Magister Commercii (Industrial Psychology) - MCom(IPS) / The social work profession is strongly client based with workers being involved in complex social situations (Lloyd, King & Chenoweth, 2002). Social workers judgement and decision making are influenced by their emotions and the emotional context of the situation. Thus emotional intelligence is a core skill for every social worker. Morrison (2007) purported that in order to be a good practitioner one had to be able to comprehend and mange one‟s emotions and be completely aware of the power of these emotions. Social work thus requires emotional involvement and it is therefore not uncommon for social workers to be emotionally drained and frustrated, which inevitably can lead to burnout (Lukelelo, 2004). According to Howe (2008), on a daily basis social workers face the complex world of human behaviour within the social context. Within this world relationships are broken, emotions run high and personal needs may not be met. However, Kinman and Grant (2010) postulated if social workers possessed the correct emotional and social competencies it would assist them in coping with the stressors of the profession and could reduce psychological distress and enhance well-being.

In order to investigate the etiology of and evaluate interventions for work-related back injuries, researchers need efficient, accurate occupational exposure assessment methods suitable for large samples. The chapters in this thesis examine critical decisions using electromyography (EMG): How should exposure be measured? For what duration? Who should be measured, and how many times? Low-back EMG, or muscle activity data, was collected during 138 full-shift field measurements over 30 different job titles at 50 different worksites in 5 heavy industries: forestry, transportation, wood products, construction, and warehousing. Observations and self-reports of posture, manual materials handling (MMH), and driving exposures were collected concurrently. 1) Variability of EMG calibration measurements was investigated on right/left sides, multiple trials, 4 positions, and pre/post-shift. Position accounts for the majority of explained variability; there is little to gain by measuring multiple trials or pre- and post-shift, but measuring both sides and multiple positions is worthwhile. 2) Observation and self-report data were easier to collect and cheaper than the EMG direct measure. Costs and successful field performance need to be weighed against the added data detail when making choices about exposure assessment techniques for epidemiological studies. 3) Observed and self-reported exposures were used to predict EMG exposure metrics using mixed multiple linear regression models. Regression models using observed variables predicted 43-50% of the variability in the EMG metrics, while self-reported variables predicted 21%-36%. The observation exposure model provides a low-cost alternative to direct measurement. The self-reported exposure model should be considered with more caution. 4) Full-shift EMG data was resampled for 4, 2, and 1 hour, and for 10 and 2 minute durations to determine the optimal sampling duration. Bias was consistently low, but shorter durations had higher absolute error, percentage error, and limits of agreement. Durations of 4 and 2 hours may be acceptable but those less than 1 hour had large errors. 5) Components of EMG variance were calculated between- and within-subject, and between- industry, company, job, and post hoc grouping. Resolution, contrast, and exposure-response relationship attenuation were calculated for each grouping scheme. The post hoc scheme had the highest contrast and lowest resolution. / Medicine, Faculty of / Population and Public Health (SPPH), School of / Graduate

A hipercolesterolemia familiar (HF) é doença autossômica dominante caracterizada por elevados valores de LDL-colesterol (LDL-C) e alto risco de doença cardiovascular precoce quando comparada a população normal. O atual estado da arte acerca da HF é deficitário em abordagens subjetivas. Pouco se sabe sobre o impacto da HF desde o ponto de vista dos indivíduos que convivem com evidências clínicas, suspeita diagnóstica e/ou com a certeza obtida por meio do diagnóstico genético. Não se sabe ao certo em que medida o envolvimento de indivíduos que se consideram saudáveis em programas de rastreamento genético e a introdução de regime medicamentoso agressivo de controle do colesterol afetam a autopercepção e relato da qualidade de vida. O objetivo dos estudos que compõem a tese foi avaliar a qualidade de vida relacionada a saúde e explorar a relação deste constructo com a autoeficácia em indivíduos com suspeita para a HF submetidos ao programa ativo de rastreamento genético em cascata. A pesquisa realizada por meio de sucessivas aproximações ao constructo qualidade de vida, acessado via autorrelato, revelou que além do estado geral de saúde ou da condição médica, diversos outros fatores colaboram na construção das noções pessoais de qualidade de vida, de saúde, e de autoeficácia diante da doença. Diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre as medidas subjetivas foram associadas a fatores clínicos concretamente experimentados, tais como a prevalência de prévios eventos cardiovasculares adversos maiores (MACE), o diagnóstico prévio de depressão, o diagnóstico de hipercolesterolemia por medida de colesterol total e LDL-C,a convivência com fatores de risco como a obesidade, o tabagismo; características sociodemográficas condicionantes de saúde como o sexo feminino, o reduzido grau de escolaridade e a idade dos indivíduos; e condições que sustentam as disparidades em saúde, como a percepção pessoal de restrição no acesso à unidades e atendimentos de qualidade devido à condição de exclusão social. Não foi encontrada associação entre as variáveis subjetivas com a identificação de característica genética associada à expressão da HF ou com a vigência do regime de tratamento medicamentoso. Os achados mostram que as respostas adaptativas à doença e às necessidades por ela impostas é atravessada por fatores de natureza médica e não-médica. Entre este último fator, o valor preditivo da atividade profissional nos autorrelatos de autoeficácia em saúde, e as significativas reduções na apreciação pessoal de qualidade de vida e de saúde entre as mulheres, são achados que não deixam dúvidas de que as questões de gênero determinantes de iniquidades sociais reverberam significativamente nos autorrelatos no campo da saúde. O achado epistemológico que aponta dissonância entre a noção lato sensu e o conceito stricto sensu de saúde colabora para a reflexão crítica acerca da barreira de natureza discursiva que se interpõe ao sucesso dos esforços preventivos. Conclui-se que é especialmente nesse sentido que a elucidação dos achados não-médicos podem colaborar com as práticas clínicas e com os desfechos em saúde / Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an autosomal dominant genetic disease characterized by elevated LDL-cholesterol blood concentration and high premature cardiovascular disease risk in comparison with the normolipidemic population. The state of the art of FH care has a deficit in subjective approaches. Little is known about the impact of FH from individuals\' living with disease status as well as clinical evidences, disease clinical suspicion and/or genetic diagnosis. Little has been explored about the effect of involving asymptomatic individuals in a genetic cascade screening program or about the repercussions of intensive lipid lowering therapy on health related quality of life (HRQOL) personal appraisal and self-reporting. The objective of this study was to evaluate HRQOL and associated aspects, the self-efficacy and the quality of health latent constructs in individuals with FH suspicion undergoing active genetic cascade screening. The present investigation made with successive approximations to quality of life by means of a self-reported method showed that a diversity of factors rather than health clinical state or medical condition collaborate by building the personal notion of quality of health, quality life of and self efficacy related to health. Statisticaly significant psychometric differences were associated with concretely experienced clinical events such as having a major cardiovascular events (MACE) in the past , previous depression diagnosis, elevated LDL-C blood concentration, obesity, smoking; sociodemographic characteristics determinants of health such as female sex, low education level and age; and contextual characteristics that may uphold health disparities such as self-perception or real restrictions on health system access, and social exclusion. Genetic mutation post-screening identification as well as pharmacological treatment were not associated with HRQOL. Those findings revealed that adaptive responses to disease diagnosis and health needs are crossed over medical and non-medical factors. Findings concerning predictive value of job engagement on health related self efficacy, and significant reductions on quality of life and health scores among women in comparison to men pointed that the social structure characteristic which define and uphold demographic inequalities are non-medical gender related conditions with undoubtable impact on self-reporting responses concerning health. The epistemological finding about the dissonance between the lato sensu notion of health from common sense and the stricto sensu concept of health from medical science adds to critically thinking about the dialogic barrier that may interfere with preventive efforts. In conclusion, by clarifying the non-medical conditions related to health may contribute with health outcomes and clinical practices

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Unresolved global problems, such as extreme poverty, ask for a better understanding of what predicts altruism and what does not. The aim of this thesis project was to address this topical and timely research question by studying the predictive role of compassion and empathy in understanding altruism. In past research on the relationship between altruism and empathy, distinct empathic processes (Perspective taking, Empathic concern, Personal distress, Emotional contagion, and Behavioral contagion) have been often lumped together and the context dependency of the relationship has been insufficiently taken into account, resulting in confusion and contradictory findings. Compassion overcomes these issues. The present web-based survey with previous or current university students (age 18-45; N=240) aimed to clarify relationships between components of empathy, compassion, and altruism. It was hypothesized that (1) compassion would predict altruism beyond all components of empathy; (2) Empathic concern would mediate the relationship between Perspective taking and altruism; (3) compassion would mediate the relationship between Empathic concern and altruism, and (4) higher levels of compassion would result in a reduced negative relationship between Personal distress and altruism. The results supported all hypotheses except for the final one. These findings are discussed in context of previous research and theory, considering the current study limitations and with focus on theoretical and practical implications. In sum, the findings suggest that efforts to motivate altruism should focus on invoking positive emotions of warmth, concern, and relatability. Care should be taken to avoid unnecessary Personal distress when invoking altruism, as this reduces its likelihood.

Objetivo: Asociar el auto reporte de alergias debido al uso de materiales dentales con las características laborales de odontólogos de Lima Metropolitana, Perú. Materiales y métodos: Estudio observacional, analítico y transversal. La muestra estuvo constituida por 250 odontólogos. Se utilizó el cuestionario elaborado por Oviedo et al.1 para la evaluación de la presencia de alergias debido al uso de materiales dentales. Además, se incluyeron otras variables laborales como las horas de trabajo, especialidad y tiempo de ejercicio profesional. Se comprobó la validez interna del contenido, confiabilidad y fiabilidad del instrumento a partir de los estadísticos V de Aiken (0.9), Alpha de Cronbach (0.7) y Kappa de Cohen (1.0) respectivamente. Se obtuvieron frecuencias absolutas y relativas para el análisis univariado; y finalmente, se realizaron análisis de chi cuadrado, U de Mann Whitney para el análisis bivariado y la regresión de Poisson con estimador de varianza robusta para el análisis multivariado. Resultados: El 31.2% padecen de alergias y los materiales que causaron más alergias fueron el guante de látex (30.8%), represa de goma de látex (24.4%) y el acrílico (8%). En el análisis crudo se encontró una asociación entre la alergia con el sexo y la especialidad, encontrándose un RP de 1.65 (IC 95% = 1.14 a 2.39) y un RP de 1.90 (IC 95% = 1.32 a 2.72) respectivamente. Conclusión: La hipersensibilidad más común fue al látex y acrílico. El sexo y la especialidad fueron relacionadas a la presencia de alergias, es decir existe una asociación significativa entre la presencia de alergia relacionado al sexo y especialidad del participante. / Objective: Associate the self-report of allergies due to the use of dental materials with the work characteristics of dentists in Metropolitan Lima, Peru. Materials and methods: Observational, analytical and cross-sectional study. The sample consisted of 250 dentists. The questionnaire developed by Oviedo et al. 1 for the evaluation of the presence of allergies due to the use of dental materials. In addition, other labor variables such as hours of work, specialty and time of professional practice were included. The internal validity of the content, reliability and reliability of the instrument was verified from the Aiken's V statistics (0.9), Cronbach's Alpha (0.7) and Cohen's Kappa (1.0) respectively. Absolute and relative frequencies were obtained for the univariate analysis; and finally, chi square analysis, Mann Whitney U for bivariate analysis and Poisson regression with robust variance estimator for multivariate analysis were performed. Results: 31.2% suffer from allergies and the materials that caused the most allergies were latex glove (30.8%), latex rubber dam (24.4%) and acrylic (8%). In the crude analysis, an association was found between allergy with sex and specialty, finding a PR of 1.65 (95% CI = 1.14 to 2.39) and a PR of 1.90 (95% CI = 1.32 to 2.72) respectively. Conclusion: The most common hypersensitivity was to latex and acrylic. Sex and specialty were related to the presence of allergies, that is, there is a significant association between the presence of allergy related to the sex and specialty of the participant. / Tesis

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Personal lifestyle and behavior are associated with the 10 leading causes of death for Americans. Motor vehicle crashes kill more than 40,000 people and injure more than 3 million people annually in the United States, representing one of America's most serious health and economic problems. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), someone in America is injured in a motor vehicle crash every 14 seconds and someone is killed every 12 minutes (as cited in Ad Council, 2003). It is widely accepted that increased use of safety belts and reductions in driving while impaired are two of the most effective means to reduce the risk of death and serious injury of occupants in motor vehicle crashes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and NHTSA monitor the use of seat belts by surveying the population. The CDC annually conducts a telephone survey called the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). The NHTSA conducts an observational survey called the National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS). The purpose of this study was to examine three questions when estimating safety belt use in the United States: (1) Does the BRFSS differ from NOPUS? (2) Is there regional variation in the differences between BRFSS and NOPUS? (3) Do BRFSS and NOPUS data differ significantly depending on whether the safety belt law is primary, secondary, or none? In this study, the two surveys were compared. Three research hypotheses were tested in the null format at the .05 level of significance using a two-tailed test. The z test was used to determine the difference in the nominal data of the two independent proportions. The results of the study revealed that there is a difference between the self-reported BRFSS survey and the NOPUS observational data.

Objective: We aimed to assess psychological distress in patients with intracranial neoplasia, a group of patients who suffer from severe functional, neurocognitive and neuropsychological side effects, resulting in high emotional distress. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study, including inpatients with brain tumours. Eligible patients completed validated self-report questionnaires measuring depression, anxiety, distress, symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), fear of progression and health-related quality of life. The questionnaire set was completed after brain surgery and receiving diagnosis and before discharge from hospital. Results: A total of n = 31 patients participated in this survey. Fourteen of them suffered from malignant (n = 3 metastatic neoplasia) and 17 from benign brain tumours. Mean values of the total sample regarding depression (M = 9.28, SD = 6.08) and anxiety (M = 6.00, SD = 4.98) remained below the cut-off ≥ 10. Mean psychosocial distress (M = 16.30, SD = 11.23, cut-off ≥ 14) and posttraumatic stress (M = 35.10, SD = 13.29, cut-off ≥ 32) exceeded the clinically relevant cut-off value in all the patients with intracranial tumours. Significantly, more patients with malignant (79%) than benign (29%) brain tumours reported PTSD symptoms (p = 0.006). Conclusion: Distress and clinically relevant PTSD symptoms in patients with intracranial neoplasia should be routinely screened and treated in psycho-oncological interventions immediately after diagnosis. Especially, neuro-oncological patients with malignant brain tumours or metastases need targeted support to reduce their emotional burden.