Confronting death and suffering represent central work-related contents in the funeral industry o... more Confronting death and suffering represent central work-related contents in the funeral industry occupations. Despite past research evidence on the role of psychosocial risks, a positive side of the relationship with death exposure has also been highlighted. To expand research on these topics, the aim of the present study was to analyze the role of death exposure in affecting funeral and mortuary operators’ wellbeing. Analysis of variance was performed on 201 questionnaires to analyze differences between work exposure. Workers always/very often exposed to death through sight or manipulation of bodies showed better psychological and occupational wellbeing compared to those not at all/very rarely committed with these tasks. Those who interacted very frequently with the bereaved showed better psychological and occupational wellbeing, compared to those who were never/very rarely committed with these relational tasks. Insights on the role of death and suffering exposure and information for occupational health practitioners are discussed.
Passion for work is an important individual factor related to the quality of working life. Flow a... more Passion for work is an important individual factor related to the quality of working life. Flow at work is an optimal experience in which the individual is immersed in, loves and enjoys the work. The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between passion for work (harmonious and obsessive), flow at work (as a mediator) and exhaustion in a sample of Italian nurses. About 270 nurses participated in the study: this profession is characterized by intrinsic motivation but is also subjected to fatigue and distress. The results show that harmonious passion increases flow at work which, in turn, decreases exhaustion; moreover, flow mediates the relationship between harmonious passion and exhaustion. Obsessive passion has no significant effect on flow at work, but directly increases exhaustion. The study shows that harmonious passion and flow at work contribute to alleviate exhaustion, while obsessive passion instead increases feelings of distress.
RIASSUNTO. Introduzione. Il tema del benessere e del malessere al lavoro è oggetto di crescente i... more RIASSUNTO. Introduzione. Il tema del benessere e del malessere al lavoro è oggetto di crescente interesse negli studi organizzativi. In questa ricerca, facendo riferimento al modello teorico, Job Demands-Resources (JD-R), si è verificato l'effetto di risorse personali (ottimismo, locus of control interno) e lavorative (autonomia, supporto dei superiori e dei colleghi) e di domande lavorative generali (conflitto lavoro-famiglia, carico lavorativo) e specifiche al contesto (dissonanza emotiva) sulla percezione di benessere e malessere emotivo al lavoro in un gruppo di addetti al call center. Metodi. Lo strumento utilizzato è un questionario autocompilativo, composto da batterie di item tratte dalla letteratura scientifica, somministrato online a un campione nazionale di addetti al call center (N = 507) appartenenti allo stesso gruppo aziendale. L'analisi dei dati (Pasw18) ha previsto: statistiche descrittive, correlazioni e regressioni multiple. Risultati. Fatta eccezione per il supporto dei colleghi, tutte le risorse personali e lavorative accrescono il benessere emotivo al lavoro. L'ottimismo e il supporto dei superiori riducono il malessere emotivo al lavoro. Tra le domande lavorative, il conflitto lavoro-famiglia e la dissonanza emotiva accrescono il malessere e in misura minore riducono il benessere emotivo al lavoro. Conclusioni. I risultati, in linea con il modello teorico di riferimento, evidenziano il ruolo diverso di domande e risorse rispetto agli esiti considerati. I risultati consentono di individuare alcune direzioni di investimento per promuovere un maggiore benessere emotivo al lavoro, agendo, in particolare, su formazione a sostegno delle competenze emotive, formazione dei superiori, ampliamento degli spazi di autonomia lavorativa e supporto alla conciliazione lavoro-famiglia. Parole chiave: benessere/malessere emotivo, call center, job demands-resources model, dissonanza emotiva. ABSTRACT. EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING AND DISCOMFORT AT WORK IN CALL CENTER. Introduction. The theme of well-being and discomfort at work has attracted increasing interest in recent years. The present study, according to Job Demands-Resources model (JD-R), inquires the effects of personal (optimism, internal locus of control) and organizational resources (job autonomy, supervisors and colleagues support) and general (work-to-family conflict, workload) and context specific demands (emotional dissonance) on emotional well-being and discomfort at work in call centre employees. Methods. This research was conducted through an online questionnaire, composed by measures present in scientific literature, filled out individually by call center agents (N = 507) of the same telecommunication firm. Data analysis (PASW 18) provides: descriptive statistics, correlations and multiple regressions. Results. Personal and organizational resources improve emotional well-being at work, except for colleagues support. Optimism and supervisors support reduce emotional discomfort at work. Among organizational demands, work-family conflict and emotional dissonance increase emotional discomfort at work and, to a lesser extent, reduce the emotional well-being at work. Conclusions. The results, according to theoretical model, highlight the different role of demands and resources on emotional well-being and discomfort at work. The results suggest organizational politics and investments to promote emotional well-being at work, in particular training program to support emotional skills, training for supervisors, increasing job autonomy and support to work-family balance.
Background: Psychosocial risk factors play an important role in the lives of seafarers on board. ... more Background: Psychosocial risk factors play an important role in the lives of seafarers on board. Not only physical but also mental health influences the performance of seafarers. This study aims to investigate the psychosocial aspects of life on board among southern Italian seafarers. Materials and methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted between January and April 2021 with a sample of 20 seafarers using the snowball method. Griffith and Gonzales' (2000) guidelines for conducting face-to-face interviews were used. Interview topics were analysed using paper and pencil. Results: The majority (90%) of seafarers were married or living in a romantic relationship. The seafarers worked more than 10 hours per day without a day of rest during their time on board. The main stressor for participants was the lack of family (16/20), followed by conflicts between work and rest (12/20), pressure from crew members (9/20) and feeling lonely (8/20). Seafarers were generally involved in traumatic events such as fatal accidents (5/20), injuries at work (4/20) and pirate attacks (4/20). The most important personal resources are the opportunity to travel (12/20), followed by passion for this type of work (9/20). The most common suggestion for a better quality of life on board concerns improving the quality of training (6/20). Conclusions: The results of this study are alarming for the working and living conditions of seafarers. Shipping companies should implement social policies to prevent an increase in psychosocial risks on board. Future studies could include the administration of a questionnaire to examine psychosocial stressors, seafarers' protective factors, and well-being and discomfort outcomes at work.
Death care work consists of dealing with traumatic events frequently, if not daily. This type of ... more Death care work consists of dealing with traumatic events frequently, if not daily. This type of exposure is considered characteristic of the profession and can lead to significant negative consequences such as secondary traumatic stress. However, sometimes positive changes can occur as a result of experiencing trauma, which is referred to as vicarious posttraumatic growth. The aim of the present study is to investigate the role of vicarious posttraumatic growth (VPTG) in the relationship between secondary traumatic stress (STS) and work ability (WA) in a sample of 231 death care workers in northern Italy. Regression analysis with interaction was performed using PROCESS. The results showed a negative association between STS and WA and a positive association between VPTG and WA. The interaction between STS and VPTG was also statistically significant. The moderating role of VPTG was partially confirmed by the analysis: at low and moderate VPTG levels, the conditional effect was negati...
Confronting death and suffering represent central work-related contents in the funeral industry o... more Confronting death and suffering represent central work-related contents in the funeral industry occupations. Despite past research evidence on the role of psychosocial risks, a positive side of the relationship with death exposure has also been highlighted. To expand research on these topics, the aim of the present study was to analyze the role of death exposure in affecting funeral and mortuary operators’ wellbeing. Analysis of variance was performed on 201 questionnaires to analyze differences between work exposure. Workers always/very often exposed to death through sight or manipulation of bodies showed better psychological and occupational wellbeing compared to those not at all/very rarely committed with these tasks. Those who interacted very frequently with the bereaved showed better psychological and occupational wellbeing, compared to those who were never/very rarely committed with these relational tasks. Insights on the role of death and suffering exposure and information for occupational health practitioners are discussed.
Passion for work is an important individual factor related to the quality of working life. Flow a... more Passion for work is an important individual factor related to the quality of working life. Flow at work is an optimal experience in which the individual is immersed in, loves and enjoys the work. The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between passion for work (harmonious and obsessive), flow at work (as a mediator) and exhaustion in a sample of Italian nurses. About 270 nurses participated in the study: this profession is characterized by intrinsic motivation but is also subjected to fatigue and distress. The results show that harmonious passion increases flow at work which, in turn, decreases exhaustion; moreover, flow mediates the relationship between harmonious passion and exhaustion. Obsessive passion has no significant effect on flow at work, but directly increases exhaustion. The study shows that harmonious passion and flow at work contribute to alleviate exhaustion, while obsessive passion instead increases feelings of distress.
RIASSUNTO. Introduzione. Il tema del benessere e del malessere al lavoro è oggetto di crescente i... more RIASSUNTO. Introduzione. Il tema del benessere e del malessere al lavoro è oggetto di crescente interesse negli studi organizzativi. In questa ricerca, facendo riferimento al modello teorico, Job Demands-Resources (JD-R), si è verificato l'effetto di risorse personali (ottimismo, locus of control interno) e lavorative (autonomia, supporto dei superiori e dei colleghi) e di domande lavorative generali (conflitto lavoro-famiglia, carico lavorativo) e specifiche al contesto (dissonanza emotiva) sulla percezione di benessere e malessere emotivo al lavoro in un gruppo di addetti al call center. Metodi. Lo strumento utilizzato è un questionario autocompilativo, composto da batterie di item tratte dalla letteratura scientifica, somministrato online a un campione nazionale di addetti al call center (N = 507) appartenenti allo stesso gruppo aziendale. L'analisi dei dati (Pasw18) ha previsto: statistiche descrittive, correlazioni e regressioni multiple. Risultati. Fatta eccezione per il supporto dei colleghi, tutte le risorse personali e lavorative accrescono il benessere emotivo al lavoro. L'ottimismo e il supporto dei superiori riducono il malessere emotivo al lavoro. Tra le domande lavorative, il conflitto lavoro-famiglia e la dissonanza emotiva accrescono il malessere e in misura minore riducono il benessere emotivo al lavoro. Conclusioni. I risultati, in linea con il modello teorico di riferimento, evidenziano il ruolo diverso di domande e risorse rispetto agli esiti considerati. I risultati consentono di individuare alcune direzioni di investimento per promuovere un maggiore benessere emotivo al lavoro, agendo, in particolare, su formazione a sostegno delle competenze emotive, formazione dei superiori, ampliamento degli spazi di autonomia lavorativa e supporto alla conciliazione lavoro-famiglia. Parole chiave: benessere/malessere emotivo, call center, job demands-resources model, dissonanza emotiva. ABSTRACT. EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING AND DISCOMFORT AT WORK IN CALL CENTER. Introduction. The theme of well-being and discomfort at work has attracted increasing interest in recent years. The present study, according to Job Demands-Resources model (JD-R), inquires the effects of personal (optimism, internal locus of control) and organizational resources (job autonomy, supervisors and colleagues support) and general (work-to-family conflict, workload) and context specific demands (emotional dissonance) on emotional well-being and discomfort at work in call centre employees. Methods. This research was conducted through an online questionnaire, composed by measures present in scientific literature, filled out individually by call center agents (N = 507) of the same telecommunication firm. Data analysis (PASW 18) provides: descriptive statistics, correlations and multiple regressions. Results. Personal and organizational resources improve emotional well-being at work, except for colleagues support. Optimism and supervisors support reduce emotional discomfort at work. Among organizational demands, work-family conflict and emotional dissonance increase emotional discomfort at work and, to a lesser extent, reduce the emotional well-being at work. Conclusions. The results, according to theoretical model, highlight the different role of demands and resources on emotional well-being and discomfort at work. The results suggest organizational politics and investments to promote emotional well-being at work, in particular training program to support emotional skills, training for supervisors, increasing job autonomy and support to work-family balance.
Background: Psychosocial risk factors play an important role in the lives of seafarers on board. ... more Background: Psychosocial risk factors play an important role in the lives of seafarers on board. Not only physical but also mental health influences the performance of seafarers. This study aims to investigate the psychosocial aspects of life on board among southern Italian seafarers. Materials and methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted between January and April 2021 with a sample of 20 seafarers using the snowball method. Griffith and Gonzales' (2000) guidelines for conducting face-to-face interviews were used. Interview topics were analysed using paper and pencil. Results: The majority (90%) of seafarers were married or living in a romantic relationship. The seafarers worked more than 10 hours per day without a day of rest during their time on board. The main stressor for participants was the lack of family (16/20), followed by conflicts between work and rest (12/20), pressure from crew members (9/20) and feeling lonely (8/20). Seafarers were generally involved in traumatic events such as fatal accidents (5/20), injuries at work (4/20) and pirate attacks (4/20). The most important personal resources are the opportunity to travel (12/20), followed by passion for this type of work (9/20). The most common suggestion for a better quality of life on board concerns improving the quality of training (6/20). Conclusions: The results of this study are alarming for the working and living conditions of seafarers. Shipping companies should implement social policies to prevent an increase in psychosocial risks on board. Future studies could include the administration of a questionnaire to examine psychosocial stressors, seafarers' protective factors, and well-being and discomfort outcomes at work.
Death care work consists of dealing with traumatic events frequently, if not daily. This type of ... more Death care work consists of dealing with traumatic events frequently, if not daily. This type of exposure is considered characteristic of the profession and can lead to significant negative consequences such as secondary traumatic stress. However, sometimes positive changes can occur as a result of experiencing trauma, which is referred to as vicarious posttraumatic growth. The aim of the present study is to investigate the role of vicarious posttraumatic growth (VPTG) in the relationship between secondary traumatic stress (STS) and work ability (WA) in a sample of 231 death care workers in northern Italy. Regression analysis with interaction was performed using PROCESS. The results showed a negative association between STS and WA and a positive association between VPTG and WA. The interaction between STS and VPTG was also statistically significant. The moderating role of VPTG was partially confirmed by the analysis: at low and moderate VPTG levels, the conditional effect was negati...
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