The purpose of this study was to validate the Japanese version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-J). Employees from three independent samples completed the questionnaire (total N = 2,334). Confirmatory factor analyses using the multiple-group method revealed that, instead of the original threefactor model, a one-factor model that assumes that all engagement items load on one single factor fitted the data. Moreover, the one-factor structure was invariant across all three samples. Internal consistency of the scale was sufficiently high ( α = .92) and the test-retest reliability with an interval of two months was .66. A series of second-order confirmatory factor analyses to examine construct validity confirmed the hypothesised model, indicating that work engagement was positively related to job satisfaction whereas it was negatively related to strain and burnout. However, as in previous studies, professional efficacy, a component of burnout, loaded on the engagement factor. These results, in general, suggest the reliability (internal consistency and stability), factorial invariance, and construct validity of the UWES-J in three independent samples.Cette étude avait pour objectif de valider la version japonaise de l'Echelle d'Implication au Travail d'Utrecht (UWES-J). 2,334 salariés provenant de trois échantillons indépendants ont rempli le questionnaire. Une analyse factorielle confirmatoire faisant appel à la méthode des groupes multiples a montré que le modèle originel en trois facteurs devait laisser la place à un modèle unifactoriel puisque tous les items d'implication étaient saturés sur un unique facteur qui rendait compte à lui seul des données. En outre, la structure monofactorielle restait identique à elle-même sur les trois échantillons. La consistance interne de l'échelle était suffisamment élevée ( α = .92) et la fidélité test-retest après une période de deux mois était de .66. Une série d'analyses factorielles confirmatoires de second ordre destinées à étudier la validité de construction ont confirmé le modèle hypothétique, indiquant que l'implication dans le travail était en corrélation positive avec la satisfaction professionnelle tandis qu'elle était en relation négative avec la tension nerveuse et le burnout. Comme dans des travaux antérieurs, l'efficacité professionnelle, une composante du burnout, était saturée dans le facteur d'implication. Ces résultats, vont dans le sens de la fidélité (consistance interne et stabilité), de la solidité factorielle et de la validité de construction de l'UWES-J dans ces trois échantillons indépendants.

Effects of Web-Based Psychoeducation on Self-Efficacy, Problem Solving Behavior, Stress Responses and Job Satisfaction among Workers:A Controlled Clinical Trial: Akihito SHIMAZU, et al. Department of Psychology, Hiroshima University Graduate School of Education-This study examined effects of web-based psychoeducation on self-efficacy, problem solving behavior, stress responses and job satisfaction. The program was based on social cognitive theory and was primarily aimed at increasing knowledge of stress, self-efficacy, and the use of problem solving behavior. A total of 225 employees were invited to participate in the study. Participants were assigned to an intervention (n=112) or waiting list control group (n=113). Those in the intervention group were asked to access the website and to complete learning within 1 month. To investigate the intervention effect, the change score in the outcome variable was calculated by subtracting the score at preintervention from that at post-intervention (1 week after completion of the learning period). Then, the difference in the scores between groups was examined using analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) with the preintervention score as the covariate. We detected a marginally significant difference between groups in changes in job satisfaction from pre-to postintervention (p=0.081). Participants in the intervention group showed an increase in job satisfaction score, while those in the waiting list control group showed a decrease in it. No significant differences were detected between groups in the other indicators (p>.10). We detected significant or marginally significant intervention effects on self-efficacy, problem solving behavior, stress responses, and job satisfaction among males and younger individuals, and those who had initially higher job strain and higher interest in managing stress. Further research is required with longer time periods (controlled follow-up) and a broader sample to fully determine the intervention effect. (J Occup Health 2005; 47: 405-413)

Conceptualization of job control as a coping resource seems to be useful in explaining how the DC Model influences employees' health, where time plays an important role.

Interactive Effects of Job Stress andBody Mass Index on Over-eating: Jiro TAKAKI, et al. Department of Public Health, Okayama UniversityGraduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences-Objectives: Recent prospective evidence drawn from the Whitehall II cohort reported by Kivimäki et al. implies that stressful situations are related to decreased body weight in thin men and increased body weight in obese men, whereas no corresponding interactive effects are observed in women. The mechanism underlying this phenomenon remains unknown, and the purpose of this study was to confirm our hypothesis that the relevant mechanism is behavioral (e.g., over-eating). Methods: The subjects of this survey were 607 Japanese workers (response rate: 60.5%) in four organizations. The questionnaire solicited demographic information and included the Bulimia scale of the Eating Disorder Inventory-EZ to measure tendencies toward overeating as well as the Japanese version of the EffortReward Imbalance Questionnaire (ERIQ). Body mass index (BMI) was calculated on the basis of data obtained during medical check-ups. We tested for linear and interactive effects with hierarchical regression analyses. Results: BMI was significantly (p<0.05) associated with over-eating both univariately and after adjusting for age in both sexes. Significant (p<0.05) interactions showed that ERIQ effort scores and effort-reward ratios were more positively associated with over-eating in men with higher BMIs, and ERIQ reward and financial remuneration scores Field Studywere more negatively associated with over-eating in men with higher BMIs. No corresponding interactive effects were observed among women. Conclusions:The results demonstrate that stressful situations are more associated with over-eating in men with higher BMIs. This might explain, in part, the mechanism underpinning the interactive effects proposed by Kivimäki et al. (J Occup Health 2010; 52: 66-73) Key words: Body mass index, Hyperphagia, Obesity, Psychological stress When stressed, some people lose and other people gain weight 1) . Although some studies have found associations between stressful work environments and increased body mass index (BMI) [2][3][4][5][6][7] , others have reported no associations between these variables [8][9][10][11][12][13] . Moreover, a highly stressful work environment was associated with low BMIs in several samples 14,15) . A review and a cross-sectional study showed that the association between a stressful work environment and BMI were inconsistent and differed by sex 16,17) . Recent prospective evidence drawn from the Whitehall II cohort implies that stressful situations are related to decreased body weight in thin men (BMI<22 kg/m 2 ) and increased body weight in obese men (BMI>27 kg/m 2 ), whereas no corresponding interactive effects are observed in women 18) . These interactive effects might explain, in part, the aforementioned inconsistent findings, but the mechanism by which these effects operate remains unknown. We hypothesized...

No abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the health-protecting effects of feeling useful to others on symptoms of depression and sleep disturbance in the workplace, as well as its buffering effects on associations between stressful work environments and symptoms of depression and sleep disturbance. Methods: The subjects of this cross-sectional survey were 773 Japanese workers (response rate: 64.8%) of five organizations. Feelings of being useful to others were assessed with one simple question used in a previous study. Psychosocial work environment, sleep disturbance, and depressive symptoms were assessed using the Japanese versions of the Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the 28-item General Health Questionnaire, respectively. We tested for linear and interactive effects with hierarchical regression analyses. Results: Feeling useful to others was significantly (p<0.05) and negatively associated with scores of depression and sleep disturbance both in the univariate analyses and after adjusting for age in both genders. Significant (p<0.05) interactions showed that, in both genders, as the effort-reward balance worsened, symptoms of depression increased, but feeling useful to others buffered the associations. Conclusions: The results support the notion that feeling useful to others in both genders in the workplace has possible health-protecting effects. (J Occup Health 2010; 52: 287-293)