Work-related Anxiety Research Articles

Anxiety, job satisfaction, supervisor support and turnover intentions of mid-career nurses: A structural equation model analysis.

To explore the effects of four predictors of anxiety (work constraints, work/family conflict, verbal abuse and negative team orientation) among nurses and their subsequent effects on job satisfaction and turnover intentions; and to examine the moderating effect of supervisor support on the relationship between job satisfaction and turnover intentions. Work-related anxiety is a well-known predictor of employee burnout. Research suggests the prevalence of stress in the workplace varies by occupation, with stress among nurses one of the highest. We employed data from the 2015 national survey of licensed registered nurses (n=1,080). We assessed the conceptual model using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Work constraints, work/family conflict, and negative team orientation lead to anxiety, which diminished job satisfaction and ultimately increased turnover intentions. Supervisor support weakened the job dissatisfaction-turnover relationship. These findings suggest that the common experiences reported by health care professionals lead to anxiety and ultimately turnover intentions and emphasize the role of supervisor support. The supervisor's role is crucial to the implications of workplace-generated anxiety for nurse job satisfaction and turnover intentions. As such, nurse managers need to develop tangible strategies to help nurses navigate these contextual constraints.

Development and validation of English version of COVID-19 Depression Scale for health-care workers.

BACKGROUND:Health-care workers (HCWs) are highly vulnerable to depression during an epidemic outbreak. Protecting the mental well-being of HCWs is a priority while battling with COVID-19. However, documentation on COVID-19-related depression among HCWs is scarce due to the limited availability of measuring scales. Hence, this study was purposed to develop a scale to measure depression relating to COVID-19 and evaluate its psychometric properties among HCWs.MATERIALS AND METHODS:A validation study was carried out among 320 HCWs including physicians of various medical specialties, dental specialists, and nurses in the year 2020. Exploratory factor analysis using Promax rotation with Kaiser normalization for the determination of factor structure was employed in data analysis using SPSS version 16 software.RESULTS:COVID-19 Depression Scale for HCWs (CDS-HW) demonstrated a two-component structure identified as “work-related anxiety” and “psychological distress.” The mean CDS-HW score of the study participants was observed to be 23.67 ± 2.82, and the scale demonstrated good internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha: 0.741).CONCLUSION:CDS-HW is a rapidly administrable, valid, and reliable tool that can be used to measure COVID-19-related depression among HCWs.

Depression, Anxiety and Stress among Nurses Working in a Tertiary Care Centre in Southern India

Purpose: Nursing professionals have to meet huge expectations on one side and cope with the demanding situations on the other side. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among nurses working at a tertiary care centre in South India.
 Design: Cross-sectional survey design.
 Methods: 387 female nursing professionals aged 20-50 years, working at a tertiary care centre for a minimum of two years, voluntarily participated in the study. Individuals with a history of psychiatric illness, major health problems, or those on sleep medication were excluded. Anxiety, depression, and stress levels were assessed by administering the DASS 21 questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and percentages were calculated using Microsoft Excel.
 Findings: The results showed prevalence of: Anxiety (63.3%); depression (56.05%); and stress (36.17%) in those who participated in the survey. Anxiety was highest, followed by depression, and lastly, stress.
 Conclusions: Work-related anxiety is the commonest mental health issue reported by professional nurses, followed by depression and stress. Yoga-based intervention would be efficacious if implemented within hospitals both to prevent and manage mental health problems associated with the nursing profession.

The Moderating Effect of Acculturation Strategies on the Relationship Between Newcomer Adjustment and Employee Behavior.

Acculturation begins when people find themselves in a cultural setting other than theirs, and to demonstrate acceptable behaviors, one of two strategies is adopted: adapting to the new environment or retain one’s own culture. On the basis of these two, four strategies have been proposed. The current article examined the moderation effect of two of these acculturation strategies, integration and separation, on the relationship between newcomer adjustment, and work-related anxiety and turnover intentions. The study was in two folds, the first explored the moderation effect among new employees in general, notwithstanding their immediate past working experience; and the second part separated the sample based on two criteria: those prior to their current role were working in another firm (work-to-work employees) and those who just come directly from school (school-to-work employees). The sample was made up of 250 employees who had spent not less than 6 months and not more than 12 months in their current role, drawn from the private banking and insurance firms in Ghana. The PROCESS analysis of the data revealed that integration moderated the relationship between newcomer adjustment and work-related anxiety and turnover intentions among all samples. Separation moderated the relationships in all cases, but for the relationship between newcomer adjustment and turnover intentions in study 1 and among school-to-work employees. The evidence from this article points to the fact that the acculturation strategy that newcomers adopt has an effect on the relationship between their level of adjustment and some organizational outcomes; however, a slight difference exists if their immediate past engagement is considered.

Nursing Perspectives on the Impacts of COVID-19

Nursing Perspectives on the Impacts of COVID-19

Preparedness, perceived impact and concerns of health care workers in a teaching hospital during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Objective:Coronavirus Disease 2019 is a new threat to human lives worldwide. Preparedness of institutions during epidemic outbreak has a pivotal role in saving lives and preventing further spread. At the same time, these pandemics impact badly on professional and personal life of Health care workers. The objective of this study is to find the opinion of Health care workers regarding their level of preparedness, concerns and perceived impact related to this pandemic outbreak.Materials and Methods:In this study, random samples of doctors and nurses was provided with a self-administered questionnaire regarding their preparedness, work and non-work related concerns and impact on their lives during Covid-19 outbreak.Results:Most of the Health Care Workers believed that their institute preparation to fight Covid-19 pandemic is better than prior to onset of this crisis (P < 0.001). Work related stress was seen more commonly in nurses whereas higher frequency of non-work related stress was observed among doctors. Nurses (75.55%) faith in their employer was more than doctors faith (46.66%) regarding their medical needs. There was more acceptance of hydroxychloroquine as a prophylactic drug for Covid-19 in doctors compared to nurses (P < 0.01).Conclusions:Though this institute was more prepared at the time of pandemic spread, substantial opportunity of improvement remains. The consistency of work and non work related anxiety and stress in health care workers is very high in present study group. Concerns and risks of Health Care Workers should be addressed ethically and adequately by strengthening safety measures and building trust in the system they work.

Process- and outcome evaluation of an orientation programme for refugee health professionals

ABSTRACT Background Refugee health professionals experience several barriers on their path to re-entering their original occupations in host countries. Several training programmes exist in order to address these barriers and enable a successful labour market integration.Objective: This study aims to evaluate a specific orientation programme for the labour market integration of refugee health professionals in Germany. The programme lasts three months and comprises three elements (German technical terminology language course, cross-cultural coaching and a job shadowing).Design: A mixed-methods design was implemented to evaluate the programme. To assess participants’ skills improvement and satisfaction, self-developed questionnaires were used. For in-depth-evaluation of individual experiences, qualitative interviews were conducted at four time points (pre, half-time, post, follow-up) with both programme participants and programme providers about their experiences.Results: Participants described impacts on their personal situation and improvement of their language, professional and formal skills. Some participants also described negative effects mostly due to unsupervised shadowing. Additional barriers, such as cost of travel were identified as challenges for participation.Conclusion: Training programmes may affect language skills, professional skills and formal resources. However, programme providers need to anticipate negative effects and introduce actions for preventing negative outcomes. Moreover, programmes should be designed to reduce work-related fear and anxiety amongst participants.

Workaholism among stricto sensu graduate nursing professors in Brazil.

Objective:to identify the prevalence and factors associated with workaholism among stricto sensu graduate nursing professors.Method:a cross-sectional study with 333 professors of master’s/doctorate degrees from 47 Brazilian public universities. Participants answered a characterization questionnaire and the Dutch Work Addiction Scale, which were analyzed descriptively and by multiple logistic regression.Results:the prevalence of workaholism was 10.5%. The factors associated with the dimensions of workaholism were: having a marital relationship, being dissatisfied with work and sleep, indicating low ability to concentrate and few leisure opportunities, belonging to Graduate Programs with grades 3, 4 and 5, receiving a research productivity grant, considering the influence of work on life as negative, showing difficulty in combining work with personal life, to present work-related anxiety, feel pressure for scientific publishing, elaborate more than 11 articles simultaneously, give more than 21 opinions in the last year, work an extra 11 hours a week in addition to the work schedule and dedicate less than 10 hours a week to graduate school.Conclusion:there is an indication of workaholism in the investigated professors, and the associated factors were related to working conditions and requirements. Universities must adhere to management models that include occupational health promotion.

How Sociodemographic Variables and Social Values Predict Work-Related General Anxiety in Brunei Public and Private Sector Employees

Background: Numerous studies show that employees tend to have anxiety and other psychological problems at places of work. The present investigation explored the prevalence of work-related general anxiety in 860 randomly chosen Brunei public and private sector employees.Methods: A quantitative field survey design was used to reach many participants and employed binary logistic regression procedure with backward elimination in analyzing the data.Results: Males were far less likely to have work-related general anxiety compared to females. Employees who sought help from prayer / religion were nearly 1.7 times more likely to have work-related general anxiety compared to those who do not get such help. Workers who regularly got help from family members on problems had also high likelihood of possessing a great amount of work-related general anxiety compared to those who did not often get help from family members. Employees with a low educational background had high odds ratios for possessing work-related general anxiety compared to those with high education.Compared to high scorers: (1) low scorers on peace and security variable were less likely to have work-related general anxiety; (2) low scorers on personal wellbeing and happiness were also less likely to experience work-related general anxiety; (3) low scorers on self-regulation and self-direction were as well less likely to have work-related general anxiety; and (4) low scorers on employer-employee relationships were equally less likely to have work-related general anxiety issues. However, (5) low scorers on moral obligations were 1.6 times more likely to have work-related general anxiety problems; (6) low scorers on satisfaction with work-related achievements were 1.9 times more likely to have work-related general anxiety; (7) low scorers on interpersonal trust variable had high odds ratios for having work-related general anxiety problems; and (8) low scorers on work stress problems were surprisingly also highly likely to have work-related general anxiety problems.Conclusions: Sociodemographic variables and social work values presented above had different effects on work-related anxiety in employees. These are the variables to which attention and priority should be directed and accorded when counselling workers.

Introduction to the Special Issue on Physician Mental Health

Amid tragedy, a doctor’s most heroic act may be to listen - to be a sacred witness to the suffering of patients. Yet where do heroic doctors go with their pain? Who listens to the suffering of physicians? The guilt of not being able to do more for patients. The burden of delivering devastating news to families. The work-related anxiety and depression due to unrealistic expectations of perfectionism. (...)

Witnessing workplace bullying and employee well-being: A two-wave field study.

This article aims to (a) explore the impact of witnessing workplace bullying on emotional exhaustion, work-related anxiety, and work-related depression and (b) determine whether the resources of trait optimism, coworker support, and supportive supervisory style buffer the effects of witnessed bullying. In a two-wave study involving 194 employees, we found that witnessing bullying undermined employees' well-being (work-related depression and anxiety) 6 months later, but only if the employees were low in optimism (personal resource) and lacked supervisor support (contextual resource). Strong coworker support weakened the relationship between witnessing bullying and well-being (emotional exhaustion and work-related depression). Our findings demonstrate for the first time some of the factors that protect against the impact of witnessing workplace bullying. Future research should focus on the development of workplace interventions that foster feelings of social support and optimism among employees. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Influence of Supervision Factor on Role Difficulties Among Counsellor Trainees in University Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas)

Counsellor trainees have to play many roles simultaneously during supervision. Although all the roles and expected behaviour are well-defined, counsellor trainees find it hard to acquire and learn all the roles since all the expectations from the roles come at the same time, causing role difficulties. Role difficulties refer to role conflict and role ambiguity. Presence of role difficulties highly associated with to work-related anxiety, dissatisfaction with clinical work and supervision as well, shown by previous studies. This is a correlational research with quantitative nature. 85 counsellor trainees who under practicum supervision from UNIMAS will be recruited as respondents, by using stratified random sampling. The data collected will be analyzed using Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient and Multiple Regression. There are four (4) research instruments being used. Role Conflict and Role Ambiguity Inventory (RCRAI) is used to measure role difficulties, Counselling Self-estimate Inventory (COSE) is used to measure the level of self-efficacy, Trainee Anxiety Scale (TAS) is used to measure the level of anxiety and Supervisory Working Alliance Inventory – Trainee (SWAI – T) is used to measure the level of working alliance during supervision. The finding of the research showed that there is no significant relationship between supervision factors and role difficulties. There is also no significant influence of supervision factors on role difficulties. Moreover, anxiety showed r(88) = 0.46, p &lt; 0.05, weak positive relationship with role difficulties and statistically significant F(1,86) = 22.40, p &lt; .05, and accounted for approximately 21% of the variance of role difficulties. Self-efficacy showed r(88) = -0.43, p &lt; 0.05 weak negative relationship with role difficulties and statistically significant F(1,86) = 19.92, p &lt; .05, accounted for approximately 19% of the variance of role difficulties. Working alliance showed r(88) = -0.26, p &lt; 0.05 weak negative relationship with role difficulties and statistically significant F(1,86) = 7.80, p &lt; .05, accounted for approximately 8.0% of the variance of role difficulties. The implications of the research were able to expand and further support the Role Theory and Social Cognitive Model of Counselor Training (SCMCT) in which the findings explained the role problems in supervision context and further supported self-efficacy as the main determinant in effective counselling process. The research also provided practical implication in which the supervisor could be more aware of cognitive and emotional development of counselor trainees. Future researchers are recommended to (1) Recruit supervisors as respondents; (2)Include more supervision factors; (3)Choose suitable instruments and (4)Consider qualitative research.

Work motivation and self-rated anxiety: Nurses’ perspectives

Objective: Considering nurses’ psychological status, work decision involvement, emotions, anxiety, and motivation, is an important issue for attaining nurses’ retention and maintaining their preservation in their work positions. Work motivation is the key that enhances employee performance which is influenced by numerous internal and external factors; job anxiety is the apparent one. The current study is directed to achieve two aims: to assess the work motivation level and self-rated anxiety among nurses and to investigate the relationship between them. Therefore, a descriptive, correlative research design was applied with 300 registered nurses in King Abd El Aziz governmental hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Methods: A triple-section questionnaire was used for data collection that involved: First, Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale (MWMS) that was developed by Gagne et al. in 2010. Second, Self-Rated Anxiety Sub-scale which was developed by Warr et al. in 1979. Third, sociodemographic questions were included.Results: About three-quarters of Suadi nurses have high work motivation level concerning introjected and identified regulations while more than half of them have a high level of work motivation regarding amotivation and extrinsic regulations. Consequently, most of the participants have high scores in work motivation level. As regards, self-rated anxiety, all study subjects have a certain level of anxiety at work, but the majority of them were with low level. As pertaining the correlation between both study variables, there is a negative correlation between work motivation level and self-rated anxiety and the present study proved that Saudi registered nurses in King Abd El Aziz governmental hospital have high work motivation level scores with low self-rated anxiety scores.Conclusions: The current study confirms that the Saudi nurses in Jeddah have high work motivation level with low anxiety. Furthermore, the study provides evidence of a negative or inverse correlation between work motivation level and self-rated anxiety among Saudi registered nurses in King Abd El Aziz governmental hospital. Nurses should be aware by the importance of motivation in their job and at the same time, be aware of the risks of work-related anxiety. Nurse Managers have to tailor all factors which are surrounding nurses in a hospital environment, organizational structure and culture to be positively motivated and, at the same time, to alleviate any tendency of work-related anxiety. Furthermore, work motivation and anxiety should be involved and integrated into the nursing curriculum in nursing schools.Further researches: A research about the effect of the work motivation educational program on nurse manager’s leadership skills, is needed. A study about the correlation between work motivation and other negative or positive variables in work environment among nurses is necessitated. Also, assessment of nurses’ work motivation and anxiety using different tools such as value test, emotional inventory and adjustment skills measurement.

Job insecurity, employee anxiety, and commitment: The moderating role of collective trust in management

ABSTRACTThis article examines the moderating effect of collective trust in management on the relation between job insecurity (both objective and subjective) and employee outcomes (work-related anxiety and organisational commitment). This is contextualised in the modern British workplace which has seen increased employment insecurity and widespread cynicism. We use matched employer-employee data extracted from the British Workplace Employment Relations Survey (WERS) 2011, which includes over 16,000 employees from more than 1100 organisations. The multilevel analyses confirm that objective job insecurity (loss of important elements of a job such as cuts in pay, overtime, training, and working hours) are significantly correlated with high levels of work-related anxiety and lower levels of organisational commitment. These correlations are partially mediated by subjective job insecurity (perception of possible job loss). More importantly, collective trust in management (a consensus of management being reliable, honest and fair) significantly attenuates the negative impact of objective job insecurity on organisational commitment, and reduces the impact of subjective job insecurity on work-related anxiety. Theoretical and practical implications and limitations of these effects are discussed.

Skepticism towards the Swedish vision zero for suicide: interviews with 12 psychiatrists

BackgroundThe main causes of suicide and how suicide could and should be prevented are ongoing controversies in the scientific literature as well as in public media. In the bill on public health from 2008 (Prop 2007/08:110), the Swedish Parliament adopted an overarching “Vision Zero for Suicide” (VZ) and nine strategies for suicide prevention. However, how the VZ should be interpreted in healthcare is unclear. The VZ has been criticized both from a philosophical perspective and against the background of clinical experience and alleged empirical claims regarding the consequences of regulating suicide prevention. This study is part of a larger research project in medical ethics with the overarching aim to explore whether the VZ is ethically justifiable. The aim is to enrich the normative discussion by investigating empirically how the VZ is perceived in healthcare.MethodsInterviews based on a semi-structured interview guide were performed with 12 Swedish psychiatrists. The interviews were analysed with descriptive qualitative content analysis aiming for identifying perceptions of the Vision Zero for Suicide as well as arguments for and against it.ResultsThough most of the participants mentioned at least some potential benefit of the Vision Zero for Suicide, the overall impression was a predominant skepticism. Some participants focused on why they consider the VZ to be unachievable, while others focused more on its potential consequences and normative implications.ConclusionsThe VZ was perceived to be impossible to realize, nonconstructive or potentially counterproductive, and undesirable because of potential conflicts with other values and interests of patients as well as the general public. There were also important notions of the VZ having negative consequences for the working conditions of psychiatrists in Sweden, in increasing their work-related anxiety and thwarting the patient-physician relationship.

An Optimal Point is not Enough: The Motivation to Cope with Complex Software Project Planning

The proposed study examines the notion that software project managers do not necessarily choose the optimal Gantt chart while planning a software project. This suboptimal choice is biased by psychological perceptions of complexity, as well as by perceptions of risk level (anxiety). We claim that since the optimal plan is naturally more complex, the perceived complexity of Gantt charts influences project managers’ decisions and, when possible, causes them to avoid it. We assume that a “complexity adjustment” algorithm that would enable project managers to adjust the complexity of the Gantt chart to the required level of complexity will allow the manager to choose from among all relevant possible plans the one that meets project’s constraints, while the structural relationships between plan’ work units are at the level of complexity preferred by the manager (e.g., preference for serial activities over parallel ones). Such “feature” will enable managers to adjust the required level of complexity according to work-related anxiety levels. To assist in defining the research question and the relevant manipulations, a pre-test examined the perceived complexity of different basic relationships between work units (serial vs. parallel) and the perceived level of work-related anxiety.

Evidence that brief self-affirming implementation intentions can reduce work-related anxiety in downsize survivors

Background and Objectives: Workers were recruited from a UK further education college during a period of organizational downsizing. This study assessed the effects of a brief health psychology intervention on work-related stress in downsize survivors. Design and Methods: Sixty-six employees were randomly allocated to one of two conditions: one in which they were asked to create a work-related self-affirming implementation intention (WS-AII) or a control. Feelings of anxiety and depression were measured before and after the intervention or control task and three weeks later. Job satisfaction, self-efficacy, and self-esteem were also measured. Results: There were statistically significant differences between the WS-AII condition and the control. Workers who created WS-AIIs reported an immediate reduction in anxiety. This reduction was also observed in their appraisal of job-related anxiety three weeks later. There were no significant effects of WS-AIIs on depression, job satisfaction, or self-esteem. There was, however, a significant effect on self-efficacy with workers in the WS-AII condition reporting greater self-efficacy. Conclusions: The present findings suggest that the integration of brief health psychology interventions, such as the WS-AII, into existing organizational practice may be of benefit to the well-being of employees.

Role Conflict and the Buffering Effect of Proactive Personality Among Middle Managers

Role conflict is typically present in boundary-spanning roles such as middle managers in organizations. We used conservation of resources (COR) theory (Hobfoll, 1989) as a basis for our examination of the impact of role conflict on middle managers' job satisfaction and work-related anxiety, and the buffering effect of proactive personality. Participants comprised 245 middle managers. The results showed that more role conflict did not significantly lead to lower job satisfaction, but led to significantly higher work-related anxiety. We also found that proactive personality significantly moderated the relationships between role conflict and the two outcome variables. Specifically, for more proactive middle managers, role conflict did not significantly influence either job satisfaction or work-related anxiety. However, for less proactive middle managers, more role conflict led to significantly lower job satisfaction and higher work-related anxiety. This suggests that proactive personality can serve as a coping resource that buffers the dysfunctional effects of role conflict. Implications of the results and directions for future research are discussed.

Physician, heal thyself: The paradox of anxiety amongst house officers and work in a teaching hospital

Anxiety among house officers may impair functioning and health care delivery. This study aimed to determine the association between anxiety among house officers at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center, sociodemographic and work-related factors. A cross-sectional study using the self-rated and validated Malay Depressive Anxiety and Stress Scale 21, the General Stressor Questionnaire and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Of the 89 house officers, 60.7% were anxious. Multivariate logistic analysis showed work-related challenges, performance pressure (odds ratio [OR] = 9.000, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.812-44.705), poor relationship with supervisors (OR = 5.212, 95% CI = 2.033-3.365), poor relationship with colleagues (OR = 4.642, 95% CI = 1.816-11.866), bureaucratic constraints (OR = 3.810, 95% CI = 1.541-9.415) and poor job prospects (OR = 3.745, 95% CI = 1.505-9.321) strongly associated with anxiety. Family-related stressors were less significant (OR = 1.800, 95% CI = 0.760-4.266) unless they were work related (work-family conflicts [OR = 8.253, 95% CI = 2.652-25.684]). Almost two-thirds of this cohort reported work-related anxiety symptoms. Administrators need to address these mental health needs early. The subsequent improvement in communication skills, conflict resolution and anxiety reduction will result in short- and long-term benefits towards the young doctors's mental health. The cascading impact on these individuals, thus empowered, will be good work-life balance, improved patient care and safety, a satisfying medical career whilst contributing maximally to the country's health care.

The correlation factors analysis of work-related anxiety of nurses in emergency departments

Objective To explore the relationship beteween the anxiety and job stressors of emergency nurses.Methods Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS),the Chinese Nursing Stressor Scale (CNSS) were used to investigate 330 emergency nurses.The correlation factors were analyzed statistically.Results The average score of the anxiety was (49.2 ± 12.7),and the incidence of anxiety was 56.0％.The anxiety was positively correlated with the total score of job stressors (r =0.715,P ＜ 0.01).Conclusions The generation of anxiety has the close relations with job stressors.It is very important for emergency nurses to relieve the anxiety by using the effective management of human resources. Key words: Emergency nurses ; Anxiety ; Job stressors ; Correlation