Occupational Health Psychology - Assignment Example

Portfolio Questions Name Institution Date Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Question 1 2 Occupational health psychology and what it can offer organizations and employees 2 Introduction 2 Cardiovascular disease and job stress 5 Question 2 7 Work and Health of Employees 7 Introduction 7 Assumptions 8 Conclusion 10 10 Question 1 Occupational health psychology and what it can offer organizations and employees Introduction Occupational health psychology is made up of two applied disciplines that are distinct within the scope of psychology. These disciplines are organizational or industrial psychology and health psychology and occupational health relates to psychological features of workplaces that result to the emergency of health-related disorders in people who are employed to work. It also expounds methods to implement changes at work place to the benefit of the health of workers without compromising in any way productivity (Fletcher, 1991). Occupational health psychology incorporates various psychology specialties using them in the setting of the organization for the betterment work life quality, safety of workers, their protection, and advocating for work environments that are safe. In a healthy environment is whereby workers feel good, record high levels of well being, and generally feel good about themselves. Throughout the United States of America and Europe occupational health psychology has been founded on strong traditions. Occupational health psychology practitioners and researchers have interest in various psychological features directly related to either mental or physical problems. According to Dewe, Leiter, & Cox (2000), physical health disorders may include cardiovascular disease and mere accidental injuries. Mentally workers may be affected by one or more of the following anomalies; depression, burnout and distress. Occupational health psychology practitioners and researchers moreover are interested with the impact of health behavior and psychosocial working conditions that may comprise of alcohol consumption and smoking. They also examine cause of morale in the workplace for example job satisfaction. Illustrations of psychosocial workplace features that occupational health psychology researchers have related to health results comprise of psychological workload and decision latitude and besides the magnitude to which co-workers and supervisors are supportive. Researchers also dissect and analyze in occupational health psychology the impact of workplace experiences to home life of the workers. Accident risks and factors affecting workplace safety are also looked at in occupational health psychology. The impact of plummeting economic conditions are analyzed by occupational health psychologists and method of mitigating the problems documented (Jones, Westman, & Burke, 2005). Many personalities have contributed greatly to the founding of occupational health psychology. The Industrial Revolution that occurred in the 19th century gave impetus to thinkers to commence concerning themselves with the nature of work. Theory of alienation founded by Karl Max applied to the industrial worker has been used immensely. Elton Mayo research at the Hawthorne Western Electric Plant and principles of scientific management brought forth by Fredrick Taylor injected work and its effect on workers in the subject addressed by psychology. A stimulus to research on health and work came about following the creation of Institute of Social Research at Michigan University in the year 1948 because of the character of the University of being an interdisciplinary institute. Subsequently a lot of sociological and psychological studies were instigated by various researches at the great Institute of Social Research. Other pioneers included Cobb and Kasl studied the influence that unemployment had on blood pressure. This study had an impact on the subsequent emergency of occupational health psychology in apparently two respects. To begin with, the study successfully indicated the result of a physical condition from a work-related psychosocial stressor. In the second respect, the study clearly demonstrated that rigorous methods could be used to the examination of the effect of psychosocial work features on the crucial aspect of health. Besides, the above stated research conducted in the United States of America, another research that was successfully conducted in Europe played a crucial part in cementing the foundation for occupational health psychology (Fontana, 2000). Bamforth and Trist did a research that indicated that the deterioration in autonomy that characterized organizational changes in the operation in the English Mines influenced the morale of workers played an important role in occupational health psychology circles. Research done by Gardell examining the effect that work organization had on mental health in Swedish paper and pulp mill engineers and workers, was also very influential. It was the first research of its kind to that led to the concept of the alienation of workers to operationalize (Hochschild, 1997). Cardiovascular disease and job stress A number of common factors are traced to the escalating risk for cardiovascular disease. These risk factors comprises of obesity, smoking, lack of exercise, blood pressure and low lipoprotein. Murphy did a research in 1991 in which he used two sets of data and demonstrated that jobs that required vigilance, responsibility for others and hazardous work situations, and work that needed total concentration to devices greatly increased risk of disability of cardiovascular. These comprises of occupation in transportation (such as airline pilots, air traffic controllers, truck drivers, locomotive engineers and truck drivers), craftsmen and teachers (Monat & Lazarus, 1991). Thirty studies done involving women and men, many of them have established an association between cardiovascular and workplace stressors. Concerning the concept of job drain, a study done by Frankenhaeuser, Sundin and Fredikson in 1985 on algamation high workload and decision latitude that is work-related brought out the justification that job strain escalated activity in the adrenocortical and sympathoadrenomedullary axes. Another researcher found out that among the thirty researches mentioned above many of them showed that psychological workload and decision latitude were exerting effects which were independent on the cardiovascular (Bamber, 2006). A thorough review of some seventeen longitudinal studies that had high level of internal validity indicated that eight of them portrayed a significant correlation between cardiovascular and job strain. Three studies among them showed negligible relationship. However the results were very clear for men than they were for women who sparse data was collected. The model of effort-reward imbalance was an alternative model available for job stress. The model revolves under the principle that high work-related effort compounded by low management of job –related intrinsic, for example, recognition, and extrinsic, for example, pay, kind of rewards instigated high activation in neuro-hormonal pathways that wholesomely are believed to exert adverse impact on the health of the cardiovascula (Warr, 2007). The model effort-reward imbalance is the other alternative model available job stress. The model revolves on the principle that high level effort relating to work compounded by little management of job-related intrinsic, for example, recognition and extrinsic, for example, pay, rewards instigate high activation in neuro-hormonal routes that collectively are believed to exert negative impact on the health of cardiovascular. Conclusion Occupational health psychology is invaluable in the understanding of the work environment and therefore design programs that are good and can ensure optimal results. The management is able to manage the employees in the best way. Question 2 Work and Health of Employees Introduction In a case done with a control model by Skodol and Dohrenwend found out that, in comparison with well controlled and depressed subjects, patients who were schizophrenic were more prone to have had jobs preceding their first occurrence of the disorder that put them in a noisy environment. Consequently from this finding we can positively state that work has some negative effects to the workers. Particularly the workers that are overworked tend to have disorders that can be traced to the workplace such as burnout, depression, exhaustion, and low esteem in case of harassment at the work place. Apart from that there are other complications that relate to people who are employed. Workers who are involved in shift work or work for extended hours can undergo significant disruption of social activities and family as a lot of these systems of the general population are embedded around the whole day. According to (Karasek & Theorell, 1990), work that is allocated over the weekend can interfere with religious activities and sporting events. This can subsequently be a cause of social marginalization. Marital responsibilities and family can immensely be disrupted by long hours of work or shift work. Housework, childcare, shopping and deserting a partner to a cold bed at night is a great cause of family dysfunction and marital strain. However on the positive side workers who lead solitary lives in their leisure pursuits find shift work more appropriate to them because they find opportunity to do what they like during the non-working time or in between the breaks. Assumptions There is general consensus found in many publications that the impacts of shift work or extended hours have got a deleterious impact on sleep. In spite of there being differences among various people, loss of sleep has been attributed to be caused by shift work. This is easily realized particularly after a night shift. The time for sleeping is greatly by almost two hours in a day and there also a considerable effect on the quality of sleep. Having inadequate sleep can result to sleepiness during work or at work. A common complaint by those workers working long hours is fatigue. This is more noticed after a night shift. Shift working has been discovered as a significant psychosocial stressor. Stress related to working pressure has been traced to mental disorders (Bryman, 1988). Anxiety and depression indices also indicate the likelihood of an immense impact on mental health from long working hours and shift work. Many shift workers have been found to be affected by gastrointestinal disorders. A lot of them have been diagnosed to complain of problems emanating from the digestive system which may be as a result substandard catering. Workers on night shift have been found to complain of flatulence, abdominal pains, dyspepsia and heartburn. On reproduction it has been found out that has adverse effect on the reproduction system of women who have reached the age of child bearing. Evidently the menstrual cycle of women who prefer or forced on night shift change predominantly, altering their child bearing system (Cassidy, 1999). Moreover the physical health of the workers who are employed can be affected either directly or indirectly. Some workers operate in risky environments increasing their chances of being injured than their counterparts who are not employed. You will find out that some workers are exposed to adverse working conditions that will have a long tome effect on their health. Some in manufacturing companies are exposed to poisonous gases which if inhaled; although in my minute quantities, over a long period of time they will eventual cause damage to the lungs and other respiratory organs. The workers working in Gold mine for example in South Africa have been found to be affected with a variety of diseases that can only be attributed to them inhaling poisonous substances in the gold mines. Some jobs also have permanent strain on the physical health of an individual. Where one is required to stand or sit for a long period of time, this may affect him or she slowly by slowly (Barling, 1990). On the positive side however, it has been established that daughters belonging to mothers who are employed have high academic achievement, more nontraditional career choices, greater occupational commitment, and greater career success. Apart from that, it has been found out that children brought up in poverty in both single parent and two-parent families, children from employed mothers had high cognitive score that the ones with unemployed parents. Besides, they also posted a greater score indices on the socio-emotional part (Heckhausen & Gollwitzer, 1987). The workplace provides an environment where the various workers from different classes interact therefore reducing the tension that would have resulted from class difference. This interactive environment creates a forum ware some family and social stress is diffused. Various workers will talk and share their problems and eventually they are motivated to be positive about life and fight on. The social forum alone is healthy enough to ensure that the psychological stress created by unrelated-work factors is dealt with (Jenkins & Coney, 1991). Physically we can not overlook the positive effects of work. Sitting around doing nothing and have adverse effects on your health as compared to someone who work. Particularly for those who work to their workplace every morning, this has a positive impact on their health because walking alone is a physical exercise that enhances blood circulation ensuring one is active. On top of that, the functioning of the heart is also boosted. People work because some do not like sitting just idling and doing nothing, others work because of the economic gains that they draw from working. The stress of having to meet financial obligations when one has no money is overwhelming; consequently people who work for the purpose of financial mileage reduce this kind of stress. Conclusion Inclusion it will be noted that compared to unemployed people, people who work particularly in safe and healthy conditions will be healthier than people who do not work at all. Some problems and diseases will come about regardless of whether you are working or not. Some complications are not work related. Issues to do with infidelity may emerge from other avenues rather than the workplace. All in all, whether to work or not it is an individual choice that will depend on what he really wants from life. References Heckhausen, H. & Gollwitzer, P. M. (1987). Thought contents and cognitive functioning in motivational versus volitional states of mind. Motivation and Emotion 11, 101-120. Karasek, R.A. & Theorell, T. (1990). Healthy work. Stress, productivity and the reconstruction of working life, New York: Basic Books Hochschild, A.R. (1997). The Time Bind: When Work Becomes Home and Home Becomes Work, New York: Metropolitan Books Fletcher, B. (1991). Work, Stress, Disease and Life Expectancy, London: Wiley Dewe, P., Leiter, M. & Cox, T. (2000). Coping, Health and Organisations, London: Taylor & Francis Cassidy, T (1999). Stress, Cognition and Health, Routledge: London Barling, J. 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