Matti Kuittinen

Paradoxical Change and Construction of Identity in an Educational Organization

This article focuses on the construction of organizational identity and the strategic change in an educational organization. The aim of this empirical study is to examine how the members of an educational organization construct the meaning of ‘who we are’ during an ongoing change. In addition, we examine whether it is reasonable to expect that a loosely coupled educational organization can possess a coherent organizational identity. This thematic template analysis is based on themed interviews consisting of the members’ conceptions of (1) the manifestation of organizational identity and (2) changes concerning the organization. In the article, the differences between the management and the personnel are then examined and interpreted through theories of organizational subcultures and loosely coupled systems. The management and the teachers structure organizational identity differently in relation to time, which has a strong effect on the incompleteness of the planned change.

Pain self-efficacy moderates the association between pain and somatization in a community sample

Abstract Background and aims Pain is a common condition. However, only a minority of people experiencing pain develop a chronic pain problem. Factors such as somatization, pain self-efficacy and lack of psychological well-being affect the risk of pain chronicity and pain-related disability. However, research on protective pain-related psychological factors in populations without chronic pain is scarce. We aim to examine if pain self-efficacy attenuates the associations between pain and both anxiety and somatization in a community sample. Methods In a cross-sectional study, 211 participants from a community sample responded to measures of average pain over the last 3 months, anxiety, somatization, and pain self-efficacy. The possibility of moderation effects were tested with a series of regression analyses. Results The association between pain and anxiety was not moderated by pain self-efficacy. In contrast, pain self-efficacy moderated the relation of pain and somatization. The interaction explained 3% of the variance in somatization, in addition to the independent effects of pain and self-efficacy (F(1,207)=5.65, p<0.025). Among those in the bottom quartile of pain self-efficacy, the association between pain and somatization was moderate or strong (r=0.62, p<0.01), whereas for those in the top quartile the association was modest (r=0.11, p>0.05). Conclusions The results are partly consistent with the hypothesis that pain self-efficacy attenuates the associations between pain and pain chronification risk factors in a relatively healthy community sample. Should further preferably longitudinal studies replicate the findings, the role pain self-efficacy as a protective factor needs to be explicated in theoretical models of pain chronification. Implications The findings are consistent with the notion that clinicians should promote patient’s pain self-efficacy in acute and sub-acute pain conditions especially when the individual is prone to somatization. However, more prominent clinical implications require studies with longitudinal designs.

Burnout among Finnish and Chinese university students

In this study the levels of experienced burnout of Finnish and Chinese university students are compared using School Burnout Inventory (SBI). This study is motivated by earlier studies, which suggest that the level of student burnout is different in the culturally distinct Finnish and Chinese university systems, but which are based on different research instruments for the two groups. The sample studied consisted of 3,035 Finnish students and 2,309 Chinese students. Because of the cross-cultural nature of this study the level of structural equivalence of SBI between the cultural groups was examined and the effect of different response styles on the results was taken into account. Both standard and robust statistical methods were used for the analyses. The results showed that SBI with two extracted components is suitable for cross-cultural analysis between Finnish and Chinese university students. Virtually no difference was found in experienced overall burnout between the Finnish and Chinese students, which means that both university systems contain factors causing similar levels of student burnout. This study also verified that controlling for the response styles is important in cross-cultural studies as it was found to have a distinct effect on the results obtained from mean-level comparisons.

The factor structure and reliability of the short form of the Physical Self-Description Questionnaire in a Finnish adolescent athlete sample

The purpose of this study was to examine the factor structure, reliability, and measurement invariance of the Finnish version of the Physical Self-Description Questionnaire-S (PSDQ-S) among a group (n = 521) of Finnish adolescent male (n = 238) and female (n = 283) athletes. Confirmatory factor analysis, using a robust weighted least squares estimator, showed good fit to the data. The invariance of the factor structure across gender and age groups was tested for configural, metric, and scalar invariance. The results yielded strong measurement invariance for gender and age. The reliability estimates supported an 11-factor solution for total sample, gender, and age, excluding the Physical Activity subscale. Accordingly, the original 11-factor solution received support with Finnish adolescent athletes.

The co-occurrence of nonsuicidal and suicidal self-injurious acts in adult women: A pilot study of similarities and differences

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicidal self-injury (SSI) co-occur in adults. The purpose of the current study was to examine differences and similarities in NSSI and SSI in adult women with respect to (1) methods used and lethality of methods, (2) intent and impulsivity of act, (3) precipitating events, and (4) consequences. The data consist of variables pertaining to 46 self-injurious acts committed by 16 Finnish female participants and recorded using Suicide Attempt Self-Injury Interviews (SASII). The data were analyzed using variables weighted by the number of acts. This study found several differences as well as similarities between the acts of SSI and those of NSSI: (a) the respective acts differ in the methods used, in the lethality of the methods, and in the expectations of resulting lethality of the acts, (b) they further differ in the functions the respective acts serve and (c) in some of the precipitating events and consequences. The acts were similar in (d) impulsivity of act and (e) some of the precipitating events and consequences. Because both types of behavior can occur within the same individual, and due to the progressing evolution between them, a thorough assessment of both NSSI and SSI needs to be completed. More emphasis needs to be placed on both the assessment of social connections and interpersonal conflict as well as how it informs the treatment. Because the behavior studied is multifunctional and changing, its treatment too needs to be customized to the multiple and changing needs of the individual patients, as opposed to diagnostic tailored treatment.

The relation between Finnish university students’ perceived level of study-related burnout, perceptions of the teaching–learning environment and perceived achievement motivation

This study examined the relation between university students’ perceived level of study-related burnout (SRB) and their perceptions of the teaching–learning environment (TLE), as well as their perceived achievement motivation (AM). The data are based on a survey of nine Finnish universities in the spring of 2009. Altogether, 3035 university students completed the online survey. Results show that the more negative the students’ perceptions concerning TLE are, the higher their level of burnout is. However, the role of AM, which includes studying abilities, study success and appreciation of studies, is even more significant for the students’ well-being. University teachers should understand the phenomenon of SRB and how teaching and overall pedagogical decisions are related to stress. If the teachers’ and students’ ways of understanding these components vary significantly, this may lead to dissatisfaction and perhaps even burnout. The students have a responsibility to improve their studying skills, which would help them cope with stress, and to find self-generated or active solutions instead of reacting passively to stressful situations and tasks.