Evelyne Fouquereau

Perceptions of and satisfaction with retirement: a comparison of six European union countries.

The main aim of this study was to assess perceptions of and satisfaction with retirement among 1,686 recently retired people from 6 European Union countries. The authors compared their responses to a set of questions taken from the Retirement Satisfaction Inventory (F. J. Floyd et al., 1992). The first significant result was that Belgian, British, Finnish, French, and Spanish retirees all expressed very similar assessments of life satisfaction, whereas Portuguese retirees expressed a lower level of satisfaction. The 2nd result was that the major determinants of overall satisfaction in the 6 countries were (a) health and resources and (b) anticipated satisfaction. Finally, the data revealed that cultural background only accounted for a limited amount of variance in overall satisfaction with retirement.

The effects of autonomous and controlled regulation of performance-approach goals on well-being: A process model

The main purpose of the present research was to propose and test a motivational model linking achievement goal approach and self-determination theory. First, the effects of performance-approach goals and the autonomous and controlling reasons underlying their pursuit on well-being were investigated. Second, the mediating variables (i.e., effort, goal attainment, need satisfaction, and thwarting) at play in these relationships were examined based on the self-concordance model (Sheldon & Elliot, 1999). The model was tested in two studies in educational and work settings using cross sectional (Study 1) and prospective designs (Study 2). The present results revealed that considering autonomous and controlled regulations underlying performance-approach goals predicted well-being above and beyond the strength of performance-approach goals. Moreover, the mediational sequence based on the self-concordance model was supported in both studies. Theoretical implications and directions for future research are discussed.

The Retirement Satisfaction Inventory: Factor Structure in a French Sample

Summary: The Retirement Satisfaction Inventory (Floyd, Haynes, Doll, Winemiller, Lemsky, Burgy, Werle, & Heilman, 1992) was applied to a heterogeneous sample of male (n = 295) and female (n = 260) French retirees. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses produced consistent subscales. In the sections on “Reasons for retirement” and “Sources of enjoyment” of the inventory, the factor structure observed was similar to that observed in the American sample. Four and three factors were identified, respectively, and they are interpretable in the terms proposed by Floyd et al. (1992). In the section “Satisfaction with life,” there were more discrepancies between American and French results. “Overall satisfaction with retirement” was reasonably well predicted thanks to the combination of four predictors: satisfaction with health and resources, anticipated satisfaction, satisfaction with marriage and family, and regained freedom and control. As in Floyd et al. (1992), few effects regarding age, gender, socioec...

Stress and the urge to drink.

OBJECTIVE Understanding why people drink alcohol is important for the health and safety of individuals and the public. The aim of this study was to examine from a cognitive point of view the hypothesized link between drinking and stress. METHODS 25 scenarios were constructed by combining two items, either two life-change events or a social situation and an emotional state. In the initial three experiments, 159 male and 43 female alcoholics and 157 male and 93 female nonalcoholics in France judged the degree to which these scenarios were stressful and subsequently the degree to which they stimulated an urge to drink. In the final experiment, 126 of the male alcoholics were studied at the beginning and end of an inpatient alcohol rehabilitation program. RESULTS The alcoholics and nonalcoholics, regardless of gender, assigned similar stress values to the scenarios and used the same cognitive rules for combining the stress associated with two items (disjunctive rules for two life-change events and additive ones for a personal emotion combined with a social situation). They differed, however, in how they judged the urge to drink. The nonalcoholics reported little stimulus to drink from any combination of items, whereas the alcoholics not only perceived the individual items as stimulating an urge to drink but also used the same cognitive rule in judging the combined urge to drink of two items as they used in judging the combined stress. After completing rehabilitation, the alcoholics judged the combinations of life-change events as stimulating less stress and less urge to drink. Nevertheless, they continued to use a disjunctive combination rule. CONCLUSIONS Stress and drinking are linked at a fundamental cognitive level among alcoholics, though not among nonalcoholics. Alcoholics should be helped to recognize this link, to reduce their feelings of stress, and to find outlets other than drink.

Validation d’une Échelle de Frustration des Besoins Psychologiques au Travail (EFBPT)

Resume Les trois etudes presentees concernent l’adaptation en langue francaise et au contexte du travail d’un questionnaire developpe par Bartholomew, Ntoumanis, Ryan et Thogersen-Ntoumani (2011) permettant de mesurer la frustration des besoins de competence, d’autonomie et d’appartenance sociale. Des analyses factorielles exploratoire (Etude 1) et confirmatoire (Etude 2) ont ete realisees chez des salaries francais. Les resultats obtenus attestent d’une consistance interne satisfaisante et confirment la structure tridimensionnelle de ce nouvel outil (i.e., EFBPT). De plus, la validite de construit de cette echelle de mesure a egalement ete soutenue (Etude 3).

Development of the Reasons for Entrepreneurs’ Retirement Decision Inventory (RERDI) and Preliminary Evidence of Its Psychometric Properties in a French Sample

The purpose of the present research was to develop an original self-report questionnaire to assess the structure of the reasons underlying the retirement decision process among French entrepreneurs using the push pull anti-push anti-pull view. Three studies were conducted to examine the reliability and validity of the Reasons for Entrepreneurs’ Retirement Decision Inventory (RERDI). The first study involved creating a list of items leading to a preliminary version of the RERDI. In the second study, 167 French entrepreneurs were surveyed to test the factor structure of the RERDI and to select the final items leading to a 16-item inventory. This tool comprises four reliable subscales: (a) push, (b) pull, (c) anti-push, and (d) anti-pull, with adequate internal consistency. Using confirmatory factor analysis, this four-factor structure was confirmed in the third study (n = 255). The RERDI’s convergent validity and temporal stability were also confirmed. The importance of this inventory for further research and practice is discussed.

Do Transactive Memory and Participative Teamwork Improve Nurses’ Quality of Work Life?

Improvement in nurses’ quality of work life (QWL) has become a major issue in health care organizations. We hypothesized that the level of transactive memory (defined as the way groups collectively encode, store, and retrieve knowledge) and participative teamwork (an organizational model of care based on vocational training, a specific service’s care project, and regular interdisciplinary staffing) positively affect nurses’ QWL. This cross-sectional study enrolled 84 ward-based psychiatric nurses. We assessed transactive memory, participative teamwork, perceived organizational justice, perceived organizational support, and QWL using psychometrically reliable and valid scales. Participative teamwork and transactive memory were positively associated with nurses’ QWL. Perceived organizational support and organizational justice fully mediated the relationship between participative teamwork and QWL, but not between transactive memory and QWL. Improved transactive memory could directly improve nurses’ QWL. Improved participative teamwork could improve nurses’ QWL through better perceived organizational support and perceived organizational justice.

The Career Transition Inventory: A Psychometric Evaluation of a French Version (CTI-F)

The Career Transition Inventory (CTI) is a well-known measure for assessing perceptions of psychological resources when adults undergo a career change. The purpose of this study was to conduct a psychometric evaluation of a French version of the CTI (CTI-F). A total of 1,042 French volunteer participants completed the CTI-F. The procedure used combined confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses. The definitive CTI-F included 19 items loading three factors labeled Confidence, Readiness, and Decision Independence. The scale showed an acceptable internal consistency, good test—retest reliability, a well-established convergent validity, and a lack of sensitivity to social desirability. The present study demonstrates the sound psychometric properties of the French version of the CTI, supporting its use by both vocational counselors and researchers. Furthermore, with this type of validated tool it will be henceforth possible to examine cross-cultural differences and similarities between countries with different social and workplace systems (e.g., collectivist vs. individualist).

Body satisfaction and retirement satisfaction: The mediational role of subjective health

Objectives: Previous studies have highlighted the crucial role of subjective health in retirement satisfaction. However, it is likely that a retirees health judgement mediates the influence of some variables on retirement satisfaction. The present study hypothesized that body satisfaction, as an evaluative summary of the individuals somatic experiences, is positively related to retirement satisfaction through the mediation of subjective health. Method: Retired individuals (N = 256) were administered for body satisfaction, subjective health, and retirement satisfaction questionnaires. Results: Regression analysis demonstrated that body satisfaction was positively related to retirement satisfaction through the partial mediation of subjective health. Conclusion: This study highlights the contribution of somatic experiences on retirement satisfaction, through their influence on retirees’ health evaluation, and provides some additional insights into the determinants of life satisfaction in retirement.

Examining the Roles of Work Autonomous and Controlled Motivations on Satisfaction and Anxiety as a Function of Role Ambiguity.

ABSTRACT Past research in the self-determination theory has shown that autonomous motivation is associated with positive outcomes (e.g., work satisfaction), whereas controlled motivation is related to negative outcomes (e.g., anxiety). The purpose of the present research was to examine the moderating function of role ambiguity on the relationships between work autonomous and controlled motivations on the one hand, and work satisfaction and anxiety on the other. Six hundred and ninety-eight workers (449 men and 249 women) participated in this study. Results revealed that autonomous motivation was most strongly related to satisfaction when ambiguity was low. In addition, controlled motivation was most strongly related to anxiety when ambiguity was high. In other words, the present findings suggest that the outcomes associated with each form of motivation may vary as a function of role ambiguity. The present study thus offers meaningful insights for organizations, managers, and employees.