Professional Demeanor of Chronically Unemployed Cocaine-Dependent Methadone Patients in a Therapeutic Workplace

This study assesses the frequency that users of illicit drugs display unprofessional behaviors in an employment setting. This research was conducted in the therapeutic workplace, a model employment-based treatment program for chronically unemployed adults with long histories of illicit drug use in 2003. Fifty-three unemployed adults in methadone treatment, who were opiate and cocaine dependent, showed signs of injection drug use, and recently used cocaine were hired to work for 4 hours every weekday for 7 months. Results show that while the overall incidence of many undesirable behaviors is low, a small percentage of participants had serious workplace behavior problems that might limit their success in community workplaces. This study suggests that unprofessional behavior in the workplace could contribute to chronic unemployment in this population. The study's limitations are noted and future needed research is suggested.     

Mental health of patients with human immunodeficiency virus in Japan: a comparative analysis of employed and unemployed patients

In developed countries, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has become a chronic disease. The aims of this study were to clarify the physical, social, and psychological factors affecting Japanese HIV patients in a stable condition and to identify factors related to mental health of employed and unemployed HIV patients. The target subjects were people with HIV infection who were treated as outpatients at core hospitals for acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) treatment in Japan. A questionnaire including items from the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was sent to each medical facility with a request for participation from the HIV-infected outpatients. Responses from 1199 patients were analyzed. Mental health was reportedly better in the employed patients than in the unemployed patients. The unemployed patients were more likely to have resigned from their jobs because of poor health, to have resigned voluntarily, or to have been unfairly dismissed. Once the patients stopped working because of HIV, returning to work became difficult. In the employed patients, a good workplace environment was strongly related to lower scores on HADS. Higher HADS scores were recorded for employed patients infected with HIV for six years or more. For the unemployed patients, a relationship was observed between strong feelings of stigmatization and HADS scores. Quitting a job because of an experience related to HIV status may be related to feelings of stigmatization.     

Work disabilities and unmet needs for health care and rehabilitation among jobseekers: a community-level investigation using multidimensional work ability assessments

Objective: Comprehensive understanding of the prevalence and quality of work disabilities and unmet needs for health care and rehabilitation to support return to work (RTW) among jobseekers.

Design: Community-level, cross-sectional analysis with multidimensional clinical work ability assessments.

Setting: Paltamo, Finland.

Participants: Unemployed citizens either participating in the Full-Employment Project or long-term unemployed (n?=?230, 81%).

Main outcome measures: Based on data from theme interviews, patient records, supervisors’ observations of work performance and clinical examinations, a physician concluded the individual’s work ability, categorised into four groups: good work ability, good work ability expected after RTW support, able to transitional work only or unable to work. These groups were cross tabulated with primary diagnoses, types of plans to support RTW, as well as categories of social functioning and motivation, for which sensitivity and specificity scores in detecting work disability were calculated.

Results: Only about half of the jobseekers had good work ability, 27% were found unable to work in the open labour market and 15% even eligible for a disability pension. For 20%, care or rehabilitation was seen necessary to enable RTW. Poor supervisor- and self-rated performance at work or poor social functioning appeared as sensitive measures in detecting work disability.

Conclusions: Work disabilities and unmet needs for health care and rehabilitation are highly prevalent among jobseekers, as depicted using a multidimensional work ability assessment procedure inspired by the International Classification of Functioning (ICF). Further development of work ability assessment practices is clearly needed.

• KEY POINTS

• Although the association of unemployment with poor health is well known, evidence on the work ability of the unemployed remains scarce.

• Work disabilities are common among the unemployed.

• Multidimensional work ability assessment among the unemployed reveals unmet needs for care and rehabilitation to support return to work.

• Context sensitivity may add to the accuracy of the doctor’s conclusions on work ability.

     

"先修渠、后分流",妥善安置富余人员--浅谈医院聘用制改革中富余人员的分流

富余人员的安置是聘用制改革工作的重点和难点,本文叙述了医院聘用制改革中妥善安置富余人员的做法,提出了"先修渠、后分流"的办法,对解决聘用制改革中富余人员的分流问题具有一定的参考价值.     

Searching for a job: Cardiac responses to acute stress and the mediating role of threat appraisal in young people

Being unemployed and looking for a job has become a source of stress for many people in several European countries. However, little attention has been paid to the impact of this stressful situation on the individuals' psychophysiological stress responses. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of being an unemployed job seeker on cognitive threat appraisal and cardiac responses to a psychosocial stressor. We exposed a group of unemployed job seekers (N = 42) and a matched group of unemployed non‐job seekers (N = 40) to a standardized social stressor in form of job interview, the Trier Social Stress Test. Our results showed that unemployed job seekers manifest lower cardiac responses, along with a lower cognitive threat appraisal, compared to non‐job seekers. Moreover, we observed a full mediating role of cognitive threat appraisal on the relationship between being an unemployed job seeker and cardiac responses to stress. These findings reveal that being unemployed and looking for a job has an effect on physiological responses to acute stress, as well as the importance of psychological process related to the situation. These responses might lead to negative health and motivational consequences. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

The intake of nutrients by Northumbrian adolescents from one-parent families and from unemployed families

In order to tailor nutrition health education to 'at risk' groups, areas of nutritional insufficiency in the diets of such groups need to be identified. Low income and poor nutritional knowledge may predispose children from one-parent families and/or unemployed families to a poor diet. The present study compared intakes of nutrients between Northumbrian adolescents from one-parent and two-parent families and between Northumbrian adolescents from unemployed and employed families. In 1990, 379 children aged 11–12 years completed two 3-day dietary records, and were interviewed by a dietitian to verify the information given. Information on the employment status and number of parents of these children was obtained by questionnaire.
Compared to girls from employed families, girls from unemployed families had significantly higher intakes of energy, fat and carbohydrate. Boys from unemployed families had significantly lower intakes of iron and vitamin C than boys from employed families. Daily intake of energy and fat were significantly greater in girls from single-parent families compared to girls from two-parent families. No differences in intake of nutrients were observed between boys from one- and two-parent families. No additive effect of being from both an unemployed and single-parent family was observed.     

下岗职工家庭健康状况调查分析

通过调查我国杭州、海口、保定、沈阳、成都5市下岗职工家庭健康状况,分析5市下岗职工家庭成员患病情况,采用卡方检验和Logistic分析,探讨下岗职工家庭健康主要影响因素。研究发现,影响下岗职工家庭两周患病率的单因素有性别、年龄、婚姻状况、文化程度和经济收入等。通过建立回归模型进行多因素分析发现,下岗职工家庭两周患病和年龄、失业时间、人均收入、工作性质以及医保状况相关,并与年龄、失业时间呈负相关。在此基础上提出改善下岗职工家庭健康状况和整体生活水平的相应对策和建议。     

2006-2008年广州市海珠区无业妇女妇女病普查情况分析

目的了解无业妇女的妇女病发病和普查情况,为制订有效干预措施提供依据。方法对广州市海珠区2006--2008年无业妇女妇女病普查普治情况进行分析。结果23731名无业妇女检出妇女病11146人,患病率为47．0％,患病率呈逐年增高趋势;其中,乳腺疾病在妇女病普查中占首位,乳腺增生患病率为52．9％;在生殖器官炎症中,宫颈糜烂连续3年占首位,患病率为21．0％;乳腺癌8例,宫颈癌2例,子宫内膜癌和卵巢癌各1例,宫颈脱落细胞涂片CIN—Ⅲ23例。结论掌握弱势群体妇女病的发病趋势和防治现状,制订相应干预措施,促进和提高无业下岗妇女的生殖健康水平。     

New for old – recent developments in public policies towards older workers in the United Kingdom

Summary This article reviews recent developments in public policies towards older workers in the United Kingdom. In the last decade, against a background of population ageing, tightening labour markets and a recognition that older workers face barriers in the labour market, successive UK governments have begun to implement policies aimed at increasing labour force participation rates among this group. These have included education campaigns encouraging the recruitment and retention of older workers by firms and assistance and guidance aimed at helping older workers to obtain training and to make decisions about returning to work. The impact of these policies is discussed and proposals for developments in policies are set out. Received: 5 June 2000 Accepted: 16 June 2000     

就业动机因素与核心自我评价对失业人员心理健康的影响

目的:了解经济困难、就业承诺对失业人员心理健康的影响,以及核心自我评价在其中的调节作用。方法:对北京市369名失业人员进行问卷调查,采用多层回归分析(Hierarchical Regression Analysis)对数据进行分析。结果:在控制人口统计学变量后,经济困难和就业承诺在心理健康上的标准回归系数均为负,且达到显著性水平;随着核心自我评价水平的提高,经济困难对心理健康的影响逐渐由显著变为不显著,而就业承诺的影响则未发生显著变化。结论:经济困难和就业承诺对失业人员心理健康具有明显的消极影响,核心自我评价能有效调节经济困难和心理健康之间的关系。