Chris Verhoeven

Effects of a Dutch work-site wellness-health program: the Brabantia Project.

OBJECTIVESnThis study examined a project designed to improve the health and wellness of employees of Brabantia, a Dutch manufacturer of household goods, by means of lifestyle changes and changes in working conditions.nnnMETHODSnThe workers at one Brabantia site constituted the experimental group, and the workers from two other sites formed the control group. Biomedical variables, lifestyles, general stress reactions, and quality of work were measured identically in both groups at baseline and 1, 2, and 3 years later. During this period, there was continuous registration of absenteeism.nnnRESULTSnThe interventions brought about favorable short-term changes in terms of health risks, and there were stable effects on working conditions (especially decision latitude) and absenteeism.nnnCONCLUSIONSnA combination of interventions directed at both lifestyles and the work environment can produce extensive and stable effects on health-related variables, wellness, and absenteeism.

The Job Demand-Control-Social Support Model and Wellness/Health Outcomes: A European Study

The EUROTEACH study which is reported here, comprised 2796 secondary school teachers from 13 European countries. The study firstly aimed at testing an extended Job Demand-Control-Social support (JDCS) model and checking its gender specificity. While this study failed to provide evidence for the buffer hypothesis derived from the JDCS-model, the strain hypothesis was mostly supported. Additional job conditions tested in this study proved to be important predictors of the outcome variables (emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, personal accomplishment, somatic complaints and job satisfaction) and standard of living indicators also added explained variance in these outcomes. The study proved that the JDCS model cannot be called a male model. Secondly the study looked at the comparability of 3 European regions (South, West, East). Apart from important regional differences in job conditions, standard of living indicators and outcomes, the most important finding is that the JDCS model explains most variance in outcome variables in Western Europe, and the least in Eastern Europe, and thus seems to suffer from a Western bias.

Job Stress in the Nursing Profession: The Influence of Organizational and Environmental Conditions and Job Characteristics.

The aim of the present study was to examine the influence of organizational and environmental work conditions on the job characteristics of nurses and on their health and well-being. The sample consisted of 807 registered nurses working in an academic hospital. The direct influence of work conditions on outcomes was examined. Mediation of job characteristics in the relationships between work conditions and outcomes was tested by means of regression analyses. The results indicated that job characteristics, such as demands and control, mediated the relationship between work conditions, such as work agreements and rewards, and outcomes. By managing organizational and environmental conditions of work, job characteristics can be altered, and these in their turn influence nurses’ job satisfaction and distress.

Job conditions, job satisfaction, somatic complaints and burnout among East African nurses

AIMSnTo describe job conditions, job satisfaction, somatic complaints and burnout of female East African nurses working in public and private hospitals and to determine how these well-being outcomes are associated with job conditions.nnnBACKGROUNDnInsight into job conditions, health and well-being status and their interrelation is virtually lacking for East African nurses.nnnDESIGNnCross-sectional survey of 309 female nurses in private and public hospitals in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.nnnMETHODSnNurses completed a survey assessing job conditions and job satisfaction (the Leiden Quality of Work Life Questionnaire-nurses version), somatic complaints (subscale of the Symptom CheckList) and burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory).nnnRESULTSnThe East African nurses show high levels of somatic complaints, and nearly one-third of the sample would be labelled as burned out. In comparison with a Western European nurses reference group, the nurses score unfavourably on job conditions that require financial investment (e.g. workload, staffing, equipment and materials). On aspects related to the social climate (e.g. decision latitude, cooperation), however, they score more favourably. In comparison with private hospital nurses, public hospital nurses score similarly on aspects related to the social climate, but worse on the other job conditions. Public hospital nurses have a lower job satisfaction than private hospital nurses, but show comparable levels of somatic complaints and burnout. Strongest correlates of low job satisfaction are low supervisor support and low financial reward. Burnout is mainly associated with high workload and inadequate information provision, whereas somatic complaints are associated with demanding physical working conditions.nnnCONCLUSIONSnImprovement in job conditions may reduce the high levels of burnout and somatic complaints and enhance job satisfaction in East African nurses.nnnRELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICEnEfforts and investments should be made to improve the job conditions in East African nurses as they are key persons in the delivery of health care.

Job Conditions and Wellness/Health Outcomes in Dutch Secondary School Teachers

The aim of the present study is to compare the work situation of Dutch secondary school teachers to job conditions of European teachers and to test the Job Demand-Control-Social Support model (JDCS model, Karasek and Theorell, 1990) on burnout, job satisfaction and somatic symptoms. The Dutch data (N = 304) were gathered in seven secondary schools from across the country. The remaining European group consisted of 1878 upper secondary school teachers originating from 10 countries. Additive and interactive effects in the JDCS model could be identified for emotional exhaustion only. Furthermore, a curvilinear (U-shaped) relationship was found between control and emotional exhaustion. In addition to the JDCS model, the contribution of coping in the explanation of the outcomes was tested. Attempts have been made to deal with criticisms, which are frequently leveled at the implementation of the JDCS model. Dutch teachers do not differ on job conditions from the European sample except for two working conditions where the Dutch indicate less physical exertion and environmental risks than the European reference sample. The Dutch report lower levels of coping than the reference group, they are more depersonalised and are less satisfied than teachers of the European reference group. On the other hand, the Dutch teachers had fewer somatic complaints and reported higher levels of personal accomplishment than their European colleagues.

Role conflict and health behaviors: Moderating effects on psychological distress and somatic complaints

Prior research has shown that role conflict is an important source of strain at the workplace and thus it is important to explore factors that can buffer its deleterious effects. Health behaviors could moderate such stressor–strain relationships by altering both the physiological and psychological responses to stress. The present study examined the direct and moderating roles of health promoting behaviors (HPBs) in a sample of 226 university hospital medical doctors. Results showed that both role conflict and HPBs were directly associated with emotional exhaustion, depressive symptoms, and somatic complaints. Moderation effects were also found, such that doctors who engaged in more HPBs were less affected by high role conflict in relation to emotional exhaustion and depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that HPBs can be beneficial coping strategies.

Goal Commitment to Finding a Partner and Satisfaction with Life among Female Singles The Mediating Role of Rumination

In this cross-sectional study among 1502 female singles between the ages of 18 and 50, commitment to the goal of finding a partner was negatively related to satisfaction with life. In line with our expectations, this relationship was fully mediated by ruminating about being and remaining single. The relationship between rumination and lower satisfaction with life was stronger in the older age groups. The findings support the notion that rumination is an important mechanism through which goal commitment may negatively influence well-being, and that reducing one’s level of commitment to the pursuit of stage-specific life goals may be beneficial when reaching a new developmental stage.

The Job Demand-Control (-Support) Model in the Teaching Context

This chapter focuses on the Job Demand-Control (JDC) model and its expanded version, the Job Demand-Control-Support (JDCS) model, and stress in teachers. First, we elaborate on the JDC(S) model and its main hypotheses: the (iso)strain hypothesis, the learning hypothesis and the buffer hypothesis. In addition, two important issues in research on the model are discussed: the value of occupation-specific assessment and the so-called ‘matching hypothesis’. The majority of studies on teachers have examined the (iso)strain hypothesis and the buffer hypothesis in relation to a variety of stress outcomes, ranging from physiological stress responses to reduced physical and mental well-being indicators such as somatic complaints, low job satisfaction, and burnout. Overall, there is substantially more support for the (iso)strain hypothesis than for the buffer hypothesis. The learning hypothesis has only been examined in a few studies, yielding mixed results. More recent developments, such as the incorporation of individual characteristics (e.g., job tenure, time management behavior) and additional work aspects (e.g., emotion work) in the model are discussed. Finally, conclusions regarding the contribution of the model in the explanation of teachers’ stress are drawn taking methodological aspects into account, and suggestions for future research and practice are provided.