Using HRS-ONET Linked Data to Study Subjective and Objective Mismatch Between Work Demands and Capacity at Older Ages

Mismatch between demands of work and workers’ ability to meet those demands may play an important role in retirement decisions. This presentation extends earlier work using Health and Retirement Study data linked to O*NET to develop measures of discrepancy between individual’s own reports of physical and mental abilities and 1) their perceptions of the physical and mental demands of their jobs and 2) O*NET ratings of the physical and mental demands of their jobs. In particular, we utilize newly available linked information using 2010 Census codes and 2019 O*NET ratings that reflect more current jobs. We then examine the impact of each type of mismatch (subjective and objective) on retirement timing. Overall, we find a stronger connection between subjective mismatch relative to objective mismatch. We discuss implications of this finding in terms of the value of the O*NET linkage and potential interventions aimed at extending working lives for positive aging.

Association of mental demands in the workplace with cognitive function in older adults at increased risk for dementia

Objectives Growing evidence suggests a protective effect of high mental demands at work on cognitive function in later life. However, evidence on corresponding associations in older adults at increased risk for dementia is currently lacking. This study investigates the association between mental demands at work and cognitive functioning in the population of the AgeWell.de-trial. Methods Cross-sectional investigation of the association between global cognitive functioning (Montreal Cognitive Assessment) and mental demands at work in older individuals at increased risk for dementia (Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging, and Incidence of Dementia (CAIDE)score ≥ 9; n = 941, age: 60–77 years). Occupational information was matched to Occupational Information Network (O*NET)-descriptors. Associations between cognitive function and O*NET-indices executive, verbal and novelty were investigated using generalized linear models. Results Higher values of index verbal (b = .69, p = .002) were associated with better cognitive function when adjusting for covariates. No association was observed for indices executive (b = .37, p = .062) and novelty (b = .45, p = .119). Higher education, younger age, and employment were linked to better cognitive function, while preexisting medical conditions did not change the associations. Higher levels of depressive symptomatology were associated with worse cognitive function. Conclusions Higher levels of verbal demands at work were associated with better cognitive function for older adults with increased dementia risk. This suggests an advantage for older persons in jobs with high mental demands even after retirement and despite prevalent risk factors. Longitudinal studies are warranted to confirm these results and evaluate the potential of workplaces to prevent cognitive decline through increased mental demands.

Factors Related to the Risk of Occupational Stress among Nurses in the Emergency Room at Sosodoro Djatikoesoemo Bojonegoro Hospital

Introduction: Occupational stress is a body response that is present in the form of physiological, psychological, and behavioral responses to stressors in the work environment. If this condition is not handled properly, it will have a negative impact on workers, and it can reduce the level of health and cause several diseases. The purpose of this research was to determine the risk of occupational stress among nurses in the Emergency Room at Sosodoro Djatikoesoemodan Hospital and what factors were related to the risk of occupational stress. Methods: This research is a descriptive observational study with respondents consisting of 26 nurses in the Emergency Room at Sosodoro Djatikoesoemo Hospital. Data collection was done using questionnaires to measure the level of occupational stress risk of nurses, which included variables of individual worker’s characteristics and job characteristics. The data analysis in this study used the Spearman correlation. Results: The results showed that 15.4% of nurses had a low level of occupational stress risk, 69.2% had a moderate level of occupational stress risk, and 15.4% had a high level of occupational stress risk. Moreover, there was a significant relationship between social support and workload factors on the risk of occupational stress. Conclusion: Most of the nurses experienced moderate occupational stress. Gender, personality type, workload and mental demands were factors that were related to the risk of occupational stress and could increase the risk of occupational stress. Meanwhile, interpersonal conflict and job control were elements that were not related to the risk of occupational stress.Keywords: emergency room Sododoro Djatikoesomo hospital, nurses, risk of occupational stress

Spirometry Has Added Value Over Electrodermal Activity as a Physiological Marker of Mental Load.

The objective distinction of different types of mental demands as well as their intensity is relevant for research and practical application but poses a challenge for established physiological methods. We investigated whether respiratory gases (oxygen uptake and carbon dioxide output) are suitable to distinguish between emotional and cognitive demands. To this end, we compared the application of spirometry with an established procedure, namely electrodermal activity (EDA). Our results indicate that electrodermal activity shows a strong responsivity to emotional stress induction, which was highly correlated with its responsivity to cognitive load. Respiratory gases were both sensitive and specific to cognitive load and had the advantage of being predictive for cognitive performance as well as self-reported emotional state. These results support the notion that respiratory gases are a valuable complement to common physiological procedures in the detection and discrimination of different mental demands.

Struggles and strategies in anaerobic and aerobic cycling tests: A mixed-method approach with a focus on tailored self-regulation strategies

Endurance sports pose a plethora of mental demands that exercisers have to deal with. Unfortunately, investigations of exercise-specific demands and strategies to deal with them are insufficiently researched, leading to a gap in knowledge about athletic requirements and strategies used to deal with them. Here, we investigated which obstacles exercisers experience during an anaerobic (Wingate test) and an aerobic cycling test (incremental exercise test), as well as the strategies they considered helpful for dealing with these obstacles (qualitative analysis). In addition, we examined whether thinking of these obstacles and strategies in terms of if-then plans (or implementation intentions; i.e., “If I encounter obstacle O, then I will apply strategy S!”) improves performance over merely setting performance goals (i.e., goal intentions; quantitative analysis). N = 59 participants (age: M = 23.9 ± 6.5 years) performed both tests twice in a 2-within (Experimental session: 1 vs. 2) × 2-between (Condition: goal vs. implementation intention) design. Exercisers’ obstacles and strategies were assessed using structured interviews in Session 1 and subjected to thematic analysis. In both tests, feelings of exertion were the most frequently stated obstacle. Motivation to do well, self-encouragement, and focus on the body and on cycling were frequently stated strategies in both tests. There were also test-specific obstacles, such as boredom reported in the aerobic test. For session 2, the obstacles and strategies elicited in Session 1 were used to specify if-then plans. Bayesian mixed-factor ANOVA suggests, however, that if-then plans did not help exercisers to improve their performance. These findings shed novel light into the mental processes accompanying endurance exercise and the limits they pose on performance.

EVALUATION OF A FACTOR THAT INFLUENCES SCHOOL FAILURE IN A GROUP OF ADOLESCENTS IN IASI COUNTY - FATIGUE

School activity is characterized by high physical and mental demands. Any failure to adapt these requests to the possibilities of the age group can be associated with school failure. The study was carried out on a group of 208 students from the 9thgrade from three high schools in Iasi county. A questionnaire regarding school activity and the causes of the phenomenon of school fatigue was applied. The results were processed using Pearson's chi-squared test. The students are constantly preparing only for certain subjects (72.59%). In most cases (65.86%) adolescents admit that they have been taughthow to study only in certain subjects. Fatigue is often present in 58.65% of students. The students attribute the occurrence of this phenomenon to the numerous subjects they have to study (55.76), the large volume of homework (51.92%), insufficient sleep (48.55%), teachers being too strict (25%), or the breaks being too short (25%). Special attention must be paidto night time sleep which is insufficient in 66,82% of cases. Many factors that generate school fatigue must be known and carefully assessed in order to reduce the frequency of this phenomenon.

Work-life balance predicted work ability two years later: a cohort study of employees in the Swedish energy and water sector

Background Work-life balance (WLB) is the extent to which individual’s multiple life roles and demands carry over between each role. WLB can be divided into work interference with personal life (WIPL) and personal life interference with work (PLIW). This study aimed to investigate longitudinal associations between WIPL, PLIW and work ability outcomes. Methods In this cohort study, 224 employees in the energy and water sector in Sweden were followed-up over 2 years. Three questions derived from the Work Ability Index were used for measuring work ability outcome: current work ability compared with lifetime best; work ability regarding physical; and mental demands. Logistic regression models were used to analyse longitudinal associations between work ability and WIPL and WIPL respectively, controlling for workplace (company), position at work, experience of leadership quality, demographics, and work ability. Results Work ability compared to lifetime best were associated with WIPL in the adjusted logistic regression models (odds ratio (OR) 1.77, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15–2.73), and PLIW (OR 3.34, 95% CI 1.66–6.74). Work ability regarding physical demands was associated with WIPL (OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.07–2.40). Work ability regarding mental demands was associated with WIPL (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.03–2.44) and PLIW (OR 2.88, 95% CI 1.31–6.32). Conclusion In this two-year longitudinal study, lower WIPL predicted good/excellent overall work ability compared with lifetime best, higher work ability regarding physical and mental demands, and lower PLIW predicted good/excellent overall work ability compared with lifetime best and higher work ability regarding and mental demands.

Do High Mental Demands at Work Protect Cognitive Health in Old Age via Hippocampal Volume? Results From a Community Sample

As higher mental demands at work are associated with lower dementia risk and a key symptom of dementia is hippocampal atrophy, the study aimed at investigating the association between mental demands at work and hippocampal volume. We analyzed data from the population-based LIFE-Adult-Study in Leipzig, Germany (n = 1,409, age 40–80). Hippocampal volumes were measured via three-dimensional Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI; 3D MP-RAGE) and mental demands at work were classified via the O*NET database. Linear regression analyses adjusted for gender, age, education, APOE e4-allele, hypertension, and diabetes revealed associations between higher demands in “language and knowledge,” “information processing,” and “creativity” at work on larger white and gray matter volume and better cognitive functioning with “creativity” having stronger effects for people not yet retired. Among retired individuals, higher demands in “pattern detection” were associated with larger white matter volume as well as larger hippocampal subfields CA2/CA3, suggesting a retention effect later in life. There were no other relevant associations with hippocampal volume. Our findings do not support the idea that mental demands at work protect cognitive health via hippocampal volume or brain volume. Further research may clarify through what mechanism mentally demanding activities influence specifically dementia pathology in the brain.