Our findings consolidated the HSE-MS IT validity and showed the specific sensitivity of its scales to assess different aspects of work-related distress, including self-perception of stress at work. These results can have practical implications for the occupational well-being of employees.

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Abstract. This article aims to present the development and test the psychometric properties of the Perceived Occupational Stress (POS) scale, a new brief instrument aimed at rating a worker’s perception of feeling stressed at work. Six studies are conducted on an overall sample of 1,805 Italian workers, to examine both the construct and concurrent validity of the POS scale. The results demonstrate the high internal consistency (α = .82) and test-retest reliability ( r = .86) of the POS scale, as well as its structural validity and concurrent validity with the Maslach Burnout Inventory ( r = .68 with Emotional Exhaustion) and the Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire ( r = .62 with Imbalance and r = .51 with Overcommitment). Moreover, the POS scale is determined to uniquely contribute toward predicting stress-related health complaints, over and above indicators of workplace stressors, as measured by the Health and Safety Executive Management Standards Indicator Tool ( R2change = .06). Overall, the present findings indicate that the POS scale is a valid and reliable instrument for self-reporting occupational stress levels, and it could be used together with existing risk assessment measures of stress, to obtain a comprehensive evaluation of work-related stress.

Do we look at persons currently or previously affected by COVID-19 the same way as we do with healthy ones? In this eye-tracking study, we investigated how participants (N = 54) looked at faces of individuals presented as “COVID-19 Free”, “Sick with COVID-19”, or “Recovered from COVID-19”. Results showed that participants tend to look at the eyes of COVID-19-free faces longer than at those of both COVID-19-related faces. Crucially, we also found an increase of visual attention for the mouth of the COVID-19-related faces, possibly due to the threatening characterisation of such area as a transmission vehicle for SARS-CoV-2. Thus, by detailing how people dynamically changed the way of looking at faces as a function of the perceived risk of contagion, we provide the first evidence in the literature about the impact of the pandemic on the most basic level of social interaction.

BackgroundBrief interventions delivered in primary health care are effective in reducing excessive drinking; online behavior-changing technique interventions may be helpful. Physicians may actively encourage the use of such interventions by helping patients access selected websites (a process known as “facilitated access”). Although the therapeutic working alliance plays a significant role in the achievement of positive outcomes in face-to-face psychotherapy and its development has been shown to be feasible online, little research has been done on its impact on brief interventions. Strengthening patients’ perception of their physician’s endorsement of a website could facilitate the development of an effective alliance between the patient and the app.ObjectiveWe describe the implementation of a digitally mediated personal physician presence to enhance patient engagement with an alcohol-reduction website as part of the experimental online intervention in a noninferiority randomized controlled trial. We also report the feedback of the users on the module.MethodsThe Download Your Doctor module was created to simulate the personal physician presence for an alcohol-reduction website that was developed for the EFAR-FVG trial conducted in the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia-Giulia. The module was designed to enhance therapeutic alliance and thus improve outcomes in the intervention group (facilitated access to the website). Participating general and family practitioners could customize messages and visual elements and upload a personal photo, signature, and video recordings. To assess the perceptions and attitudes of the physicians, a semistructured interview was carried out 3 months after the start of the trial. Participating patients were invited to respond to a short online questionnaire 12 months following recruitment to investigate their evaluation of their online experiences.ResultsNearly three-quarters (23/32, 72%) of the physicians interviewed chose to customize the contents of the interaction with their patients using the provided features and acknowledged the ease of use of the online tools. The majority of physicians (21/32, 57%) customized at least the introductory photo and video. Barriers to usage among those who did not customize the contents were time restrictions, privacy concerns, difficulties in using the tools, and considering the approach not useful. Over half (341/620, 55.0%) of participating patients completed the optional questionnaire. Many of them (240/341, 70.4%) recalled having noticed the personalized elements of their physicians, and the majority of those (208/240, 86.7%) reacted positively, considering the personalization to be of either high or the highest importance.ConclusionsThe use of a digitally mediated personal physician presence online was both feasible and welcomed by both patients and physicians. Training of the physicians seems to be a key factor in addressing perceived barriers to usage. Further research is recommended to study the mechanisms behind this approach and its impac...