Occupational Health Psychology Quiz 1

Karasek Job Demands-Resource model

• When job demands are high (challenging & stimulating) and you have a lto fo control → motivating, positive energy, good stress → active learning • Job demands are high & no control → high strain >> risk of psychological strain & physical illness & burnout (exhaustion of resources to cope with stress and work effectively)

Stress-related psychosocial hazards

• Work Content: o Job content - monotonous, under-stimulating, meaningless, lack of variety, unpleasant tasks o Work load and work pace - too much or too little, time pressures o Working hours - strict & inflexible schedules, long & unsocial hours, unpredictable working hours, badly designed shift system • Work Context: o Career development, status and play • Job insecurity • Lack of promotion practices • Under promotion or over promotion • Work of low social value • Unclear or unfair performance evaluation systems • Being overskilled or underskilled for the job o Role in organization • Unclear role - role ambiguity • Conflicting roles - role conflict • Responsibility for people (unclear) o Interpersonal relationships - unsupportive, inadequate supervision, poor relationships with coworkers, bullying, isolated work o Organizational culture - poor communication, leadership, lack of clarity about organizational objectives & structure o Home-work interface: conflicting work-home demands, lack of support for domestic problems at work or work problems at home

Three components of workplace psychological health

1. Mental 2. Emotional 3. Physical

3 Job Strain Types & Examples

1. Psychological - anxiety, fear, resentment, depression, decrease in job satisfaction, feeling tired or irritable 2. Physical - higher cortisol levels, high BP, heart disease, headaches, 3. Behavioral - Eg. Skipping work/more absenteeism, decreased productivity, higher turnover rate, insomnia (can't sleep)

The PATH Model - 5 categories of healthy workplace practices

1. Work-life balance 2. Employee growth & development 3. Health & safety 4. Recognition 5. Employee involvement The 5 outcomes lead to employee wellbeing & organizational improvement

Organizational strategies to managing worker stress and improve wellness

= Organizational factors that cause stress are controlled by management • Better employee selection & job placement • Training - continuously done → increases self-efficacy • Realistic goal setting - reduce stress & provide motivation; greater control over job • Redesign of job - to help employee gain responsibility, meaningfulness, autonomy & need more feedback • Increase employee involvement - greater voice in decisions • Improved organizational communication - formal/informal organizational communication to reduce role ambiguity and conflict • Employee sabbaticals • Corporate wellness programs - Eg. exercise, improved diet, smoking cessation, employee assistance programs, immunizations to prevent infection → improve physical & mental condition of workers

Individual approaches to managing stress and improving employee wellness

= Personal responsibility of employee to reduce stress • Time management techniques • Increased physical exercise • Relaxation training • Expanded social support networks

Eustress

Challenge stressors = motivating & positively impact job performance o Less evidence of relationship between eustress & health o "Savor" eustress

Distress

Hindrance stressor = demotivating and negatively impact job performance o Substantial evidence of link between distress & bad health outcomes o "Cope" with distress

Stress

Our physiological and psychological RESPONSE to situations that THREATEN or challenge us and that requires some kind of adjustment or coping mechanism

Emotion-focused coping

Response aimed at reducing the EMOTIONAL IMPACT of the stressor - Eg. Denial, religious faith, wishful thinking, humor, reducing importance of a course/exam

Problem-focused coping

Response aimed at reducing, modifying or eliminating SOURCE of stress - eg. do homework, reduce work hours if grades are low

Occupational health psychology

The application of psychology to improve the quality of work life, and to protect and promote the safety, health and well-being of workers; involves interdisciplinary partnerships of psychology and occupational health science professionals

Stressor

aka. Demands; physical or psychological stimuli to which the individual responds; usually negative

Health promotion

individual-level intervention to equip workers with knowledge & resources to improve their health and resist hazards in work

5 categories and example of job stressors

o Workplace policies - promotion, discrimination, benefits, downsizing o Physical demands - temperature, indoor climate, air quality, noise, office design o Role demands - role conflict, role ambiguity, work-home balance o Interpersonal demands - diversity, leadership, trust, status o Job conditions - routine jobs, work overload, wages, sexual harassment, job security

Job Stressor Examples

role ambiguity, role conflict, workload, social stressors, organizational politics, and control

Job stressor

stimuli in the work environment that can cause a stress response

Job strain

the outcome of high demands and low decision latitude that leads to negative health outcomes

Health prevention/protection

work environment interventions to reduce worker exposures to workplace hazards

The role of the American Psychological Association and the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in creating a new field and a new membership society (SOHP)

• 1990: NIOSH researchers present a national strategy to protect & promote psychology wellbeing of workers • 1990: NIOSH and APA launched biennial series of conference on work and wellbeing; host major international conferences on these topics • 1993: NIOSH & APA enter into cooperative agreement to fund postdoc & grad-level training in OHP • 1996: Journal of OHP created • 2005: SOHP established = first organization in US devoted to OHP

Demographic characteristics that may influence stress

• Age - as age increase, stress decreases, esp. with biological effects • Gender - Not much difference in cases of getting stress but source of stress: women heavily report household type, life/children/work-family balance as major source • Race/ethnicity - not much difference in perception & amount of stress • Marital status - less stress, better mental health outcomes with married people • Tenure - less stress with more tenure; good predictor of low absenteeism and high satisfaction

Relationship between perceived control and job stress

• As perceived control over job increases, job stress decreases • Negative relationship between 2 variables

Physiological reactions to acute stressors

• Fight or flight • HR increase - heart pumps faster & more force • BP increase abruptly • Lungs send more O2 to muscles - breathing rate increase • Faster blood clotting • Blood sugar levels increase • Pupils widen • Release of endorphins (decrease pain sensitivity), adrenaline & cortisol • Subconscious & involuntary reactions!

Hans Selye's G.A.S. model

• General Adaptation Syndrome • Stressor (demand on body) → GAS: 3 stages • 1. Alarm: recognize stressor • 2. Resistance: body resists alarm to bring back to homeostasis via problem solving or cognitively/emotionally change • 3. Exhaustion: when repeatedly faced with threat & resistance fails → burn out • → Outcome: Healthy adaptation or illness

Quick's definition of a healthy organization

• High productivity • High employee satisfaction • Good safety records • Few disability claims & union grievances • Absence of violence

Research methods - various levels of research we could investigate (individual level, organizational level, community level)

• Individual level: o Examine the antecedents: sex, age, SES, health, education, personality o Outcome: self-efficacy, behavior change, mental health, physical health, attitudes • Organizational level: o Antecedent: Incentives, culture, policy, marking & communications, managerial support o Outcome: Healthcare costs, job performance, workers' compensation costs, absenteeism, turnover • Community level: o Antecedent: signs, food options, gym, walking trails, bike route access o Outcome: community attitudes, public policy, family health, community health, local health care costs

The Public Health Model

• Intervention levels depend on what the problem risk is • Primary: people are not currently at risk; not targeted at any one individual or group - public health awareness - Eg. Policy, PBS commercial, general health flyers, vaccines • Secondary: People who are at risk or already have the problem - screenings, BP testing, meetings for at-risk populations • Tertiary: Intervention for people with health problem; specific targeting to a group or individual - Eg. Needle disposal program, Narcan, Medication

NIOSH Total Worker Health initiative

• Launched in 2011 • Plans, policies, programs and practices that integrate protection from work-related safety & health hazards with promotion of injury and illness prevention efforts to advance workers wellbeing • Change in approach from protection to promotion/advancement of health & wellbeing

Where do occupational health psychologists practice?

• Majority (60%): academics - in universities • Government researchers (20%) - research under gov. agencies • 20% practitioners - private organizations, healthcare agencies or consulting firms

What types of fields of psychology and other disciplines helped form OHP?

• Psychology - health, industrial/organizational, counseling & environmental psychology • Epidemiology, PH, occupational medicine & nursing, industrial hygiene, safety & human factors engineering, sociology, economics, organizational behavior/management, ergonomics

Richard Lazarus's transactional model of stress

• Stressor → APPRAISAL = mental process of whether or not stressor is stressful; focused on interpretation of the stressful event as more important than stressor itself → G.A.S → Healthy adaption or Illness • G.A.S. might not even kick in depending on appraisal process/interpretation of stressor • Primary appraisal: Is stressor negative? • Secondary appraisal: Can I control the situation? • Believed in 3 types of stress response to perceived negative stress: physiological, emotional and behavioral