Professional moral courage and moral reasoning among nurses in clinical environments: a multivariate model

Improving ethical practice needs recognizing the relationship between moral reasoning and moral courage among nurses. We examined factors (moral reasoning, practical consideration, moral dilemmas familiarity, and demographic and work characteristics) associated with moral courage among nurses. A cross-sectional design was run at all five hospitals affiliated to Hamadan University of Medical Sciences in west of Iran. A proportionate random sampling due to the total size of the nurse population in each hospital, 224 eligible nurses were completed the study questionnaires: demographic-work characteristics, Professional Moral Courage (PMC), and Nursing Dilemma Test. The relationships were examined by multiple regression analysis. Participants reported a more than moderate level of moral reasoning and PMC (43.21±5.98 and 56.16±10.18 respectively). The multivariate model showed the nurses’ PMC is positively predisposed with moral reasoning (β=0.21, p<0.01), but negatively with practical consideration (β=-0.16, p<0.01). More moral courage was found in the nurses who were never married (p<0.001), graduated from a public university (p<0.01), working in the critical care and emergency environments, as well as night shifts (all p<0.001). Moral reasoning is a predictor of moral courage, and both should be considered in designing nursing education to improve ethical nursing practice.

Work characteristics and occupational health: validation and proposal of a shortened version of the Work Design Questionnaire

Interest in the study of work characteristics to explain how an individual's relationship with the work environment can lead to maladaptive responses has taken on renewed importance in the light of increasing concern for the development of healthy organizations and organizational diversity. This study aims to develop a shortened version of the Work Design Questionnaire (WDQ) with a view to facilitating its use and interpretation. The psychometric properties of this shorter questionnaire were tested in a multi-sectoral sample of workers in Spain, with due consideration given to the gender measurement invariance. For this purpose, we applied the questionnaire to a sample of 500 workers and analyzed the relationship between the answers provided to WDQ and specific occupational health variables (satisfaction, well-being and emotional exhaustion). Results showed adequate reliability and criterion-oriented validity for the shortened version of the WDQ, that is, the WDQ18-S, as well as evidence of factorial invariance across gender. We then discuss the results and their implications for the application of the WDQ in further research and the field of occupational health and psychosocial risks prevention. El interés por el estudio de las características del trabajo para explicar cómo la relación de un individuo con el entorno laboral puede conducir a respuestas desadaptativas ha cobrado una importancia renovada a la luz de la creciente preocupación por el desarrollo de organizaciones saludables y por la diversidad organizacional. Este estudio tiene como objetivo desarrollar una versión abreviada del Work Design Questionnaire (WDQ) con el fin de facilitar su uso e interpretación en este contexto. Las propiedades psicométricas de este cuestionario reducido se probaron en una muestra multisectorial de trabajadores en España. Para ello, aplicamos el cuestionario a una muestra de 500 trabajadores y analizamos la relación entre las carácterísiticas del trabajo y las variables seleccionadas de salud ocupacional (satisfacción, bienestar y agotamiento emocional). Los resultados mostraron una fiabilidad y una validez orientada al criterio adecuadas para la versión abreviada del WDQ, esto es, el WDQ18-S, así como evidencia de invarianza factorial de género. Posteriormente se discuten los resultados y sus implicaciones para el uso del WDQ en el ámbito aplicado e investigador de la salud ocupacional y la prevención de riesgos laborales.

Effective Removing of Light Impurities from an Aggregate in SEL Separator

The aim of the paper is a work characteristics of innovative technological circuit for production and beneficiation of minerals aggregates. Investigative programme included separation of chalcedonite aggregate with particle size range 2-4 mm, 2-8 mm and 8-16 mm,upstream separated into regular and irregular particles. Tests were conducted in a dedicated separation device of light fractions (SEL)constructed in in HTS Gliwice, within the frames of “Formator Puls” project.

Will I Feel This in my Dreams? Examining Temporal Associations between Daytime and Dream Affect

Despite the theory that dreams function to process emotions, few studies have examined how emotional experiences during daytime (“daytime affect”) are associated with the emotional tone of dreams (“dream affect”) that night, and vice versa. This study examined bidirectional associations between dream affect and daytime positive and negative affect. Participants were 84 nurses who completed two weeks of ecological momentary assessments. If participants remembered the previous night’s dreams (nparticipants=68; ndays=391), they reported the dream’s emotional tone upon waking (‘0’=very negative to ‘100’=very positive). Participants also responded to the Positive and Negative Affect Scale three times/day. Multilevel modeling simultaneously tested two temporal directions (daytime affect→dream affect, dream affect→daytime affect) at the within- and between-person levels. After adjusting for socio-demographic and work characteristics, at the within-person level, dream affect was more positive than usual on nights following more positive daytime affect (B=0.25, p=.003). In the other temporal direction, dream affect was not associated with the following day’s positive affect. At the between-person level, nurses who reported more positive dream affect also reported more positive daytime affect (B=0.24, p=.025). No associations emerged with negative affect. Findings suggest that daytime affect is associated with the emotional tone of that night’s dreams, but only in the context of positive affect. Importantly, negative affect was relatively low in this sample, so different patterns may emerge for people more prone to negative affect. Overall, these novel findings support the theory that dreams serve to process emotions, providing insight into the mystery of the function of dreams.

Organizational Characteristics, Individual Characteristics, Work Characteristics, and Technological Factors against Culture-Based Care

The quality of nursing services has a direct impact on the level of client satisfaction. The marketing wave of health services has now changed from the era of service excellence to the era of care with character so that caring behavior is the main principle in the quality of nursing services. This research is a quantitative research using a cross sectional approach. This research has been conducted at the Regional General Hospital Dr. Iskak Tulungagung and the Blambangan Regional General Hospital Banyuwangi. Respondents involved in this study amounted to 180 respondents. The research variables are Organizational Characteristics, Individual Chatacteristics, Work Characteristics, Technological Factors, Culture-based Caring, Quality of Nursing Work Life, and Quality of Nursing Services. The data in this study were analyzed using quantitative analysis techniques using SEM PLS. Organizational characteristics enhance culture-based caring. Individual characteristics enhance culture-based caring. Work characteristics enhance culture-based caring. Technological factors increase culture-based caring.

How Employees Choose their Commuting Transport Mode: Analysis Using the Stimulus-Organism-Response Model

Although transport mode choice in commuting from home to work has been studied extensively, no prior research has investigated mode choice as an emotional response to external stimuli using the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) model. Therefore, this study applies the SOR model to explore commuters’ transport mode choice behaviour. The stimulus variables include trip characteristics, transport infrastructure and services, environment, and work characteristics; the organism variable includes the travel experience and attitude of the individual; and the response variables include use of public transport, private transport, and e-hailing. Data were collected using a questionnaire survey of 500 formal-sector workers in Jakarta; 430 respondents provided valid responses for analysis. The survey data were analysed using partial least squares-structural equation modelling. The results showed that the stimulus variables, namely, trip characteristics, transport infrastructure, environment, and work characteristics, had indirect effects on the choice of e-hailing through organism factors (travel experience and attitude). Also, the environment and work characteristic variables had an indirect effect on the choice of private transport through organism factors. Stimulus variables had no indirect effects on public transport usage. When travel experience was the stimulus variable, the indirect effect on public transport usage through attitude as the organism variable was significant. The response to the use of transport modes showed dynamic behaviour, depending on the provided stimulus and organism. These findings can be beneficial for establishing a more comprehensive strategy that includes the provision of infrastructure, improvement of transit service, the built environment, and employers’ policies to realise a sustainable commuting trip.

Occupational stress among farm and ranch operators in the midwestern United States

Background This study used surveillance data from 2018 and 2020 to test the stability of work-related strain symptoms (high stress, sleep deprivation, exhaustion) with demographic factors, work characteristics, and musculoskeletal symptoms among farm and ranch operators in seven midwestern states of the United States. Methods Cross-sectional surveys were conducted among farm and ranch operators in 2018 (n = 4423) and 2020 (n = 3492). Operators were asked whether, in the past 12 months, they experienced extended work periods that resulted in high stress levels, sleep deprivation, exhaustion/fatigue, or other work-related strain symptoms. Covariates included personal and demographic factors, work characteristics, number of injuries, work-related health conditions, and exposures on the operation. Summary statistics were tabulated for explanatory and outcome variables. The classification (decision) tree approach was used to assess what variables would best separate operators with and without reported strain symptoms, based on a set of explanatory variables. Regularized regression was used to generate effect estimates between the work strain variables and explanatory variables. Results High stress level, sleep deprivation, and exhaustion were reported more frequently in 2018 than 2020. The classification tree reproduced the 2018 model using 2020 data with approximately 80% accuracy. The mean number of reported MSD symptoms increased slightly from 1.23 in 2018 to 1.41 in 2020. Older age, more time spent in farm work, higher gross farm income (GFI), and MSD symptoms in six body regions (ankles/feet, knees, lower back, neck, shoulders, wrists/hands) were associated with all three work strain symptoms. Conclusions Musculoskeletal pain and discomfort was a strong predictor for stress, sleep deprivation, and exhaustion among farmers and ranchers. This finding indicates that reducing MSD pain and discomfort is beneficial for both physical and mental health.