• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.63-70
• /
• 2018

Background: Psychosocial risk management [Psychosocial Risk Management Approach (PRIMA)] has, through the years, been applied in several organizations in various industries and countries globally. PRIMA principles have also been translated into international frameworks, such as PRIMA-EF (European framework) and the World Health Organization Healthy Workplace Framework. Over the past 10 years, an oil and gas company has put efforts into adopting and implementing international frameworks and standards for psychosocial risk management. More specifically, the company uses a PRIMA. Methods: This study explores available quantitative and qualitative risk data collected through the PRIMA method over the past 8 years in order to explore specific and common psychosocial risks in the petroleum industry. Results: The analyses showed a significant correlation between job resources and symptoms of work-related stress, there was a significant correlation between job demands and symptoms of work-related stress, and there were differences in psychosocial risk factors and symptoms of work-related stress onshore and offshore. The study also offers recommendations on how the results can further be utilized in building a robust system for managing psychosocial risks in the industry. Conclusion: The results from the analyses have provided meaningful and important information about the company-specific psychosocial risk factors and their impact on health and well-being.

• Journal of Family Relations
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.47-72
• /
• 2016

According to the survey by the Ministry of Unification, 28,133 live in South Korea as of september 2015 and the number has been steadily increased. It is interesting to note that the majority of defectors were women. Statistics say that the total of women defectors was 1,138 in 2002 and consisted of 55.5%. But the number increased to 2,706 in 2011 and consisted of 70.5%(Wikipedia, 2015). Most of them have trauma, because they experienced terrible events like prostitution, sexual abuse, domestic violence, etc. while they were living in South Korea. They had to get over a lot of challenges they never expected. They had to do whatever they need to do for their survival in South Korea as well as in North Korea. Objectives: This study focuses on identifying the psychosocial resources available for them in order to help them out living here. Method: For this purpose, this study conducted unstructured in-depth interviews with four women defectors from North Korea. Their age bracket is between the ages of 50 and 58 and they have stayed over five years in South Korea. They were recommended by social welfare workers, who had dealt with them over 20 years. For the reliability of this study, the three methods were performed such as three-month close relationship, three-person triangular verification, and diversification of resources-the field notes and observation notes. Results: As a result of this study, the resources may be labeled into three main clusters of themes such as 1) Self-Preservation - 'Self-Love', 'Family-Attachment', 'Share the Goods', 'Live in Harmony', 'Avoidance of conflict'; 2) Self-Conquest - 'Endurance', 'Earnestness and Effort', 'My own Activities', 'Chat', 'Put Down', 'Appreciation and Optimism'; 3) Self-Presence Awareness - 'I was a Precious Daughter', 'I am Mother'. Also there are thirteen sub categories to be considered. Conclusions: This study focuses on identifying how women defectors have used or can use the psychosocial resources available for them, rather than what they have struggled with. It is meaningful to identify in a positive light that this study provides how they have adjusted to a totally different context for their survival and what psychosocial resources they have used. This study can give an idea about how they may receive proper and practical help from the government programs in order to become better used to new living circumstances in South Korea. As well, this study can provide meaningful criteria and guidance with family life educators for women defectors and social workers working in counseling and social welfare areas. This study contributes to better understanding about how they are using these psychosocial resources.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.48 no.4
• /
• pp.454-464
• /
• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing psychosocial well-being in family caregivers of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods: A descriptive correlational design was used. The transactional model of stress and coping was used to investigate the psychosocial well-being of 137 family caregivers of patients with ALS. Data were collected through self-reported questionnaires from January to November 2016. Data were analyzed using an independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis with the SPSS WIN 21.0 program. Results: The regression model had an adjusted $R^2$ of .49, which indicated that meaning-focused coping, social support, ALS patient-family caregiver relationship (especially a spousal relationship), and tracheostomy were significant predictors of caregivers' psychosocial well-being. Conclusion: Meaning-focused coping and social support significantly influenced caregivers' psychosocial well-being. Therefore, interventions to improve caregivers' psychosocial well-being must focus on increasing meaning-focused coping and social support resources.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.11 no.4
• /
• pp.431-442
• /
• 2020

Background: Psychosocial risks are increasingly a type of risk analyzed in organizations beyond chemical, physical, and biological risks. To this type of risk, a greater attention has been given following the update of ISO 9001: 2015, more precisely the requirement 7.1.4 for the process operation environment. The update of this normative reference was intended to approximate OHSAS 18001: 2007 reference updated in 2018 with the publication of ISO 45001. Thus, the organizations are increasingly committed to achieving and demonstrating good occupational health and safety performance. Methods: The aim of this study was to characterize the psychosocial risks in a cryopreservation laboratory and to develop a predictive model for psychosocial risk management. The methodology followed to collect the information was the inquiry by questionnaire that was applied to a sample comprising 200 employees. Results: The results show that most of the respondents are aware of the psychosocial risks, identifying interpersonal relationships and emotional feelings as the main factors that lead to this type of risks. Furthermore, terms such as lack of resources, working hours, lab equipment, stress, and precariousness show strong correlation with psychosocial risks. The model presented in this study, based on artificial neural networks, exhibited good performance in the prediction of the psychosocial risks. Conclusion: This work presents the development of an intelligent system that allows identifying the weaknesses of the organization and contributing to the enhancement of the psychosocial risks management.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.425-430
• /
• 2023

Background: It is acknowledged that legislation acts as a motivator for organizational action on psychosocial risks. Our study aims to provide evidence on the relationship between key occupational safety and health (OSH) policy principles and organizational action on work-related stress, and, in turn, with reported employee job demands and resources and their experience of work-related stress. We focus on Italy where specific legislation and practices on work-related stress were introduced in 2008 which are underpinned by these key OSH policy principles. Methods: Secondary analysis of the Italian samples from the employer ESENER-2 and employee 6th EWCS surveys was conducted, using path analysis in structural equation modeling (SEM) linking the two datasets. Results: We found a strong statistically significant relationship between OSH policy principles and organizational action on work-related stress (C.I. = .62-.78 p < .001). The existence of an organizational action plan on work-related stress was found to be significantly associated with more reported job resources (C.I. = .02-.24, p < .05) but these were not found to be significantly associated with less work-related stress. No significant association was found between having an organizational action plan for work-related stress and reported job demands. However, job demands were significantly related to reported work-related stress (C.I. = .27-.47, p < .001). Conclusions: Findings add support to the call for specific legislation on work-related psychosocial risks and highlight how an organizational OSH culture underpinned by key OSH principles, and awareness/competence development on psychosocial risk management can have a positive effect on organizational action. However, further support needs to be provided to organizations around developing primary prevention interventions at the organizational level with the aim of reducing job demands.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.220-226
• /
• 2022

Background: Research on the impact of psychosocial risks on well-being at work remains scarce in low- and middle-income countries, especially in the banking sector. This study sought to examine the relationships between job demands, job resources, well-being, job satisfaction, and work engagement in the Zimbabwean banking sector. Methods: An online survey was administered to 259 employees from five banks. Hierarchical multiple regression tested the relationships between job demands (quantitative demands, emotional demands, work pace, and work-family conflict), job resources (possibilities for development, social support from colleagues and supervisors, quality of leadership, and influence at work), well-being, work engagement, and job satisfaction. Interactions between all variables were tested. Results: Job demands were negatively related to well-being, work engagement, and job satisfaction. Job resources had positive relationships with the same. Work pace had positive relationships with well-being and work engagement. Influence at work moderated the relationship between emotional demands and work pace with well-being. Possibilities for development moderated the relationship between work-family conflict and well-being. Work-family conflict moderated the relationship between social support from colleagues and job satisfaction. Emotional demands, work pace, and quantitative demands moderated the relationship between influence at work with job satisfaction and work engagement. Conclusion: Job demands should be reduced where possible in order to enhance employee well-being, work engagement, and job satisfaction. The job resources that should be availed to facilitate a positive psychosocial work environment in the banking sector include social support from supervisors, influence at work, and possibilities for development.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.66-80
• /
• 2001

Most people experience stress during his or her life. The types of psychosocial stressors are variable. Also, the stress appraisal, coping, and responses in stress process are variable. These varieties reflect individual differences due to ongoing social situation, personal dispositions such as personal resources and vulnerability factors, etc. The stress process results in psychosocial growth or no substantial change in functioning or health, or adverse change in functioning(illness) or health to person. Therefore, the preventive management and treatment of stress need to be tailored to individual characteristics. All physicians managing the stress-related patients have to understand the multidimensional aspects of stress. To understand stress better in psychosocial aspect, I comprehensively reviewed the literature on stress.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
• /
• v.37
• /
• pp.195-216
• /
• 1999

Adolescents whose families receive public assistance are primary interest in the article because they experience disproportionate shares of the burden of poverty and psychosocial stress and are at substantially high risk. To explain the psychosocial stresses of high-risk adolescents in poverty, this study analyzed the inter-relations and interactions of major variables: 1) stress related life condition, 2)individual & environmental resources, 3) emotional, behavioral, and academic adjustment. Data came from the survey of 351 students living in the families receiving public assistance. The major findings were as follows. High-risk adolescents in poverty suffered from chronic stresses related life conditions, including family environmental stress, financial & medical stress and stigmatic stress. As the effects of stress increased, depression/anxiety and delinquency of poor youth increased. The psychosocial adjustment of poor youth at risk was most effected by the stress resulted from family environment. Though they were suffered from stresses related poor environment, adolescents in poverty adjusted well, if they had individual and environmental resources including self-esteem democratic parenting and supportive school climate. In conclusion, this study confirmed that emotional, behavioral, and academic adjustment of adolescents in poverty was affected by various stresses from life conditions and individual and environmental resources. In order to improve adjustment of poor youth at risk, life conditions have to be improved and psychosocial resources to be increased. These findings have provided practical implications for social workers helping high-risk adolescents in poverty.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
• /
• v.15 no.5
• /
• pp.582-592
• /
• 2010

The purpose of this study was to determine the factors related to eating breakfast for middle and high school students in Seoul using the Theory of Planned Behavior. Out of 2,280 questionnaires distributed to 22 schools, 2,060 were returned (90.4% response rate) and 1,899 were analyzed (83.3% analysis rate). Gender, self-perceived household income level and mother's working status were examined as demographic factors. "Attitude", "Subjective norm", "Perceived difficulty in access to breakfast", "Perceived time restriction" and "Self restriction to breakfast" were extracted as psychosocial factors as the results of factor analysis and reliability test using 17 items. In case of middle school students, boys were more likely to skip breakfast than girls. The students perceiving their household income level "low or middle low" were more likely to skip breakfast than those who perceived their household income level "high or middle high". The students whose mother had a job tended to skip breakfast than those whose mother had no job. In case of high school students, the students perceiving their household income level "low or middle low" tended to skip breakfast than those perceiving their household income level "high or middle high". The results of analysis of variance, all the psychosocial factors examined in this study-"Attitude", "Subjective norm", "Perceived difficulty in access to breakfast", "Perceived time restriction" and "Self restriction to breakfast"- were related to the frequencies of eating breakfast during weekdays in both the middle and high school students.

• 한국노년학
• /
• v.29 no.4
• /
• pp.1611-1628
• /
• 2009

It is well known that health and psychosocial factors are closely associated with depressive symptoms. Due to limitations in available data and analysis methods, however, little is known about the effects of health and psychosocial factors on depression trajectory. In order to address the limitations, this study examines the predictors of depression trajectory using latent growth curve modeling involving individuals aged 60 and over who participated in the Korean Welfare Panel Study (N=4,919). Controlling for socioeconomic variables, health and psychosocial variables were cross-sectionally associated with depressive symptoms, which is consistent with previous findings. However, the effects of health and psychosocial variables on the rate of depressive symptom change varied. Health variables were significantly associated with the levels of depressive symptoms at wave 1, but these were not significantly associated with the rate of depressive symptoms change. By contrast, although psychosocial variables were significantly associated with depressive symptoms at wave 1, the effects of psychosocial variables on the rate of depressive symptom change varied. Specifically, while self-esteem and family relationship were positively associated with the rate of depressive symptom change, social relationship was negatively associated with the rate of depressive symptom change. Based on the findings, this study discussed implications for intervention and future research.