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Occupational Groups (occupational + groups)
Kinds of Occupational Groups Selected AbstractsChanges in environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure over a 20-year period: cross-sectional and longitudinal analysesADDICTION, Issue 3 2009Barbara J. Jefferis ABSTRACT Aims To examine long-term changes in environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure in British men between 1978 and 2000, using serum cotinine. Design Prospective cohort: British Regional Heart Study. Setting General practices in 24 towns in England, Wales and Scotland. Participants Non-smoking men: 2125 studied at baseline [questionnaire (Q1): 1978,80, aged 40,59 years], 3046 studied 20 years later (Q20: 1998,2000, aged 60,79 years) and 1208 studied at both times. Non-smokers were men reporting no current smoking with cotinine < 15 ng/ml at Q1 and/or Q20. Measurements Serum cotinine to assess ETS exposure. Findings In cross-sectional analysis, geometric mean cotinine level declined from 1.36 ng/ml [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.31, 1.42] at Q1 to 0.19 ng/ml (95% CI: 0.18, 0.19) at Q20. The prevalence of cotinine levels , 0.7 ng/ml [associated with low coronary heart disease (CHD) risk] rose from 27.1% at Q1 to 83.3% at Q20. Manual social class and northern region of residence were associated with higher mean cotinine levels both at Q1 and Q20; older age was associated with lower cotinine level at Q20 only. Among 1208 persistent non-smokers, cotinine fell by 1.47 ng/ml (95% CI: 1.37, 1.57), 86% decline. Absolute falls in cotinine were greater in manual occupational groups, in the Midlands and Scotland compared to southern England, although percentage decline was very similar across groups. Conclusions A marked decline in ETS exposure occurred in Britain between 1978 and 2000, which is likely to have reduced ETS-related disease risks appreciably before the introduction of legislation banning smoking in public places. [source] Occurrence of seizures in association with work-related stress in young male army recruitsEPILEPSIA, Issue 8 2008Shlomo Moshe Summary Purpose: To examine the risk of undergoing an epileptic seizure as a function of differing levels of occupational stress (physical and mental) in new military recruits with no previous history of epilepsy or with epilepsy in remission for over 2 years. Methods: The medical records of over 300,000 18-year-old men recruited to the Israeli army between mid-eighties and mid-nineties were used to assemble a cohort, which was followed for a period of 30 months. The severity of epilepsy at recruitment was determined according to four categories, 0 (no history of seizures) and 1,3 (history of seizures with different relapse-free periods, with or without treatment). The soldiers were subdivided according to their occupational categories to: combat units (CU), maintenance units (MU), and administrative units (AU). Results: The annual incidence rates per 100,000 in category 0 were 317, 298, and 401 in AU, MU, and CU, respectively. The incidence of seizures in category 0 was higher (relative risk [RR]= 1.29, CI = 1.03,1.62) in CU compared to AU and MU. No differences were found for seizure recurrence among various occupational groups. Conclusion: The increased risk of seizures in CU compared to AU and MU may indicate contribution of service conditions in CU, like physical and mental stress. The equivalent rates of seizure relapse, regardless of the type of occupation, suggests the need for minimal occupational restrictions for epilepsy patients who have been free of seizures for long periods. [source] Professionals on the Sidelines: the Working Lives of Bedside Nurses and Elementary Core French TeachersGENDER, WORK & ORGANISATION, Issue 3 2007Isolde Daiski Oppression exists at many levels and in varying degrees. To demonstrate how marginality affects differently situated professionals, two occupational groups considered to be marginalized were studied: bedside nurses and elementary core French teachers. The findings confirm that women (and men) in ,feminized' fields experience, as well as exercise, oppression. Devaluation of their worth is internalized and taken for granted by most who inhabit these work spaces, including the members concerned. While those groups ,on top' bully those ,below,' dominance is also reinforced laterally amongst the members. Thus marginality between groups, as well as within them is thereby produced, with the centre of oppression constantly shifting. The authors conclude that professionals are not unified categories, readily distinguishable from outside oppressors. Their members, too, are caught up in power relationships amongst themselves. Recognition of the shifting centre of oppression is an essential first step to improve conditions for the marginalized. [source] The Swedish Welfare State and the Emergence of Female Welfare State OccupationsGENDER, WORK & ORGANISATION, Issue 4 2000Lars Evertsson The Swedish welfare state has, during the twentieth century, developed into the primary guarantor of health and social services as well as economic security. As the welfare state has developed, a new group of professions has emerged which can be described as welfare state professions. In this paper I will point out a few central aspects of how female-dominated welfare state professions have emerged and developed within the framework of the Swedish welfare state's expansion. These ideas will then be demonstrated on two female-dominated occupations, nurses and occupational therapists, which have developed in close association with the expansion of the welfare state. The results indicate that the emergence of a centrally planned welfare state and the occupational groups' organizational resources have been of crucial importance for the professional development of female-dominated health and care occupations in Sweden. The welfare state has opened up new professional fields and created a stable labour market, which has provided good conditions for professional organizing. The state has also been quick to establish relationships with occupational groups whose professional competence has been deemed to be suited to the welfare political context. However, the state's interests in professional matters have often been in conflict with those of the professions themselves, regarding, for example, education, sub-specialization and certification. One conclusion that can be drawn is that the Swedish welfare state has acted both as an engine and a brake regarding professional development and status. [source] Improving transfer of mental health care for rural and remote consumers in South AustraliaHEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 2 2009Judy Taylor BA Dip Soc Wk MSW PhD Abstract In Australia, it is commonplace for tertiary mental health care to be provided in large regional centres or metropolitan cities. Rural and remote consumers must be transferred long distances, and this inevitably results in difficulties with the integration of their care between primary and tertiary settings. Because of the need to address these issues, and improve the transfer process, a research project was commissioned by a national government department to be conducted in South Australia. The aim of the project was to document the experiences of mental health consumers travelling from the country to the city for acute care and to make policy recommendations to improve transitions of care. Six purposively sampled case studies were conducted collecting data through semistructured interviews with consumers, country professional and occupational groups and tertiary providers. Data were analysed to produce themes for consumers, and country and tertiary mental healthcare providers. The study found that consumers saw transfer to the city for mental health care as beneficial in spite of the challenges of being transferred over long distances, while being very unwell, and of being separated from family and friends. Country care providers noted that the disjointed nature of the mental health system caused problems with key aspects of transfer of care including transport and information flow, and achieving integration between the primary and tertiary settings. Improving transfer of care involves overcoming the systemic barriers to integration and moving to a primary care-led model of care. The distance consultation and liaison model provided by the Rural and Remote Mental Health Services, the major tertiary provider of services for country consumers, uses a primary care-led approach and was highly regarded by research participants. Extending the use of this model to other primary mental healthcare providers and tertiary facilities will improve transfer of care. [source] Occupational Knowledge and Practice amongst UK University Research AdministratorsHIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 2 2009John Hockey With the exception of lecturing staff, research on occupational groups and cultures within the UK higher education system is relatively sparse. This paper focuses upon one specialist group, to-date under-researched but which plays a central role in contemporary higher education administration: graduate research administrators. This occupational group is of particular interest as its members administer and manage an increasing complex and key area of university life, which in many cases appears to span the putative occupational divide between ,academic' and ,administrative' work. Based upon qualitative interviews with 27 research administrators, and using some of Bourdieu's conceptual devices, the paper analyses particular kinds of informal occupational knowledge and practice, necessary in order effectively to ,do' the complex task of research administration in the pressurized environment of contemporary British higher education. [source] How do employees perceive their organization and job when companies adopt principles of lean production?HUMAN FACTORS AND ERGONOMICS IN MANUFACTURING & SERVICE INDUSTRIES, Issue 2 2004Pentti Seppälä The concept of lean production originally emerged in the beginning of the 1990s in the automobile industry, but its principles were adopted in other industries as well. According to the literature, the principles of lean production are controversial from the point of view of human well being. This study examined: 1) the extent to which lean production and related technologies were adopted in four Finnish manufacturing companies; 2) the way different occupational groups experienced their organization and work when principles of lean production had been implemented; and 3) which factors in the organization and change processes were associated with the employees' positive or negative perceptions of production, job satisfaction, and stress. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Hum Factors Man 14: 157,180, 2004. [source] Learning in interactive work situations: It takes two to tango; why not invite both partners to dance?HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY, Issue 2 2006Hanneke Koopmans Learning that arises from interactions at work is the focus of this study. More specifically, the concrete activities of adult learners and their interaction partners were of interest because such learning activities largely determine the quality of learning outcomes. The results of the study are summarized in the form of a typology of interactive learning behaviors for adult learners (that is, workers) and their interaction partners at work. The similarities and differences among three occupational groups, teachers, financial service professionals, and police officers groups,were examined, and explanations were sought based on the nature of work and power. The results can help adult learners and their interaction partners enter into a more equal, dyadic, and reciprocal learning process and thereby contribute to a critical human resource development perspective. [source] Pay Policies of Firms and Collective Wage Contracts,An Uneasy Partnership?INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, Issue 1 2006KNUT GERLACH Theoretical considerations suggest that firms establish consistent internal wage structures and pay wage premiums of similar size across occupational groups. Strong evidence for the existence of coherent employer pay policies across occupations is found using a German employer,employee data set. However, firm-specific elements of wage policies are less prevalent in firms applying industry-level collective contracts than in firms with individual-level wage contracts. [source] Occupational risks for male fertility: an analysis of patients attending a tertiary referral centreINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANDROLOGY, Issue 6 2001Sebastian Kenkel The impact of environment and occupation on male fertility is still under debate. We investigated whether certain occupations may be over- or under-represented among men attending our infertility clinic in relation to the entire population of the area. Diagnoses and semen parameters of 2054 infertile men from the district of Münster were analysed retrospectively. The patients were categorized into 29 occupational groups. The relative size of each group was compared with that of the entire population in the district of Münster. Farmers were over-represented compared with the general population. Farmers and painters/varnishers showed a significantly higher proportion of reduced sperm counts [odds ratios (OR): 2.13 and 2.17, 95% confidence intervals: 1.18,3.88 and 1.02,4.65] and severely reduced sperm concentrations compared with the entire group of infertile men; in addition, significantly more farmers presented with a history of maldescended testes than other occupational groups (OR: 2.76 and 2.84; CI: 1.12,6.75 and 1.27,6.34). Metal workers/welders formed significantly higher proportions of patients with reduced sperm motility (OR: 5.99; CI: 1.38,26.00). The relatively poor semen parameters of the painters/varnishers could be caused by exposure to toxins. This may also apply to the farmers (fertilizers, herbicides); however, the elevated rate of maldescended testes suggests an effect of exposure during prenatal development or a genetic cause. The findings for metal workers/welders may be because of heat or toxins at the workplace. The study demonstrates that certain occupations are preferentially associated with male infertility. [source] Characterizing violence in health care in British ColumbiaJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 8 2009Rakel N. Kling Abstract Title.,Characterizing violence in health care in British Columbia. Background., The high rate of violence in the healthcare sector supports the need for greater surveillance efforts. Aim., The purpose of this study was to use a province-wide workplace incident reporting system to calculate rates and identify risk factors for violence in the British Columbia healthcare industry by occupational groups, including nursing. Methods., Data were extracted for a 1-year period (2004,2005) from the Workplace Health Indicator Tracking and Evaluation database for all employee reports of violence incidents for four of the six British Columbia health authorities. Risk factors for violence were identified through comparisons of incident rates (number of incidents/100,000 worked hours) by work characteristics, including nursing occupations and work units, and by regression models adjusted for demographic factors. Results., Across health authorities, three groups at particularly high risk for violence were identified: very small healthcare facilities [rate ratios (RR) = 6·58, 95% CI =3·49, 12·41], the care aide occupation (RR = 10·05, 95% CI = 6·72, 15·05), and paediatric departments in acute care hospitals (RR = 2·22, 95% CI = 1·05, 4·67). Conclusions., The three high-risk groups warrant targeted prevention or intervention efforts be implemented. The identification of high-risk groups supports the importance of a province-wide surveillance system for public health planning. [source] Mothers' grief following the death of a childJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 1 2001Hilkka Laakso PhD RN Mothers' grief following the death of a child Aim of the study.,Research has shown that caring for a dying child is among the hardest and more demanding tasks in nursing, because the staff are forced to manage their heavy work with inadequate skills and experience. This article deals with the findings of a recent study, the purpose of which was to analyse the mother's grief and coping with grief following the death of a child under the age of 7 years. Design.,Data were collected from mothers using a survey (n=91) and an interview (n=50). As the topic was very sensitive ethically and emotionally, survey data were collected first and the mothers were asked to give their consent to taking part in an interview. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative methods. The data were analysed using statistical methods and content analysis. However, only the qualitative part of the study is presented in this article. Findings.,The findings show that nursing staff had skills to support grieving mothers, but that there were many feelings and experiences of grief that remained unidentified by staff. The staff's ability to meet the mothers' individual needs while the child was in hospital and after the child's death was inadequate. The information received from staff was perceived to be insufficient or offensive to mothers. Conclusions.,The development of basic and further education and of various support measures would enable the staff to better cope with their work. Focusing on interactive skills and meeting the patient's individual needs using reflective practice would improve the quality of care. Communication and collaboration between different occupational groups should be promoted, because mothers were dissatisfied with dissemination of information, and ambiguous responsibilities between different occupational groups hampered the acquisition of information. [source] The Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations: Factorial Structure and Associations With Personality Traits and Psychological Health,JOURNAL OF APPLIED BIOBEHAVIORAL RESEARCH, Issue 2 2000Richard Cosway Principal components analyses on the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (C1SS; Endler & Parker, 1990a) were carried out for 730 Scottish doctors and farmers. Endler and Parker's three-factor structure was supported both in the male and female subgroups and in the two occupational groups. Intercorrelations of the C1SS factors with personality factors of the NEO-Five Factor Inventory and a self-reported psychological distress scale, the General Health Questionaire-28, provided predictive validity for the C1SS in the transactional model of stress. [source] ,But everyone else is doing it': a closer look at the occupational taxpaying culture of one business sectorJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2008Julie S. Ashby Abstract When individuals embark on their careers they not only become acculturated into their occupational sectors' day-to-day norms and practices, but also their taxpaying ones. Although the research on taxpaying cultures is still in its infancy, understanding more about taxpaying cultures could improve our understanding of the processes underlying tax compliance. To this end, this study aimed to build a detailed picture of the taxpaying culture (i.e. the norms and values) of one business sector,the hairdressing/beauty industry. Nineteen small business and self-employed hairdressers/beauticians were interviewed and a variant of Grounded theory was used to uncover the main themes that ran through the interviews as a whole. The main themes that emerged,which appear to characterize this sector's culture,include a reliance on accountants/tax advisors, the notion of an acceptable level of cash-in-hand payments, and the use of different mental accounts for different types of income. Although some of these themes have already arisen in the small business literature they have often been couched in individualistic terms. We build a case that these issues are more cultural than individual,they are tied to occupational group membership as they are socially constructed within occupational groups and are a key component of the group's taxpaying culture. Implications and directions for future research are discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Cost of Flexibility at the Margin.LABOUR, Issue 4-5 2007Comparing the Wage Penalty for Fixed-term Contracts in Germany, Spain using Quantile Regression Using quantile regression we find that in West Germany the earnings of permanent and fixed-term workers are most similar among high earners and most dissimilar among low earners. In Spain, the wage penalty shows little variation across the distribution of wages. This pattern was also found for different occupational groups, although there are clear differences in the absolute wage penalty across occupations. In conclusion we caution against generalizing findings from Spain to other ,rigid' European labour markets. [source] Risks associated with tendinitis: effects from demographic, socioeconomic, and psychological status among Brazilian workersAMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 1 2010Paulo Frazão PhD Abstract Background Self-reported tendinitis/tenosynovitis was evaluated by gender, age group, skin color, family income, and educational and psychological status. Methods !The study was carried out in a representative sample of formally contracted Brazilian workers from a household survey. A total of 54,660 participants were included. Occupations were stratified according to estimated prevalences of self-reported injuries. Non-conditional logistic regression was performed, and all variables were analyzed in two occupational groups. Results The overall prevalence rate of tendinitis/tenosynovitis was 3.1%: 5.5% in high-prevalence occupations (n = 10,726); and 2.5% in low-prevalence occupations (n = 43,934). White female workers between the ages of 45 and 64 years and at a higher socioeconomic level were more likely to report tendinitis/tenosynovitis regardless of their occupational category. An adjusted OR = 3.59 [95% CI: 3.15--4.09] was found between tendinitis/tenosynovitis and psychological status. Conclusion Among formally contracted Brazilian workers, higher income can imply greater physical and psychological demands that, regardless of occupational stratum, increase the risk of tendinitis/tenosynovitis. Am. J. Ind. Med. 53:72,79, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Cluster of presumed organic dust toxic syndrome cases among urban landscape workers,Colorado, 2007,AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 7 2009Tegan K. Boehmer PhD Abstract Background Organic dust toxic syndrome (ODTS) is an influenza-like illness typically affecting agricultural workers exposed to organic dusts. In July 2007, Tri-County Health Department investigated a cluster of acute respiratory illnesses among urban landscape workers with known mulch exposure. Methods An epidemiologic study of landscape workers was conducted. Employees were interviewed regarding illness and occupational exposures. Medical records were reviewed. Mulch samples were tested for fungi and endotoxins. Results Five (12%) of 43 employees experienced respiratory illness compatible with ODTS. Illness was associated with prolonged mulch exposure (,6 vs. <6 hr/day; relative risk,=,24.7; 95% confidence interval,=,3.3,184.9). Mulch samples contained high levels of Aspergillus spores and endotoxin. Conclusions Contaminated mulch was implicated as the source of presumed ODTS among landscape workers, highlighting that ODTS is not limited to rural agricultural settings. Education of employers, safety officers, and clinicians is necessary to improve recognition and prevention of ODTS within urban occupational groups. Am. J. Ind. Med. 52:534,538, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Effect of occupation and smoking on respiratory symptoms in working childrenAMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 6 2009Erkan Cakir Abstract Objectives To compare the respiratory symptoms and the lung function of children who work in different occupational groups. Methods The study was performed among children attending vocational training centers. The participants were evaluated in six different occupation groups. Chronic cough, wheezing and shortness of breath were evaluated by questionnaire. The association of independent variables with the respiratory symptoms was investigated through both univariate and multivariate methods. Results Among 642 children, 534 were males; the mean age was 17.7,±,1.0 years. Using an internal reference group, the odds ratios of chronic cough were significantly higher in the lathe (OR: 2.0, 95%CI: 1.07,3.74), coiffure (OR: 1.94. 95%CI: 1.01,3.70), and electricity-construction (OR: 2.63, 95%CI: 1.06,6.54) groups after adjustment for smoking, age, gender, and work characteristics. There were no significant differences in spirometric values between occupational groups in either smoking or non-smoking males. In non-smoking females, median values of FEV1 (P: 0.046), PEF (P: 0.005) and FEF25,75% (P: 0.019) were lower in the textile compared to the coiffure group. There was no significant association between the total working time and spirometric values. There was no statistically significant relationship between the work-related factors and the smoking status. Conclusions The prevalence of chronic cough was higher in the lathe, coiffure, and electricity-construction groups and pulmonary function tests were lower in the non-smoking textile female group. Working children should be screened for respiratory symptoms and disease. Am. J. Ind. Med. 52:471,478, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Job-related risk of latent tuberculosis infection in a homogeneous population of hospital workers in a low incidence area,AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 4 2009Alberto Franchi MD Abstract Background Few comprehensive tuberculin surveys were carried out in a homogeneous population of health care workers (HCWs) in a low incidence area to assess the risk of tuberculosis (TB) infection by different occupational groups and units. Methods Community and occupational factors and tuberculin skin test (TST) reactivity were determined in 1,755 HCWs. Results The overall prevalence of tuberculin reactivity was 6%. Predicting factors for TST reactivity were age >47 years (OR,=,2.88), history of household TB contact (OR,=,2.41), years of work as HCW (OR,=,2.57), physician (OR,=,1.88), and working in microbiology (OR,=,4.94), dialysis/nephrology (OR,=,2.00), gynecology/obstetrics (OR,=,2.01). In a multiple regression model working in microbiology [OR,=,4.16 (1.27,13.6)], dialysis/nephrology [OR,=,2.52 (1.36,4.65)], gynecology/obstetrics [OR,=,2.46 (1.24,4.86)] and age >47 years [OR,=,1.98 (1.14,3.46)] were significant predictors for infection. Conclusions A higher risk of latent infection can be demonstrated in well-defined groups of HCWs. Am. J. Ind. Med. 52:297,303, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Universal versus Economically Polarized Change in Age at First Birth: A French,British ComparisonPOPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW, Issue 1 2009Michael S. Rendall France and Britain in the 1980s and 1990s represented two contrasting institutional models for the integration of employment and motherhood: the "universalistic" regime in France offered subsidized childcare and maternity-leave benefits at all income levels; the "means-tested" regime in Britain mainly offered income-tested benefits for single mothers. Comparing the two countries, we test the hypothesis that the socioeconomic gradient of fertility timing has become increasingly mediated by family policy. We find increasing polarization in women's age at first birth by pre-childbearing occupation in Britain but not in France. Early first births persisted in Britain only among women in low-skill occupations, while shifts toward increasingly late first births occurred in clerical/secretarial occupations and higher occupational groups. Age at first birth increased across all occupations in France, but age at first birth in France was still much earlier on average than for all but low-skill British mothers. [source] New technologies, organisation and age: firm-level evidence,THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL, Issue 509 2006Patrick Aubert We investigate the relationships between new technologies, innovative workplace practices and the age structure of the workforce in a sample of French firms. We find evidence that the wage-bill share of older workers is lower in innovative firms and that the opposite holds for younger workers. This age bias affects both men and women. It is also evidenced within occupational groups. More detailed analysis of employment inflows and outflows shows that new technologies essentially affect older workers through reduced hiring opportunities. In contrast, organisational innovations mainly affect their probability of exit, which decreases much less than for younger workers following reorganisation. [source] Prevalence and impact of musculoskeletal disorders in New Zealand nurses, postal workers and office workersAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 5 2009Helen Harcombe Abstract Objectives: To describe the prevalence, characteristics and impact of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in New Zealand nurses, postal workers and office workers. Methods: A postal survey asked participants about MSDs, (low back, neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist/hand or knee pain lasting longer than one day), and demographic, physical and psychosocial factors. Nurses were randomly selected from the Nursing Council database, postal workers from their employer's database and office workers from the 2005 electoral roll. Results: The response rate of potentially eligible participants was 58% (n=443). Participants were aged 20,59 years; 86% were female. Over the 12 months prior to the survey 88% of respondents had at least one MSD lasting longer than a day and 72% reported an MSD present for at least seven days. Of the 1,003 MSDs reported, 18% required time off work and 24% required modified work duties. In the month prior to the survey 17% of MSDs made functional tasks difficult or impossible. Low back, neck and shoulder pain prevalence did not differ by occupation. Postal workers had the highest prevalence of elbow and wrist/hand pain; nurses of knee pain. Conclusions: The high prevalence of MSDs among these workers indicates that they are indeed in ,at risk' occupations. In each occupational group MSDs encompass a range of anatomical sites, however the overall pattern of MSDs differs by occupation. MSDs have a significant impact on activities at work and home. Implications: Primary and secondary prevention strategies should encompass a range of anatomical sites and specifically target different occupational groups. [source] Job characteristics and the subjective oral health of Australian workersAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 3 2004Anne E. Sanders Objectives: To examine the associations between hours worked, job security, skill maintenance and work and home interference and subjective oral health; and to compare findings for different occupational groups. Methods: Data were collected in 1999 from a random stratified sample of households in all Australian States and Territories using a telephone interview and a questionnaire survey. Subjective oral health was evaluated with the short form Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14), which assesses the adverse impact of oral conditions on quality of life. Results: Data were obtained for 2,347 dentate adults in the workforce. In the 12 months preceding the survey, 51.9% had experienced oral pain and 31.0% reported psychological discomfort from dental problems. Males, young adults, Australian-born workers, and those in upper-white collar occupations reported lower mean OHIP-14 scores (ANOVA p<0.001). Having controlled for the effects sex, age, country of birth and socio-economic factors in a linear multiple regression analysis, hours worked, skill maintenance and work and home interference were significantly associated with OHIP-14 scores for all workers. While part-time work was associated with higher OHIP-14 among upper white-collar workers, working >40 hours a week was associated with higher OHIP-14 scores for other workers. Conclusions: Aspects of the work environment are associated with the subjective oral health of workers. Because these contexts are subject to only limited control by individual workers, their influence is a public health issue. [source] Profession: A Useful Concept for Sociological Analysis?CANADIAN REVIEW OF SOCIOLOGY/REVUE CANADIENNE DE SOCIOLOGIE, Issue 1 2010TRACEY L. ADAMS Il a toujours été problématique de conceptualiser les professions puisque les caractéristiques professionnelles varient beaucoup dans le temps et dans l'espace. Cet article analyse les façons selon lesquelles les professions et les occupations ont été délimitées historiquement dans la législation. Un regard sur la réglementation professionnelle de cinq provinces canadiennes antérieure à 1961 dénombre environ 36 groupes professionnels distincts. L'auteure croit qu'une meilleure compréhension s'appuyant sur la recherche empirique de ce qu'étaient les professions par le passé aidera à conceptualiser et à faire avancer la recherche actuelle sur les professions. Particulièrement importantes sont les considérations sur la qualité de même que sur la structure des relations d'emploi avec les autres groupes professionnels, le public et l'État. Conceptualizing professions has traditionally been problematic because professional characteristics vary across time and place. This paper explores the ways in which professions and occupations were historically demarcated through legislation. A look at professional regulation in five Canadian provinces before 1961 reveals approximately 36 distinct professional groups. I argue that developing a more accurate, empirically based understanding of what professions were in the past will help us conceptualize and advance research on professions in the present. Particularly salient are considerations of status, as well as the structuring of occupations' relations with other occupational groups, the public, and the state. [source] Danger,early maladaptive schemas at work!: the role of early maladaptive schemas in career choice and the development of occupational stress in health workersCLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOTHERAPY (AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THEORY & PRACTICE), Issue 2 2008Martin Bamber The schema-focused model of occupational stress and work dysfunctions (Bamber & Price, 2006; Bamber, 2006) hypothesizes that individuals with EMS (unconsciously) gravitate toward occupations with similar dynamics and structures to the toxic early environments and relationships that created them. They subsequently re-enact these EMS and their associated maladaptive coping styles in the workplace. For most individuals, this results in ,schema healing', but for some individuals with more rigid and severe EMS, schema healing is not achieved and the structures and relationships of the workplace, together with the utilization of maladaptive coping styles, serve to perpetuate their EMS. The model hypothesizes that it is these individuals who are most vulnerable to developing occupational stress syndromes To date, this model has been subjected to very little empirical investigation, so the main aim of this study was to address this gap in the literature by testing out some of its main assumptions and to provide empirical data, which would either support or reject the model using a population of health workers. Specifically, it was hypothesized that ,occupation-specific' EMS would be found in health workers from a range of different healthcare professions. It was also hypothesized that the presence of higher levels of EMS would be predictive of raised levels of occupational stress, psychiatric caseness and increased sickness absence in those individuals. A cross-sectional study design was employed and a total of 249 staff working within a NHS Trust, belonging to one of five occupational groups (medical doctors, nurses, clinical psychologists, IT staff and managers), participated in the study. All participants completed the Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form (Young, 1998); the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Form (Maslach & Jackson, 1981), and the General Health Questionnaire-28-item version (Goldberg, 1978). A demographic questionnaire and sickness absence data was also collected. The results of a between groups analysis of variance and further post hoc statistical analyses identified a number of occupation specific EMS. Also, the results of a series of multiple linear regression analyses indicated the presence of some EMS to be predictive of higher levels of burnout, psychiatric caseness and sickness absence in health workers. In conclusion, the findings of this study provide empirical support for the schema-focused model of occupational stress and work dysfunctions (Bamber & Price, 2006; Bamber, 2006), and it appears that the existence of underlying EMS may constitute a predisposing vulnerability factor to developing occupational stress.,Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||