Type a behaviour and back pain

Abstract

Type A behaviour and back pain     

Risk factors for neck and back pain in a working population in Sweden

The relationship between lifestyle, ergonomie and psychosocial workplace factors and musculo-skeletal pain was examined in this cross-sectional study. A total of 22180 employees undergoing screening examinations at their occupational health-care service filled in a series of questionnaires concerning their health, lifestyle and working situation. Of these 31% reported having had neck pain and 18% had seen a health professional for such pain during the previous year. Similarly, 39% reported having had back pain and 16% had seen a professional during the year. Odds ratios were calculated to estimate the relative risk of the various exposure factors. Although not eating regularly and smoking increased the risk for both neck and back pain somewhat, not exercising and consuming alcohol did not increase the risk for these musculoskeletal pains. Lifting, monotonous work tasks, vibration and uncomfortable work postures were the most important ergonomie factors (odds ratios from 1.01 to 2.95). Sitting, however, did not increase the risk for either neck or back pain. A 'poor' psychosocial work environment, as compared to a 'good' one, increased the risk for both neck and back pain (odds ratios from 1.62 to 3.01). Work content and social support were of particular relevance. Finally, a combination of a 'poor' psychosocial work environment and exposure to one of the ergonomic variables produced the highest risk factors (odds ratios from 2.42 to 3.61). Although the conclusions that may be drawn are limited by the cross-sectional nature of this study, the results seem to underscore the complex aetiology of musculoskeletal pain and especially the importance of psychosocial variables. Prevention programmes should therefore be broad-based and include psychosocial as well as ergonomic measures.     

Work factors related to stress and recurrent low back pain among Finnish planners and workers

Factors related both to the experience of prolonged stress and to recurrent low back pain were analysed by means of questionnaire responses of planners (n = 146) and workers (n = 315) in the Finnish metal industry. Job factors and overall satisfaction turned out to be related independently to stress in both groups. The strongest relation was found between stress and organizational job characteristics. Among the workers physical exhaustion and defects in ergonomy were also related to the experience of stress. Factors related to low back pain were mainly physical in origin, although organizational factors also made some contribution to such pain.     

Musculoskeletal problems in bricklayers as a function of length of employment: The role of secondary selection by low-back pain

Abstract

Low-back problems that are caused by heavy physical work should increase with the length of employment. In a cross-sectional study 195 bricklayers were interviewed and subjected to a medical examination concerned with complaints and functional impairments of the musculoskeletal systems of different body regions (neck/shoulder, arms/hands, back, hip/legs/feet). Summary variables for complaints and impairments indicated an increase with increasing age. Contrary to expectation, in pairs of bricklayers of the same age, but different length of employment, a general decline of complaints and impairments with longer employment was observed. This finding suggested a healthy worker effect. In a follow-up the turnover rate among 190 of the 195 bricklayers of the original study was determined. Bricklayers who had quit the job had a higher incidence of low-back troubles before leaving than bricklayers who had stayed in the job; the relation between turnover and low-back problems was limited to bricklayers older than about 40 years.     

Musculoskeletal problems in bricklayers as a function of length of employment: The role of secondary selection by low-back pain

Low-back problems that are caused by heavy physical work should increase with the length of employment. In a cross-sectional study 195 bricklayers were interviewed and subjected to a medical examination concerned with complaints and functional impairments of the musculoskeletal systems of different body regions (neck/shoulder, arms/hands, back, hip/legs/feet). Summary variables for complaints and impairments indicated an increase with increasing age. Contrary to expectation, in pairs of bricklayers of the same age, but different length of employment, a general decline of complaints and impairments with longer employment was observed. This finding suggested a healthy worker effect. In a follow-up the turnover rate among 190 of the 195 bricklayers of the original study was determined. Bricklayers who had quit the job had a higher incidence of low-back troubles before leaving than bricklayers who had stayed in the job; the relation between turnover and low-back problems was limited to bricklayers older than about 40 years.     

The manager's role in employees' successful return to work following back injury

This study reports on the short-term effects of an educational programme for immediate supervisors on employees' back pain problems. The course was designed to help supervisors more efficiently deal with employees returning to work after being treated for back pain. Forty-seven supervisors who had personnel either undergoing treatment for back pain problems or were candidates for this treatment were invited to attend a one-day course. This educational package consisted of information about back pain and stressed specific behaviours which supervisors could use to help their employees successfully return to work. The results showed that 78% of the supervisors found the course to be satisfactory enough to recommend it to a colleague without hesitation. Furthermore, independent ratings made by the supervisors and their employees suggested that supervisors complied with the recommended programme. Returning employees, moreover, gave their supervisors significantly higher ratings of support than a control group whose supervisors had not attended the educational programme. It was concluded that an educational programme which alters specific supervisory behaviours may be an effective method of assisting employee return to work after treatment for back pain. Further research is needed to determine the long-term effects of such a programme on absenteeism due to illness.     

The manager's role in employees' successful return to work following back injury

Abstract

This study reports on the short-term effects of an educational programme for immediate supervisors on employees' back pain problems. The course was designed to help supervisors more efficiently deal with employees returning to work after being treated for back pain. Forty-seven supervisors who had personnel either undergoing treatment for back pain problems or were candidates for this treatment were invited to attend a one-day course. This educational package consisted of information about back pain and stressed specific behaviours which supervisors could use to help their employees successfully return to work. The results showed that 78% of the supervisors found the course to be satisfactory enough to recommend it to a colleague without hesitation. Furthermore, independent ratings made by the supervisors and their employees suggested that supervisors complied with the recommended programme. Returning employees, moreover, gave their supervisors significantly higher ratings of support than a control group whose supervisors had not attended the educational programme. It was concluded that an educational programme which alters specific supervisory behaviours may be an effective method of assisting employee return to work after treatment for back pain. Further research is needed to determine the long-term effects of such a programme on absenteeism due to illness.     

Personality and coping as moderators of work stress processes: Models, methods and measures

This article reviews the role of individual differences in work stress processes, with particular reference to personality and coping as moderator variables. Vulnerability/resilience and person-environment fit (congruence) models of moderator effects are contrasted and relevant issues of methodology and analysis are outlined. Personality traits (locus of control, hardiness, Type A, optimism, and neuroticism) that act as moderators of stress/strain relations are reviewed; the characteristics and limitations of available measures are described. Associations between personality and coping, inventories for the assessment of coping, and the dimensions of coping behaviour, are then considered. The implications of structural and transactional models of stress for coping assessment are discussed with reference to dispositional versus situational approaches and other psychometric issues. The need for research into coping flexibility and consistency is emphasized. No attempt is made to provide a comprehensive account of empirical research into individual difference moderator effects, but relevant review articles are cited, together with some recent studies. Finally, several areas which would merit further attention (including specificity of moderator effects, conjunctive and disjunctive patterns, and moderation of relations between objective and perceived stressors) are identified.     

Personality and coping as moderators of work stress processes: Models,methods and measures

Abstract

This article reviews the role of individual differences in work stress processes, with particular reference to personality and coping as moderator variables. Vulnerability/resilience and person-environment fit (congruence) models of moderator effects are contrasted and relevant issues of methodology and analysis are outlined. Personality traits (locus of control, hardiness, Type A, optimism, and neuroticism) that act as moderators of stress/strain relations are reviewed; the characteristics and limitations of available measures are described. Associations between personality and coping, inventories for the assessment of coping, and the dimensions of coping behaviour, are then considered. The implications of structural and transactional models of stress for coping assessment are discussed with reference to dispositional versus situational approaches and other psychometric issues. The need for research into coping flexibility and consistency is emphasized. No attempt is made to provide a comprehensive account of empirical research into individual difference moderator effects, but relevant review articles are cited, together with some recent studies. Finally, several areas which would merit further attention (including specificity of moderator effects, conjunctive and disjunctive patterns, and moderation of relations between objective and perceived stressors) are identified.     

The Job Demands-Job Control Model and absence behaviour: results of a 3-year longitudinal study

Empirical results of earlier studies only marginally supported the relevance of Karasek's Job Demands-Job Control Model for absence behaviour. Since longitudinal studies with respect to these relations were largely lacking, a four-wave panel study was carried out using data from 1755 male employees of a technical maintenance firm in the public sector. Job demands, job control, physical working conditions, and the employee's age, education, and health were measured in one year and absenteeism in the same year and in the next 3 years. Data were analysed with linear regression and Poisson regression techniques. The Poisson regression technique was superior to the linear regression technique in explaining absence. Age, health and prior absence were the best predictors of later absence behaviour. With respect to the Job Demands-Job Control Model, the main findings of the study were (1) that job control was significantly associated with a low number of simultaneous and later absence days, and (2) that, contrary to expectations, job demands were also related to a low number of simultaneous and later absence days. These results hold when age, health, education, prior absence, and working conditions are controlled for. Job control and job demands did not predict later absence frequency. In the discussion it is suggested that a high level of job demands may not only be harmful for the well-being of employees but also work as 'a pressure to attend'.     

Different strategies for managing the work non-work interface: a test for unique pathways to work outcomes

Scientific evidence linking employers' efforts to help workers to manage the work non-work interface to actual outcomes at work remains scarce. In this study of 200 women employed in a Canadian school district, a research model was devised to explain how two strategies for managing the interface may affect stress symptoms, absenteeism and turnover intention. Several features distinguish this model from earlier models of the work non-work interface. That is, two directions of work non-work conflict, a mediator between the strategies and work outcomes, are specified, each strategy is set to relate directly to only one direction of conflict, and each direction is set to relate directly to stress symptoms and either absenteeism or turnover intention. LISREL analysis supported the superiority of the research model to a general model incorporating more common conceptualizations of the work non-work interface.     

Work-related reproductive health: a review

This paper reviews the literature concerning the impact of work on reproductive health. In doing so, it offers a framework model for guiding future research and practice. Contemporary models of occupational health usually identify at least two pathways linking exposure to workplace hazards to their effects on health. The study of work-related reproductive health has been largely restricted to the effects of the more tangible and physical hazards of work mediated by a largely physico-chemical pathway. However, the growth of research into the psycho-physiological influence of stress on reproductive health provides a new direction for research in this domain with the exploration of a complementary pathway. The extension of this new approach into the investigation of the effects of work design and management on reproductive health represents a potentially important and further development.     

The relationship between Type A Behaviour Pattern (TABP) and in-basket performance: recognition as moderator

The relationship between Type A Behaviour Pattern (TABP) and performance on an in-basket task was examined. Some of the subjects (n=40) were told that they would be recognized for superior performance, while others (n=22) were not given this information. Results indicated no relationship between a global TABP measure and all the measures of in-basket performance. Achievement Strivings (AS), a component of TABP, was positively related to overall effort, overall quality of performance, and interpersonal sensitivity. None of these relations was moderated by recognition. However, it was found that the relation between AS and use of delegation was moderated by recognition. AS was strongly and negatively related to delegation only among those who were told they would be recognized for superior performance. Impatience-Irritability (I-I), another component of TABP, was unrelated to measures of in-basket performance, although the relation between I-I and interpersonal sensitivity was moderated by recognition. I-I was strongly and negatively related to interpersonal sensitivity only among those not told that they would be recognized for superior performance. Implications of these findings are discussed and future research on TABP is suggested.     

Variables related to psychiatric sick leave taken by Spanish secondary school teachers

Abstract

This study analyses the relationships of certain sociodemographic, organizational, and personality variables with psychiatric sick leave taken by Spanish secondary school teachers. The sample comprised 200 teachers (84 men and 116 women) divided into two groups. The first group was composed of 100 teachers who had suffered from psychiatric disorders requiring sick leave. The second was a matched control group composed of 100 teachers with no history of psychiatric disorders. Both groups shared the same organizational variables (same centre, town, number of students, etc). Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine any relationships and the risk and protection factors for psychiatric sick leave. It is concluded that the most significant variables related to psychiatric sick leave included competitiveness and hostility, as defined by Type A Behaviour Pattern, emotional exhaustion as a factor of burnout, and job dissatisfaction.     

Variables related to psychiatric sick leave taken by Spanish secondary school teachers

This study analyses the relationships of certain sociodemographic, organizational, and personality variables with psychiatric sick leave taken by Spanish secondary school teachers. The sample comprised 200 teachers (84 men and 116 women) divided into two groups. The first group was composed of 100 teachers who had suffered from psychiatric disorders requiring sick leave. The second was a matched control group composed of 100 teachers with no history of psychiatric disorders. Both groups shared the same organizational variables (same centre, town, number of students, etc). Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine any relationships and the risk and protection factors for psychiatric sick leave. It is concluded that the most significant variables related to psychiatric sick leave included competitiveness and hostility, as defined by Type A Behaviour Pattern, emotional exhaustion as a factor of burnout, and job dissatisfaction.     

Effects of neuroticism, extraversion, circadian type and age on reported driver stress

Studies have examined effects of various personality variables, including extraversion and neuroticism, as well as age, on driver stress. However, the effect of the morningness-eveningness dimension (circadian type) on reported driver stress among commuters has not been investigated. This study aimed to assess the influence of circadian type as well as extraversion, neuroticism and age on driver stress. Participants were 101 Australian university administrative staff who completed the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised, the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire, and also morning and evening driving diaries as a state measure of driver stress each weekday for one week. Two standard multiple regressions assessed whether neuroticism, extraversion, circadian type and age predicted reported driver stress for morning and evening drives. Neuroticism, circadian type, and age predicted reported driver stress in the mornings but age mainly predicted driver stress in the evenings. A repeated measures ANOVA isolated differences between circadian types for weekday mornings and evenings. Reported driver stress differed for day of week and time of day according to circadian type. The three-way interaction suggested that driver stress is influenced by circadian type and that factors influence driver stress differentially between mornings and evenings. Circadian type appears to influence when driver stress affects individuals.     

Effects of neuroticism,extraversion, circadian type and age on reported driver stress

Studies have examined effects of various personality variables, including extraversion and neuroticism, as well as age, on driver stress. However, the effect of the morningness-eveningness dimension (circadian type) on reported driver stress among commuters has not been investigated. This study aimed to assess the influence of circadian type as well as extraversion, neuroticism and age on driver stress. Participants were 101 Australian university administrative staff who completed the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised, the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire, and also morning and evening driving diaries as a state measure of driver stress each weekday for one week. Two standard multiple regressions assessed whether neuroticism, extraversion, circadian type and age predicted reported driver stress for morning and evening drives. Neuroticism, circadian type, and age predicted reported driver stress in the mornings but age mainly predicted driver stress in the evenings. A repeated measures ANOVA isolated differences between circadian types for weekday mornings and evenings. Reported driver stress differed for day of week and time of day according to circadian type. The three-way interaction suggested that driver stress is influenced by circadian type and that factors influence driver stress differentially between mornings and evenings. Circadian type appears to influence when driver stress affects individuals.     

Mental fatigue at work and pain perception

Abstract

The object of this study was to determine whether mental fatigue connected with high and low stimulation at work can affect the subjects' perception of pain. Two groups of female visual display unit operators were studied: the first group performed tasks involving high levels of stimulation, while the second group performed tasks involving low levels of stimulation. The results show that mental fatigue due to a high level of stimulation causes an increase in pain ratings, while the mental fatigue due to low stimulation level causes a decrease in pain ratings.     

Mental fatigue at work and pain perception

The object of this study was to determine whether mental fatigue connected with high and low stimulation at work can affect the subjects' perception of pain. Two groups of female visual display unit operators were studied: the first group performed tasks involving high levels of stimulation, while the second group performed tasks involving low levels of stimulation. The results show that mental fatigue due to a high level of stimulation causes an increase in pain ratings, while the mental fatigue due to low stimulation level causes a decrease in pain ratings.     

Burnout,job stress and violent behaviour among Dutch police officers

Much has been published on burnout in the human services. However, despite the extensive literature on job stress in policing, burnout in police officers has rarely been studied. The present study examined stressors in police work, focusing specifically on the lack of reciprocity that officers experience in relations with civilians, colleagues and the police service. It also investigated the relationship between burnout and the attitudes of officers towards violence, as well as to their own use of violence. Dutch police officers (N = 358) completed a self-report questionnaire. The results showed that: (1) organizational stressors were more prevalent than task-related stressors; (2) compared to other service jobs, police officers report a particular profile on the three scales of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI)?a relatively low level of emotional exhaustion,an average level of depersonalization, and a high level of personal accomplishment; (3) burnout is associated with a lack of reciprocity between investments and outcomes in the relations that officers have with citizens, colleagues and their organization; and (4) burnout is positively related to attitudes towards use of violence and the use of violence during the officers' duty.