The Work Gratitude Scale: Development and Evaluation of a Multidimensional Measure

This study explores gratitude as a multidimensional and work-specific construct. Utilizing a sample of 625 employees from a variety of positions in a medium-sized school district in the United States, we developed and evaluated a new measure, namely the Work Gratitude Scale (WGS), which encompasses recognized conative (intentional), cognitive, affective, and social aspects of gratitude. A systematic, six-phased approach through structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to explore and confirm the factorial structure, internal consistency, measurement invariance, concurrent, convergent, and discriminant validity of the WGS. The results supported a 10-item measure with three dimensions: “grateful appraisals” (three items), “gratitude toward others” (four items), and “intentional attitude of gratitude” (three items). Thereafter, first-order, second-order, and bifactor confirmatory models were estimated and compared. Work gratitude was found to be best described by a second-order construct with three underlying first-order dimensions. Measurement invariance was supported in relation to gender. Concurrent validity was supported in relation to two existing dispositional gratitude scales, namely the Gratitude Questionnaire and the Gratitude, Resentment, and Appreciation Scale (GRAT). Convergent validity was supported in relation to the Core Self-Evaluations Scale (CSES) and the Psychological Capital Questionnaire. Discriminant validity was supported in relation to various demographic factors such as age, gender, occupation, and tenure. The findings support the WGS as a multidimensional measure that can be used in practice to measure overall work-related gratitude and to track the effectiveness of gratitude-related workplace interventions.

Metric Goodness and Measurement Invariance of the Italian Brief Version of Interpersonal Reactivity Index: A Study With Young Adults

The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) is a widely used multidimensional measure to assess empathy across four main dimensions: perspective taking (PT) empathic concern (EC) personal distress (PD) fantasy (F). This study aimed to replicate the Italian validation process of the shortened IRI (Interpersonal Reactivity Index) scale in order to confirm its psychometric properties with a sample of young adults. The Gender Measurement Invariance of empathy in this age group was also an objective of the work in order to increase the data on this aspect. A total of 683 Italian university students participated in a non-probabilistic sampling. The 16-item version was confirmed in its four-factor structure but with changes to some items. The model showed good fits with both the CFA and the gender Measurement Invariance. The internal consistency measures were found to be fully satisfactory. Convergent validity was tested by the correlations with the Prosocialness Scale for Adults and The Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20. As hypothesized the measure proved good convergent validity with Prosocialness, i.e., the willingness to assist, help, share, care and empathy with others, and a relevant inverse association with the External Oriented Thinking, characterizing individuals with emotionally poor thinking. This research provided additional evidence for a link between alexithymia and poor empathic abilities in young adults.

Multifaceted sleep health score is associated with frailty in a national sample of older adults in Taiwan: Sex matters

Although individual sleep characteristics are related to frailty, these characteristics do not occur separately. A multidimensional measure of sleep might provide a better estimation of frailty compared to isolated sleep characteristics. This study investigated the association of a multidimensional measure of sleep health with frailty and examined whether such relationship differed by sex. Data were from the Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging (2011), a survey with a nationally representative sample of Taiwanese older adults (N=2,015). Frailty was defined using the Fried-criteria. Self-reported sleep during the past month was used to conceptualize the five sleep health dimensions in the SATED model (satisfaction-alertness-timing-efficiency-duration; higher scores representing better sleep health). Their relationship was estimated using logistic regression analysis adjusting for sociodemographic (age, sex, education), health (chronic conditions, cognitive function, pain, depressive symptoms [excluding items overlapping with frailty and sleep]), and lifestyle (drinking, smoking, exercise) characteristics. The results showed that having a better sleep health composite score was significantly related to lower odds of being frail in both sexes adjusting for sociodemographic information. Such effect remained significant among females but not males after adding health and lifestyle characteristics to the models. Sleep satisfaction and daytime alertness in both sexes and sleep duration among females were significantly associated with frailty adjusting for sociodemographic information. Only alertness among males was significantly related to frailty in model with all covariates. Our findings show that having a better sleep health across multiple dimensions is related to a lower risk of being frail, and the association differs by sex.

Mismatched, but Not Aware of It? How Subjective and Objective Skill Mismatch Affects Employee Job Satisfaction

Several studies suggest that skill mismatch reduces job satisfaction. To date, research has primarily investigated the impact of subjective skill mismatch; the impact of objective skill mismatch has less commonly been analysed and has generally only focused on mismatches in single skills. The present study addresses the question of whether both subjective and objective skill mismatch reduces employee job satisfaction. This article contributes to previous research by disentangling the effects of objective and subjective skill mismatch on job satisfaction based on a multidimensional measure of objective skill mismatch among employees in Germany. Based on the 2018 wave of the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) Adult Cohort, multiple linear regression models are herein estimated in order to investigate how subjective and objective skill mismatches affect people’s job satisfaction. The findings indicate that subjectively skill mismatched employees are less satisfied with their job than matched employees to a statistically significant degree, even when controlling for the objective mismatch. However, objectively skill mismatched employees do not show statistically significant lower job satisfaction compared to matched employees. Although there is considerable dissonance between objective mismatches and the subjective perception of being mismatched, the findings suggest that skill mismatch only reduces job satisfaction when employees perceive themselves to be mismatched.

A-196 The Texas Postconcussion Symptom Inventory (TPSI): An Exploratory Factor Analysis and Reliability Analysis

Objective Self-report scales are commonly used to evaluate non-specific symptoms following concussion. While several scales have been developed, few were created using a systematic process and most contain several ambiguous items that may be misinterpreted. To address this, a new theoretically-based, multidimensional measure was designed to assess Cognitive, Neuropsychiatric, and Somatic symptoms associated with concussion. This study used sophisticated psychometric techniques to develop the Texas Postconcussion Symptom Inventory (TPSI) and establish initial reliability and validity. Method Because concussion symptoms are non-specific, a pool of 76 potential items was developed and administered to a diverse clinical sample (N = 350) that included patients with concussion, epilepsy, and dementia. Polychoric correlations were utilized to remove items based on poor fit/multicollinearity and an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with an Oblimin rotation was used to determine factor structure. Results A three-factor model best fit the data, and represented Cognitive, Neuropsychiatric, and Somatic domains as designed. Ten items were discarded, resulting in a total of 66 items. The model explained 48.5% of the total variance and contained adequate sampling (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure =0.92) and sufficient item correlations (Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity, p < 0.05) for EFA. All three factor structures displayed high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α > 0.88). Conclusions The TPSI is a brief, multidimensional measure with evidence of strong internal consistency and reliability as well as distinct Cognitive, Neuropsychiatric, and Somatic symptoms associated with concussion. Future research will investigate its convergent and divergent validity in concussion as compared to existing popular symptom measures.

Widening Socioeconomic Disparities in Pain and Physical Function Among Americans Are Linked with Growing Obesity

Objectives: We investigate whether obesity accounts for widening socioeconomic disparities in pain. Methods: Based on nationally representative samples of Americans aged 25–74 in 1995–1996 and 2011–2014, we use logistic regression to model period change in headaches, backaches, and joint aches as well as physical limitations and to determine whether those changes vary by a multidimensional measure of socioeconomic status. Results: Prevalence of backaches, joint aches, physical limitations, and obesity increased between the mid-1990s and the early 2010s, particularly among more disadvantaged Americans. Socioeconomic disparities in frequent backaches, frequent joint pain, and physical limitations more than doubled over this period. We estimate that obesity and health conditions may account for nearly a quarter of the widening disparity in frequent backaches and about half of the widening disparity in frequent joint pain and physical limitations. Discussion: Widening disparities in backaches, joint pain, and physical limitations have coincided with growing obesity.

What’s Work Got to Do with It? How Precarity Influences Radical Party Support in France and the Netherlands

The rising support for radical parties in Europe has triggered a new interest in the political sociology of voting and how voters with socio-economic insecurity are moving away from establishment politics. In this article, we apply Standing’s concept of ‘precarity’ to capture insecurity among ordinary voters and thereby expand the individual socio-economic explanations behind the vote for radical populist right (RPR) and radical left (RL) parties. We develop a multidimensional measure of precarity to capture subjective labour market insecurity in its different manifestations. The article examines the influence of precarity on voting in two countries – France and the Netherlands – that, in the 2017 elections, saw the culmination of a decline in support for establishment parties and a rise in support for both RPR and RL parties. We use panels of voters collected during these elections through online Voting Advice Applications, weighted against national census benchmarks. We identify and assess the role of two dimensions of precarity: ‘precarity of tenure’ and ‘precarity at work’. We find that in both France and the Netherlands precarity is, overall, negatively correlated with voting for established parties and positively correlated with voting for RPR and RL parties. Furthermore, our investigation shows that ‘precarity at work’ is more significant in explaining voting support than the more widely investigated ‘precarity of tenure’. Our results stress the importance of assessing how subjective work insecurity explains voting and support for RPR and RL parties.