Work/home conflict and facilitation:COR(e) relations.: A longitudinal study on work-home interaction in different occupational groups in Norway.

Changes in family structure, work context, and the composition of the work force mean a host of new challenges for both men and women as they struggle to cope with the often competing pressures of work demands and personal responsibilities. However, multiple roles might also provide arenas for joy and personal growth. In contemporary societies, work and home constitute two of the most important domains in life. Knowledge of how these domains interact has profound implications for individuals, organizations, and the society. This thesis studies both the direction of this interaction (work-to-home vs. home-to-work) and type of effect (conflict vs. facilitation). Building upon Hobfoll’s (1989) Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, it examines how individual,- (gender and job performance-based self-esteem), family,- (family structure), and organizational,- (workload and autonomy) factors, and health (burnout) relate to work-home interaction (WHI). Using a sample of employees from eight occupational groups in Norway, the thesis aims to explore the nature of WHI, who is affected, and what its consequences may be. The findings support the four-factorial structure of WHI. Overall, being female, emotionally exhausted, having a strong sense of job performance-based self-esteem, experiencing excessive workload, and being a parent are characteristics associated with more conflict. Conversely, being female, perceiving high autonomy at work, and being part of a childless couple are characteristics associated with more facilitation. The longitudinal analysis indicates that some of these associations are reciprocally related. Thus, WHI can act as both precursor and outcome simultaneously. A particularly noticeable finding was the buffering effect of work-to-home facilitation on burnout. Similarly, although a problem in itself, disengagement seems to prevent work-to-home conflict. Methodological and theoretical implications of the findings are discussed. It is argued that as long as work and family/home are the two most important life domains in contemporary societies, a more profound understanding of the factors that affect health and well-being needs to be found in the relationship between work and home.PhD i helsevitenskapPhD in Health Scienc

Academic work engagement, resources and productivity: empirical evidence with policy implications

This paper analyzes the impact of job resources on academic productivity measured by publication and credit points in 53 departments in one large Norwegian university. The theoretical framework is the so-called conservation of resources theory. The resources data came from the so-called ARK Intervention Program. The results showed that engagement and administrative and technical support for research and teaching stimulated research publications but had adverse effects on credit points from teaching, thus also contributing to the research-teaching nexus debate. To avoid adverse trade-offs between research and teaching, and to gain further positive effects on research productivity, targeted means and reward structures seem important.acceptedVersionLocked until 5.3.2020 due to copyright restrictions. This is an [Accepted Manuscript] of an article published by Taylor & Francis in [ Studies in Higher Education ] on [05 Sep 2018], available at https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2018.151730

Healthy universities: Exploring the relationship between psychosocial needs and work-related health among university employees

The present study explores psychosocial needs among university employees and the extent to which these needs influence employee perceptions of how work positively or negatively affects their health. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses among Norwegian faculty members (N = 11,533) suggest that needs differ in importance to the two work-related health outcomes. Multi-group analyses suggest gender differences in the level of these needs and in their degree of relationship with positive/negative work-related health. Among women, the strongest predictors of positive and negative work-related health are work engagement and autonomy, respectively. Among men, the strongest predictors of positive and negative work-related health are meaning and social community, respectively. Although significant differences were found in the level of the psychosocial needs across different university groups (faculty, PhD students, administrative/technical staff), their predictive value for how work affects their health positively or negatively is basically equivalent across groups. Study findings raise two implications: (1) the mechanisms and characteristics of the work environment that promote versus detract from health in the university setting do not appear to be two sides of the same coin and suggest different sets of interventions for improving employee health, and (2) gender differences should be taken into account in designing interventions to improve health and well-being in universities.publishedVersio

Within- and between-person changes in work practice and experiences due to COVID-19: Lessons learned from employees working from home, hybrid working, and working at the office

Introduction: In response to the requirement of keeping social distance during the COVID-19 outbreak a lot of employees needed to change from a regular office to a home-office at short notice. The aim of the present study is to explore these employees' experiences and evaluate changes in their work situation during the pandemic. Method: A mixed-method design was used with panel data collected twice in an insurance company in Norway. The first dataset was collected in December 2020 (Time 1; N = 558), with a follow up in March 2021 (Time 2; N = 601). Results: Our study indicated that employees' main reasons for working from home were to keep social distance, avoid contagion and protect their loved ones. Flexibility, timesaving and more time with family and friends were also motivators. Most employees reported that they had the necessary technical equipment to work from home and wanted more opportunity to use their home office in the future. General Linear Models (GLM) indicated that work-family balance and workload were the same across age, gender, and worksites. Women and employees working from home reported more fear of being infected by COVID-19 at work. Younger employees reported experiencing less social contact with colleagues than normal during the pandemic, compared to the older employees. Overall, employees working at home were more positive toward digital solutions and digital meetings than those at the office. Repeated measures MANOVA showed that the work motivation and digital competence decreased over time for all worksites. Productivity increased for home-office employees but decreased for the hybrid and work-office employees. Discussion: This paper contributes to knowledge of employees' experiences with different worksite solutions, which will be useful for anticipating employees experience in the future with more hybrid work.publishedVersio

Quantitative process measures in interventions to improve employees’ mental health: A systematic literature review and the IPEF framework

Interventions to improve mental health can target individuals, working groups, their leaders, or organisations, also known as the Individual, Group, Leader, and Organisational (IGLO) levels of intervention. Evaluating such interventions in organisational settings is complex and requires sophisticated evaluation designs taking into account the intervention process. In the present systematic literature review, we present state of the-art of quantitative measures of process evaluation. We identified 39 papers. We found that measures had been developed to explore the organisational context, the intervention design, and the mental models of the intervention and its activities. Quantitative process measures are often poorly validated, and only around half of the studies linked the process to intervention outcomes. Fifteen studies used mixed methods for process evaluation. Most often, a qualitative process evaluation was used to understand unexpected intervention outcomes. Despite the existence of theoretical process evaluation frameworks, these were not often employed, and even when included, frameworks were rarely acknowledged, and only selected elements were included. Based on our synthesis, we propose a new framework for evaluating interventions, the Integrative Process Evaluation Framework (IPEF), together with reflections on how we may optimise the use of quantitative process evaluation in conjunction with a qualitative process evaluation.publishedVersio

The Role of Stress Experience and Demographic Factors for Satisfaction with Life in Norwegian Adolescents: Cross-Sectional Trends over a Ten-Year Period

Background: The individual’s perception of life satisfaction (LS) is regarded as a key indicator of one’s overall experience of wellbeing, sensitive to the broad spectrum of functioning. Adolescence is particularly an important period for assessing LS and factors associating with LS. The present study investigated cross-sectional trends in adolescents’ LS levels across three time points over a 10-year period, as well as the role of stress experience and socio-demographic differences in association with LS. Methods: The study used cross-sectional data from three time points: 2011 (n = 1239), 2016 (n = 1233), and 2022 (n =311), including adolescents from lower and upper secondary public schools, with an age range of 13–20 years. Results: There were relatively high and stable mean scores on LS across all time points; however, significant differences were found between 2011 and 2016. Results from the multivariate linear regression analysis showed that sex and age were moreover weakly associated with LS, where LS decreased slightly between the ages of 13 and 18 years and increased from 19 to 20 years. Of the stress domains, interpersonal and school-related stressors showed the strongest negative and significant association with LS; significant interaction effects of sex by stress domains were found, but not with sex by time. Conclusion: This study supports the relatively high and stable level of LS in adolescents across the investigated time points. Demographic factors were moreover weakly associated with LS. The findings also contribute by showing the significant role of interpersonal and school-related stressors in association with LS.publishedVersio

The Effect of Self-Transcendence on Depression in Cognitively Intact Nursing Home Patients

Aims. This study’s aim was to test the effects of self-transcendence on depression among cognitively intact nursing home patients. Background. Depression is considered the most frequent mental disorder among the elderly population. Specifically, the depression rate among nursing home patients is three to four times higher than that among community-dwelling elderly. Therefore, finding new and alternative ways to prevent and decrease depression is of great importance for nursing home patients’ well-being. Self-transcendence is related to spiritual as well as nonspiritual factors, and it is described as a correlate and resource for well-being among vulnerable populations and at the end of life. Methods. A two-factor construct of the self-transcendence scale (interpersonal and intrapersonal) and the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) was applied. A sample of 202 cognitively intact nursing home patients in central Norway was selected to respond to the questionnaires in 2008/2009. Results. A hypothesized SEM model demonstrated significant direct relationships and total effects of self-transcendence on depression. Conclusion and Implication for Practice. Facilitating patients’ self-transcendence, both interpersonally and intrapersonally, might decrease depression among cognitively intact nursing home patients.</jats:p

To Change or Not to Change: A Study of Workplace Change during the COVID-19 Pandemic

After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, many employees were suddenly required to work more from home. Previous literature on working from home may not be applicable to this mandatory and overall change. In this study, we drew on the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model to explore the relationships between job demands (workload and work–home conflict) as well as resources (support from leaders, coworkers, and the family) and wellbeing (burnout and work engagement) in employees who still went to the workplace (no-change group) and employees who transitioned into working from home (change group) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were analyzed with multivariate structural equation modeling. The results indicate that work–home conflict was detrimental for employee wellbeing in both groups. Interestingly, the workload seems to contribute to work engagement for employees who worked from home. Regarding the resources, the three different sources of social support, leaders, coworkers, and family, were all related to employee wellbeing, but in different ways. It seemed that family support was most important for employees’ wellbeing in the change group. This study presents implications for the wellbeing of employees in both the change and no-change group during the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the importance of family-friendly policies.publishedVersio

Radiografers rutiner før administrering av jodholdig kontrastmiddel på CT

Introduksjon: For å oppdage sykdom på CT-bilder er det ofte nødvendig med intravenøst jodholdig kontrastmiddel (JKM). Det finnes flere risikofaktorer som kan føre til milde eller akutte bivirkninger av kontrastmiddelet. ESUR (European Society of Urogenital Radiology) har listet opp 16 risikofaktorer i en sjekkliste. Erfaringer fra praksis har vist at rutinene for å avdekke risikofaktorer, samt hvilke risikofaktorer og pasientgrupper som kontrolleres, er ulik blant sykehusene i Helse Midt-Norge. Målet med oppgaven er å kartlegge rutiner til radiografer før administrering av JKM blant CT-laboratorier i Helse Midt-Norge. I tillegg vil vi undersøke i hvilken grad dagens rutiner samsvarer med ESUR sin sjekkliste som inneholder risikofaktorer for JKM. Metode: Vi gjennomførte en tverrsnittsundersøkelse av dagens rutiner hos radiografer på CT. Det som inngikk i spørsmålene i spørreskjemaet var hvordan radiografene kontrollerer pasienter før administrering av JKM, hvilke pasientgrupper som blir kontrollert og hvilken fremgangsmåte som benyttes. Det ble sendt ut et elektronisk spørreskjema til totalt 185 radiografer fordelt på 15 CT-laboratorier, ved åtte sykehus i Midt-Norge. Resultat: Totalt 65 respondenter deltok i spørreundersøkelsen. Dette ga en svarprosent på 35%. Resultatene fra spørreundersøkelsen fremhevet ulike fremgangsmåter for å avdekke risikofaktorer. 97% av respondentene stilte faste muntlige spørsmål til pasientene og kun 6 av 65 respondenter rapporterte at de brukte fast skriftlig sjekkliste som fremgangsmåte. Flertallet av sykehusene (>90%) kontrollerte nyresykdom og glomerulær filtrasjonsrate (GFR). Ingen sykehus spurte pasientene om aminoglykosider eller interleukin 2. Konklusjon: Resultatene fra spørreundersøkelsen viser at seks risikofaktorer på sjekklisten til ESUR blir prioritert å kontrollere før pasienten kan få administrert JKM. Disse risikofaktorene er tidligere reaksjoner på jodert kontrast, allergi som krever behandling, astma, diabetes mellitus, metformin, og nyresykdom (inklusiv sjekk av GFR). De fleste radiografer som deltok i undersøkelsen bruker faste muntlige spørsmål som fremgangsmåte for å avdekke risikofaktorer før administrering av JKM på CT.Introduction: Intravenous iodine contrast media (ICM) is usually required in order to diagnose pathology on CT-images. However, related to this, there are several risk factors that can lead to mild or acute side effects of the contrast agent. ESUR (European Society of Urogenital Radiology) has listed 16 risk factors in a checklist. Our own experiences as radiography students have revealed that the routines for detecting risk factors are different throughout the hospitals in Central Norway. This includes which patient group and risk factors they control. The study seeks to map the routines between CT laboratories before administration of ICM in Central Norway. In addition, we want to create an overview of the current routines and to which extent they correspond with the checklist that ESUR created which contains risk factors for ICM. Method: In this study, a cross-sectional survey of the routines of radiographers on CT was performed. The questions in the survey included how the radiographs control patients before administration of iodine contrast media, which patients that get controlled and which procedure is used. An electronic survey was sent to a total of 185 radiographers in 15 CT- laboratories at eight hospitals in Central Norway. Results: This study consisted of a total of 65 participants, which gave a 35 % response rate. The results revealed various ways to identify risk factors. 97% of the respondents used oral questions, and only 6 of 65 reported that they used a written checklist to identify risk factors. Most of the hospitals (>90%) checked for renal disease and GFR (glomerular filtration rate). None of the hospitals asked for aminoglycosides or interleukin 2. Conclusion: The results show that six of the risk factors on ESUR’s checklist were prioritized to control, before ICM is administered. These risk factors are earlier reactions to ICM, allergy, asthma, diabetes mellitus, metformin and kidney disease (included measurement of GFR). The findings indicate that the majority use oral questions to uncover risk factors before intravenous ICM

Engaged or Obsessed? Examining the Relationship between Work Engagement, Workaholism and Work-Related Health via Work-Home Interaction

The purpose of the present study is to examine the mediating role of work-home interaction (conflict and facilitation) in the relationship between work engagement, workaholism (working compulsively and excessively), and the respondents perception on how this influence their work-related health positively or negatively. Data were collected among Norwegian academics using the KIWEST measure and analyzed by Structural Equation Modelling in Stata (N = 6014). Work engagement, but not workaholism, is directly related to work-related health. Instead, work-home conflict indirectly mediated the relationship between working compulsively and work-related health. In addition, work-home interaction (conflict and facilitation) fully mediated between engagement and work-related health. The findings suggest that work engagement and workaholism represents two different sets of heavy investment at work, positively and negatively related to work-related health, respectively. The mediating role of work-home interaction indicates that this relationship partly can be explained by how this heavy investment and passion at work interfere with the home life. These findings have implications for how organization practitioners and HR representatives should target an eager workforce properly for the future. The present study is timely, given a boundary less work life. Knowledge of the different processes associated with hard working employees is important for organizations to better understand when and how such prolific behavior is beneficial or risky and hence should be supported or not