Vanja Blomkvist

Physiological correlates of burnout among women

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to investigate the immune, endocrine, and metabolic correlates of burnout among women. METHODS Forty-three participants with high and 20 participants with low scores for the Shirom-Melamed Burnout Questionnaire were compared in terms of subjective symptoms, job strain, social support, plasma levels of prolactin, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta), C-reactive protein (CRP), neopterin, serum levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAs), progesterone, estradiol, cortisol, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) in whole blood. RESULTS Besides reporting more job strain, less social support at work, and higher levels of anxiety, depression, vital exhaustion (VE), and sleep impairments, participants with high burnout manifested higher levels of TNF-alpha and HbA1C, independent of confounders including depression. CONCLUSIONS Among women, burnout seems to involve enhanced inflammatory responses and oxidative stress.

Leadership, mental health, and organizational efficacy in health care organizations: Psychosocial predictors of healthy organizational development based on prospective data from four different organizations

Background: Only a few studies of psychosocial determinants of employee health and organizational development have been prospective, involving more than one organization and applying standardized assessment tools. This limits the ability of providing evidence-based guidance as how to carry out healthy organizational transformations. Methods: A total of 6,000 employees responded twice to a validated psychosocial-leadership questionnaire within a 2-year period. The assessment focused on changes over time in the three outcome measures – mental health, efficacy, and leadership, determined to be important indicators of a healthy organization. Changes within and between organization were assessed statistically using regular t tests and general linear modeling. Results: There were major differences between organizations in psychosocial measures, both at the baseline and over time. At the organizational level, changes between study periods in management performance feedback, participatory management, and work tempo were the most consistent predictors of improvements over time in the three outcome measures. Conclusions: Performance feedback and participatory management might be two common predictors of healthy workplaces. Some of the psychosocial determinants of healthy organizations suggested in previous research might not be universally valid. It is suggested that future research should to a larger degree make use of multiple departments and organizations in studies of psychosocial determinants of healthy organizations.

Coping Style and Social Support in Men and Women Suffering From Cluster Headache or Migraine

Objective.—To investigate similarities and differences between patients with cluster headache and patients with migraine.

Influence of intenesive coronary care acoustics on the quality of care and phyiological state of patients

Background unstable coronary disease is a stressful situation and environmental influences may increase stress mechanisms important for the cardiovascular status. Aim to evaluate acoustic influence on patients with coronary artery disease and to test if the effects of poor sound absorption on work environment affects quality of care and medical status of patients. Methods 94 patients admitted to the intensive coronary heart unit for chest pain evaluation participated. Patient groups were recruited during bad and good acoustic conditions respectively. Blood pressure, pulse amplitude, heart rate and heart rate variability were monitored. Patients were asked to fill in a questionnaire about the quality of the care and a follow up of rehospitalisation and mortality was made at 1 and 3 months. Results good and bad acoustics differed significantly with respect to pulse amplitude in acute myocardial infarction and unstable angina pectoris groups, with lower values at night during the good acoustics period. Re‐ho...

Coping Style in Relation to the Consumption of Factor Concentrate in HIV-Infected Hemophiliacs during the Years after Their Infection Became Known

A psychosocial investigation offered to all HIV-infected men with moderately severe or severe hemophilia in Sweden was made in 1986. Most of these men had been infected in the years 1980-1984 and told about their own infection in 1985. A noninfected group of hemophiliacs was used as a reference group in the psychosocial investigation. A psychosocial prognosis was made on the basis of the coping style observed by means of the Coping Wheel. Among subjects who showed evidence of a passive-pessimistic copying style, there was a significant decrease in the number of factor concentrate units received in 1987 and 1988. Among subjects in the group with a more active-optimistic coping style, there was a tendency of increasing the use of factor concentrate during the years after the HIV-infection became known. This result indicates that awareness of HIV-infection may influence specific hemophilia behavior among subjects with passive-depressed copying style.