Contextualising the job demands-resources model: a cross-sectional study of the psychosocial work environment across different healthcare professionsShow others and affiliations
2024 (English)In: Human Resources for Health, E-ISSN 1478-4491, Vol. 22, no 1, article id 77
Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
BackgroundThe deteriorating psychosocial work environment among healthcare workers in Sweden, influenced by demanding working conditions and resource constraints, affects individual well-being and patient care quality. Healthcare workers, including physicians, registered nurses, and nursing assistants, often work interdependently and share workplaces, yet are three completely different professions. Nonetheless, comprehensive studies comparing their psychosocial work environments are scarce; often focusing on healthcare workers either separately or as a homogenous group, but rarely comparative. Aim Utilising the job demands-resources model, this study investigated variations in the psychosocial work environment among Swedish healthcare workers. We wanted to identify how the antecedents of individual well-being, in the form of demands and resources, differed between healthcare workers. Method Data from the 2022 Longitudinal Occupational Health Survey for Health Care in Sweden were analysed; the participants included 7589 physicians, registered nurses, and nursing assistants. The analysis involved descriptive statistics, including measures of means and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), employing the Bonferroni correction for multiple post hoc comparisons. The ANCOVA was also stratified by working factors, including years of work experience and employment within the private/public sector. Results he study revealed significant variations in how healthcare workers perceive their psychosocial work environment. Physicians faced the highest level of Quantitative Demands (mean ((x) over bar) 3.15; 95% CI 3.11-3.19), while registered nurses reported the most Emotional Demands ((x) over bar 3.37; 95% CI 3.32-3.41). Nursing assistants had the highest grand means for the imbalance between Efforts and Rewards (Effort Reward Imbalance) ((x) over bar 1.49; 95% CI 1.49-1.49) and an imbalance between Work and Private Life (Work-Life Interference) ((x) over bar 3.20, 95% CI 3.15-3.25), along with limited resources. The stratified analysis showed that years of experience and the sector affected healthcare workers' perceptions of their psychosocial working environment. For example, registered nurses working in the private sector reported better working conditions than registered nurses working in the public sector. The situation for nursing assistants was reversed. Conclusion Psychosocial work environments are experienced differently between and within healthcare professions in Sweden. This study provides crucial insights for improving workplace conditions and consequently enhancing healthcare professionals' well-being and quality of patient care.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
BMC , 2024. Vol. 22, no 1, article id 77
Keywords [en]
Job demands-resources model; Job demands; Job resources; Health care workers; Cross-sectional
National Category
Nursing
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-210153DOI: 10.1186/s12960-024-00958-1ISI: 001358915600001PubMedID: 39563348Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85209810580OAI: oai:DiVA.org:liu-210153DiVA, id: diva2:1917604
Note
Funding Agencies|Vetenskapsrdet
2024-12-032024-12-032026-01-27