Within the health care sector in South Africa, the nursing profession is known as one of the four most stressful work environments, which is characterised by high workload, staff shortages and overcrowding situations. This stressful and emotionally draining environment can be the cause for large numbers of nurses experiencing symptoms of burnout and negative work-home interference. However, there seems to be a lack of research investigating specific job demands and job resources associated with burnout and negative work-home interaction in a nursing environment. The first objective of this study was to determine the construct validity and reliability of the adapted Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey (MBI-GS). The second objective was to determine which job characteristics within the nursing environment predict burnout and negative work-home interference (WHI). The last objective was to determine whether negative WHI mediated between the most prominent job characteristics and burnout within the nursing environment and whether it was a partial or full mediating effect. A cross-sectional survey design was used. Random samples (n = 300) were taken from nurses working in the Johannesburg, Klerksdorp, Krugersdorp, Pretoria and Potchefstroom areas. A job characteristics questionnaire, the 'Survey Work-Home Interaction - Nijmegen' (SWING) and an adapted version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey were administered. Cronbach alpha coefficients, exploratory factor analysis, Pearson product moment correlations, multiple regression analysis and structural equation modelling were used to analyse the data. Regarding the first objective, it was found that burnout consists of exhaustion and mental distance, whereas cynicism and depersonalisation collapse into one dimension (e.g. mental distance). Regarding the second objective, the results indicated that the most prominent job demands and job resources associated with exhaustion are pressure, autonomy, role clarity, colleague support and financial support. It seemed that mental distance is primarily predicted by role clarity, colleague support and financial support, while negative work-home interference is predicted by pressure, time demands, role clarity and colleague support. Results obtained for the last objective provided evidence for a partial mediating role of negative WHI in the relationship between the most prominent job characteristics (pressure, role clarity and colleague support) and burnout (consisting of exhaustion and mental distance). Recommendations were made for the organisation and for future research. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

The environment in which hospital pharmacists currently function demands more of them than did any previous period. Employees in pharmacy companies have to cope with the demands that arise from fulfilling various roles, as well as with increased pressures such as managed health care and primary health care. Tracking and addressing their effectiveness in coping with new demands and stimulating their growth in areas that could possibly impact on the standard of pharmacy services are therefore of great importance. The first step in the enhancement of the work-related well-being of hospital pharmacists is the successful diagnosis of occupational stress, burnout and work engagement. However, in order to measure these constructs, it is important to use reliable and valid instruments, and at the same time take biographical differences into account. The objectives of this study were to validate the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) and the Pharmacist Stress Inventory (PSI) for hospital pharmacists in South Africa, to assess the effect of biographical factors on the levels of burnout, engagement and occupational stress, and to investigate the role of job stress and coping strategies in the work-related well-being (burnout and work engagement) of hospital pharmacists in South Africa. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The study population consisted of an accidental sample (N = 187) of South African hospital pharmacists in both public and private hospital facilities on a national basis. The MBI-HSS, UWES, PSI, the Coping Orientation for Problem Experienced (COPE) as well as a biographical questionnaire were administered. Descriptive statistics, Cronbach alpha coefficients, confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), t-tests and multiple regression analysis were used to analyse the data Confirmatory factor analysis by means of structural equation modelling of the MBI-HSS, confirmed a three-factor model of burnout, consisting of Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalisation and Personal Accomplishment. The scales showed acceptable reliabilities. The results indicated that 35% of the hospital pharmacists showed high levels of emotional exhaustion, while 25% showed high levels of depersonalisation. Biographical factors such as age, years in pharmacy practice, home language, average number of hours worked per week, as well as the level of job satisfaction were related to the burnout levels of hospital pharmacists. Exploratory factor analysis of the UWES resulted in two factors, namely Vigour/dedication and Absorption. These factors showed acceptable Cronbach alpha coefficients. In the same sample (but in a different analysis where the two factors were used separately), it was indicated that compared to a South African norm, 38,5% and 48,9% of the hospital pharmacists showed low levels of vigour and dedication respectively. Position, home language, and the educational level were related to work engagement of hospital pharmacists. The PSI was developed as a measuring instrument for the purposes of this study. Three internally consistent factors, namely Job Demands, Pharmacy-Specific Stressors and Lack of Resources were extracted. The level of severity of the various stressors was calculated and the unavailability of medicine proved to be the most severe stressor. Other severe stressors included frequent interruptions, co-workers not doing their jobs, workload and insufficient salaries. Finally it was investigated whether job stress and coping strategies could predict the work related well-being of hospital pharmacists in South Africa. The results showed that job stress (as a result of job demands and lack of job resources), as well as three coping strategies (approach coping, avoidance coping and turning to religion) predicted burnout and work engagement of South African hospital pharmacists. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

The two most significant domains in the lives of employed individuals are work and home, which can influence each other in both a negative and a positive way. However, there has been a lack of empirical research investigating the positive interaction between the work and home domains, as well as the possible antecedents and outcomes associated with it, including job resources and work engagement. The objectives of this study were to test a structural model that includes job resources, positive work-home interaction (WHI) and work engagement, and to determine the mediating role of positive WHI in the relationship between job resources and work engagement for police officers in the North West Province. A cross-sectional survey design was used. Random samples (n = 468) were taken of employees in the South African Police Service in the North West Province. The Job Demands-Resources Scale, the positive WHI scale of the Survey Work-Home Interaction - Nijmegen (SWING) and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) were administered. Structural equation modelling showed that people who receive sufficient job resources (including organisational support, possibilities for advancement, growth opportunities and contact with colleagues) experience positive WHI that leads to work engagement. In addition, job resources help to enhance work engagement. These results provided evidence for the partial mediating role of positive work-home interaction in the relationship between job resources and work engagement. Recommendations were made for the organisation and for future research. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

The manufacturing industry today is seen as a demanding world of work where employees are constantly exposed to high demands. This may have an influence on their work engagement levels and their organisational commitment. It seems that in these industries, employee turnover and absenteeism levels are high, while employees also seem to be demotivated in their work. The objective of this study was to investigate the levels of work engagement among employees in a manufacturing organisation and to assess which job demands and resources would predict work engagement. A random sample of 83 employees in a manufacturing organisation was taken. The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWJ3S) and Job Demands- Resources Scale (IDRS) were used as measuring instruments. Descriptive statistics were used to explore the data Cronbach alpha coefficients were used to assess the internal consistency / reliability of the measuring instruments. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to specify the relationships between the variables. A multiple regression analysis was used to determine the effects of job demands and job resources on work engagement. The results of the Pearson Correlations showed that two job resources, namely organisational support (i.e. relationship with supervisor, role clarity, information, communication, and participation) and growth opportunities (i.e. variety in the job, opportunities to learn, and autonomy) were strongly related to the levels of work engagement. Social support (from colleagues) and advancement (i.e. remuneration, training and advawement opportunities) were moderately related to work engagement. The results of the regression analyses further indicated that an increase in two job resources, organisational support and growth opportunities, will probably increase the overall work engagement level of employee in a manufacturing organisation. The results also indicated that job demands (i.e. pace of work, quantitative workload, and emotional load) had a weak relationship with work engagement. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

The technological era in which modern day organisations function, attempting to make every aspect of service more efficient and customer friendly, has cultivated a need within organisations to invent new ways of service. Call centres are one way in which organisations are trying to improve their customer service. For this reason, telephone call centres are one of the fastest growing segments of the service sector. The growth in call centres is attributable to the benefits that they offer organisations. Call centres can improve service and retain customers, increase sales and/or revenue and reduce costs and/or improve efficiency. For this reason, organisations are placing an increasing emphasis on the role of call centres regarding the competitiveness of the company and increased pressure on call centre agents. Research indicated that there are certain stressors in the call centre industry. This is emphasised by the high turnover rate and by high absenteeism levels in call centres. Although some studies seem to suggest that working in call centres can be interesting, overall it seems that working in call centres is a stressful experience. The objective of this research was to investigate the relationship between job characteristics, work wellness and work-related flow of call centre agents in an insurance company. A cross-sectional design was used with an availability sample (N = 176). A self-constructed instrument (JDRS) was used to measure the unique job demands and job resources in the insurance industry. Along with the JDRS, the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and the Work-Related Flow Scale were used as measuring instruments. Results showed that the unique job demands in a call centre are pressure, working conditions, workload, and job security. The unique job resources are supervision, resources availability, task freedom, pay and benefits, opportunity for growth, and support. Work wellness was found to comprise burnout, work engagement and work-related flow. Multiple regression analysis showed that 6% of the variance in Mental Distance was predicted by Job Demands, with Working Conditions being the only significant predictor. Within Exhaustion, 11% of the variance explained was predicted by Job Demands, with Job Security and Working Conditions being the only significant predictors. No statistically significant predictions were obtained for Work Engagement and Work-Related Flow (i.e. Absorption and Flow). Recommendations were made for future research. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

Higher education institutions in South Africa are undergoing transformation because of increasing student numbers, government and the private sector relying on tertiary institutions to assist in solving problems in addition to the globalisation of knowledge. University staff is continuously faced major changes. Immense pressure is placed on academic institutions, including support staff. Support staff are constantly faced with increasing job demands and decreasing job resources. This imbalance and the increase of job stress over a prolonged period of time can lead to the devastating result of burnout. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between task characteristics, burnout, health and life satisfaction in a higher education institution in the North West Province. A cross-sectional design was used. The study population (N=334) consisted of support staff members of higher education institutions in the North West Province. The Job Demands-Resources Scale (JDRS), The Maslach Burnout Inventory - GS (MBI-GS), the Health subscale of the ASSET and The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) were used as measuring instruments. Descriptive statistics (for example, means, standard deviations and kurtosis) were used to analyse the data. Pearson correlations and multiple regression analyses were used to assess the relationships between job demands, job resources, burnout, physical health, psychological health and life satisfaction. The correlation coefficients indicated that exhaustion was positively related to psychological ill-health. Cynicism correlated negatively with growth opportunities. Multiple regression analysis showed that overload and growth opportunities predicted 26% of the variance for exhaustion and 29% of the variance in cynicism. Exhaustion predicted 24% of the variance for physical ill-health and 37% of the variance for psychological ill-health. Psychological ill-health predicted 16% of the variance of life satisfaction. Recommendations for future research and the organisation were made. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Nurses make up the largest group of health workers in South Africa and are likely to play an important role in the transformation of the health sector. Health caregivers, especially those dealing with people suffering h m serious illnesses and those exposed to multiple deaths, are at risk of developing work-related psychological disorders. Furthermore, long working hours, pressure, role clarity and lack of support from colleagues are the four most common work stressors reported. People are constantly faced with the challenge of simultaneously managing multiple roles in their work as well as their home-sphere. It therefore becomes increasingly important to maintain a balance in these two life spheres. Unfortunately, a gap exists between the positive and negative side of work-home interaction as most research focuses on the negative side. It also seems that, despite the importance of work-home interaction of nurses, relatively few studies investigate the role of specific job characteristics and coping strategies that could play a role in negative and positive work-home interaction. The objective of this study was to determine which job characteristics and coping strategies predict negative and positive work-home interaction in the nursing environment. A cross-sectional survey design was used. Stratified random samples (n = 300) were taken of registered nurses in the Johannesburg, Klerksdorp, Krugersdorp, Potchefstroom and Pretoria regions. A self-constructed questionnaire was used to measure job characteristics. The Coping Strategy Indicator (CSI) was used to measure coping strategies, and the 'Survey Work-home Interaction- NijmeGen' (SWING) was used to measure work-home interaction. Exploratory factor analyses and Cronbach alpha coefficients were used to determine the validity and reliability of the questionnaires. Product-moment correlation coefficients were used to determine the relationship between job characteristics, coping and work-home interaction. Multiple regression analyses were used to determine the percentage variance in the dependent variables (e.g. negative and positive WHI) that is predicted by the independent variables (e.g. job characteristics and coping strategies). The results showed that time demands, pressure, role clarity and colleague support are the main job characteristics that predict negative work-home interference. Problem-solving coping was associated with less negative work-home interference, while avoidance coping seems to predict higher levels of negative work-home interference. Time demands, autonomy and role clarity were the main predictors of positive work-home interference. Problem-solving coping was the only coping strategy associated with positive work-home interference. Recommendations were made for further research. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

Various occupational stressors like the physical environment, noise, lighting, temperature. aspects of the job, role conflict, workload, lack of career path, poor relationships with peers. and lack of participation arc likely to lead to various stress outcomes, namely behavioural; proneness to accidents, cognitive, inability to make sound decisions, physiological: increased blood pressure, physical and mental health, and organisational: lower productivity, and high turnover rate. These outcomes could however be influenced by moderator variables like age and gender, physiological experience and affective behaviours (type 'A' behaviour, life change, and social support). Studies have also found instances where some workers, exposed 10 the same unbearable work environments, did suffer from neither stress nor burnout. These findings have therefore led to the study of work engagement, which is considered the opposite of burnout. The study of stress, burnout and work engagement has therefore become vehicles through which employees' effectiveness and efficiency can be facilitated. It has become necessary to jointly study stress with burnout and work engagement in a holistic model so as to how a better understanding of work wellness. Burnout and work engagement therefore represent the two aspects of wellness namely, the energy dimension and the identification with work dimension. Studies have identified two underlying dimensions of work wellness in which they identified activation as ranging from exhaustion to vigour, arid identification as ranging from mental distance to dedication. Thus burnout according to them is characterised by a combination of exhaustion (low activation) and mental distance (low identification), while engagement is represented by vigour (high activation) and dedication (high identification). Extreme exhaustion may render employees emotionally and physically drained which may lead them to distance themselves emotionally and cognitively from their work and clients, while an engaged worker develops high levels of energy, and derives a sense of significance, attachment and dedication to work. However, to measure burnout, work engagement, stress, commitment and ill health requires valid and reliable instruments. In South Africa there aren't many systematic studies that have investigated stress, burnout, work engagement, commitment and ill health among civil servants. It is this dearth of well-designed studies in the area that makes this study very important. The objectives of this study were to assess the reliability and validity of the MBI-GS, the UWES, the ASSET, the Job Demands-Resource Scale, Commitment and Ill Health subscales Tor civil servants, determine the occupational stressors that they experience and whether the biographic variables by any way increase or moderate the effects of the stressors, and to finally test a structural model of work wellness consisting of burnout, work engagement, job demands-job resources, ill health, and commitment. The research method for each of the three articles consists of a brief literature review and an empirical study. A cross-sectional survey design was used. An accidental sample (N = 500) for research articles 1, 2 and 3 were targeted from the civil servants in the Mafikeng area of the North West Province of South Africa. The measuring instruments used in this study are; the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), Job Demands and Job Resources Scale (JDRS), Health subscales. Organizational Commitment subscales, the ASSET questionnaire and a biographical questionnaire. Structural equation modelling was used to test the factor structures of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Sunley (MBI-GS), and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) respectively. namely exhaustion, cynicism, cognitive weariness, and professional efficacy, and vigour, dedication and absorption. In respect of the MBI-GS, a four-factor model of burnout. consisting of exhaustion (physically drained), cynicism (distancing oneself from colleagues and clients), professional efficacy (feeling of accomplishment) and cognitive weariness (lack of focus on one's work), was found to fit the sample data best in comparison to the three-factor, two-factor and one-factor models. Thus the study established burnout as a bur-dimensional construct. In the case of the UWES a two-factor model of work engagement, consisting of vigour and dedication fined the data best as compared to a three-factor or one-factor model. This means that the UWES is a two-dimensional construct and not a three-factor nor a one-factor dimensional construct. The scales of the MBI-GS, UWES, and the ASSET subscales of work relationships, work life balance, overload, job security, control, resources/communication. aspects of the job, and the stress outcomes of organisational commitment, individual commitment physical health and psychological (un)well-being showed acceptable internal consistencies. There existed no statistically significant differences between burnout, work engagement. the stress dimensions, commitment and ill health respectively and any of the biographical variables. The study found that psychological (un)well-being, is a major stress outcome for the civil servants followed by physical (un)health, respectively. It was discovered that the civil servants generally have low levels of stress, and security was the lowest stressor. Employee commitment was also found to be high. Stress, due to lack of resources, predicted physical ill health and explained 21% of the variance of ill health among the sample of civil servants. Stress relating to aspects of the job and security, predicted psychological ill health and explained 31% of the variance in psychological ill health. Issues relating to control on the job and security predicted organisational and individual commitment respectively and further explained 28% and 20% of organisational commitment and individual commitment. Stress due to lack of job resources, security and aspects of [he job seem to be the most important stressors. Another objective of the study was to find out if energy and identification with work could be predicted from job demands and job resources respectively. It was found that job demands and lack of job resources lead to ill health through burnout, and job resources could lead to commitment via engagement. The implications are that employees who experience excessive workload are likely to experience burnout, which in turn leads to health related problems. Continuous availability of job resources would lead to work engagement, which in turn leads to organisational commitment, while lack of it would lead to burnout. Recommendations for further research were accordingly made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

Ledarskapet på arbetsplatsen har i flertalet studier visat ha en betydelse för medarbetarnas psykiska hälsa. En till synes, relativt outforskad yrkesgrupp inom området är kriminalvårdare. Kriminalvårdare beskrivs vara en komplex arbetsgrupp med en tudelad yrkesroll vilket kan innebära upplevda höga krav i arbetet. Till följd av detta har föreliggande induktiva studie intresserat sig för hur kriminalvårdare förstår sina upplevelser av ledarskapets i förhållande till deras psykiska hälsa. Genom en fenomenologisk metod genomfördes en intervjustudie med åtta stycken kriminalvårdare. För att skapa förståelse för kriminalvårdarnas upplevelser har krav – resursmodellen, tillsammans med tidigare forskning utgjort ett teoretiskt ramverk för studien. Resultatet talar för att vårdarna förstår ledarskapet inom kriminalvården som en extern resurs i arbetet som kan förklaras som ett direkt - och ett indirekt stöd med påverkan på vårdarnas psykiska hälsa.

Hälso- och sjukvården är en arbetsplats där anställda dagligen ställs inför fysiska och psykiska påfrestningar. Då det inte är möjligt att eliminera alla riskfaktorer krävs istället en motståndskraft. Arbetsresurser i form av socialt stöd, inflytande, utvecklingsmöjligheter samt rolltydlighet kan bidra till engagemang och motivation. Även personliga resurser är viktiga för att hantera stressorer i såväl vardagen som arbetslivet, varav Känsla av sammanhang (KASAM) ses som en av de viktigaste personliga resurserna utifrån hälsa och hälsofrämjande. Studien syftade till att undersöka relationen mellan hälsa, KASAM och arbetsresurser bland anställda inom sjukvården med hjälp av en enkätundersökning utifrån skalorna SHIS, COPSOQ-II samt SOC-13. Analyser utfördes i form av korrelationer samt regressioner. Resultatet påvisade positiva samband mellan respondenternas hälsa och KASAM, hälsa och arbetsresurser samt KASAM och arbetsresurser. De arbetsresurser med starkast samband med respondenternas hälsa var inflytande samt rolltydlighet. Slutsatsen var att KASAM var den individuella faktorn med störst inverkan på hälsan. / In the health-care sector, workers are, on a daily level, exposed to physical and mental strain. Since it’s not possible to eliminate all risk-factors in the work environment, there’s a need for a resilience. Job resources, such as social support, influence, career-opportunity and role-clarity may contribute to engagement and motivation. Personal resources are also important to handle stressors, both at work and in personal life. Sense of Coherence (SOC) is often seen as one of the most influential personal resource in terms of health and health-promotion. The aim was to investigate the relations between health, SOC, and job resources in the health-care sector, using a questionnaire based on the SHIS, COPSOQ-II and SOC-13 scales. Analyses were made using correlations and regressions. Results showed positive relations between the respondent’s health, SOC and job resources. The individual job resources with the strongest relation, both to health and SOC was influence and role-clarity. Conclusion was that SOC was the individual factor with greatest influence on health.