Meta-Analysis of Factors Associated with Occupational Therapist Burnout

Burnout, a reaction to chronic emotional stress, affects health and reduces the quality of service. Reportedly, healthcare professionals are especially vulnerable to burnout. This meta-analysis is aimed at examining the factors associated with occupational therapists’ burnout. The results of 2,430 occupational therapists, across 17 peer-reviewed English articles, the most recent published in 2020, were analysed. Results revealed significant associations between related variables and burnout. Marital status, work field, and work hours, job challenges, patient age, position, turnover intention, working type, and work addiction showed significant positive correlation effect sizes in relation to burnout, whereas age, education, engagement, job satisfaction, personal identity, professional identity, rewards, and feeling valued showed significant negative correlation effect sizes. The results of this meta-analysis suggest that strategies to reduce occupational therapists’ burnout need to consider organizational as well as psychological aspects.

Work Addiction and Work Engagement: a Network Approach to Cross-Cultural Data

This study aimed to investigate direct relationships of work addiction symptoms with dimensions of work engagement. We used three samples in which work addiction was measured with the Bergen Work Addiction Scale and work engagement was measured with the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale. One sample comprised responses from working Norwegians (n1 = 776), and two samples comprised responses from working Poles (n2 = 719; n3 = 715). We jointly estimated three networks using the fused graphic lasso method. Additionally, we estimated the stability of each network, node centrality, and node predictability and quantitatively compared all networks. The results showed that absorption and mood modification could constitute a bridge between work addiction and work engagement. It suggests that further investigation of properties of absorption and mood modification might be crucial for answering the question of how engaged workers become addicted to work.

Psychometric Properties of Heavy Work Investment Measures: A Systematic Review

In recent years, the study of heavy work investment (HWI) has been diversifying greatly in the various fields of application in the organizational field, for example, occupational health, human resources, quality at work among others. However, to date, no systematic review has been carried out to examine the methodological quality of the instruments designed to measure HWI. Therefore, the present systematic review examines the psychometric properties of three main measures of HWI: Workaholism Battery (WorkBAT), Work Addiction Risk Test (WART), and Dutch Work Addiction Scale (DUWAS). Five electronic databases were systematically searched, selecting psychometric articles. Of the 2621 articles identified, 35 articles met all inclusion criteria published between 1992 and 2019. The findings indicated that most of the articles were focused on reviewing psychometric properties, analyses were conducted from classical test theory, collected validity evidence based on internal structure and relationship with other variables, and reliability of scores was obtained through the internal consistency method. Of the instruments reviewed, the DUWAS is the one with the highest methodological quality. Recommendations are made for future research to address the psychometric study of these instruments based on recent advances in the field of organizational measurement.

Gender and Workaholism: A Study of New Zealand Academics

<p>The aim of this study was to examine gender's impact on Workaholism and, in particular, the correlates of 'Workaholism' characteristics (Work Involvement, Drive and Work Enjoyment). The Literature review draws attention to the various definitions developed, providing the source and foundation of the definition used in this study. This thesis defines Workaholism as the tendency towards heavy work investment and involvement (the behavioural dimension) with considerable allocation of time to work-related activities and work-related thoughts and the combination of high-drive with low-enjoyment (the cognitive dimension), which manifests itself in working compulsively and being obsessed with work for reasons that are not derived from external necessity. A sample of 331 New Zealand academic employees from the eight different universities completed a web-based survey measuring 'Workaholism', Workaholism perceptions, hours worked and gender perceptions. Results show that there are differences in the degree of Workaholism and Workaholism-related variables between genders in academics in New Zealand. Furthermore, it was found that there was a statistically significant difference between genders in Work Involvement and Drive – females were found to exhibit more of both characteristics. No significant difference between genders in Work Enjoyment was found. Again, there is no significant difference between genders in Workaholism perceptions. There was, however, a significant difference between genders in the proportion of overworkers. These findings provide insight into possible directions for future research as well as potentially influencing treatment for work addiction. In order for this knowledge to directly contribute towards benefiting practitioners further study is needed, leading to the ability to allow actions taken to reduce/prevent Workaholism to be tailored to the specific needs of employees. By understanding gender differences and the individual's perception of their own Workaholism, treatment could be tailored specifically for the individual. The current study suggests that blanket policies designed to promote work-life balance are unlikely to benefit all employees.</p>

Gender and Workaholism: A Study of New Zealand Academics

<p>The aim of this study was to examine gender's impact on Workaholism and, in particular, the correlates of 'Workaholism' characteristics (Work Involvement, Drive and Work Enjoyment). The Literature review draws attention to the various definitions developed, providing the source and foundation of the definition used in this study. This thesis defines Workaholism as the tendency towards heavy work investment and involvement (the behavioural dimension) with considerable allocation of time to work-related activities and work-related thoughts and the combination of high-drive with low-enjoyment (the cognitive dimension), which manifests itself in working compulsively and being obsessed with work for reasons that are not derived from external necessity. A sample of 331 New Zealand academic employees from the eight different universities completed a web-based survey measuring 'Workaholism', Workaholism perceptions, hours worked and gender perceptions. Results show that there are differences in the degree of Workaholism and Workaholism-related variables between genders in academics in New Zealand. Furthermore, it was found that there was a statistically significant difference between genders in Work Involvement and Drive – females were found to exhibit more of both characteristics. No significant difference between genders in Work Enjoyment was found. Again, there is no significant difference between genders in Workaholism perceptions. There was, however, a significant difference between genders in the proportion of overworkers. These findings provide insight into possible directions for future research as well as potentially influencing treatment for work addiction. In order for this knowledge to directly contribute towards benefiting practitioners further study is needed, leading to the ability to allow actions taken to reduce/prevent Workaholism to be tailored to the specific needs of employees. By understanding gender differences and the individual's perception of their own Workaholism, treatment could be tailored specifically for the individual. The current study suggests that blanket policies designed to promote work-life balance are unlikely to benefit all employees.</p>

Risk of work addiction in academic physicians prevalence, determinants and impact on quality of life

The prevalence of work addiction is constantly increasing worldwide, ranging from 8.3% to 30%, especially among physicians. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and characteristics of Work Addiction among academic physicians and its influence on their mental and physical health. This is a cross-sectional survey conducted among the 293 academic physicians practicing in the teaching hospitals of the faculty of Medicine of Monastir in Tunisia. We used a self-administered questionnaire, with the «Work Addiction Risk Test » and the «SF-8 health survey». The participation rate was 24.3%, 24% were addicted to work and 56% were at high risk of addiction. WART score was significantly higher in single, females with medical history of depression or associated depression, poor physical and mental health and psychosomatic symptoms. It was significantly decreased with age, and seniority. Certain psychosocial factors increased WART score. Mental health score was significantly lower in single, females, assistant professor and increased with age, seniority and number of children. Academic physicians are at a high risk of developing work addiction. Preventive guided measures to reconcile family life and work as well as organizational strategies are recommended.

The Workaholism Phenomenon in Portugal: Dimensions and Relations with Workplace Spirituality

Workaholism phenomenon affects a quarter of the employed world population. The concept has been used to describe hardworking employees, which is not resulting from external requirements. Considering that organizations with well-developed workplace spirituality have employees more committed to achieving self-development, but also to serve the company, the relationship between workaholism and workplace spirituality is not straightforward, remaining unclear. The principal aim of this research is to analyze the workaholism phenomenon, considering patterns of workaholic and non-workaholic workers and their relationships with dimensions of workplace spirituality. The sample is comprised of a heterogeneous group of 306 Portuguese employees, who were surveyed by the Workaholism Battery, five dimensions of Workplace Spirituality, and a socio-demographic questionnaire. Cluster analysis defined three workaholic profiles (24% of the sample), and five non-workaholic profiles. Workplace spirituality dimensions differed according to worker profile and associations with work involvement, work enjoyment, and compulsive work addiction. Enthusiastic addicts and work enthusiasts showed the highest workplace spirituality, contrasting mainly with Reluctant hard worker, Disenchanted workers, and Unengaged workers, but also with work addicts. Workaholism is a complex and multidimensional phenomenon, whose dimensions are distinctly related to workplace spirituality. Workplace spirituality development can promote a more balanced and healthy relationship with work.

Az egészségromlás és az egészségmagatartás-változás kvalitatív vizsgálata munkafüggők körében

Háttér és célokEgyre több kutatás irányul a munkafüggőség rizikófaktorainak és következményeinek feltárására. Bár az elméleti modellek feltételezik, hogy a túlzott munkavégzés többek között az egészségi állapotra is negatív hatással van, a kutatások alapvetően kvantitatív módszerekkel vizsgálták-e kérdést; kvalitatív vizsgálatok, amelyek a munkafüggő személyek saját élményeit elemzik, alig születtek. Célunk az volt, hogy munkafüggő személyek egészségi állapotának, egészség-magatartásának, és ezek munkavégzési szokásokkal való összefüggéseit elemezzük.MódszerEgy korábbi kutatásunk alapján a munkafüggőség szempontjából rizikócsoportba tartozó személyeket kértünk fel a kutatásban való részvételre, és összesen 29 fővel (15 férfi és 14 nő) készítettünk félig strukturált interjúkat. Az interjúk kitértek a személyek pályaorientációjára, munkavégzési szokásaikra, munkamotivációikra, munkafüggőséggel kapcsolatos élményeikre, testi és lelki egészségükre. Az interjúkból készült átiratok elemzése deduktív és induktív szinten is zajlott, Braun és Clarke (2006) hatlépéses módszerét követve kvalitatív témaelemzéssel történt.EredményekAz interjúalanyok a túl sok munkavégzés következtében számos szempontból tapasztalták az egészségromlás jeleit. Az általános egészségromlás mellett mozgásszervi és autoimmun betegségek kialakulásáról, kardiovaszkuláris és gyomorbetegségekről, túlsúlyról, alvászavarokról és kiégésről is beszámoltak. Az egészség-magatartásuk mentén is negatív irányú változásokat tapasztaltak: az egészségtelen táplálkozás és a kevés fizikai aktivitás mellett az alvás önmaguktól való megvonása is jellemző volt.KövetkeztetésekKutatásunk rámutatott arra, hogy az érintettek a fizikai egészségi állapotukban megjelenő panaszaikat a túlzott munkavégzés és munkafüggőség következményeként írták le. Az eredményeink arra utalnak, hogy a munkafüggőség nem „pozitív addikció”, sőt, a jelenséget addiktológiai megközelítésből érdemes tárgyalni, mivel a munkafüggőség tünettanában is rokonságot mutat más függőségekkel.Background and aimsAn increasing amount of studies examine the risk factors and outcomes of work addiction. Several theories posited that work addiction associates not only to negative psychological and social consequences but work addiction leads to deterioration of health status. Most of the studies explore the relationship between work addiction and physical health by using cross-sectional quantitative methods and only a few amounts of qualitative studies analyzed the personal experiences of individuals with work addiction. The aim of the current study was to explore and analyze the associations between working habits, physical health status, and health behaviors among individuals at risk of work addiction.MethodsIn our previous study, applying a valid work addiction measure, we have identified a group of individuals who showed a high risk of work addiction and we asked them to participate in the current study. Finally, 29 individuals (15 males and 14 females) have been asked by a semi-structured interview. Topics of career orientation, working habits, work motivations, experiences of work addiction, and physical and mental health have been involved in the interviews. The texts of the interviews have been analyzed by qualitative content analysis, by using both deductive and inductive methods. We applied the six steps of thematic analysis by Braun and Clarke (2006).ResultsIndividuals with a high risk of work addiction have reported several negative signs of deterioration of physical health as a consequence of excessive work, such as motoric diseases, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases, obesity, sleep disorders, and burnout. They have experienced negative changes in their health behavior too: unhealthy eating behaviors, lack of physical activity, and a lower need for sleep have been reported.ConclusionOur results have indicated that at-risk population considered physical health symptoms as consequences of excessive work and work addiction. Considering our results, work addiction is not a “positive addiction”, moreover, the problem has to be conceptualized as a behavioral addiction because the negative consequences of overwork have been experienced by these individuals.

Having the Cake and Eating It Too: First-Order, Second-Order and Bifactor Representations of Work Engagement

Even though work engagement is a popular construct in organizational psychology, the question remains whether it is experienced as a global construct, or as its three components (vigor, dedication, absorption). The present study thus contributes to the ongoing scientific debate about the dimensionality of work engagement systematically compared one-factor, first-order, higher-order, and bifactor confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) representations of work engagement measured by the short version of Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9). We also documented the validity evidence of the most optimal representation based on its test-criterion relationship with basic psychological need fulfillment at work, turnover intentions, work addiction, and work satisfaction. Based on responses provided by two distinct samples of employees (N1 = 242, N2 = 505), our results supported the superiority of the bifactor-CFA representation including a global factor of work engagement and three co-existing specific factors of vigor, dedication, and absorption. This representation replicated well across the two samples through tests of measurement invariance. Finally, while global work engagement was substantially related to all correlates, the specific factors also demonstrated meaningful associations over and above the global levels of work engagement.