| 1. |
- Backlander, Gisela, et al.
(författare)
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Development and Validation of a Multi-Dimensional Measure of Activity-Based Working Behaviors
- 2021
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Psychology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-1078. ; 12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Most work on activity-based working centers on the physical environment and digital technologies enabling flexible working. While important, we believe the key components for implementing activity-based working are employee and manager behaviors. To measure the degree of enactment of activity-based work, based on workshops with experienced practitioners as well as previous literature, we have developed and validated a behavior-focused measure of activity-based working behaviors. In our initial sample (Sample 1, N = 234), three subscales were identified: task - environment crafting, workday planning, and social needs prioritization. In the replication sample (Sample 2, N = 434), this model also showed adequate fit. Moreover, task - environment crafting was related to general health and lower stress in sample 1 (multi-organization sample), but not in the single-organization sample (sample 2). Workday planning was associated with higher concentration in both samples and in the second sample with general health and work engagement; the latter was also related to social needs prioritization.
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| 2. |
- Bergman, Louise E., et al.
(författare)
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Comparing Depressive Symptoms, Emotional Exhaustion, and Sleep Disturbances in Self-Employed and Employed Workers : Application of Approximate Bayesian Measurement Invariance
- 2021
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Psychology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-1078. ; 11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Studies investigating differences in mental health problems between self-employed and employed workers have provided contradictory results. Many of the studies utilized scales validated for employed workers, without collecting validity evidence for making comparisons with self-employed. The aim of this study was (1) to collect validity evidence for three different scales assessing depressive symptoms, emotional exhaustion, and sleep disturbances for employed workers, and combinators; and (2) to test if these groups differed. We first conducted approximate measurement invariance analysis and found that all scales were invariant at the scalar level. Self-employed workers had least mental health problems and employed workers had most, but differences were small. Though we found the scales invariant, we do not find them optimal for comparison of means. To be more precise in describing differences between groups, we recommend using clinical cut-offs or scales developed with the specific purpose of assessing mental health problems at work.
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| 3. |
- Bernhard-Oettel, Claudia, et al.
(författare)
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Flourish, fight or flight : health in self-employment over time-associations with individual and business resources
- 2024
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Ingår i: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health. - 0340-0131 .- 1432-1246.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PurposeUsing COR theory to study developments of health and other key resources in self-employed workers in Sweden over 6 years, this study: (1) explored whether the heterogenous group of self-employed workers contained subgroups with different health trajectories, (2) investigated whether these were more typical for certain individuals (with respect to age, gender, sector, education, employment status), and (3) compared the different health trajectories regarding resource development in mental well-being, business resources, employment status, work ability.MethodThe study used data from the Swedish longitudinal occupational survey of health (SLOSH) and included participants working as self-employed or combiner (N = 2642).ResultFive trajectories were identified with latent class growth curve model analysis (LCGM). Two health trajectories with (1) very good, respective (2) good stable health (together comprising 78.5% of the participants), (3) one with moderate stable health (14.8%), (4) one with a U-shaped form (1.9%), and (5) one with low, slightly increasing health (4.7%). The first two trajectories flourish: they maintained or increased in all key resources and were more likely to remain self-employed. Trajectories three and five consist of those who fight to maintain or increase their resources. Workers in the U-shaped health trajectory show signs of fight and flight after loss in health and other key resources.ConclusionsStudying subgroups with different resource developments over time was suitable to understand heterogeneity in self-employed workers. It also helped to identify vulnerable groups that may benefit from interventions to preserve their resources.
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| 4. |
- Bernhard-Oettel, Claudia, et al.
(författare)
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Flourish, fight or flight: Health and well-being in self-employment over time-associations with business success
- 2019
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: Around 9% of the working population in Sweden consists of self-employed business owners, but a considerable amount of them struggle to consolidate or expand their businesses. Among the factors predicting business success the decisive role of long-term health of business owners has been acknowledged only recently, but longitudinal studies testing this assumption are scarce. Based on the conservation of resources theory, good health can be seen as a resource that helps business owners to tackle high workloads and make business succeed.Design: Data from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Health Survey is used. Starting in 2012, N= 554 self-employed have answered three or more times in the biannual data collection. Latent growth curve modelling is employed to study general and mental health trajectories and their associations with business survival over time.Results: Preliminary descriptive analyses on biannual changes suggest that roughly one in ten self-employed leaves self-employment at follow-up. Job demands and emotional exhaustion are higher among those who leave compared to those who remain in business. After integrating new data collected in 2018, growth curve analyses are run over the whole longitudinal sample, and associations of health trajectories to business survival will be tested.Limitations: Data is collected with questionnaires, and business success is operationalized as business survival only.
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| 5. |
- Berthelsen, Hanne, et al.
(författare)
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What happens to the physical and psychosocial work environment when activity-based offices are introduced into academia?
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Corporate Real Estate. - : Emerald Group Publishing Limited. - 1463-001X .- 1479-1048. ; 20:4, s. 230-243
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There is an increased interest for introducing activity-based offices at universities. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the knowledge about the importance of the built environment for the psychosocial work environment within academia by analyzing how staff at a large Swedish university experienced the physical and psychosocial work environment before and after moving to activity-based offices. Design/methodology/approach A Web-based survey was distributed to all employees at two faculties at a university three months before (2015, n = 217, response rate 51 per cent) and nine months after (2016, n = 200, response rate 47 per cent) relocation to a new activity-based university building. Findings In the new premises, a vast majority (86 per cent) always occupied the same place when possible, and worked also more often from home. The social community at work had declined and social support from colleagues and supervisors was perceived to have decreased. The participants reported a lower job satisfaction after the relocation and were more likely to seek new jobs. No aspects in the physical or psychosocial work environment were found to have improved after the relocation. Research/limitations implications The study had a two-wave cross-sectional design, which does not allow establishing causal relations. Practical implications There is reason to be cautious about relocation to activity-based offices at universities. The potential savings in costs for premises may lead to may be followed by an increase in other costs. The risk that staff cannot concentrate on their work in activity-based university workplaces and lose their sense of community with colleagues are factors, which in the long run may lead to decreased efficiency, more conflicts and poorer well-being. Originality/value This paper contributes with new knowledge concerning changes in the physical and psychosocial work environment when relocating from cell offices to activity-based offices in a university setting.
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| 6. |
- Björklund, Christina, et al.
(författare)
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Gender-based harassment among university students in Sweden during Covid-19
- 2022
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This presentation analyses gender-based harassment in terms of bullying and sexual harassment among university students within the academy sector in Sweden. Bullying and harassment are severe risk factors in the psychosocial work environment, affecting both performance and health. This study is part of a collaboration program between four universities in Sweden with the aim to create research-based knowledge for the prevention of gender-based harassment (GBH) in Swedish academia.This study was conducted during Covid-19. Preliminary results show that GBH is more prevalent among university students than among staff. In total, 4.8 percent of university students in Sweden state that they have been subjected to sexual harassment (SH) at the university during the last 12 months. Among women, a larger proportion state that they have been exposed (5.7 %), compared to men (3.2 %). A pilot study prior to the larger prevalence study was conducted in the fall of 2020, an early stage of Covid-19. In the pilot study, 7 percent of university students (women 9.1%; men 3.1%) stated that they had been subjected to SH during the last 12 months. Consequently, results show a decrease in SH, especially among women. Furthermore, in the large-scale prevalence study one question asked respondents if Covid-19 had increased or decreased their vulnerability. Results show that about 11 percent of the women reported that exposure had decreased during Covid-19.Regarding methodological considerations, a previous review study shows that students exposed to SH seldom file official reports but they frequently face a variety of mental and physical health consequences. Also, how questions about sexual harassment are stated most likely affects response rates among university students. To work for a sustainable and inclusive working life free from gender-based harassment, we need to continue to monitor the development over time in the academia in Sweden.
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| 7. |
- Canivet, Catarina, et al.
(författare)
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Precarious employment is a risk factor for poor mental health in young individuals in Sweden : a cohort study with multiple follow-ups
- 2016
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Ingår i: BMC Public Health. - : BioMed Central. - 1471-2458. ; 16
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The globalisation of the economy and the labour markets has resulted in a growing proportion of individuals who find themselves in a precarious labour market situation, especially among the young. This pertains also to the Nordic countries, despite their characterisation as well developed welfare states with active labour market policies. This should be viewed against the background of a number of studies, which have shown that several aspects of precarious employment are detrimental to mental health. However, longitudinal studies from the Nordic region that examine the impact of precarious labour market conditions on mental health in young individuals are currently lacking. The present study aims to examine this impact in a general cohort of Swedish young people.METHODS: Postal questionnaires were sent out in 1999/2000 to a stratified random sample of the Scania population, Sweden; the response rate was 58 %. All of those who responded at baseline were invited to follow-ups after 5 and 10 years. Employment precariousness was determined based on detailed questions about present employment, previous unemployment, and self-rated risk of future unemployment. Mental health was assessed by GHQ-12. For this study individuals in the age range of 18-34 years at baseline, who were active in the labour market (employed or seeking job) and had submitted complete data from 1999/2000, 2005, and 2010 on employment precariousness and mental health status, were selected (N = 1135).RESULTS: Forty-two percent of the participants had a precarious employment situation at baseline. Labour market trajectories that included precarious employment in 1999/2000 or 2005 predicted poor mental health in 2010: the incidence ratio ratio was 1.4 (95 % CI: 1.1-2.0) when excluding all individuals with mental health problems at baseline and adjusting for age, gender, social support, social capital, and economic difficulties in childhood. The population attributable fraction regarding poor mental health in the studied age group was 18 %.CONCLUSIONS: This study supported the hypothesis that precarious employment should be regarded as an important social determinant for subsequent development of mental health problems in previously mentally healthy young people.
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| 8. |
- Carnesten, Hillewi, 1969-
(författare)
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Nurses' caring struggle : Stress in caring within hospital emergency care during the COVID-19 pandemic
- 2024
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Nurses took a frontline caregiving role during the COVID-19 pandemic in pervasively altered conditions in Swedish hospital emergency healthcare. Little is known about nurses’ experiences of the stress they were subjected to. In this thesis, findings from individual in-depth interviews with both newly graduated registered nurses (NGRNs) and experienced nurses (ERNs), as well as a web-based questionnaire, illuminate nurses’ lived experiences of stress in caring during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three studies employed qualitative methods (I, II, IV), and one a mixed methods approach (III). Study I aimed to describe NGRNs’ experiences of encountering stress in EDs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings illuminate how dedicated NGRNs struggle to develop into the nurse they want to be whilst battling extraordinary situations and conflicting emotions. Loss of control and experiences of shortcomings caused by work overload in combination with understaffing force NGRNs into an independent role at an early point in their career. Study II aimed to illuminate the meaning of NGRNs' experiences of caring for patients in EDs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings comprise caring being bestowed through spatial, emotional, and temporal barriers. NGRNs want to be present, relieve suffering yet describe caring during the pandemic as being a hidden activity, less acknowledged and left to the recognition of each nurse. Study III aimed to explore healthcare workers’ (HCWs’) experiences of the changed caring reality of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings disclose traumatic experiences and having to sacrifice moral values and harbour dilemmas in isolation. Experiencing stress was significantly correlated to lower sense of coherence (SOC). Study IV aimed to explore nurses’ lived experiences of stress in the transformed caring reality during the COVID-19 pandemic. The interpreted meaning comprises the dilemma of enduring the unbearable, meaning having to silence one’s inner ethical, caring compass. In conclusion, stress in caring during the COVID-19 pandemic from a nurse perspective, can be understood as a caring struggle entailing bodily, knowledge, and ethical stress in a search for meaning that might be found in togetherness with patients, with colleagues, with dear ones and in nature.
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| 9. |
- Carnesten, Hillewi, 1969-, et al.
(författare)
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Struggling in the dehumanized world of COVID-An exploratory mixed-methods study of frontline healthcare workers' experiences
- 2024
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Ingår i: Journal of Advanced Nursing. - : WILEY. - 0309-2402 .- 1365-2648.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim: To explore healthcare workers' experiences of the changed caring reality during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden. Design: An online fully mixed-methods design. Methods: A web-based self-reported questionnaire with fixed and open-ended answers collected data from March to April 2021, analysed in three steps. First, free-text questions were analysed by qualitative content analysis. Then quantitative linear regression analyses using models covering stress and coping mechanisms were conducted. Finally, a meta-inference of qualitative and quantitative data emerged a new comprehensive understanding. The COREQ guidelines were used for reporting. Results: Meta-inferenced results of quantitative and qualitative findings show the pandemic was a traumatic experience for healthcare workers. Main theme; When work became a frightening experience in a dehumanized reality, comprised four themes: Entering unprepared into a frightful, incomprehensible world; Sacrificing moral values and harbouring dilemmas in isolation; Lack of clear management; and Reorient in togetherness and find meaning in a changed reality. Qualitative results comprised four categories; Working in a dehumanized world; Living in betrayal of ones' own conscience; Lack of structure in a chaotic time and Regaining vitality together. Subdimensions comprehensibility and meaningfulness were associated significantly with post-traumatic stress disorder in multiple regression analysis. In multiple regression analysis, sense of coherence was the most prominent coping strategy. Conclusions: Forcing oneself to perform beyond one's limit, sacrificing moral values and lacking management was a traumatic experience to healthcare workers during the pandemic. Reorienting as a way of coping was possible in togetherness with colleagues. There is an urgency of interventions to meet the needs among healthcare workers who took on a frontline role during the COVID-19 pandemic and to prevent mental health illness in future crisis. Patient or Public Contribution: No patient or public contribution. Summary: The pandemic outbreak exposed frontline healthcare workers to unparallelled stress shown as negative for their mental health in several meta-analyses and systematic reviews. In-depth understanding on experiences and how symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder relate to coping mechanisms have been scarcely explored. This study contributes to understanding on healthcare workers' experiences and the relation between lower sense of coherence and increased risk of developing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Implications for Practice/Policy: This study might guide how to prepare for resilience in future emergencies.
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| 10. |
- Carnesten, Hillewi, 1969-, et al.
(författare)
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Struggling with frightening experiences in a transformed reality : A mixed methods study of healthcare workers’ experiences during the pandemic.
- 2023
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact health care workers’ (HCWs’) mental health. Research show that psychological distress and hard challenges abide with strong commitment to contribute. Yet, in-depth understanding of HCWs’ experiences of the changed caring reality during the pandemic is missing. Mixed methods research (MMR) accommodates several features apart from employing either quantitative or qualitative methods. This presentation focuses on examples from the 13-step mixed method by Leech and Onwuegbuzie.Methods: 97 HCWs in one hard-hit region in Sweden answered a web-based questionnaire measuring symptoms of stress (using DSM-5 criteria for post-traumatic stress syndrome, PTSD) in relation to perceived sense of coherence (SOC-scale) and self-compassion (SCS) as well as HCWs’ experiences. First, qualitative data (experiences of the pandemic) was analyzed by qualitative content analysis, then quantitative data (associations between PTSD and SOC/SCS) were analyzed with linear regression adjusted for covariates. Thirdly, a synthesis, the meta-inference of qualitative and quantitative data, explained a new comprehensive understanding. Results: By analyzing the categories and subcategories from the qualitative analysis in relation to symtoms of stress and SOC/SCS, a synthesis emerged. This was undertaken by merging and comparing the findings and discussing the new comprehensive understanding. Finally, to fully outline the mixed methods approach, qualitative and quantitative data were synthesized into a new comprehensive whole, a meta inference. Conclusion: This study moves away from dichotomic traditions between qualitative or quantitative approaches. By broadening the methodological departure this study may provide a new comprehensive understanding and contribute to enhance quality in MMR.
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