Long shifts lead to nurse burnout and dissatisfied patients
November 6, 2012
Science Daily/University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
Extended work shifts of twelve hours or longer are common and popular among hospital staff nurses, but a new study reports that nurses working longer shifts were more likely to experience burnout, job dissatisfaction, and patients were more dissatisfied with their care.
In the first study to examine the relationship between nurse shift length and patients' assessment of care, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing report that nurses working shifts of ten hours or longer were up to two and a half times more likely than nurses working shorter shifts to experience burnout and job dissatisfaction. Furthermore, seven out of ten patient outcomes were significantly and adversely affected by the longest shifts.
"Traditional eight-hour shifts for hospital nurses are becoming a thing of the past. Bedside nurses increasingly work twelve-hour shifts. This schedule gives nurses a three-day work week, potentially providing better work-life balance and flexibility," said Amy Witkoski Stimpfel, PhD, RN, a post-doctoral fellow at the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research at Penn Nursing. "When long shifts are combined with overtime, shifts that rotate between day and night duty, and consecutive shifts, nurses are at risk for fatigue and burnout, which may compromise patient care."
This study took place in California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Florida, which represents approximately 25 percent of the United States population and 20 percent of annual US hospitalizations. Nearly 23,000 registered nurses took part in the study over a three-year period.
Sixty-five percent of nurses worked shifts of 12-13 hours, the percentages of nurses reporting burnout and intention to leave their job increased incrementally as shift length increased, wrote Dr. Witkoski Stimpfel and Penn Nursing co-authors Linda Aiken, PhD, RN, FAAN and Douglas Sloane, PhD, in the November issue of the policy journal Health Affairs.
In hospitals which had higher proportions of nurses working longer shifts, higher percentages of patients reported that nurses sometimes or never communicated well, pain was sometimes or never well controlled, and they sometimes or never received help as soon as they wanted.
Dr. Witkoski Stimpfel and co-authors recommend restricting the number of consecutive hours worked, that state boards of nursing consider whether restrictions on nurse shift length and voluntary overtime are advisable, and nurse management should monitor nurses' hours worked, including second jobs.
"Nursing leadership should also encourage a workplace culture that respects nurses' days off and vacation time, promotes nurse's prompt departure at the end of a scheduled shift, and allows nurses to refuse to work overtime without retribution," noted Dr. Witkoski Stimpfel. "These types of policies that facilitate manageable work hours can contribute to the development of a healthier nursing workforce, prepared to manage the complex care needs of patients and their families."
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121106114046.htm
Shifting the Safety Balance for Overnight Workers
December 3, 2012
Science Daily/Monash University
An international team of sleep researchers has developed the world's first screening tool to help reduce workplace accidents and illnesses, including cardiovascular disease and cancer, caused by shift work.
At least 15 per cent of workers in Australia, the US, and the United Kingdom, and around 23 per cent of workers in Japan are estimated to work outside normal hours, causing significant disruption to their natural sleep-wake schedules. SWD, characterized by extreme sleepiness and/or insomnia, is thought to affect around 10 per cent of shift workers.
"Aside from associated health problems, shift workers are significantly more at risk of workplace injuries. The workers most affected by sleep disruption -- those with SWD -- account for a significant proportion of this risk and need to be identified."
Shift work, especially overnight, is associated with a higher rate of car crashes, industrial accidents, actual and near-miss injuries and quality-control errors on the job. Secondary health problems linked with shift work include cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, gastrointestinal diseases and mood disorders, including depression.
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121203093802.htm
Workplace bullying ups risk of prescriptions for anxiety, depression, insomnia
December 12, 2012
Science Daily/BMJ-British Medical Journal
Witnessing or being on the receiving end of bullying at work heightens the risk of employees being prescribed antidepressants, sleeping pills, and tranquillisers, new research finds.
Workplace bullying is linked to poorer mental health among employees, but it is not clear if that translates into a greater need for drug treatment, and if the impact is similar for those witnessing bullying and those who find themselves on the receiving end of it.
The researchers asked 6606 public service employees working for the City of Helsinki in Finland -- the largest employer in the country with 200 venues -- about their experiences of workplace bullying, both personal and witnessed, between 2000 and 2002.
National registry data on purchases of prescribed "psychoactive" drugs -- antidepressants, sedatives, tranquillisers, and sleeping pills -- were tracked for three years before the survey and for five years afterwards.
All participants were aged between 40 and 60, and were part of the Helsinki Health Study.
One in 20 employees said they were currently being bullied. A further one in five (18%) women and around one in eight men (12%) said they had been bullied before, either in the same job or in a previous job with another employer.
Around half the respondents said that they had witnessed bullying in the workplace at least occasionally, while around one in 10 said they had witnessed it often.
The findings showed that workplace bullying was associated with subsequent prescriptions for psychoactive drugs in both men and women.
Women were around 50% more likely to have a prescription for these drugs while men were around twice as likely to do so if they had been bullied at work.
And witnessing workplace bullying had a similar impact. Women were 53% more likely to be prescribed a psychoactive drug, while men were almost twice as likely to receive a prescription of this kind.
The associations remained after taking account of factors likely to influence the results, including previous medication for mental health issues, childhood bullying, social class and weight.
Between one in 10 and one in seven people claim to have been bullied at work in Finland, say the authors, who conclude: "Workplace bullying needs to be tackled proactively in an effective way to prevent its adverse consequences for mental health."
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121212205727.htm
Pilot Fatigue Is Threat to Safety
January 3, 2013
Science Daily/University of Leicester
This year the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) will agree new flight-time limitations (FTLs) for pilots. Many consider EASA's proposal to relax FTLs a threat to safety.
Britain's FTLs are amongst the most stringent. Nevertheless, research published by Dr Simon Bennett of the University of Leicester's Civil Safety and Security Unit in the Institute of Lifelong Learning shows that pilots can find themselves flying an aircraft many hours after waking. Over 20% of Dr Bennett's respondents said that by the time they completed their shift they had been awake for 28 hours or more.
Dr Bennett said, "Research proves that judgment is seriously impaired after eighteen hours of wakefulness. How well do you think you could drive after being awake for eighteen hours?
"FTLs take no account of the pilot lifestyle. No account is taken of prior wakefulness, the duration and quality of sleep or commuting. FTLs are dissociated from the realities of life -- despite the fact that those realities affect performance. Nearly 50% of respondents took over 60 minutes to commute to work."
FTLs stand apart from what Dr Bennett calls 'lived reality'. He adds, "Regulators (and lawmakers) take no interest in the world beyond the crew room and flight-deck. When pressed they retort, 'We have no knowledge of any rule violations'. Violations are not the issue. The issue is the fidelity of FTLs. Those who represent the industry remain aloof. 'Flying time is a matter for the UK Authorities and it is up to them to specify the measures which are appropriate' says the British Air Transport Association.
"The aviation industry is volatile. In debt due to training fees, novice pilots struggle to make ends meet. Properties in airport catchments are expensive. Hard-up pilots find themselves commuting long distances. Long commutes add to the fatigue generated by flying multiple trips through congested airspace. The new regulations must take account of the fatigue-inducing aspects of life beyond the airport perimeter.
"Regulations made without reference to scientific knowledge or social context are dangerous. EASA's proposed FTLs take little account of the latest sleep research and no account of the pilot lifestyle as described in my own research. Passenger safety is threatened. Those who work at the coal-face of aviation deserve better."
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130103073242.htm
How Unconscious Processing Improves Decision-Making
February 13, 2013
Science Daily/Carnegie Mellon University
When faced with a difficult decision, it is often suggested to "sleep on it" or take a break from thinking about the decision in order to gain clarity.
http://images.sciencedaily.com/2013/02/130213092305-large.jpg
But new brain imaging research from Carnegie Mellon University, published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, finds that the brain regions responsible for making decisions continue to be active even when the conscious brain is distracted with a different task. The research provides some of the first evidence showing how the brain unconsciously processes decision information in ways that lead to improved decision-making.
"This research begins to chip away at the mystery of our unconscious brains and decision-making," said J. David Creswell, assistant professor of psychology in CMU's Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences and director of the Health and Human Performance Laboratory. "It shows that brain regions important for decision-making remain active even while our brains may be simultaneously engaged in unrelated tasks, such as thinking about a math problem. What's most intriguing about this finding is that participants did not have any awareness that their brains were still working on the decision problem while they were engaged in an unrelated task."
The results included three main findings. First, the team confirmed previous research demonstrating that a brief period of distraction -- in this case two minutes -- produced higher quality decisions about the cars and other items. But did this effect occur because the distraction period provided an opportunity for the brain to take a break from decision-making and then return to the problem with a fresh look? Or alternatively, does the brain continue to unconsciously process decision information during this distraction period? This research supports the latter unconscious processing explanation.
When the participants were initially learning information about the cars and other items, the neuroimaging results showed activation in the visual and prefrontal cortices, regions that are known to be responsible for learning and decision-making. Additionally, during the distractor task, both the visual and prefrontal cortices continued to be active -- or reactivated -- even though the brain was consciously focused on number memorization.
Third, the results showed that the amount of reactivation within the visual and prefrontal cortices during the distractor task predicted the degree to which participants made better decisions, such as picking the best car in the set.
"We all face difficult problems we need to solve on a regular basis," Creswell said. "Whether it's buying a new car, finding a new apartment to rent, or seeking out a new dating partner on social networking sites. This study provides some of the first clues for how our brains process this information for effective problem-solving and decision-making."
Bursley (DC'12), who joined CMU's Health and Human Performance Laboratory as a freshman, spent his undergraduate career working on this research and related studies. To support his work, he received a Small Undergraduate Research Grant (SURG) and Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF). Bursley also received a Rothberg Research Award in Human Brain Imaging, made possible by Carnegie Mellon alumnus and trustee Jonathan M. Rothberg (E'85), founder of four genetics companies aimed at improving human health.
"Carnegie Mellon was the perfect place to carry out this work because there's a significant focus here on pursuing new directions in mind-brain research," Bursley said. "This study is really a starting point. We also are using brain imaging to see if we find the same reactivation patterns in learning tasks that we saw here in decision-making.
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130213092305.htm
Job burnout can severely compromise heart health
March 12, 2013
Science Daily/American Friends of Tel Aviv University
Dr. Sharon Toker of Tel Aviv University has found a link between job burnout and coronary heart disease (CHD), the buildup of plaque in the coronary arteries that leads to angina and heart attacks. She says that her findings were more extreme than she expected and make burnout a stronger predictor of CHD than many other risk factors.
Americans work longer hours, take fewer vacation days, and retire later than employees in other industrialized countries around the globe. With such demanding careers, it's no surprise that many experience job burnout -- physical, cognitive, and emotional exhaustion that results from stress at work. Researchers have found that burnout is also associated with obesity, insomnia, and anxiety.
Now Dr. Sharon Toker of Tel Aviv University's Faculty of Management and her fellow researchers -- Profs. Samuel Melamed, Shlomo Berliner, David Zeltser and Itzhak Shpira of TAU's Sackler Faculty of Medicine -- have found a link between job burnout and coronary heart disease (CHD), the buildup of plaque in the coronary arteries that leads to angina or heart attacks.
Those who were identified as being in the top 20 percent of the burnout scale were found to have a 79 percent increased risk of coronary disease, the researchers reported in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine. Calling the results "alarming," Dr. Toker says that these findings were more extreme than the researchers had expected -- and make burnout a stronger predictor of CHD than many other classical risk factors, including smoking, blood lipid levels, and physical activity.
Taking a toll on the heart
Some of the factors that contribute to burnout are common experiences in the workplace, including high stress, heavy workload, a lack of control over job situations, a lack of emotional support, and long work hours. This leads to physical wear and tear, which will eventually weaken the body.
Knowing that burnout has been associated with other cardiovascular risk factors, such as heightened amounts of cholesterol or fat in the bloodstream, the researchers hypothesized that it could also be a risk factor for coronary heart disease. Over the course of the study, a total of 8,838 apparently healthy employed men and women between the ages of 19 and 67 who presented for routine health examinations were followed for an average of 3.4 years. Each participant was measured for burnout levels and examined for signs of CHD. The researchers controlled for typical risk factors for the disease, such as sex, age, family history of heart disease, and smoking.
During the follow-up period, 93 new cases of CHD were identified. Burnout was associated with a 40% increased risk of developing CHD. But the 20% of participants with the highest burnout scores had a 79% increased risk. Dr. Toker predicts that with a more extended follow-up period, the results would be even more dramatic.
Avoiding long-term damage
These results are valuable for preventative medicine, says Dr. Toker. Healthcare providers who know that their patients are experiencing burnout can closely monitor for signs of coronary heart disease as well.
Once burnout begins to develop, it sparks a downwards spiral and ultimately becomes a chronic condition, she warns. Employers need to prioritize prevention by promoting healthy and supportive work environments and keeping watch for early warning signs of the condition. Simple diagnostic questionnaires that identify burnout are already available online. Workers can contribute to prevention by making healthy lifestyle choices, such as exercising more regularly, getting seven to eight hours sleep per night, and seeking psychological therapy if required.
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130312134906.htm
Reframing Stress: Stage Fright Can Be Your Friend
April 8, 2013
Science Daily/University of Rochester
Fear of public speaking tops death and spiders as the nation's number one phobia. But new research shows that learning to rethink the way we view our shaky hands, pounding heart, and sweaty palms can help people perform better both mentally and physically.
For many people, especially those suffering from social anxiety disorder, the natural uneasiness experienced before giving a speech can quickly tip over into panic. "If we think we can't cope with stress, we will experience threat. When threatened, the body enacts changes to concentrate blood in the core and restricts flow to the arms, legs, and brain," he explains. So, "cold feet" is a real physiological response to threat, not just a colorful expression.
In the study, 69 adults were asked to give a five-minute talk about their strengths and weaknesses with only three minutes to prepare. Roughly half of the participants had a history of social anxiety and all participants were randomly assigned to two groups. The first group was presented information about the advantages of the body's stress response and encouraged to "reinterpret your bodily signals during the upcoming public speaking task as beneficial." That group also was asked to read summaries of three psychology studies that showed the benefits of stress. The second group received no information about reframing stress.
Confronted with scowling judges, participants who received no stress preparation experienced a threat response, as captured by cardiovascular measures. But the group that was prepped about the benefits of stress weathered the trial better. That group reported feeling that they had more resources to cope with the public speaking task and, perhaps more tellingly, their physiological responses confirmed those perceptions. The prepped group pumped more blood through the body per minute compared to the group that did not receive instruction.
Surprisingly, this study also found that individuals who suffer from social anxiety disorder actually experienced no greater increase in physiological arousal while under scrutiny than their non-anxious counterparts, despite reporting more intense feelings of apprehension. This disconnect, argue the authors, supports the theory that our experience of acute or short-term stress is shaped by how we interpret physical cues. "We construct our own emotions," says Jamieson.
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130408133020.htm
Workplace Stress Poses Risk to Health
April 23, 2013
Science Daily/Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen - German Research Centre for Environmental Health
Stressful situations at work can have a negative impact on the cardiovascular system and the metabolism. Stress, which is transmitted by direct and indirect signaling pathways, leads to an inflammatory response in the body, which can trigger cardiovascular diseases, amongst others.
The study is based on a long-term observation of more than 950 people as part of the population-based cohort study MONICA/KORA. The work was conducted by Dr. Rebecca Emeny as part of the Mental Health working group headed by Prof. Karl-Heinz Ladwig, Institute of Epidemiology II (EPI II) at the Helmholtz Zentrum München (HMGU). Data was analyzed from questionnaires on psychological stress at work and concentrations of inflammatory biomarkers in the blood. The results showed that healthy workers who were exposed to stress at work displayed significantly elevated inflammatory parameters and faced twice the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
More than half of the participants in the study stated that they experienced psychological strain and stress at work. Stress is regarded as a cardiovascular risk factor. Its consequences are communicated directly via activated messenger substances as well as indirectly via unhealthy stress-related behavior. In particular, the scientists found a clear association between stress and elevated concentrations of CRP (C-reactive protein), which is an inflammatory marker, and were thus able to demonstrate a stress-related inflammatory reaction in the body. Moreover, job stress led to harmful psychological effects such as depression and sleep disturbances as well as to unhealthy behavior, for example, physical inactivity. Doing sports regularly, for at least one hour per week, significantly reduced inflammatory activity. However, the differences in terms of health risks between people who suffered from work stress and those who did not still remained.
With their analysis, the scientists at HMGU have made a substantial contribution towards a deeper understanding of stress-related responses in the body. "The insights gained from this study form important starting points for finding preventive measures that will protect against stress-related diseases such as coronary heart disease," says Dr. Emeny, first author of the study.
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130423090940.htm
Work-Related Stress Linked to Increased Blood Fat Levels, Cardiovascular Risks
May 16, 2013
Science Daily/Plataforma SINC
Spanish researchers have studied how job stress affects cardiovascular health. The results, published in the 'Scandinavian Journal of Public Health', link this situation to dyslipidemia, a disorder that alters the levels of lipids and lipoproteins in the blood.
Experts have been saying for years that emotional stress is linked to the risk of suffering cardiovascular disease as a result of unhealthy habits such as smoking, an unsuitable diet or leading a sedentary lifestyle, among other factors.
Now, a study conducted by the Sociedad de Prevención de Ibermutuamur, in collaboration with experts from the Virgen de la Victoria Hospital (Malaga) and the Santiago de Compostela University, analyses the relationship between job stress and different parameters associated with how fatty acids are metabolised in the body.
The study, published recently in the Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, was conducted on a sample population of more than 90,000 workers undergoing medical check-ups.
"The workers who stated that they had experienced difficulties in dealing with their job during the previous twelve months (8.7% of the sample) had a higher risk of suffering from dyslipidemia," Carlos Catalina, clinical psychologist and an expert in work-related stress, said.
Dyslipidemia is a lipoproteins' metabolic disorder that can manifest itself in an increase in total cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) and triglyceride levels, in addition to a drop in high-density lipoproteins (HDLs).
Changes in the lipid profile
Specifically, in the study the workers with job stress were more likely to suffer from abnormally high levels of LDL cholesterol (the so-called 'bad' cholesterol), excessively low levels of HDL cholesterol (the 'good' cholesterol) and positive atherogenic indices, i.e. potential artery blockage.
"One of the mechanisms that could explain the relationship between stress and cardiovascular risk could be the changes in our lipid profile, which means higher rates of atheromatous plaque accumulation (lipids deposit) in our arteries," Catalina concluded.
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130516063847.htm
Night Work May Impair Glucose Tolerance
June 3, 2013
Science Daily/American Academy of Sleep Medicine
A new study suggests that night work may impair glucose tolerance, supporting a causal role of night work in the increased risk of Type 2 diabetes among shift workers.
Results show that peak glucose levels were 16 percent higher during one night of simulated shift work, compared with one day of a simulated daytime work schedule. Compared with the daytime protocol, insulin levels during the night shift protocol were 40 to 50 percent higher at 80 minutes and 90 minutes after a meal.
"It is surprising that just a single night shift can significantly impair glucose tolerance and increase insulin levels," said lead author Christopher Morris, PhD, postdoctoral research fellow in the Medical Chronobiology Program of the Division of Sleep Medicine at Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Mass. "These findings are important because they demonstrate, under highly-controlled lab conditions, that acute exposure to night work impairs glucose tolerance. Chronic impaired glucose tolerance is likely to lead to Type 2 diabetes."
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130603114146.htm
Study Links Workplace Daylight Exposure to Sleep, Activity and Quality of Life
June 3, 2013
Science Daily/American Academy of Sleep Medicine
A new study demonstrates a strong relationship between workplace daylight exposure and office workers' sleep, activity and quality of life
Compared to workers in offices without windows, those with windows in the workplace received 173 percent more white light exposure during work hours and slept an average of 46 minutes more per night. There also was a trend for workers in offices with windows to have more physical activity than those without windows. Workers without windows reported poorer scores than their counterparts on quality of life measures related to physical problems and vitality, as well as poorer outcomes on measures of overall sleep quality, sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances and daytime dysfunction.
"The extent to which daylight exposure impacts office workers is remarkable," said study co-author Ivy Cheung, a doctoral candidate in the Interdepartmental Neuroscience program at Northwestern University in Chicago, Ill.
"Day-shift office workers' quality of life and sleep may be improved via emphasis on light exposure and lighting levels in current offices as well as in the design of future offices," said Cheung.
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130603114000.htm
Higher-Activity Jobs Tied to Sleep Extremes
June 3, 2013
Science Daily/Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
A study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has found that people who work in jobs that are more physically demanding tend to be either shorter sleepers (fewer than 6 hours a night) or longer sleepers (longer than 9 hours).
Since previous research has shown that people who report short or long sleep are more likely to have worse health over time, such as weight gain, heart disease and diabetes, the new study suggests that people's jobs may predispose them to unhealthy sleep patterns that could detrimentally affect their health. The findings go against the concept that physical activity in general seems to be healthy, and physical activity tends to be good for sleep.
Penn researchers examined sleep patterns and job classifications of over 17,000 study participants. Job activity was classified as low (mostly sitting or standing), moderate (mostly walking), or high (mostly manual labor). Compared to those in low activity jobs, those working moderate activity jobs, such as postal service employees, were more likely to be short sleepers and long sleepers, and those working high-activity jobs, such as construction workers, were more likely to be short sleepers.
According to the research team, possible explanations for the findings include:
1) the higher demands of the job require longer hours, not allowing for a full night of sleep;
2) job-related stress is keeping people up at night; and
3) the physical demands of the job are causing persons to stay awake.
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130603163622.htm
Workplace and Financial Stress Lead to Poor Health Choices
June 12, 2013
Science Daily/Indiana University
Two studies from the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington highlight the negative impact workplace and financial stress can have on health behaviors. The lead author urges workplace wellness and smoking cessation programs to consider such impacts as the economy sputters along.
"When you look at the entire sample, health behaviors improved during a period that included a major recession," Macy said. "However, those most affected by the recession, those with the most financial strain, were least likely to abstain from smoking, to exercise or to engage in healthy eating behaviors."
A study published online in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research found that men and women who smoked daily reported that their smoking increased when conflict from work affected their home life. Women also reported the inverse: increased smoking when home conflict affected their work.
A second study published in the journal Social Science & Medicine looked at health behaviors practiced by almost 4,000 men and women before and after the recession began in 2008. Health behaviors, such as exercise and attention to nutrition, generally improved as the recession set in -- except for study participants who reported financial struggles.
"There's growing evidence that work-family conflict is related to a range of negative health behaviors, and it's something for workplace wellness programs to take into consideration when they're trying to get employees to engage in healthier behaviors, whether it's physical activity, nutrition or quitting smoking," said Jon Macy, lead author of both studies and assistant professor in the Department of Applied Health Science at the School of Public Health-Bloomington.
The study "The association between work-family conflict and smoking quantity among daily smokers," involved 423 adult Midwesterners who smoked daily. The study is unique because it examined the behavior of smokers; earlier studies tended to examine whether someone smoked, not whether the quantity of smoking fluctuated.
"Wellness programs are becoming increasingly prevalent in the workplace," Macy said. "If a program is going to deal with smoking, given how difficult it is for people to quit, it might be more successful by looking at some of the underlying issues. Our findings suggest that work-home conflict is one area that should be looked at and addressed in cessation counseling."
The study also found that employees who reported more lenient workplace smoking restrictions smoked more.
"It's another intervention that seems to work," Macy said. "We know from lots and lots of research that smoke-free air policies in the workplace result in reduced smoking either in the form of quitting or smoking fewer cigarettes per day."
Participants for both studies were drawn from the IU Smoking Survey, a longitudinal study that began in 1980. The study "Predictors of health behaviors after the economic downturn: a longitudinal study" involved 3,984 men and women ages of 37 to 50.
Overall, health behaviors improved after the recession, which is a finding of some previous studies.
"When you look at the entire sample, health behaviors improved during a period that included a major recession," Macy said. "However, those most affected by the recession, those with the most financial strain, were least likely to abstain from smoking, to exercise or to engage in healthy eating behaviors."
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130612132537.htm
Transformational leadership has positive effects on employee well-being
July 1, 2013
Science Daily/American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
A transformational leadership style -- valued for stimulating innovation and worker performance -- is also associated with increased well-being among employees, a new study finds.
"A transformational leadership style, which conveys a sense of trust and meaningfulness and individually challenges and develops employees, could lead to greater employee well-being," according to the new research by Christine Jacobs of University of Cologne and colleagues.
Workers at six German information and communication technology companies were surveyed regarding their employer's leadership style. A transformational leadership score was based on qualities such as leading by example, making employees feel they are contributing to a common goal, providing intellectual stimulation, and giving positive feedback for good performance. Employees also completed a standard test of psychological well-being.
Based on the results, "Employees perceiving a higher degree of transformational leadership are more likely to experience well-being," the researchers write. The effect of transformational leadership remained significant after accounting for other factors linked to well-being, such as age, education, and job strain.
The findings add to studies from other industries suggesting that a transformational style can favorably affect employee well-being. That's especially important because company leadership and managers can readily learn communication skills used in transformational leadership, such as recognizing the needs of others and resolving conflicts. "Such training programs can be seen as another essential component of workplace health promotion and prevention efforts and therefore should receive wide support," Jacobs and coauthors conclude
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130701100552.htm
Women working shifts are at greater risk of miscarriage, menstrual disruption and subfertility
July 9, 2013
Science Daily/European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology
Shift work, which encourages sleep deprivation and patterns of activity outside the circadian rhythm, has been associated with a greater risk of ill health and loss of well-being in some studies. However, little is known about the effects of shift work on reproductive health and fertility. A new study indicates that working shift patterns is associated with an increased risk of menstrual disruption and subfertility.
Now, a study reported today at the annual meeting of ESHRE, by Dr Linden Stocker from the University of Southampton, UK, indicates that working shift patterns is associated with an increased risk of menstrual disruption and subfertility.
The study is a meta-analysis of all studies on the subject published between 1969 and January 2013. It compares the impact of non-standard working schedules (including night-shift work and mixed-shifts) with that in women not working shifts. The end-points were early reproductive outcome parameters, including menstrual dysregulation, female fertility and miscarriage rates.
The study, which included data on 119,345 women, found that those working shifts (alternating shifts, evenings and nights) had a 33% higher rate of menstrual disruption than those working regular hours (odds ratio 1.22, statistically significant) and an 80% increased rate of subfertility (OR 1.80, statistically significant).
Women who worked only nights did not have a statistically increased risk of menstrual disruption or difficulty conceiving, but they did have an increased rate of miscarriage (OR 1.29), although this increased risk of miscarriage was not observed in women who worked nights as part of a shift pattern.
The investigators describe their findings as "novel," but in keeping with other studies (which found adverse effects in later pregnancy). "If replicated," they said, " our findings have implications for women attempting to become pregnant, as well as for their employers."
On the implications of the study Dr Stocker said: "Whilst we have demonstrated an association between shift work and negative early reproductive outcomes, we have not proven causation. In humans, the long-term effects of altering circadian rhythms are inherently difficult to study. As a proxy measure, the sleep disruption demonstrated by the shift workers in our study creates short- and long-term biological disturbances. Shift workers adopt poor sleep hygiene, suffer sleep deprivation and develop activity levels that are out-of-sync with their body clock.
"However, if our results are confirmed by other studies, there may be implications for shift workers and their reproductive plans. More friendly shift patterns with less impact on circadian rhythm could be adopted where practical -- although the optimal shift pattern required to maximise reproductive potential is yet to be established."
In noting that only some reproductive outcomes were affected by shift work, Dr Stocker reported that the underlying biological disturbances involved in reproductive difficulties "are complex and not the same across all the disease processes." "Indeed," she said, "it is probable that completely different causes underlie menstrual dysfunction, miscarriage and subfertility.
This may explain why the effects of different types of shift work are seen in some groups of women, but not others."
She added that one possible explanation for the overall findings is that the disruption of circadian rhythm can influence the biological function of "clock genes," which have been shown to be associated with changes in biological functions.
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130709094711.htm
Playing video games can boost brain power
August 21, 2013
Science Daily/Queen Mary, University of London
Certain types of video games can help to train the brain to become more agile and improve strategic thinking, according to scientists.
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Dr Brian Glass from Queen Mary's School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, said: "Previous research has demonstrated that action video games, such as Halo, can speed up decision making but the current work finds that real-time strategy games can promote our ability to think on the fly and learn from past mistakes."
"Our paper shows that cognitive flexibility, a cornerstone of human intelligence, is not a static trait but can be trained and improved using fun learning tools like gaming." Professor Brad Love from UCL, said: "Cognitive flexibility varies across people and at different ages. For example, a fictional character like Sherlock Holmes has the ability to simultaneously engage in multiple aspects of thought and mentally shift in response to changing goals and environmental conditions."
"Creative problem solving and 'thinking outside the box' require cognitive flexibility. Perhaps in contrast to the repetitive nature of work in past centuries, the modern knowledge economy places a premium on cognitive flexibility."
Dr Glass added: "The volunteers who played the most complex version of the video game performed the best in the post-game psychological tests. We need to understand now what exactly about these games is leading to these changes, and whether these cognitive boosts are permanent or if they dwindle over time. Once we have that understanding, it could become possible to develop clinical interventions for symptoms related to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or traumatic brain injuries, for example."
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130821094924.htm
Higher Emotional Intelligence Leads to Better Decision-Making
November 19, 2013
Science Daily/University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management
The anxiety people feel making investment decisions may have more to do with the traffic they dealt with earlier than the potential consequences they face with the investment, but not if the decision-maker has high emotional intelligence a recent study published in Psychological Science suggests.
"People often make decisions that are influenced by emotions that have nothing to do with the decisions they are making," says Stéphane Côté, a professor at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management, who co-wrote the study with lead researcher Jeremy Yip of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. "Research has found that we fall prey to this all the time.
"People are driving and it's frustrating," says Prof. Côté. "They get to work and the emotions they felt in their car influences what they do in their offices. Or they invest money based on emotions that stem from things unrelated to their investments. But our investigation reveals that if they have emotional intelligence, they are protected from these biases."
The study's first experiment showed that participants with lower levels of emotional understanding allowed anxiety unrelated to decisions they were making concerning risk influence these.
A separate experiment involving the willingness to sign up for a flu clinic found that people with lower levels of emotional intelligence can also block unrelated emotions from influencing their decisions about risk, simply by making them aware that their anxiety was not related to the decisions at hand.
"The findings suggest that an emotionally intelligent approach to making decisions is if you're feeling anxious because of something unrelated to the decisions, to not make the decisions right away," suggests Prof. Côté.
The findings likely apply not only to negative emotions a person may experience but positive ones too, such as excitement. And far from suggesting people should try to rid themselves of all emotional influence in their decision-making, the paper points out that learning to pay attention only to those feelings that are relevant to the decisions being made is what counts.
"People who are emotionally intelligent don't remove all emotions from their decision-making," says Prof. Côté. "They remove emotions that have nothing to do with the decision."
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131119153027.htm
Mindfulness in the Workplace
December 17, 2013
Science Daily/University of California, San Diego Health Sciences
The UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness has launched a WorkLife Integration Program for companies that would like to help their employees reduce stress, increase focus and improve productivity. The convenient in-house training program is designed for companies of all sizes and for employees of all organizational levels. Program options include lunch-and-learn presentations, introductory mindfulness training workshops, the flagship 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction experience and programs customized to specific organizational goals.
"Stress is widely acknowledged as a drain on the bottom-line of workplaces of all kinds. The WorkLife Integration Program offers employers a solution that can be brought right into the work environment," said Steven D. Hickman, PsyD, executive director of the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. "The program helps shape a positive, better workplace culture through mindful awareness and practice. Tangible results include improved health, reduced absenteeism, and facilitating the expansion of mindful leadership."
The mission of the WorkLife Integration Program is to provide tools for employees who want to develop a healthier relationship with stress, one that allows them to control their response to stress, and not let stress control them. Additional benefits may include improved working memory and concentration and anxiety reduction.
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131217155225.htm
Getting Excited Helps With Performance Anxiety More Than Trying to Calm Down
December 23, 2013
Science Daily/American Psychological Association
People who tell themselves to get excited rather than trying to relax can improve their performance during anxiety-inducing activities such as public speaking and math tests, according to a study published by the American Psychological Association.
"Anxiety is incredibly pervasive. People have a very strong intuition that trying to calm down is the best way to cope with their anxiety, but that can be very difficult and ineffective," said study author Alison Wood Brooks, PhD, of Harvard Business School. "When people feel anxious and try to calm down, they are thinking about all the things that could go badly. When they are excited, they are thinking about how things could go well."
Since both anxiety and excitement are emotional states characterized by high arousal, it may be easier to view anxiety as excitement rather than trying to calm down to combat performance anxiety, Brooks said.
Participants who said they were excited scored an average of 80 percent on the song based on their pitch, rhythm and volume as measured by the video game's rating system. Those who said they were calm, angry or sad scored an average of 69 percent, compared to 53 percent for those who said they were anxious. Participants who said they were excited also reported feeling more excited and confident in their singing ability.
"When you feel anxious, you're ruminating too much and focusing on potential threats," she said. "In those circumstances, people should try to focus on the potential opportunities. It really does pay to be positive, and people should say they are excited. Even if they don't believe it at first, saying 'I'm excited' out loud increases authentic feelings of excitement."
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131223083917.htm
Fatigued nurses more likely to regret their clinical decisions
January 2, 2014
Science Daily/American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN)
Nurses impaired by fatigue, loss of sleep, daytime sleepiness and an inability to recover between shifts are more likely to express concern that they made a wrong decision about a patient’s care, according to a study.
"Association of Sleep and Fatigue With Decision Regret Among Critical Care Nurses" found that nurses impaired by fatigue, loss of sleep, daytime sleepiness and an inability to recover between shifts are more likely than well-rested nurses to report decision regret.
Decision regret is a negative cognitive emotion that occurs when an actual outcome differs from the desired or expected outcome. For nurses, it reflects concerns that the wrong decision may have been made regarding patient care.
Although decision regret reflects previous decisions and adverse outcomes, it may also contribute to work-related stress and compromise patient safety in the future.
This link between nurse fatigue and decision regret adds to the body of evidence that supports the need for appropriate staffing to ensure the use of fatigue management strategies to promote both patient safety and a healthy work environment.
Lead author Linda D. Scott, RN, PhD, NEA-BC, FAAN, is associate dean for academic affairs and an associate professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing. Cynthia Arslanian-Engoren, RN, PhD, ACNS-BC, FAHA, FAAN, and Milo C. Engoren, MD, FCCM, from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, served as co-authors.
"Registered nurses play a pivotal role as members of the healthcare team, but fatigued and sleep-deprived critical care nurses put their patients and themselves at serious risk," Scott said. "Proactive intervention is required to ensure that critical care nurses are fit for duty and can make decisions that are critical for patients' safety."
Critical care nurses and their employers must acknowledge the effect of fatigue, sleep deprivation and excessive daytime sleepiness on clinical performance and patient outcomes and must engage in strategies to mitigate these impairments.
Healthcare employers should implement scheduling models that maximize management of fatigue, ensure that support resources for clinical decisions are available and encourage the use of relief staff to provide completely relieved work breaks and strategically planned nap times.
"By working together to manage fatigue, critical care nurses and employers can ensure patients receive care from alert, vigilant and safe employees," Scott said. For the study, more than 600 nurses working full-time in critical care units completed a questionnaire on personal and work-related data, sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, sleep quantity, clinical-decision self-efficacy and decision regret.
Most respondents reported moderately high fatigue, significant sleep deprivation and daytime sleepiness, all of which affect their ability to be alert, vigilant and safe. Furthermore, the nurses were not likely to sufficiently recover from their fatigue-related states during non-work periods.
Decision regret was most common among nurses who are male, work 12-hour shifts and have lower levels of satisfaction with their clinical decisions.
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140102112043.htm