Job insecurity: Review of the international literature on definitions, prevalence, antecedents and consequences

This article reviews the literature on job insecurity. After defining the concept and its components, the prevalence of job insecurity among workers is discussed. Next, various antecedents are charted, and the consequences of job insecurity for the health and well-being of individuals and for their attitudes and behaviours towards organizations are discussed. Finally, some practical suggestions are made in order to reduce the harmful effects of insecurity, and some suggestions for future research are formulated. The focus of this review article is on studies from Europe and the U.S. As such, it aims to introduce the field of job insecurity to South African researchers. Opsomming Die artikel gee ’n oorsig van die literatuur oor werksonsekerheid. Na die defineering van die konsep en die komponente, word die voorkoms van werksonsekerheid onder werknemers bespreek. Volgende word verskeie antesedente bespreek, en die gevolge van werksonsekerheid op die gesondheid en welstand van individue, hul gesindhede en hul gedrag teenoor die organisasie bespreek. Laastens word daar ’n paar praktiese voorstelle gemaak om die skadelike gevolge van onsekerheid te verminder, asook voorstelle vir toekomstige navorsing. Die fokus van hierdie oorsig artikel is op studies in Europa and die VSA gemaak, en as sulks beoog dit om die veld van werksonsekerheid aan Suid-Afrikaanse navorsers voor te stel.

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Decoloniality in physiotherapy education, research and practice in South Africa

South African Journal of Physiotherapy ◽

10.4102/sajp.v77i1.1556 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 77 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Saul Cobbing

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

South African ◽

Well Being ◽

Physiotherapy Practice ◽

The United Kingdom ◽

Local Literature ◽

Global And Local ◽

Health And Well Being ◽

Physiotherapy Education ◽

Made In

Background: Historically, the profession of physiotherapy in South Africa has closely aligned itself with our former colonial master, the United Kingdom. Whilst efforts have been made in recent years to transform our profession, numerous challenges remain. An improved understanding of the topic of decoloniality is a useful and necessary way of beginning to address these challenges.Objectives: The aim of this opinion piece is to encourage further dialogue amongst South African physiotherapists working in all sectors – a dialogue that must focus on genuinely transforming our profession to be better suited to serving the majority of South Africans.Method: Global and local literature related to decoloniality is summarised for readers, followed by a closer scrutiny of how this topic relates to some of the challenges faced by the profession of physiotherapy in South Africa.Results: The evidence presented demonstrates that whilst some efforts have been made to transform South African physiotherapy, significant work and dialogue is required to bring about a true transformation of the profession.Conclusion: An honest and transparent conversation about decoloniality and transformation can assist in realising the potential of our profession, thereby improving the health and well-being of all South Africans.Clinical implications: Real engagement with this topic can assist in transforming who enters our profession, what we teach, where and why we conduct research and how we can ensure that physiotherapy practice contributes to real social justice by benefitting the majority of our population.

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Ethnic Disparities in Social Capital and Health among Jewish and Arab Participants in the Israeli Mamanet Cachibol League

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18010295 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 295

Author(s):

Yuval Paldi ◽

Daniel S. Moran ◽

Orna Baron-Epel ◽

Shiran Bord ◽

Riki Tesler

Keyword(s):

Social Capital ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Ethnic Groups ◽

Team Sports ◽

Ethnic Disparities ◽

Well Being ◽

Future Research ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Reported Health ◽

Health And Well Being

The Israeli Mamanet Cachibol League (MCL) serves as a community model that incorporates physical activity and amateur team sports among women. Team sports have been shown to bridge gaps and build positive relationships between communities. There is a paucity of data regarding the advantages of team sports to promote the health and well-being of women from different ethnic backgrounds. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of participation in MCL with social capital, health, and well-being across two ethnic groups: Jewish and Arab women. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among women aged 25–64: 102 Jewish and 96 Arab MCL participants, and 102 Jewish and 81 Arab non-MCL participants. Data regarding social capital (trust, social support and social involvement) and well-being (self-reported health and psychosomatic and depressive symptoms) were analyzed using two-way analyses of covariance and multiple regression models with sequential entry of the variables. MCL participants from both ethnic groups reported higher social capital (p < 0.001), better self-reported health (p < 0.001), and lower psychosomatic symptoms (p < 0.001) compared to non-participants. Jewish MCL participants reported lower depressive symptoms (p < 0.001) than non-participants, however no difference was found between Arab MCL participants and non-participants (p < 0.160). Amateur team sports such as MCL are related with higher levels of well-being and social capital. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies that examine the change in social capital and well-being over time.

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Updated systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the relationship between reported racism and health and well-being for children and youth: a protocol

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-043722 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. e043722

Author(s):

Naomi Priest ◽

Kate Doery ◽

Mandy Truong ◽

Shuaijun Guo ◽

Ryan Perry ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Research Policy ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Well Being ◽

Children And Youth ◽

Effect Sizes ◽

Future Research ◽

Critical Determinant ◽

Health And Well Being

IntroductionRacism is a critical determinant of health and health inequities for children and youth. This protocol aims to update the first systematic review conducted by Priest et al (2013), including a meta-analysis of findings. Based on previous empirical data, it is anticipated that child and youth health will be negatively impacted by racism. Findings from this review will provide updated evidence of effect sizes across outcomes and identify moderators and mediators of relationships between racism and health.Methods and analysisThis systematic review and meta-analysis will include studies that examine associations between experiences of racism and racial discrimination with health outcomes of children and youth aged 0–24 years. Exposure measures include self-reported or proxy reported systemic, interpersonal and intrapersonal racism. Outcome measures include general health and well-being, physical health, mental health, biological markers, healthcare utilisation and health behaviours. A comprehensive search of studies from the earliest time available to October 2020 will be conducted. A random effects meta-analysis will examine the average effect of racism on a range of health outcomes. Study-level moderation will test the difference in effect sizes with regard to various sample and exposure characteristics. This review has been registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews.Ethics and disseminationThis review will provide evidence for future research within the field and help to support policy and practice development. Results will be widely disseminated to both academic and non-academic audiences through peer-review publications, community summaries and presentations to research, policy, practice and community audiences.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020184055.

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Perceived Control and Aging: A Mini-Review and Directions for Future Research

Gerontology ◽

10.1159/000468540 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 63 (5) ◽

pp. 435-442 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Stephanie A. Robinson ◽

Margie E. Lachman

Keyword(s):

Sex Education ◽

Perceived Control ◽

Later Life ◽

Well Being ◽

Reciprocal Relationship ◽

Control Beliefs ◽

Future Research ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

As Stress ◽

Health And Well Being

This brief review on perceived control and aging is organized according to 3 perspectives of research involving description, explanation, and modification. An extensive body of literature has utilized cross-sectional and correlational methods to describe the sociodemographic variations and outcomes associated with perceived control. This work has focused on differences in perceived control as a function of age, sex, education, socioeconomic status, and culture and has identified positive associations with many aging-related outcomes involving health and well-being. With growing evidence regarding the health benefits of perceived control in the context of a declining sense of control with aging, there has been an increased effort to uncover the mechanisms involved, with the hopes of developing methods to maintain and/or promote adaptive control beliefs throughout adulthood. Through longitudinal and experimental work, researchers are beginning to clarify the directionality and elucidate the mechanisms to explain the associations. Recent evidence from longitudinal studies shows that control beliefs have an impact on subsequent changes in health. Yet, the findings suggest that it is not a unidirectional relationship. A conceptual model suggesting an ongoing reciprocal relationship between perceived control and health and well-being is discussed. Research examining the mechanisms that link perceived control to aging-related outcomes can help to inform and to develop effective interventions that are tailored to the individual's specific barriers and goals. We consider new directions for research, including more attention to intraindividual variability and reactivity to daily challenges, such as stress, with the goal of advancing our understanding of how perceived control contributes to aging-related outcomes. More work is needed to develop strategies to enhance control beliefs in later life. Although it will not always be possible to modify control beliefs, researchers can take these beliefs into account when developing interventions. A personalized approach is recommended as a way to tailor interventions that are compatible with individuals' beliefs about control to facilitate adaptive behavior change. Conclusions focus on selected issues and considerations for future research.

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Mental Health and Well-Being Among Individuals With a Sensory Loss During COVID-19 Lockdown Measures

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.1580 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 409-409

Author(s):

Natascha Merten ◽

Amy Schultz ◽

Matthew Walsh ◽

Suzanne van Landingham ◽

Paul Peppard ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Hearing Impairment ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Well Being ◽

Vision Impairment ◽

Sensory Loss ◽

Future Research ◽

Sensory Impairment ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Health And Well Being

Abstract Hearing and vision impairment are highly prevalent chronic conditions and are associated with poorer mental health and well-being. Mental health problems may be exacerbated by COVID-19-related lockdown measures and limitations of in-person contacts may affect those with sensory impairments more severely. We aimed to determine whether hearing and/or visual impairment were associated with worse mental health and psychological well-being during lockdown measures in Spring/Summer 2020 in Wisconsin. We included 1341 (64% women, aged 20-92 years) Survey of the Health of Wisconsin participants of a COVID-19 survey (May-June, 2020). We assessed self-reported current mental health and psychological well-being and vision and hearing impairment. Logistic regression models with vision and hearing impairments as determinants and multiple mental health and well-being outcomes were used and adjusted for age, gender, race, education, heart disease, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and diabetes. In preliminary analyses, we found associations of vision impairment with increased odds of generalized anxiety disorder (odds ratio=2.10; 95% confidence interval=1.32-3.29) and depression (2.57; 1.58-4.11). Individuals with a vision impairment were more likely to be taking medication for depression (1.75; 1.13-2.68), report being lonely (1.65; 1.00-2.64) and report hopelessness (1.45; 1.01-2.08). Individuals with a hearing impairment were more likely to be taking depression medications (1.72; 1.07-2.73) and to report being lonely (1.80; 1.05-2.98). Sensory impairment was not associated with stress levels or sense of purpose in life. Individuals with sensory impairment may represent a particularly vulnerable population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research should determine underlying reasons and interventions to mitigate this populations’ disadvantages.

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‘The fact that she just looked at me…’ – Narrations on shame in South African workplaces

SA Journal of Industrial Psychology ◽

10.4102/sajip.v43i0.1385 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 43 (0) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Claude-Hélène Mayer ◽

Rian Viviers ◽

Louise Tonelli

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Higher Education ◽

South African ◽

Well Being ◽

The Body ◽

Theory And Practice ◽

Work Context ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Managerial Implications ◽

Health And Well Being

Orientation: Shame has been internationally researched in various cultural and societal contexts as well as across cultures in the workplace, schools and institutions of higher education. It is an emotional signal that refers to experienced incongruence of identity goals and the judgement of others.Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to focus on experiences of shame in the South African (SA) workplace, to provide emic, in-depth insights into the experiences of shame of employees.Motivation for the study: Shame in the workplace often occurs and might impact negatively on mental health and well-being, capability, freedom and human rights. This article aims at gaining some in-depth understanding of shame experiences in SA workplaces. Building on this understanding the aim is to develop awareness in Industrial and Organisational Psychologists (IOPs), employees and organisations to cope with shame constructively in addition to add to the apparent void in the body of knowledge on shame in SA workplaces.Research design, approach and method: An interpretative hermeneutical research paradigm, based on Dilthey’s modern hermeneutics was applied. Data were collected through semistructured interviews of 11 employees narrating their experiences from various workplaces, including the military, consulting organisations and higher education institutions. Content analysis was used for data analysis and interpretation.Main findings: The major themes around which shameful experiences evolved included loss of face, mistreatment by others, low work quality, exclusion, lifestyle and internalised shame on failure in the workplace. Shame is experienced as a disturbing emotion that impacts negatively on the self within the work context. It is also experienced as reducing mental health and well-being at work.Practical/managerial implications: SA organisations need to be more aware of shame in the workplace, to address the potential negative effects of shame on employees, particularly if they are not prepared to reframe shame into a constructively and positively used emotion. Safe spaces should be made available to talk about shame. Strategies should be applied to deal with shame constructively.Contribution/value-add: This article expands an in-depth understanding of shame from emic and culture-specific perspectives within SA workplaces. The findings are beneficial to IOPs and organisations to understand what shame is from the perspective of SA employees across cultural groups. The article thereby adds value to theory and practice, offering IOPs a deeper understanding of shame in the work context.

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Moderated Online Social Therapy: Viewpoint on the Ethics and Design Principles of a Web-Based Therapy System (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.14866 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Simon D'Alfonso ◽

Jessica Phillips ◽

Lee Valentine ◽

John Gleeson ◽

Mario Alvarez-Jimenez

Keyword(s):

Social Networking Sites ◽

Well Being ◽

Web Based ◽

Strategic Design ◽

Holistic Concept ◽

Ethical Design ◽

Research Questions ◽

The Impact ◽

Health And Well Being ◽

Made In

UNSTRUCTURED The modern omnipresence of social media and social networking sites (SNSs) brings with it a range of important research questions. One of these concerns the impact of SNS use on mental health and well-being, a question that has been pursued in depth by scholars in the psychological sciences and the field of human-computer interaction. Despite this attention, the design choices made in the development of SNSs and the notion of well-being employed to evaluate such systems require further scrutiny. In this viewpoint paper, we examine the strategic design choices made in our development of an enclosed SNS for young people experiencing mental ill-health in terms of ethical and persuasive design and in terms of how it fosters well-being. In doing so, we critique the understanding of well-being that is used in much of the existing literature to make claims about the impact of a given technology on well-being. We also demonstrate how the holistic concept of eudaimonic well-being and ethical design of SNSs can complement one another.

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Cognitively Based Compassion Training

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190464684.013.19 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Jennifer S. Mascaro ◽

Lobsang Tenzin Negi ◽

Charles L. Raison

Keyword(s):

Immune Function ◽

Neural Activity ◽

Well Being ◽

Stress Physiology ◽

Future Research ◽

Beneficial Impact ◽

The Brain ◽

Health And Well Being ◽

Initial Research

Recent research has examined the beneficial impact of kindness-based meditation practices, including cognitively-based compassion training (CBCT). Here we provide a theoretical and practical account of CBCT and review the emerging evidence that it affects the brain and body in ways that are relevant for health. Initial research demonstrated that CBCT alters immune function and stress physiology, and augments empathy as well as the neural activity supporting it. More recent studies indicate that CBCT is differentially effective, depending on the population that practices. We suggest directions for future research to best examine the apparently complex effects of CBCT on health and well-being.

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A conceptual framework for using social innovation as an approach to local economic development

Africa’s Public Service Delivery and Performance Review ◽

10.4102/apsdpr.v9i1.565 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Pontso Chomane ◽

Maréve I. Biljohn

Keyword(s):

Economic Development ◽

Content Analysis ◽

Conceptual Framework ◽

South African ◽

Social Innovation ◽

Local Economic Development ◽

Future Research ◽

Research Approach ◽

Antecedents And Consequences ◽

The Impact

Background: Approaches such as social innovation were visible during many of the responses that public-sector organisations, civil society, communities, and the private sector collaboratively implemented to address the issues of unemployment and the impact of economic challenges during the global COVID-19 pandemic. The use of social innovation as an approach to local economic development by South African municipalities, however, reveals a research gap in terms of a conceptual framework for enabling such use.Aim: This article explores a conceptual framework for using social innovation as an approach to local economic development by South African municipalities.Setting: Conventional top-down local economic development approaches by South African municipalities have become inadequate for dealing with contemporary local economic development challenges. Such inadequacy calls for municipalities to rethink and adapt their approach to dealing with economic challenges and to developing and implementing their local economic development strategies.Methods: Through an interpretivist paradigm, the adopted methodology is underpinned by a qualitative research approach. Content analysis was performed of relevant research documents concerning social innovation and local economic development. From this content analysis, a conceptual framework was developed through an inductive approach.Results: The findings illustrate that the praxis for using this conceptual framework is vested in the interconnected nature of its attributes, antecedents, and consequences, which will contribute to the achievement of certain local economic development outcomes.Conclusion: This article suggests that a conceptual framework could contribute to stimulating future research concerning the phenomenon and can serve as an impetus and direction for research inquiry.

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Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals: Evidence from the Longitudinal Parenting Across Cultures Project

10.1332/policypress/9781529204827.003.0005 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 89-112

Author(s):

Jennifer E. Lansford ◽

W. Andrew Rothenberg ◽

Sombat Tapanya ◽

Liliana Maria Uribe Tirado ◽

Saengduean Yotanyamaneewong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Longitudinal Data ◽

Sustainable Development Goals ◽

Well Being ◽

Future Research ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Sustainable Development ◽

Development Goals ◽

Future Research Directions ◽

Health And Well Being

This chapter uses evidence from the Parenting Across Cultures (PAC) project to illustrate ways in which longitudinal data can help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs.) The chapter begins by providing an overview of the research questions that have guided the international PAC as well as a description of the participants, procedures, and measures. Next, empirical findings from PAC are summarized to illustrate implications for six specific SDGs related to child and adolescent development in relation to education, poverty, gender, mental health, and well-being. Then the chapter describes how longitudinal data offer advantages over cross-sectional data in operationalizing SDG targets and implementing the SDGs. Finally, limitations, future research directions, and conclusions are provided.

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