormalities. Methods: The data set of the Hungarian Case-Control Surveillance of Congenital Abnormalities, 1980–2002 was used and the evaluation of maternal variables was based on both medical records and maternal information. Results: Mean maternal age and birth order was lower in the mothers of cases with isolated an/microphthalmia. The mean birth order was also lower in the mothers with isolated congenital cataract compared with the control groups. The mothers of cases with isolated coloboma had the usual mean maternal age with a very high proportion of second birth order. The proportion of unmarried women, low maternal socio-economic status and unemployment was larger in the groups of isolated an/microphthalmia and isolated primary congenital glaucoma and these mothers frequently worked in the agriculture. Conclusions: Cases with different isolated ocular congenital abnormalities showed different maternal characteristics as the reference controls, therefore it is necessary to evaluate each isolated ocular congenital abnormality separately and maternal characteristics can be considered as potential confounders in the analyses of ocular congenital abnormalities.

Dados sociodemográficos e condições de trabalho de pintores expostos a solventes em uma universidade pública da cidade do Rio de Janeiro

O artigo apresenta os dados sociodemográficos e as condições de trabalho de pintores de uma universidade pública da cidade do Rio de Janeiro expostos a solventes. O desenho de pesquisa utilizado foi estudo transversal. Foram avaliados 55 pintores, sendo os dados sociodemográficos e da história ocupacional coletados através do Bloco de Entrevista de Saúde do Trabalhador. A faixa etária mais freqüente foi de 41-50 anos de idade (38,18%) e a maioria dos pintores trabalhava na universidade há mais de 10 anos (70,91%). Quanto às condições de trabalho, 58,2% dos pintores informaram que nunca usavam equipamento de proteção individual; 52,73% desconheciam a existência da Comissão Interna de Prevenção de Acidentes de Trabalho; 92,73% realizavam algum tipo de movimento repetitivo; 60% deles possuíam outra fonte de renda (sendo a maioria como pintor autônomo) e 87,3% consideravam bom o relacionamento no trabalho. Vinte e cinco (45,45%) já exerciam atividade como pintores antes de trabalharem na universidade. O inventário do local de trabalho revelou que o ambiente e as condições de trabalho eram inadequados.

Locating the ‘I’ in the teaching of death and dying: challenges of the open distance learning model

The UK Open University’s second‐level undergraduate course ‘Death and Dying’ (K260) draws on personal and professional experience to explore the issues of loss, care, ethical practice, communication and grief. Students come from diverse occupational backgrounds (nurses, social workers, medical practitioners) but many study K260 for purely personal reasons. This diversity presents educators with specific challenges. Synthesising theory, practice and the personal within academic assessment is a significant teaching dilemma on an open distance learning programme, but is especially so in relation to sensitive subject matter. This article discusses how the curriculum can accommodate personal narrative to enhance academic learning. A reflective research methodology is used to consider the integration of the ‘personal’ and the ‘situated’ as learning tools.

Sources of burnout among healthcare employees as perceived by managers

This paper is a report of a study to investigate healthcare managers' perspectives on factors contributing to the increase of healthcare employees on sick leave for burnout symptoms. Current turbulent healthcare reorganization has resulted in structural instability, role conflicts and vague responsibility commitments, all of which contribute to increasing numbers of sick days caused by burnout symptoms. Managers' perceptions of burnout sources are important as these perceptions guide the actions taken to prevent burnout. Interviews were carried out with 30 healthcare managers, with different occupational backgrounds and from different units. The data were collected in Sweden in 2003 and analysed using thematic qualitative content analysis. According to the healthcare managers, continuous reorganization and downsizing of healthcare services has reduced resources and increased demands and responsibilities. These problems are compounded by high ideals and expectations, making staff question their own abilities and worth as well as making them feel less confirmed and less valued as people. The main finding indicates that healthcare employees are thrown into a spiralling sense of inadequacy and an emerging sense of pessimism and powerlessness. To understand and influence people's actions, one has to understand their perceptions and thoughts - their explanatory models. This study shows the complexity and interconnection between sources of burnout as perceived by healthcare managers, and highlights the encouragement of realism without the destruction of enthusiasm as an important factor in management and healthcare practice.

The values and qualities of being a good helper: A qualitative study of adult foster home caregivers for persons with serious mental illness

Background Canadian foster homes for adults with serious mental illness are operated by non-professional caregivers, usually women, whose mandate is to support residents and reintegrate them into the community. While mental health professionals recognize that adult foster homes are an important service for this population, there is little understanding of how caregivers impact on the lives of their residents. Aims and objectives This article draws on the findings of a larger study which examined both caregiver and resident perspectives on the helping relationship in adult foster homes. Caregiver perspectives on the values and qualities required to help people living in foster homes are reported. Design and methods With no pre-set theoretical framework, this qualitative study employed an inductive approach within a naturalistic paradigm. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 caregivers. Data analysis was an ongoing, 2-year process, involving the identification of categories and themes through several distinct stages. Setting The study included Montreal adult foster homes ( n=242) for persons with serious mental illness, supervised by two university-affiliated psychiatric hospitals. Participants Twenty caregivers, selected according to years of experience and number of residents in the home, were diverse in terms of age, cultural background, family composition, education and occupational background. Results Caregivers possess a clearly articulated value system, and 21 specific qualities which reflect the attributes of both professional and informal helpers. These values and qualities provide caregivers with a “professional” or “vocational” orientation. Conclusions A deeply held system of values and qualities is critically important to caregiver effectiveness and job satisfaction. Findings suggest that caregivers are highly motivated, and should be recognized as full participants in the mental health system at both policy and practice levels.

Orientation, opportunity and autonomy: why people work after state pension age in three areas of England

ABSTRACTWith the central players in the United Kingdom policy debate on pensions schemes and funding advocating an extension to the average working life (or, more precisely, a rise in the age of ceasing work), this paper reports the findings of qualitative interviews with men and women at or approaching state pension age that examined what motivated some people to continue to work after that age. By exploring their work histories and orientations to work, the paper shows that people from different social and occupational backgrounds not only conceive work and retirement in different ways but also have contrasting opportunities to continue in occupations after retirement age. Their attitudes and the opportunities they encounter shape the decisions they make at state pension age. Distinctions are drawn between those who articulated an identity as a ‘worker’ and those who defined themselves as ‘professionals and creatives’, and within those categories, between the employed and self-employed. The paper elucidates the tensions between individuals' normative expectations of retirement, their desire for autonomy and flexibility in later life, and the financial and occupational reality of life after state pension age. We argue that understanding the different cultural meanings of work and retirement for different types of worker has implications for the design and implementation of policies to extend working life.

Perceived similarity and complementarity as predictors of subjective person‐organization fit

We examined whether subjective person‐organization (P‐O) fit arises from perceptions of similarity, complementarity or some combination of both. Data were collected from 209 employees of various occupational and organizational backgrounds. Results indicated that individuals distinguish between fit that occurs through similarity and complementarity, and that both explain unique variance in subjective P‐O fit. Subjective fit was associated with higher levels of job satisfaction and organizational commitment, and reduced turnover intentions. Furthermore, the results suggest that subjective fit mediates the relationship between perceived similarity/complementarity and work attitudes.

Parental food allergy information needs: a qualitative study

Objective:To examine information needs and preferences of parents regarding food allergy.Design:Qualitative study including in-depth semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using the constant...

A view from inside Arizona and New Mexico Indian country: pursuing a health career path

The stories of individuals working within the health system in Arizona and New Mexico Indian Country were examined to discover interests and needs related to their health career goals and advancement. The aims were: to identify what would be helpful to support educational and career progress; and to determine the barriers to advancement. Community action research methodology was used. A semi-structured interview schedule administered by two of the investigators made up the qualitative interview portion of a two-part survey research design. This qualitative portion of the larger study is reported. Interviewees were chosen from health workers in Arizona and New Mexico Indian country who returned workplace-distributed questionnaires that indicated they were interested in career advancement. The interviewees were selected to be representative of the occupational background, work site, age, and cultural identity of those who returned the questionnaire. Investigators took notes by hand independently during interviews and reviewed both sets of notes simultaneously; the agreed on responses were entered as text data within 2 hours of the interviews. QRS Nudist software (QRS Software; Melbourne, VIC, Australia) was used to sort interview responses to each question in a successive fashion using a constant comparative method to identify key themes within and across questions. Twenty-five personal interviews were conducted in community locations convenient to the interviewee between February and April 2003. The duration of the interviews was 30 min and 60 min. Eighty percent of interviewees were American Indian and 80% percent were women. Themes within interviewees' stories regarding barriers to advancement included: 'making ends meet', dealing with the educational system, uncertainty and inflexibility in the current work setting, and not wanting to disadvantage children by their career decision. Themes related to what participants said they needed included 'making sure the bills are paid', making sure their children were not negatively affected by their decision to further their education, and being sure of the worth of further education in the workplace. Several across-interview themes included pursuing many sequential incremental educational and career steps, many interruptions and failed attempts at pursuing advanced education, and informal, verbal information-gathering patterns when seeking career advancement information. Barriers to career advancement and education arise from multiple sources. Supporting career advancement of community-rooted health workers in Indian Country will require partnership and collaboration across the education, health services, and community sectors. Financial management supports, workplace policies designed to support career-oriented education, consistent and accurate information regarding the educational process, and making courses more accessible will be necessary to support these non-traditional students. Health professions schools should regard their community-based graduates as ambassadors and provide them with ongoing accurate information, because they will be sought after to provide information to others. Innovative programs to assist in loan consolidation and financial management are needed to allow native health workers to be able to provide for their families should they wish to advance their careers. Collaboration across disciplines and programs in the education sector to support a limited set of prerequisite courses would help eliminate unnecessary or redundant courses.

Patient information preferences among breast and prostate cancer patients

Preferences for information about their disease and treatment were collected from 392 patients who had been treated for either breast or prostate cancer an average of 2 years previously. Type of information that they had received, their ratings of its value to them and their preferred format for further information were examined. The most common and most preferred form of information was through doctor interview, followed by educational booklets. Prostate cancer patients preferred videotapes; breast cancer patients tended to prefer individualized approaches including a tour of the department. Effects of age, educational levels, occupational backgrounds and self-reports for anxiety and depression at the time of the survey and at time of diagnosis were analysed. Prostate cancer patients who were most severely depressed showed a preference for not receiving any information at all, perhaps reflecting a tendency towards withdrawal.

Foreign Correspondents and the Varieties of Cosmopolitanism

Newsmedia foreign correspondents are among the most celebrated transnational migrants of our times. Drawing on an extensive anthropological multi-sited study of this occupational group, its organisation, background and working conditions, as well as its reporting, this article discusses its relationship to notions of cosmopolitanism—both in terms of the personal orientations and experiences of the practitioners and their contribution to the shaping of informed citizens of the world in their audiences. Variations in correspondent mobility patterns are delineated in terms of a contrast between spiralists and long-timers, and current changes in newsmedia foreign coverage are noted.

A Prospective Study of Childhood and Adult Socioeconomic Status and Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes in Women

The influence of childhood socioeconomic status (SES) on incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus has not previously been studied. The authors prospectively examined the association of childhood SES (father's occupation) with incidence of diabetes in 100,330 US women who were followed from 1980 to 2002. In 55,115 of those women, 10-year follow-up data (1992-2002) were also available on adult SES (spouse's education). In all, 6,916 new cases of type 2 diabetes were documented. Compared with women from white-collar occupational backgrounds, the multivariate-adjusted risks of diabetes were 1.08 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.95, 1.23) among women whose fathers were laborers and 1.10 (95% CI: 1.03, 1.16) among women whose fathers were blue-collar or lower white-collar workers. Lower adult SES was associated with risk of diabetes independently of childhood SES. Compared with women whose spouses had graduate degrees, women whose spouses were high school graduates had a 1.16 times higher risk of incident diabetes (95% CI: 1.04, 1.29), while women whose spouses had college degrees were at 1.14 times the risk (95% CI: 1.01, 1.29). Compared with women with stable high SES from childhood to adulthood, women with declining SES had a 1.18 times higher risk of incident diabetes (95% CI: 1.06, 1.32). Higher body mass index among women with lower SES accounted for much of these rather modest associations between childhood and adult SES and risk of diabetes.

The menopause, hormone replacement therapy and informed consent: Are women in an under-resourced country adequately aware?

SummaryRecent evidence on the long-term effects of HRT have resulted in increased emphasis being placed on individualised counselling, patient choice and informed consent when managing the menopause. We assessed whether women in an under-resourced country have adequate knowledge of the menopause/HRT to engage in patient – provider discussions and provide full informed consent for HRT. Specific ‘knowledge scores’ for the menopause and HRT were developed and utilised in structured questionnaires to determine the existing levels of knowledge in 150 women from different racial, educational and occupational backgrounds. Some 92% were aware of the menopause and 54% were aware of HRT. Specific knowledge about the menopause and HRT overall was low (39% and 38%, respectively). There was a significant association between higher education levels, race and occupational status on the knowledge of the menopause but not of HRT. Television, radio and pamphlets were the preferred sources to gain further information. There is a need to create awareness and provide further education to women in under-resourced countries about the menopause and HRT to empower them to make informed choices about their health during this period.

ALL IN THE (ENGINEERING) FAMILY? — THE FAMILY OCCUPATIONAL BACKGROUND OF MEN AND WOMEN ENGINEERING STUDENTS

This article examines and compares the family occupational background of men and women engineering students. Analyses reveal that around half of the men and women in a sample of student engineers had at least one engineer in their family, with women significantly more likely to have an engineering parent. Women with an engineer in their family were significantly more likely to have decided to study engineering before college. We conclude that engineering family members are passing on engineering-related knowledge, interests, and aspirations to a segment of the student engineering population. This type of occupational inheritance is especially crucial for paving the way into engineering for women, who otherwise lack engineering role models.

Health-related quality of life of firefighters and police officers 8.5 years after the air disaster in Amsterdam

In 1992 a cargo aircraft crashed into apartment buildings in Amsterdam. In the troublesome aftermath rumours emerged on potential toxic exposures and health consequences. The aim of this study is to assess the long-term impact of this disaster on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of professional assistance workers. Historic cohort study, using questionnaires to assess occupational disaster exposure, HRQoL (SF36), and background variables, at on average 8.5 years post-disaster. Participating were the exposed professional firefighters (n = 334) and police officers (n = 834) who reported disaster-related task(s), and their non-exposed colleagues who did not report such tasks (n = 194, and n = 634, respectively). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that exposed workers reported a significantly lower physical HRQoL and vitality than non-exposed workers. Exposed police officers also reported a lower mental HRQoL. Among exposed workers, a lower HRQoL was reported significantly more often by workers who had a close one affected by the disaster; by firefighters who rescued people, cleaned-up, or witnessed the immediate disaster scene; and by police officers who supported the injured. Exposed police officers who perceived the disaster as 'not bad' reported a lower HRQoL less often than those to whom it was 'the worst ever'. This study demonstrates that professional disaster assistance workers are at risk for a lower HRQoL, even after years.

Representativeness and attitudes of municipal council members in Turkey: The case of Erzincan province

This study is concerned with the characteristics and attitudes of municipal council members in Turkey. First, it addresses the question of how representative the municipal councils are of the community they were elected from. Second, it deals with the question of whether attitudes of municipal council members towards aspects of local democracy are influenced by their occupational background and political party affiliation. The study tries to make generalisations about municipal council members in Turkey based on survey data from Erzincan province and its districts and also by reviewing existing literature on the subject.