The Validity of the Short UK Health and Safety Executive Stress Indicator Tool For the Assessment of the Psychosocial Work Environment in Italy

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 149-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristian Balducci ◽  
Luciano Romeo ◽  
Margherita Brondino ◽  
Gianluigi Lazzarini ◽  
Francesca Benedetti ◽  
...  

Abstract. The Health and Safety Executive Stress Indicator Tool (SIT) is a 35-item questionnaire to assess exposure to seven common psychosocial factors involved in the genesis of work-related stress. Recent work conducted in the UK has provided evidence that the SIT may be reduced to a 25-item questionnaire (the SIT-25) showing the same seven-factor model and criterion-related validity of the SIT. The SIT is the most widely used tool to assess work-related stress factors in Italy, with benchmark (normative) data managed by the Italian Workers’ Compensation Authority. Thus, we conducted two studies to further test whether in Italy the SIT may be reduced to the SIT-25. In Study 1 a heterogeneous sample of workers (N = 588, 39.5% females) was used to further test the seven-factor model of the SIT-25 and its criterion-related validity with mental well-being. In Study 2 two new samples of workers (N = 625, 69.8% females; and N = 344, 3.2% females) from health and metal-mechanical sectors were used to assess the degree of measurement invariance of the SIT-25 and further test its criterion-related validity. Overall the results showed that the SIT-25 data fit the postulated seven-factor solution and that the reduced subscales (i.e., Demands, Control, Relationships, and Role) have the same criterion-related validity as their longer version. Additionally, the SIT-25 showed strong measurement invariance in the two different samples of workers of Study 2. These results provide further encouraging evidence that the SIT-25 may be effectively used in place of its longer version.

2018 ◽  
Vol 165 (2) ◽  
pp. 128-132
Author(s):  
Sarah C Wattie ◽  
R S Bridger

IntroductionUK Ministry of Defence (MOD) policy and strategy recommend the use of a ‘Defence MODified’ version of the Health and Safety Executive Management Standards Indicator Tool to help managers identify risks of work-related stress among Defence personnel. The Defence MODified Tool (‘Stress Indicator Survey’) asks personnel to rate their perceptions of eight working conditions known to be significantly associated with work-related stress. MOD psychologists are developing a Defence norm group against which future survey scores can be compared. This article describes the use of the Stress Indicator Survey in MOD and gives an overview of findings from 2016 to 2018.MethodMOD psychologists conducted 27 Stress Indicator Surveys in 2016–2018. Data were collated from 6227 personnel for the Defence norm group and comparisons were conducted between Service personnel and MOD civil servants, and between Services (Royal Navy/Royal Marines (RN/RM), Army and Royal Air Force (RAF)).ResultsService personnel had significantly more favourable perceptions than MOD civil servants of most working conditions. The RN/RM had significantly more favourable perceptions than either the Army or the RAF of all working conditions. These findings indicate differential risks of work-related stress in different groups of personnel.DiscussionPossible explanations for the observed differences in risk of work-related stress are discussed, including the nature of military life and planned changes to Defence civilian headcount. Examples of managerial actions to improve working conditions based on individual survey findings are given.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
Klajkó Dóra ◽  
Restás Péter ◽  
Szabó Zsolt Péter ◽  
Czibor Andrea

Direct and indirect costs of work-related stress can be measured in both humanistic and financial terms. In Hungary and the other Central and Eastern European countries chronic stress-related diseases, like depression, premature cardiovascular illnesses, and overall mortality rates are higher in comparison to western countries, primarily among men. The vast majority of the adult population is employed in some capacity and the average person spends more time working than in any other waking activity. Working conditions can exert influence on employee well-being. The present study aimed to explore the relationship between the perceived type of organizational culture (team, adhocracy, market, hierarchy) and employee well-being (perceived work-related stress, organizational identification, and turnover intention). Employees (N= 256) from different Hungarian companies (Study 1) and employees (N= 112) from Hungarian information technology firms (Study 2) completed a questionnaire battery measuring demographics, perceived organizational culture (OCAI), work-related stress (CSP), job satisfaction (JSS), and turnover intention (TIS-6). Our results show that the perceived organizational culture can significantly influence employees’ well-being as reflected in their perceived stress level, turnover intention, and organizational identification. Our study is cross-sectional and explorative. Common method bias could overestimate the results due to the use of self-reported measures. Decreasing chronic stress factors and increasing employees’ well-being are common objectives in the 21st century. In relation to these objectives, the present study provides information on employee well-being and optimal working conditions focusing on the fastest- growing industry.


Author(s):  
Luigi Lecca ◽  
Marcello Campagna ◽  
Igor Portoghese ◽  
Maura Galletta ◽  
Nicola Mucci ◽  
...  

Work-related stress is a known occupational hazard, with a putative role on the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Although several investigations have explored the association in various workplace scenarios, none have focused on the airport flight logistic support personnel, a transportation business of crucial importance, potentially exposed to job stress and consequently to an increase in CVD risk. We explored the relationship between work-related stress and cardiovascular risk in 568 healthy workers of a flight logistic support company using the Health and Safety Executive questionnaire, the Framingham Heart Study General Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Risk Prediction Score, and the WHO general well-being index (WHO-5). We used univariate and multivariate statistical methods to take account of possible confounders. Our results show that a low job support significantly increases the CVD risk score and decreases the WHO well-being index with reference to subjects reporting high support on the job. In addition, the well-being index of workers with high strain jobs appears lower in respect to workers employed in low strain job. The multivariate analysis confirms a protective effect of job support, and shows a detrimental influence on CVD risk by physical inactivity, regular intake of alcohol, and a low educational level. In addition, job control, job support, low strain, and high demand coupled with high control (active job) showed a beneficial effect on psychological well-being. Our results suggest that a combination of general risk factors and organizational factors contributes to increase CVD risk and well-being, representing a crucial target for intervention strategies to promote health in the workplace.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-40
Author(s):  
Gaetano Buonocore ◽  
Nelson Mauro Maldonato ◽  
Yari Mirko Alfano ◽  
Simona Annunziata ◽  
Tilde Annunziato ◽  
...  

Background: Work-related stress is a relevant phenomenon in terms of health and safety at work, as occupational distress has a negative impact on individual and organisational well-being. It is a complex and multifactorial phenomenon, whose evaluation must be carried out through a specific and adequate methodology. Objective: This work aims to identify versatile tools that can quickly provide reliable measures of work distress. It analyzes the proposal elaborated by the “Comitato Unico di Garanzia per le Pari Opportunità, la Valorizzazione del Benessere di chi lavora e contro le Discriminazioni” of Rome, i.e. the tool “Valutazione è prevenzione, Sicurezza è partecipazione”. Methods: A study was carried out on a sample of 474 employees of the Neapolitan Judicial Offices, who were given a standardized questionnaire to investigate the stress, associated with the proposal of the Comitato Unico di Garanzia. Results: From the elaboration of the results, it emerges that the conditions of working wellbeing are linked to two main factors related to the perception of workers both of physical-environmental and organisational-relational aspects. In particular, it emerged that the new assessment tool, consisting of a small number of items, contributes to the detection of work stress, so it is necessary to deepen through future research the contribution that this tool can offer to the survey on work-related stress. Conclusion: Having highlighted two factors that significantly saturate the presence of a working discomfort, through an agile tool, allows us to plan a new research path, which can approach the complexity of the phenomenon through the methods of deep learning.


Author(s):  
Paul Cullen ◽  
Joan Cahill ◽  
Keith Gaynor

Abstract. Increasing evidence suggests that commercial airline pilots can experience physical, mental, and social health difficulties. Qualitative interviews with commercial airline pilots explored the relationship between work-related stress and well-being. Participatory workshops involving pilots were conducted. The methodology of this action-based research involved a blend of person-centered design approaches; specifically, “stakeholder evaluation” and “participatory design.” The findings further support the hypothesis that pilot well-being is being negatively affected by the nature of their work. The biopsychosocial model of the lived experience of a pilot, as presented in this paper, provides a useful structure to examine pilot well-being, and to identify and scope potential coping strategies to self-manage health and well-being issues associated with the job of being a pilot.


Author(s):  
D Mijakoski ◽  
S Stoleski ◽  
A Talimdzioski ◽  
J Karadzinska-Bislimovska ◽  
J Minov ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (11) ◽  
pp. 2622-2633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Van Bogaert ◽  
Jef Adriaenssens ◽  
Tinne Dilles ◽  
Daisy Martens ◽  
Bart Van Rompaey ◽  
...  

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