Nursing

The effect of COVID-19 on workplace violence in California's hospitals: An interrupted time series analysis

Rachel Odes
Soo-Jeong Lee, RN, PhD, ANP
Oisaeng Hong, RN, PhD, FAAN
Jin Jun
2023

Aim: This study used California's unique Workplace Violent Incident Reporting System (WVIRS) to describe changes in workplace violence (WV) exposure for hospital-based healthcare workers during the pandemic.

Design: Interrupted time series analysis.

Methods: We compared the linear trends in weekly WV incidents reported during the period before the COVID-19 pandemic (7/1/2017-3/20/2020) to the period following California's shutdown (3/21/2020-6/30/2021). We created mixed effects models for incidents reported in emergency...

Association of Occupational Stress With Tinnitus Among Career Firefighters in the United States

Rachel Odes
Dal Lae Chin
Jian Li
Oisaeng Hong, RN, PhD, FAAN
2022

Objective: This study explores the relationship between occupational stress and tinnitus among firefighters, a group often exposed to two tinnitus risk factors: high stress and noise.

Methods: This cross-sectional study includes 240 firefighters in the United States. Data describing demographic characteristics, occupational stress, noise exposure, and tinnitus were collected by survey. Occupational stress was measured using the short version of the Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire.

Results: Forty-three percent of...

Differences in employment, job characteristics, and work-related perceptions by sociodemographic factors among registered nurses of diverse race/ethnicity

Soohyun Nam
Suyoung Kwon
Soo-Jeong Lee, RN, PhD, ANP
2022

Background: Available research on registered nurses (RNs) indicates that RNs with diverse race/ethnicity are more likely to work in disadvantaged workplaces.

Purpose: To examine differences in employment, job characteristics and perceptions about work among RNs by sociodemographic characteristics.

Methods: We analyzed data from statewide random samples of California RNs (N=895).

Findings: Increased age was associated with increased likelihoods of working part-time, day-shift, and in non-hospital...

Real-time racial discrimination, affective states, salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase in Black adults

Soohyun Nam
Sangchoon Jeon
Soo-Jeong Lee, RN, PhD, ANP
Garrett Ash
LaRon E. Nelson
Douglas A. Granger
2022

Perceived racial discrimination has been associated with the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activities—two major stress response systems. To date, most studies have used cross-sectional data that captured retrospective measures of the racial discrimination associated with current physiological stress responses. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between racial discrimination measured in real-time and physiological stress responses. Twelve healthy Black adults completed baseline surveys and self-collected saliva...

Associations of COVID-19 Related Work Stressors with Psychological Distress: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Californian Workers

Timothy A Matthews
Megan Guardiano
Negar Omidakhsh
Lara Cushing
Wendie Robbins
Oisaeng Hong, RN, PhD, FAAN
Jian Li
2022

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to exert immense societal impacts, with recent data showing inequitable distribution of consequences among racial and ethnic groups. The objective of this study was to assess associations between COVID-related work stressors and psychological distress, with special emphasis on differences by race and ethnicity. Data were from the population-based California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) 2020. Associations of individual and cumulative work stressors, including job loss, reduced work hours, and working from home, with psychological distress in 12,113...

Evaluation of an Ecological Model for Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders

Minjung Kyung
Laura Wagner
Soo-Jeong Lee, RN, PhD, ANP
Oisaeng Hong, RN, PhD, FAAN
2022

Work-related musculoskeletal disorder is a major occupational health problem worldwide. The ecological model by Sauter and Swanson proposes a way in which psychosocial factors can influence musculoskeletal disorders. Employing Chinn and Kramer's framework, we evaluated the ecological model and found it had a specific scope for the working populations and clear concepts. This model also demonstrated high clarity, consistency, generalizability, and accessibility aligning with a nursing metaparadigm. Empirical evidence supports the applicability of the ecological model in nursing...

Filing a Workers' Compensation Claim for Low Back Pain and Associated Factors: Analysis of 2015 National Health Interview Survey

Minjung Kyung
Soo-Jeong Lee, RN, PhD, ANP
Nicole Collman, RN, ANP-BC, CNS
Sandra Domeracki, RN, MSN, FNP-BC, COHN-S, FAAOHN
Oisaeng Hong, RN, PhD, FAAN
2022

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the degree of reporting work-related low back pain (LBP) by workers' compensation (WC) claim filing and associated factors among US workers.

Methods: We conducted multivariable logistic regression using the 2015 National Health Interview Survey data.

Results: Among 1203 US workers with self-reported work-related LBP diagnosis, only 19.6% filed for WC. Compared with non-Hispanic White workers, Black, Asian, and Hispanic workers were less likely to file for WC. Workers'...

Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Perceptions of Health, Work Environment and Experiences of Work-Related Symptoms Among Cleaning Workers

Minjung Kyung
Nicole Collman
Sandra Domeracki, RN, MSN, FNP-BC, COHN-S, FAAOHN
Oisaeng Hong, RN, PhD, FAAN
Soo-Jeong Lee, RN, PhD, ANP
2022

This study explored racial and ethnic differences in perception of work environment, safe work practices, general health status, experience of work-related injury or illness and subsequent symptom reporting and health care seeking behaviors among cleaning workers. This study analyzed cross-sectional data obtained from 183 cleaning workers employed in a university hospital or a health sciences campus in Northern California. The sample included 120 Asians (65.6%), 37 Hispanics (20.2%), and 27 other ethnicities (14.2%); 85.7% were foreign-born. Asian workers perceived lower job control...

Job satisfaction and job security as moderators in the relationships among job demands, musculoskeletal symptoms, and work performance

Suyoung Kwon
A B de Castro
Jerald R Herting
Soo-Jeong Lee, RN, PhD, ANP
Kurt Johnson
Stephen Bao
2023

Purpose: This study examined whether job satisfaction and job security moderate the path from physical demands and job strain to impaired work performance via musculoskeletal symptoms in the upper extremities (MSUE). Moderation effects on five paths were examined: (1) from job strain to MSUE; (2) from job strain to work performance; (3) from physical demands to MSUE; (4) from physical demands to work performance; (5) from MSUE to work performance.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 669 full-time workers from 9 manufacturing and 3...

Protecting Children's Environmental Health in a Changing Climate: A Model Collaboration of the Maternal and Child Health Section and the Environment Section of APHA

Kristie Trousdale
Leyla E McCurdy
Nsedu Obot Witherspoon
Abbey Alkon
2023

Purpose: The complexities of modern civilization, coupled with challenges including systemic racism and climate change-related impacts, compel public health professionals to break down silos and collaborate towards the shared goals of protecting the wellbeing of current and future generations. This article highlights the growing collaboration between the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) and the Environment (ENV) Sections of the American Public Health Association (APHA) as members bring their collective focus to the protection of children's and pregnant people's...