Antonino Callea

The relationship between contract type and job satisfaction in a mediated moderation model: The role of job insecurity and psychological contract violation

In the last decades, research on the relationship between contract type, job insecurity and outcomes has been constantly increasing. Previous evidence indicated that job insecurity moderates the impact of contract type (permanent vs temporary) on job satisfaction. The present study aims to investigate these relationships considering two facets (intrinsic and extrinsic) of job satisfaction and psychological contract violation as mediator, in the mediated moderation model. Participants were 638 employees of different Italian organizations, with open-ended or fixed-term contract. As hypothesized, results indicated that job insecurity moderates the relationship between contract type and intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction differently for contract type. The job insecurity effects were more negative for permanent workers regarding intrinsic job satisfaction and more negative for temporary workers regarding extrinsic job satisfaction. The mediated moderation analyses supported the study’s main hypothesis, pointing out that psychological contract violation negatively mediated the interaction effects.

Temporary employment in Italy and its consequences on gender

Purpose – The purpose of this paper was to establish whether precariousness of life as determined by temporary employment contributed to anxiety and depression and whether its consequences on daily life were differentiated in relation to gender.Design/methodology/approach – A structural equation analysis of anxiety and depression with aspects of precariousness of life as model predictors was explored with t‐test and correlation analyses used to explore gender differences in the study variables.Findings – The structural equation model produced strong evidence to suggest that precariousness of life was a significant predictor of both anxiety and depression. Women reported significantly higher scores than men on distrust toward the professional future and the emotional consequences on everyday life, anxiety and depression. As hypothesized, the negative consequences of temporary work in personal and family life appear more evident in women.Practical implications – The results suggest that organizations should...

The mediating role of organizational identification in the relationship between qualitative job insecurity, OCB and job performance

Purpose – Employees need to feel secure to perform their job effectively, therefore job insecurity has an effect on organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) and job performance; however, some organizational attitudes may reduce these negative effects. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating role of organizational identification (OID), as a process underlying the relationship between qualitative job insecurity, OCB and job performance. Design/methodology/approach – Using social exchange theory (SET) and social identification theory (SIT), this study reports the responses of 201 white and blue collar Italian employees. Data were collected through a self-report questionnaire that used standard scales on qualitative job insecurity, OID, OCB and job performance. Findings – Results of structural equation modelling revealed that the effect of job insecurity on OCB and job performance was completely mediated by OID. Fit indices of mediated model are very good and indirect effects, by bootstrap...

Psychometric properties and factor structure of the Italian version of the "Aston Team Performance Inventory"

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to present the Italian version of the Aston Team Performance Inventory (the ATPI), to assess its psychometric properties and whether its factor structure reflects the input-process-output (I-P-O) model. Design/methodology/approach – The ATPI was administered to 702 Italian employees working in teams, recruited from the National Health Service (50.3 percent) and from public and private organizations (49.7 percent). To assess the psychometric properties of the ATPIs items, evaluation of discriminating power was performed. In addition to the reliability analyses, a confirmatory factor analysis of the full I-P-O model was also conducted. Findings – Significant results of the Italian version of the ATPI arise from the psychometric properties, dimensions and factor structure. Results align with the English version of the inventory. Research limitations/implications – The sample was limited and was not selected randomly. Future research should, therefore, expand the sample siz...

Job insecurity and performance: the mediating role of organizational identification

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to extend knowledge about theoretical explanations of the job insecurity-performance relationship. Specifically, the authors examine how and why job insecurity is negatively associated with task and contextual performance (i.e. organizational citizenship behavior) and whether organizational identification may account for these relationships. Design/methodology/approach The mediational hypotheses were examined using structural equation modeling in a heterogeneous sample of Italian employees. Findings Consistent with social identity theory, results show that job insecurity is related to reduced levels of identification with the organization and, consequently, to low task and contextual performance. These findings suggest that employees’ behaviors in job insecure contexts are also driven by evaluations about the perceived belongingness to the organization. Practical implications The research supports initial evidence that it is possible to prevent low performance resulting from job insecurity by designing interventions to boost organizational identification. By ensuring a sense of belonging and providing a positive basis for employees’ social identity, managers may increase involvement and attachment to the organization. Originality/value This study provides a deeper understanding of behavioral reactions to job insecurity and adds a path unexplored so far, by introducing a theoretical perspective from social psychology. Job insecurity may represent a specific condition that leads organizational identification to be a key mechanism for employees and their behaviors.

Occupations at Risk and Organizational Well-Being: An Empirical Test of a Job Insecurity Integrated Model

One of the more visible effects of the societal changes is the increased feelings of uncertainty in the workforce. In fact, job insecurity represents a crucial occupational risk factor and a major job stressor that has negative consequences on both organizational well-being and individual health. Many studies have focused on the consequences about the fear and the perception of losing the job as a whole (called quantitative job insecurity), while more recently research has begun to examine more extensively the worries and the perceptions of losing valued job features (called qualitative job insecurity). The vast majority of the studies, however, have investigated the effects of quantitative and qualitative job insecurity separately. In this paper, we proposed the Job Insecurity Integrated Model aimed to examine the effects of quantitative job insecurity and qualitative job insecurity on their short-term and long-term outcomes. This model was empirically tested in two independent studies, hypothesizing that qualitative job insecurity mediated the effects of quantitative job insecurity on different outcomes, such as work engagement and organizational identification (Study 1), and job satisfaction, commitment, psychological stress and turnover intention (Study 2). Study 1 was conducted on 329 employees in private firms, while Study 2 on 278 employees in both public sector and private firms. Results robustly showed that qualitative job insecurity totally mediated the effects of quantitative on all the considered outcomes. By showing that the effects of quantitative job insecurity on its outcomes passed through qualitative job insecurity, the Job Insecurity Integrated Model contributes to clarifying previous findings in job insecurity research and puts forward a framework that could profitably produce new investigations with important theoretical and practical implications.

Gender Differences and Psychopathological Features Associated With Addictive Behaviors in Adolescents

Background The aims of the study were to assess prevalence and gender differences of addictive behaviors (substance- and non-substance-related) in an adolescent population, and their association with psychopathological features and academic performance. Material and methods A sample of high school Italian students (n = 996; M = 240, F = 756) was examined using a self-report survey concerning sociodemographic characteristics, cigarette smoking, alcohol and substance use, perceived academic performance, activities, and behaviors (Internet use, gambling, and physical exercising). The Internet Addiction Test, the South Oaks Gambling Screen-revised Adolescent, and the Exercise Addiction Inventory-Short Form were administered to identify problematic behaviors. The Barratt Impulsiveness Scale for Adolescent, the Snaith–Hamilton Pleasure Scale, the Dissociative Experience Scale for Adolescent, and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale were used to investigate psychopathological dimensions. Results Frequent alcohol intake and lifetime substances consumption were more common among males. The occurrence of other addictive behaviors was 22.1% for problematic Internet use (M = F), 9.7% for at-risk/problematic gambling (M > F), and 6.2% for maladaptive physical exercise (M = F). We also found an association between substance-/non-substance-related addictive behaviors and psychopathological dimensions. Addictive behaviors were more frequent among students reporting poor school performance. Conclusion Our study showed a relevant prevalence of addictive behaviors in a sample of Italian high school students, with specific gender differences. We underlined the cooccurrence of substance and non-substance-related addictive behaviors, and their association with worse school performance. Dissociative proneness, anhedonia, alexithymia, and impulsivity were associated with addictive behaviors in adolescents and might represent vulnerability factors for the development of psychiatric disorders in adulthood. A better understanding of psychopathological features associated with addictive behaviors might be useful for the prevention/early intervention.

The Impact of Qualitative Job Insecurity on Identification with the Organization

The detrimental effects of job insecurity are well recognized in the scientific literature. In this paper, we investigate the impact of qualitative job insecurity on an outcome that has been somewhat neglected to date: organizational identification. In addition, we test the moderating role of organizational justice in the relationship between qualitative job insecurity and organizational identification. A group of 170 workers completed a questionnaire assessing qualitative job insecurity, overall organizational justice, and identification with the organization. We found that qualitative job insecurity was negatively related to organizational identification as well as to organizational justice. Organizational justice buffered the negative impact of qualitative job insecurity on organizational identification. When organizational justice was low, qualitative job insecurity was significantly negatively related to organizational identification. However, when organizational justice was high, qualitative job insecurity and organizational identification were unrelated.

Childhood trauma and resilience in psoriatic patients: A preliminary report

AIMS Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with a complex etiology, involving the immune system, genetic factors, and external/internal triggers, with psychosomatic aspects. The aim of the study was to investigate childhood trauma and resilience in a psoriatic sample compared with healthy controls. Correlations between childhood trauma, resilience, quality of life, clinical data and psoriatic features were also evaluated. METHODS Seventy-seven psoriatic patients and seventy-six homogeneous healthy controls were enrolled. We used the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) to assess the severity of psoriasis and the Skindex-29 to measure health-related quality of life. The psychometric battery included the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-Risc) to assess trauma exposure and resilience, respectively. RESULTS Psoriatic patients showed a significant prevalence of childhood trauma and a lower resilience level compared to healthy controls. Associations between traumatic experiences, low resilience and reduced quality of life in psoriatic subjects were also observed. CONCLUSIONS A multidisciplinary approach is helpful to investigate clinical aspects, trigger factors and psychophysiological stress response in psoriatic subjects. Improving resilience with an early psychological intervention focused on self-motivation and strengthening of self-efficacy could facilitate the management of psoriasis.

Team performance in the Italian NHS: the role of reflexivity

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to investigate the goodness of the input-process-output (IPO) model in order to evaluate work team performance within the Italian National Health Care System (NHS); and second, to test the mediating role of reflexivity as an overarching process factor between input and output. Design/methodology/approach The Italian version of the Aston Team Performance Inventory was administered to 351 employees working in teams in the Italian NHS. Mediation analyses with latent variables were performed via structural equation modeling (SEM); the significance of total, direct, and indirect effect was tested via bootstrapping. Findings Underpinned by the IPO framework, the results of SEM supported mediational hypotheses. First, the application of the IPO model in the Italian NHS showed adequate fit indices, showing that the process mediates the relationship between input and output factors. Second, reflexivity mediated the relationship between input and output, influencing some aspects of team performance. Practical implications The results provide useful information for HRM policies improving process dimensions of the IPO model via the mediating role of reflexivity as a key role in team performance. Originality/value This study is one of a limited number of studies that applied the IPO model in the Italian NHS. Moreover, no study has yet examined the role of reflexivity as a mediator between input and output factors in the IPO model.