The association between cognitive ability across the lifespan and health literacy in old age: The Lothian Birth Cohort 1936

Three hundred and four participants in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 study took a validated IQ-type test at age 11 years and a battery of cognitive tests at age 70 years. Three tests of health literacy were completed at age 72 years; the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM), the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (S-TOFHLA), and the Newest Vital Sign (NVS). Participants who had a lower childhood IQ exhibited poorer performance on all three tests of health literacy taken in older adulthood. Relative cognitive change from age 11 to 70 and education were also important factors influencing performance on health literacy tasks, independent of childhood cognitive ability. It is important to understand the determinants of low health literacy in order to support individuals in managing their own health.     

Intrinsic motivations and the non-profit health sector: Evidence from Ethiopia

Economists have traditionally assumed that individual behavior is motivated exclusively by extrinsic incentives. Social psychologists, in contrast, stress that intrinsic motivations are also important. In recent work, economic theorists have started to build psychological factors, like intrinsic motivations, into their models. Besley and Ghatak (2005) propose that individuals are differently motivated in that they have different “missions”, and their selection into sectors or organizations with matching missions enhances organizational efficiency. We test Besley and Ghatak’s model using data from a unique cohort study. We generated two proxies for intrinsic motivations: a survey-based measure of the health professionals philanthropic motivations and an experimental measure of their pro-social motivations. We find that both proxies predict health professionals’ decision to work in the non-profit sector. We also find that philanthropic health workers employed in the non-profit sector earn lower wages than their colleagues.     

Health and well-being at work: The hospital context

IntroductionStudies have shown the importance of psychosocial risks for physical and mental health particularly in the medical sector and among hospital workers.ObjectiveThe main goal of our study is to measure the magnitude of the six dimensions of the psychosocial work environment in a French hospital. The second goal is to highlight from the six dimensions, which are the most important ones for the hospital workers in order to propose specific actions of improvement of the well-being at work and prevention of social risks.MethodOur sample is composed of 1139 hospital workers. (1) A 24-item scale was created, based on the six dimensions identified by the DARES study. This scale allows measuring the degree of psychosocial risk and of well-being at work. (2) Social representations are measured by a free association task based on the target expression: well-being at work in the hospital. (3) Participants also answered an open-ended question, on how to improve well-being at work in the hospital; answers were analyzed by a hierarchical classification.ResultsFour of the six dimensions extracted from the factorial analysis are equal to those identified by the DARES’ report: Work demand, Emotional demands, Relationships at work and Job insecurity. Quantitative analyses show that, for hospital workers, the level of risk is the highest on the first two. The social representation of well-being at work in the hospital, and the discourse analysis indicate that the dimension which is the most important for the hospital workers is Relationships at work.ConclusionIn this study, the use of both quantitative and qualitative assessments allows having some elements to analyze the quality of working conditions in the hospital. Moreover, reducing the level of psychosocial risk has a positive effect on workers’ satisfaction, well-being and health.     

Soins pénalement ordonnés et positionnements professionnels : des pratiques au carrefour de la Santé et de la Justice

At the crossroad of Health and Justice, penally ordered care underlies professional practices, the articulation of which can turn out to be delicate. Here we tackle the relevance and practical application of these measures. For that purpose, semi-directive interviews and field observations have been conducted with probation agents, judges (who follow up the way sentences are executed) and psychologists. The professionals’ comments and experiences show the complexity of these measures, which intend to make “care” into a recidivism prevention tool. Misconceptions appear about theory, practices and interprofessional relationships. The idea of “care” as a sole medical term appears to be ineffective and calls for the creation of new practices.     

Choosing to exercise more: Small choices increase exercise engagement

ObjectivesThe purpose of the study was to examine whether individuals' motivation to exercise could be increased by providing them with an incidental choice.DesignExperimental design with two groups.MethodTwo groups of participants were asked to perform four exercises (i.e., lunges, jumping jacks, bear crawls, medicine-ball throws). After a demonstration of each exercise, a choice group was given the opportunity to choose the order of exercises, while a control group performed them in a pre-determined order. Subsequently, all participants decided how many sets and repetitions of each exercise they wanted to complete.ResultsChoice group participants performed a significant greater number of total repetitions (sets × repetitions) of all exercises than did control group participants.ConclusionsThe finding suggests that individuals' need for autonomy can be supported by giving them small choices, which can positively affect exercise engagement.     

How professional pilots perceive interactions of working conditions,rosters, stress,sleep problems,fatigue and mental health. A qualitative content analysis

IntroductionSo far, no qualitative content analysis (QCA) has analysed pilots’ experiences and perceptions regarding weaknesses of fatigue risk management (FRM), flight time limitations (FTL), rosters, fatigue-severity, sleep problems, and how they relate to pilots’ mental health and well-being.ObjectiveThis research analyses pilots’ described perceptions of stress, fatigue, aviation safety and how regulations like FTL can affect their health and well-being.MethodIn total, 119 international pilots described their perceptions of FTL, rosters, aviation safety, and how they relate to fatigue and health. The QCA was conducted to analyse interactions of working conditions, stressors, fatigue, sleep problems and mental health of EASA-based and Australian pilots.ResultsAlthough pilots were rostered for only 60.8% to 62.5% of the legally allowed duty and flight hours/month, 78.6% reported severe or very high fatigue, 22.8% significant depression, 12.3% significant anxiety symptoms, 10.5% reported significant depression and anxiety symptoms. Pilots uttered severe concerns about FTL, sleep restrictions associated with early starts, minimum rest, etc. Pilots also expressed distinct fears regarding more fatigue-related crashes, and how adverse working conditions, work-related and psychosocial stress could impair their health.ConclusionsThis QCA provided valuable insights into interactions of working conditions, fatigue, sleep restrictions, physical and mental health. Progressive health impairment due to lack of sleep and accumulated fatigue promote burnout, mental and physical health problems, which not only threaten flight safety, but also sustainability of aviation.     

Profession Differences in Family Focused Practice in the Adult Mental Health System

There is a large gulf between what psychiatric services should (or could) provide and what they do in practice. This article sought to determine practice differences between the differing professions working in adult mental health services in terms of their family focused work. Three hundred and seven adult mental health professionals completed a cross‐sectional survey of family focused practices in adult mental health services. Findings highlight that social workers engaged in more family focused practice compared to psychiatric nurses, who performed consistently the lowest on direct family care, compared to both social workers and psychologists. Clear skill, knowledge, and confidence differences are indicated between the professions. The article concludes by offering direction for future profession education and training in family focused practices.     

Leveraged Resources and Systems Changes in Community Collaboration

Most models of community collaboration emphasize the ability of diverse partners to come together to enact systematic changes that improve the health of individuals and communities. The ability of these groups to leverage resources is thought to be an important marker of successful collaboration and eventual improvements in community health. However, there is a paucity of research addressing linkages between systems change activities and leveraged resources. This study used a sample of collaboratives (N = 157) that received technical assistance and funding through the Georgia Family Connection Partnership (GaFCP) between 2006 and 2007. Data were collected from collaborative report of activities and funding, member ratings of collaborative functioning, and characteristics of the communities served by the collaboratives drawn from US Census data. Cross-lagged regression models tested longitudinal associations between systems change activities and leveraged dollars. The results indicated that systems change activities predict increased leveraging of resources from state/federal and private partners. However, there was no evidence that systems changes were linked with leveraging resources from local groups and agencies. These findings have important implications for providing technical assistance and training to health partnerships. Furthermore, future research should consider the relative strength of different systems change activities in relation to the ability of coalitions to leverage resources.     

Travailler dans un réseau de santé : effets sur la santé psychique au travail

The new needs as regards care taking charge of patients have contributed to the creation of health networks. As they are growing fast, they are an integral part of the French sanitation system. The impact, on the health professionals, of networking is, today, the object of contrasted research and results, but has little been studied as far as Social Psychology, Work and Organizations are concerned. This article follows a research project which had the objective, on the one hand, to describe the effects of the participation to a health network mental health at work and, on the other hand, to examine the variables and process accounting for the variability of these effects. This research privileges an approach to the health network as a place of socialization and personalization (Malrieu, 1979). The research on the ground is carried out in collaboration with the health network town-hospital Prevention and Taking charge of Pediatric Obesity Network (RéPPOP) Midi-Pyrénées. We have carried out semi-guided interviews with 20 private professionals (8 doctors, 8 dieticians, 3 psychologists, 1 physiotherapist) members of the RePPOP Midi-Pyrénées network. The main results show that the perception of positive and/or negative effects of networking on mental health varies according to the age of membership of the network and the processes of transfer of experience (from professional practice within the network to professional practice off-network and vice versa). Proposals are deduced in terms of continuing education within the network.