Employees’ Well-Being: Effective Measures to Cope with Job Stress and Workplace Bullying

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Nursing, University of Thessaly, P.C. 41500 Larissa, Greece
Interests: quality; healthcare administration; healthcare professionals’ well-being

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Guest Editor
Clinical Epidemiology Laboratory, Faculty of Nursing, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
Interests: research methodology; evidence-based nursing; clinical epidemiology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The healthcare sector is particularly demanding, and healthcare professionals are often faced with significant challenges. High workloads and work intensity characterize the daily practice of healthcare professionals. At the same time, the ageing population and the increase in chronic diseases make patient care even more demanding. In their efforts to provide quality care, healthcare professionals face significant organizational and job-related problems related to understaffing of health services, inability to secure the necessary resources, lack of organizational support and inability of leadership to motivate employees. The nature of the work of health professionals and their working conditions are the major sources of stress for workers.

Both stress and the work environment have emerged as predictors of a common phenomenon of workplace violence, that of bullying. The effects of stress and bullying affect both healthcare professionals and the quality of care. It therefore becomes imperative to implement measures to best manage both the factors that increase employee stress and the phenomenon of bullying.

This Special Issue aims to highlight best practices that can assist both healthcare organizational leaders and healthcare professionals with the best possible coping strategies of stressors at work as well as workplace bullying. In this Special Issue, original research articles, systematic reviews and meta-analyses are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Workplace bullying;
  • Work environment;
  • Coping strategies;
  • Job stress;
  • Organizational support;
  • Healthcare professionals’ training;
  • Resilience;
  • Job burnout;
  • Quiet quitting;
  • Workplace violence;
  • Turnover intention.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Ioannis Moisoglou
Dr. Petros Galanis
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • coping strategies
  • healthcare professionals
  • intervention
  • organizational support
  • resilience
  • workplace bullying
  • work stressors
  • work environment

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 216 KiB  
Article
Work-Related Stress and Coping: A Comparative Analysis of On-Site and Office-Based Workers in UK Building Construction
by Rachel Blair Winkler, Campbell Middleton and Olivia Remes
Healthcare 2024, 12(21), 2117; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12212117 - 24 Oct 2024
Viewed by 725
Abstract
Background: There are increasing mental health concerns in the construction industry workforce, with stress being a primary concern. This qualitative study investigates stress experiences and the management of stress in office-based and on-site workers in the UK building construction sector. This study can [...] Read more.
Background: There are increasing mental health concerns in the construction industry workforce, with stress being a primary concern. This qualitative study investigates stress experiences and the management of stress in office-based and on-site workers in the UK building construction sector. This study can provide key insights for construction, but also potentially other industries which struggle with high stress levels among their employees. Methods: A total of 40 semi-structured interviews (20 on-site/20 office-based) were conducted at large-scale building construction projects in the southeast UK. Framework method analysis was used to derive an understanding of stress in the workplace and coping strategies. Results: The study identified two major themes: the negative influence of work stress on personal and professional wellbeing, and the management of stress through proactive and reactive coping strategies. Results indicated that on-site workers frequently cited high workloads, tight deadlines, and safety concerns, whereas office-based workers tended to highlight job complexity and organisational pressures. Both population sub-groups reported stress affecting their work performance, with site-workers having the added concern of physical health and safety. Coping strategies among workers tended to rely on support networks, outside-the-workplace hobbies, and boundary-setting, among others. Conclusions: Stress remains a significant problem in the workplace and affects wellbeing; however, there are ways to mitigate the stress. Our findings could provide a foundation for intervention development. Full article
13 pages, 684 KiB  
Article
Psychometric Evaluation of the Brief-COPE Inventory and Exploration of Factors Associated with Perceived Stress among Peruvian Nurses
by Jhon Alex Zeladita-Huaman, Carmen Cristina Flores-Rodríguez, Roberto Zegarra-Chapoñan, Sugely Julia Carpio-Borja, Eduardo Franco-Chalco, Teresa De Jesús Vivas-Durand, Henry Castillo-Parra, Silas Hildeliza Alvarado-Rivadeneyra and Orfelina Mariñas-Acevedo
Healthcare 2024, 12(17), 1729; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12171729 - 30 Aug 2024
Viewed by 761
Abstract
Background: This study aimed to analyze the psychometric properties of the Brief-COPE Inventory and to determine its concurrent validity by examining its association with perceived stress among Peruvian nurses. Methods: A psychometric study was conducted with 434 Peruvian nurses to evaluate the psychometric [...] Read more.
Background: This study aimed to analyze the psychometric properties of the Brief-COPE Inventory and to determine its concurrent validity by examining its association with perceived stress among Peruvian nurses. Methods: A psychometric study was conducted with 434 Peruvian nurses to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Brief-COPE Inventory through confirmatory factor analysis. Three stepwise variable selection regression models were implemented. Results: The three-factor model of the Brief-COPE Inventory demonstrated adequate fit indices (root mean square error of approximation = 0.052, standardized root mean square residual = 0.068, and both the comparative fit index and the Tucker–Lewis index = 0.95). Additionally, the factors were significantly correlated (p < 0.001), and the reliability was adequate (ω = 0.90). Nurses reported a medium level of perceived stress, with associated factors including having received stress management training, fear of COVID-19, and problem-focused coping strategies (p < 0.05). Conclusion: This study confirms that the Brief-COPE Inventory is a valid tool for measuring coping strategies among Peruvian nurses due to its good model fit, excellent reliability, and concurrent validity with perceived stress. However, further research is needed to assess its validity in the specific areas of performance perceived by nursing professionals. Full article
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17 pages, 1125 KiB  
Systematic Review
Association between Workplace Bullying, Job Stress, and Professional Quality of Life in Nurses: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
by Petros Galanis, Ioannis Moisoglou, Aglaia Katsiroumpa and Maria Mastrogianni
Healthcare 2024, 12(6), 623; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12060623 - 9 Mar 2024
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3623
Abstract
Workplace bullying affects workers’ lives, causing several mental and physical health problems and job-related issues. Therefore, a summary of the evidence on the consequences of workplace bullying on workers’ lives is essential to improve working conditions. The literature lacks systematic reviews and meta-analyses [...] Read more.
Workplace bullying affects workers’ lives, causing several mental and physical health problems and job-related issues. Therefore, a summary of the evidence on the consequences of workplace bullying on workers’ lives is essential to improve working conditions. The literature lacks systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the association between workplace bullying and job stress and the professional quality of life of nurses. Thus, we aimed to quantitatively summarize the data on the association between workplace bullying, job stress, and professional quality of life. We performed our study in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. The review protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42024495948). We searched PubMed, Medline, Scopus, Cinahl, and Web of Science up to 4 January 2024. We calculated pooled correlation coefficients and 95% confidence intervals [CI]. We identified nine studies with a total of 3730 nurses. We found a moderate positive correlation between workplace bullying and job stress (pooled correlation coefficient = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.29 to 0.39). Moreover, a small negative correlation between workplace bullying and compassion satisfaction (pooled correlation coefficient = −0.28, 95% CI = −0.41 to −0.15) was identified. Additionally, our findings suggested a moderate positive correlation between workplace bullying and job burnout (pooled correlation coefficient = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.32 to 0.53) and secondary traumatic stress (pooled correlation coefficient = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.11 to 0.57). Our findings can help nursing managers and policy-makers to draw attention to workplace bullying by implementing effective interventions, so as to reduce the bullying of nurses. Full article
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: The role of Work-Family Interface in mediating the relationship between Workload and Interpersonal Strain and the Moderating Role of Gender
Authors: Jessica Pileri1, Marina Mondo2, Alice Sgualdini3, Silvia de Simone2*
Affiliation: 1 Department of Dynamic Clinical Psychology and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome 2 Department of Pedagogy, Psychology and Philosophy, University of Cagliari 3Interdisciplinary Center for Gender Research and Studies, University of Cagliari
Abstract: The study investigates the role of work-family interface dimensions (negative work-to-family interface, NEGWIF; negative family-to-work interface, NEGFIW; positive work-to-family interface, POSWIF and positive family-to-work interface, POSFIW) as mediators in the relationship between workload and Interpersonal Strain. In addition, the present research examined the moderating effect of gender. 319 participants completed a self-report questionnaire. The hypothesized models were tested using PROCESS Macro. Work-Family Interface dimensions totally mediated the relationship between Workload and Interpersonal Strain. Moderating influence of gender was found. Gender moderated the relationship between Workload and three Work-Family Interface dimensions (NEGWIF, POSWIF and POSFIW) in the indirect relationship between Workload and Interpersonal Strain. This study suggests to organizations that a moderate workload and family-friendly policies can act as a protective factor for Interpersonal Strain. The limitations of the study are the use of self-report measures and the cross-sectional design. This research attempted to fill the gap in interpersonal strain and relationships with the Work Family Interface.

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