The Predictive Validity of the Danish Psychosocial Work Environment Questionnaire With Regard to Onset of Depressive Disorders and Long-Term Sickness Absence.

Objectives: To investigate the predictive validity of 32 measures of the Danish Psychosocial Work Environment Questionnaire (DPQ) against two criteria variables: onset of depressive disorders and long-term sickness absence (LTSA).

Methods: The DPQ was sent to 8958 employed individuals in 14 job groups of which 4340 responded (response rate: 48.4%).

Exploring the Use of Selection, Optimization, and Compensation Strategies Beyond the Individual Level in a Workplace Context - A Qualitative Case Study.

Due to aging populations and the prolonging of working lives, the number of senior workers will increase. Therefore, this study investigates the use of SOC strategies (Selection, Optimization, and Compensation) across organizational levels as a means for senior workers to maintain workability and age successfully at work. The need to expand the perspective of the SOC model beyond the individual level, when applied to a work context, has been emphasized theoretically in the literature, nevertheless, SOC strategies have so far only been examined at the individual level.

Development of a Questionnaire for Measuring Employees' Perception of Selection, Optimisation and Compensation at the Leadership, Group and Individual Levels.

This study is the first to develop a questionnaire to measure employees' perceptions of the use of the action strategies selection, optimisation, and compensation (SOC) beyond the individual level, which has so far been lacking in research and practice. The study thus contributes an important tool for research into the role of SOC strategies at the leadership, group, and individual levels for long and healthy working lives. It may also be used by practitioners as a tool to provide input when developing targeted interventions to support long and healthy working lives.

Enhancing the social capital in industrial work teams: results from a participatory intervention.

We investigated the effects of an intervention aiming at enhancing four types of team-level social capital (bonding, bridging and two types of linking social capital) in six dairy plants with a total of 60 teams. Social capital and work engagement was assessed in baseline and follow-up surveys. The follow-up period was approximately 20 months, comprising an intervention period of 12 months.

Effect of a participatory organizational workplace intervention on workplace social capital: post-hoc results from a cluster randomized controlled trial.

Background: A high level of workplace social capital (WSC) may contribute to the protection of employees' health. We hypothesized that a participatory workplace intervention would increase the level of WSC defined as vertical WSC (i.e.

The association of vertical and horizontal workplace social capital with employees' job satisfaction, exhaustion and sleep disturbances: a prospective study.

Purpose: Workplace social capital (WSC) may be beneficial for employees' health and well-being; however, most studies have analyzed WSC on the individual and not the workplace level. We test whether higher compared to lower levels of vertical WSC (WSC between employees and superiors) and horizontal WSC (WSC between employees), measured at the workplace level, is prospectively associated with higher levels of employees' well-being.

Methods: Using data from an intervention study, we analyzed associations between workplace aggregated vertical and horizontal WSC at baseline with job satisfaction, exhaustion and sleep disturbances at 24-months follow-up.

The Danish Psychosocial Work Environment Questionnaire (DPQ): Development, content, reliability and validity.

Objectives The aim of this study was to describe the development and the content of the Danish Psychosocial Work Environment Questionnaire (DPQ) and to test its reliability and validity. Methods We describe the identification of dimensions, the development of items, and the qualitative and quantitative tests of the reliability and validity of the DPQ. Reliability and validity of a 150 item version of the DPQ was evaluated in a stratified sample of 8958 employees in 14 job groups of which 4340 responded.

Enhancing the social capital in industrial workplaces: Developing workplace interventions using intervention mapping.

Social capital in the workplace has been found to be associated with employee wellbeing and work engagement. Yet, evidence of effects of interventions to enhance the social capital are lacking. The intervention mapping method has been described as a useful tool for developing workplace interventions but it is very resource consuming.

The association between team-level social capital and individual-level work engagement: Differences between subtypes of social capital and the impact of intra-team agreement.

The study explored the association between team-level social capital and individual-level work engagement. Questionnaire data were collected from six companies in the dairy industry. Seven hundred seventy-two participants divided into 65 teams were included.

Managerial Quality and Risk of Depressive Disorders Among Danish Eldercare Workers: A Multilevel Cohort Study.

Objective: To examine whether low managerial quality predicts risk of depressive disorders.

Methods: Using multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression analyses we examined the prospective association of individual-level and workplace-mean managerial quality with onset of depressive disorders among 5244 eldercare workers from 274 workplaces during 20 months follow-up.

Results: Low managerial quality predicted onset of depressive disorders in both the individual-level (odds ratio [OR] = 1.

The impact of retirement on age related cognitive decline - a systematic review.

Background: Knowledge on factors affecting the rate of cognitive decline and how to maintain cognitive functioning in old age becomes increasingly relevant. The purpose of the current study was to systematically review the evidence for the impact of retirement on cognitive functioning and on age related cognitive decline.

Method: We conducted a systematic literature review, following the principles of the PRISMA statement, of longitudinal studies on the association between retirement and cognition.

The contribution from psychological, social, and organizational work factors to risk of disability retirement: a systematic review with meta-analyses.

Background: Previous studies indicate that psychological, social, and organizational factors at work contribute to health, motivation, absence from work, and functional ability. The objective of the study was to assess the current state of knowledge of the contribution of psychological, social, and organizational factors to disability retirement by a systematic review and meta-analyses.

Methods: Data sources: A systematic literature search for studies of retirement due to disability in Medline, Embase, and PsychINFO was performed.

Can psychosocial work conditions protect against age-related cognitive decline? Results from a systematic review.

According to the use it or lose it hypothesis, intellectually stimulating activities postpone age-related cognitive decline. A previous systematic review concluded that a high level of mental work demands and job control protected against cognitive decline. However, it did not distinguish between outcomes that were measured as cognitive function at one point in time or as cognitive decline.

Effect of physical exercise on workplace social capital: Cluster randomized controlled trial.

Aims: While workplace health promotion with group-based physical exercise can improve workers' physical health, less is known about potential carry-over effects to psychosocial factors. This study investigates the effect of physical exercise on social capital at work.

Methods: Altogether, 200 female healthcare workers (nurses and nurse's aides) from 18 departments at three hospitals were randomly allocated at the department level to 10 weeks of (1) group-based physical exercise at work during working hours or (2) physical exercise at home during leisure time.

Depressive symptoms and early retirement intentions among Danish eldercare workers: Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses.

Background: Depression increases the risk of disability pension and represents a health related strain that pushes people out of the labour market. Although early voluntary retirement is an important alternative to disability pension, few studies have examined whether depressive symptoms incur early voluntary retirement. This study examined whether depressive symptoms and changes in depressive symptoms over time were associated with early retirement intentions.

Why are they leaving? Causes of actual turnover in the Danish eldercare services.

Aim: To investigate reasons for actual turnover among eldercare staff and to investigate changes in job design that could prevent turnover.

Background: Many Western countries have difficulties in recruiting healthcare staff to provide care for an ageing population. Knowledge on the causes of turnover among healthcare staff is therefore important.

Do psychosocial work conditions predict risk of disability pensioning? An analysis of register-based outcomes using pooled data on 40,554 observations.

Aims: To investigate whether high psychosocial job demands (quantitative demands and work pace) and low psychosocial job resources (influence at work and quality of leadership) predicted risk of disability pensioning among employees in four occupational groups--employees working with customers, employees working with clients, office workers and manual workers--in line with the propositions of the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model.

Methods: Survey data from 40,554 individuals were fitted to the DREAM register containing information on payments of disability pension. Using multi-adjusted Cox regression, observations were followed in the DREAM-register to assess risk of disability pensioning.

Does affective organizational commitment and experience of meaning at work predict risk of disability pensioning? An analysis of register-based outcomes using pooled data on 40,554 observations in four occupational groups.

Background: The aim of this study is to investigate whether experience of meaning at work (MAW) and affective organizational commitment (AOC) predict risk of disability pensioning in four occupational groups.

Methods: Survey data from 40,554 individuals were fitted to a national register (DREAM) containing information on payments of disability pension. Using multi-adjusted Cox-regression, observations were followed in the DREAM-register to assess risk of disability pensioning.

Do psychosocial job demands and job resources predict long-term sickness absence? An analysis of register-based outcomes using pooled data on 39,408 individuals in four occupational groups.

Purpose: To investigate whether psychosocial job demands (work pace and quantitative demands) and job resources (influence at work and quality of leadership) predict long-term sickness absence (LTSA) for more than three consecutive weeks in four occupational groups.

Methods: Survey data pooling 39,408 respondents were fitted to a national register containing information on payments of sickness absence compensation. Using multi-adjusted Cox regression, respondents were followed for an 18-month follow-up period to assess risk of LTSA.

Sick leave patterns as predictors of disability pension or long-term sick leave: a 6.75-year follow-up study in municipal eldercare workers.

Objectives: The aim was to study whether a workplace-registered frequent short-term sick leave spell pattern was an early indicator of future disability pension or future long-term sick leave among municipal eldercare workers.

Setting: The municipal healthcare sector in the city of Aarhus, which is the second largest city in Denmark.

Participants: All elder care employees who worked the entire year of 2004 in the municipality of Aarhus, Denmark (N=2774).

Does affective organizational commitment and experience of meaning at work predict long-term sickness absence? An analysis of register-based outcomes using pooled data on 61,302 observations in four occupational groups.

Objective: To investigate whether experience of low meaning at work (MAW) and low affective organizational commitment (AOC) predicts long-term sickness absence (LTSA) for more than 3 consecutive weeks and whether this association is dependent on the occupational group.

Methods: Survey data pooling 61,302 observations were fitted to the DREAM register containing information on payments of sickness absence compensation. Using multiadjusted Cox regression, observations were followed for an 18-month follow-up period to assess the risk for LTSA.

Do psychosocial working conditions modify the effect of depressive symptoms on long-term sickness absence?

Background: The objective of this study was to investigate whether work unit-levels of psychosocial working conditions modify the effect of depressive symptoms on risk of long-term sickness absence (LTSA).

Methods: A total of 5,416 Danish female eldercare workers from 309 work units were surveyed using questionnaires assessing depressive symptoms and psychosocial working conditions. LTSA was derived from a national register.

Are environmental characteristics in the municipal eldercare, more closely associated with frequent short sick leave spells among employees than with total sick leave: a cross-sectional study.

Background: It has been suggested that frequent-, short-term sick leave is associated with work environment factors, whereas long-term sick leave is associated mainly with health factors. However, studies of the hypothesis of an association between a poor working environment and frequent short spells of sick leave are few and results are inconsistent. Therefore, we aimed to explore associations between self-reported psychosocial work factors and workplace-registered frequency and length of sick leave in the eldercare sector.

Psychosocial work environment factors and weight change: a prospective study among Danish health care workers.

Background: Lifestyle variables may serve as important intermediate factors between psychosocial work environment and health outcomes. Previous studies, focussing on work stress models have shown mixed and weak results in relation to weight change. This study aims to investigate psychosocial factors outside the classical work stress models as potential predictors of change in body mass index (BMI) in a population of health care workers.

Work-related factors and early retirement intention: a study of the Danish eldercare sector.

Background: Western countries are experiencing an ageing and shrinking workforce in the eldercare sector. This study investigated whether 12 different work-related factors are associated with early retirement intentions of employees in the Danish eldercare sector. We tested whether three hypotheses explained the increase of early retirement intention: (i) high job demands (four factors) and low resources (four factors); (ii) low job attitude (three factors); and (iii) high physical strain (one factor).