Psychometric Properties of the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory in a Portuguese Sample of Aircraft Maintenance Technicians

From its initial conceptualization as emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced personal efficacy for the help professions, burnout has received increasing attention in modern times, especially after the 2019 WHO’s inclusion of this syndrome in the ICD-11 list. Burnout can be measured using several psychometric instruments that range in dimensionality, number of items, copyrighted, and free use formats. Here, we report the psychometric properties of data gathered with the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) in a sample of Portuguese Aircraft maintenance technicians. As far as we know, this is the first study addressing the burnout syndrome in this occupational group. Data gathered with the OLBI displayed good evidence of validity related to internal structure, to other variables, with good evidence of reliability. We showed that burnout significantly correlated with mental and physical fatigue emphasizing the vital critical role that these variables play with safety in the aviation industry.

Stroke Survivors’ Personal Efficacy Beliefs and Outcome Expectations of Tai Chi Exercise: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

Prior qualitative research conducted among stroke survivors to explore the potential benefits and challenges of participating in tai chi exercise during stroke recovery is limited to those without depression. A qualitative descriptive approach was used. Social Cognitive Theory and Complex Systems Biology provided the theoretical framework, with focus group interview data collected from stroke survivors after participation in a tai chi intervention. Due to COVID-19, the focus group interview was conducted via online video conferencing. Content analysis of the de-identified transcript was conducted with a-priori codes based on the theoretical framework and inductive codes that were added during the analysis process. Lincoln and Guba’s criteria were followed to ensure trustworthiness of the data. Community-dwelling stroke survivors (n = 7) participating in the focus group interviews were on average 68 years old, mainly retired (71%, n = 5), married women (57%, n = 4) with >13 years education (86%, n = 6). The three major themes were: personal efficacy beliefs, tai chi intervention active ingredients, and outcome expectations. Social Cognitive Theory underscored stroke survivors’ personal efficacy beliefs, behavior, and outcome expectations, while Complex Systems Biology highlighted the active ingredients of the tai chi intervention they experienced. Participation in the 8-week tai chi intervention led to perceived physical, mental, and social benefits post stroke.

For Student’s Motivation: The Role of Coping

Motivation is what we think we can do. According to the socio-cognitive approach, self-efficacy is one of the six most essential constituents of reason. This feeling encompasses all of the individual's beliefs about their abilities to implement the behaviors they deem helpful to achieve the desired results. The Sense of Perceived Personal Efficacy influences the choice of activities, performance, the expenditure of effort, persistence in the face of difficulties, positive or negative thoughts, and emotional reactions. These beliefs regulate human behavior according to four processes, primarily the affective process (coping principally). The Sense of Self-Efficacy is based on four factors: lived experience, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion, emotional or physiological states, and sources of information about the Sense of Self-Efficacy. This article summarizes research that revolves around the following questions: is there a link between feelings of Perceived Self-Efficacy and coping strategies; can we act on the student's motivation through his Sense of Perceived Self-Efficacy possibly modifiable by coping strategies?

Community psychological and behavioural responses to coronavirus disease 2019 over one year of the pandemic in 2020 in Hong Kong

Monitoring community psychological and behavioural responses to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is important for informing policy making and risk communication to sustain public compliance with challenging precautionary behaviours and mitigating the psychological impacts. Monthly telephone-based cross-sectional surveys in January–April 2020 and then weekly surveys from May through December 2020 were conducted to monitor changes in public risk perception of COVID-19, personal efficacy in self-protection, confidence in government’s ability to control the pandemic, precautionary behaviours, perceived impact of precautionary behaviours, psychological fatigue and distress in Hong Kong, and examine their inter-relationships. While worry about contracting COVID-19 increased, personal efficacy and confidence in government declined as the community incidence of COVID-19 increased. The public maintained high compliance with most precautionary behaviours throughout but relaxed behaviours that were more challenging when disease incidence declined. Public confidence in government was persistently low throughout, of which, a lower level was associated with more psychological fatigue, lower compliance with precautionary behaviours and greater psychological distress. Perceived greater negative impact of precautionary behaviours was also associated with more psychological fatigue which in turn was associated with relaxation of precautionary behaviours. Female, younger and unemployed individuals reported greater psychological distress throughout different stages of the pandemic. Risk communication should focus on promoting confidence in self-protection and pandemic control to avoid helplessness to act when the pandemic resurges. Policy making should prioritize building public trust, enhancing support for sustaining precautionary behaviours, and helping vulnerable groups to adapt to the stress during the pandemic.

Do Hospital Workers Feel They Are Ready to Manage a Sanitary Crisis in a Pre-Crisis Context?

Objective: The aim of this study was to measure the perception of readiness to manage a sanitary crisis for hospital workers and to study the factors related to this perception. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study; 408 French hospital workers responded to an online questionnaire. The variables studied concerned the perceived personal preparedness, the perception of colleagues’ and hospital’s preparedness, perception of the situation, and preparatory behavioral acts. Correlations, partial correlations, and multiple linear regressions were applied. Results: Based on Pearson’s correlations, the higher the participants’ sense of personal efficacy and control over their behavior, the more ready they feel (r p = 0.77*** and r p = 0.55***). The more participants perceive their colleagues as ready and their hospital as prepared, the more ready they feel (r p = 0.52*** and r p = 0.46***). Based on Pearson’s partial correlations, upon controlling the effect of preparedness perception, declared preparedness is not significantly correlated with personal readiness perception (r p = 0.01). Conclusion: The perception of personal readiness does not depend only on actual preparedness but also on individual and collective variables. Technically, these results confirm the value of relying on psychosocial variables during training. It would be interesting to propose empowerment in training courses. It also seems necessary to demonstrate crisis management efficacy at different levels: institutional, collective, and individual.

The Fairness of International Justice

There is an ever-expanding system of international criminal justice in which the concern for fairness is equally as powerful as it is in domestic criminal justice systems, but considerably more fraught with political baggage. The goal of our paper is to develop a model of individual evaluations of fairness of an international court and subject our current understandings of fairness to a challenging test by focusing on those with a tremendous stake in the outcomes of trials—the witnesses. We develop a model that emphasizes three core elements of individual judgments regarding fairness: (1) the identity of the individual—those relatively fixed characteristics that individuals use to explain who they are; (2) the individual encounter with international justice; and (3) general, or more objective indicators of Tribunal effectiveness. We then derive specific hypothesis from these expectations. We utilize data from a unique survey of 300 individuals who testified at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (icty). We find that identity, personal efficacy and to a lesser extent, the perceived appropriateness of punishment for the guilty affect perceptions of fairness.

Burnout in medical undergraduate students in Qassim, Saudi Arabia

Background Burnout, defined as mental and physical exhaustion, has been an issue for many medical students. Medical student burnout is associated with many factors such as academic pressure, sleep deprivation, exposure to patient suffering, and high academic demand. In this study, we assessed the prevalence of burnout symptoms among preclinical and clinical medical students studying at Qassim University in Qassim, Saudi Arabia. Results Three hundred thirty-six subjects entered the final data analysis with a majority between 18 and 24 years of age, of whom 56.5% was females and 43.5% was males. The overall burnout prevalence was 8%. The female gender was a significant predictor of emotional exhaustion and personal efficacy, (OR = 2.510; 95% Cl [1.845–3.415]; p value 0.000) and (OR = 1.434; 95% Cl [1.086–1.866]; p value 0.010), respectively. Conclusion Among medical students, burnout is common. The impact of gender on burnout was noticed; female gender was a significant predictor of emotional exhaustion and personal efficacy. Medical education style had no impact on burnout levels among medical students.

Engaged, overextended, or burned out: What is the state of the disaster response workforce?

The prolonged coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and co-occurring disasters during 2020 took a toll on everyone, taxing public health and disaster management personnel particularly. This initial study evaluated levels of exhaustion, cynicism, and professional efficacy among a broad array of the disaster workforce responding to these events through an online survey. Responses were compared to normative standards from an international dataset using a one-sample t-test and described using k-means cluster analysis. Results from 111 emergency management and disaster services, public health, healthcare, first responders, and other professionals and volunteers indicated high levels of emotional exhaustion and cynicism, along with high levels of personal efficacy compared to normative samples. Perceptions of the heightened risk of contracting COVID-19 were significantly associated with increased emotional exhaustion and cynicism. Cluster analysis results indicated three different patterns of burnout: half of the respondents were overextended (high levels of emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and efficacy) or burned out (high emotional exhaustion and cynicism, low efficacy), while 50 percent were engaged (low emotional exhaustion, low cynicism, and high personal efficacy). This suggests that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, a substantial proportion of the disaster response workforce is still thriving. However, a large proportion is burned out or at high risk (overextended). Limitations of this study include a lack of diversity in the sample, which, although similar to the demographic characteristics of the emergency manager population, may limit the generalizability of the study results. System-level planners can use this information to develop comprehensive workforce approaches, policies, and procedures to prevent burnout for these essential personnel working behind the scenes.

Stroke survivors personal efficacy beliefs and outcomes expectations of tai chi exercise: a qualitative descriptive study

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Private grant(s) and/or Sponsorship. Main funding source(s): Laurence B. Emmons Research Award Background Strokes are a leading cause of serious long-term disability, often compounded by post-stroke depression. Prior Tai Chi research conducted among stroke survivors has focused mainly on physical functioning yet understanding the potential benefits and challenges of participating in Tai Chi exercise during stroke recovery is limited. Social Cognitive Theory and Complex Systems Biology provided the theoretical framework to examine stroke survivors’ personal efficacy beliefs, behaviour (Tai Chi intervention), and outcome expectations (Figure 1). Purpose To describe community-dwelling stroke survivors’ experiences of being in an 8-week Tai Chi intervention, including any benefits or challenges they had, and allow the participants to offer any suggestions for improving how the Tai Chi classes were structured. Methods A qualitative descriptive approach was used, with focus group interview data collected from stroke survivors after participation in a Tai Chi intervention. Due to COVID-19, the focus group interview was conducted via on-line video conferencing. The interview was audio-recorded, then transcribed using an online transcription service. Content analysis of the de-identified transcript was conducted using online analysis software with a priori codes based on the theoretical framework, and inductive codes that were added during the analysis process. The transcript was coded independently by two researchers and discussed until consensus was reached. Lincoln and Guba’s criteria were followed to ensure trustworthiness of the data. Results Community-dwelling stroke survivors (n = 7) participating in the focus group interviews were on average 68 years old, mainly retired (71%, n = 5), married women (57%, n = 4) with >13 years education (86%, n = 6), reporting depression symptoms (Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression = 15.9 ± 9.6) with 43% (n = 3) taking anti-depressant medications. The major findings are summarized according to three major themes: Personal Efficacy Beliefs, Tai Chi Intervention Active Ingredients and Outcome Expectations. Personal Efficacy Beliefs centered on the participants’ ability to do the Tai Chi movements. The Tai Chi Intervention Active Ingredients experienced during the classes were evident, apart from ‘natural freer breathing’ which was not discussed or described. Outcome Expectations centered on the physical, mental, and social benefits experienced, challenges encountered, and suggestions for improving the Tai Chi classes. Conclusion Social Cognitive Theory underscored stroke survivors’ personal efficacy beliefs, behaviour, and outcome expectations. While Complex Systems Biology highlighted the active ingredients of Tai Chi intervention they experienced. Participation in the 8-week Tai Chi intervention led to perceived holistic (physical, mental, social) benefits post-stroke.

Community Psychological And Behavioural Responses To Coronavirus Disease 2019 Over One Year Of The Pandemic In 2020 In Hong Kong

Background: Monitoring community psychological and behavioural responses to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is important for informing policy making and risk communication to sustain public compliance with challenging precautionary behaviours and mitigating the psychological impacts. Methods: Monthly telephone surveys in January-April 2020 and then weekly surveys from May through December 2020 were conducted to monitor changes in public risk perception of COVID-19, personal efficacy in self-protection, confidence in the government’s ability to control the pandemic, precautionary behaviours, perceived impact of precautionary behaviours, psychological fatigue and distress in Hong Kong, and examine their inter-relationships. Results: While worry about contracting COVID-19 increased, personal efficacy and confidence in the government declined as the community incidence of COVID-19 increased. The public maintained high compliance with most precautionary behaviours throughout but relaxed behaviours that were more challenging when disease incidence declined. Public confidence in the government was persistently low throughout, of which, a lower level was associated with more psychological fatigue, lower compliance with precautionary behaviours and greater psychological distress. Perceived greater negative impact of precautionary behaviours was also associated with more psychological fatigue which in turn was associated with relaxation of precautionary behaviours. Female, younger and unemployed individuals reported greater psychological distress throughout different stages of the pandemic.Conclusions: Risk communication should focus on promoting confidence in self-protection and pandemic control to avoid helplessness to act when the pandemic resurges. Policy making should prioritize building public trust, enhancing support for sustaining precautionary behaviours, and helping vulnerable groups to adapt to the stress during the pandemic.