North Carolina Council of State

Emotional Intelligence, Job Satisfaction, and Burnout for Dietitians by Cara N. Perdue MHS, Western Carolina University, 2010 BS, Western Carolina University, 2007 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Health Services Walden University February 2016 Abstract There are low retention rates of dietitians and this impacts quality of care. Emotional intelligence (EI) may be the missing component to improve retention, due to EI increasing job satisfaction and decreasing burnout for other health providers. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between EI, job satisfaction, and burnout for dietitians. The theoretical framework utilized was the 4-branch model of EI. Method of inquiry was convenience, quantitative non-experimental design. Registered dietitians (N = 84,173) living in the United States were contacted via e-mail. Approximately 9.5% of dietitians (n = 8,038) completed the Wong and Law EI Scale, Job Diagnostic Survey, Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, and a demographic survey. Frequency was calculated based on coded data that 89.38% of dietitians indicated high level of EI (score ≥ 4.5). Levels of EI and burnout for dietitians were examined with a Chi (p = 0.000), Pearson r correlation (r = 0.28, p = 0.000), and positive linear regression (r = 0.075, p = 0.000). Levels of EI and job satisfaction for dietitians were examined with a Chi (p = 0.000), Pearson r correlation (r = 0.271, p = 0.000), and positive linear regression (r = 0.070, p = 0.000). Significant findings reveal that dietitians possess increased levels of EI, a positive correlation exists between EI and burnout, and a positive correlation exists between EI and job satisfaction. Results may contribute to social change by highlighting the importance of EI in the field of dietetics to integrate EI in curriculum, encourageThere are low retention rates of dietitians and this impacts quality of care. Emotional intelligence (EI) may be the missing component to improve retention, due to EI increasing job satisfaction and decreasing burnout for other health providers. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between EI, job satisfaction, and burnout for dietitians. The theoretical framework utilized was the 4-branch model of EI. Method of inquiry was convenience, quantitative non-experimental design. Registered dietitians (N = 84,173) living in the United States were contacted via e-mail. Approximately 9.5% of dietitians (n = 8,038) completed the Wong and Law EI Scale, Job Diagnostic Survey, Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, and a demographic survey. Frequency was calculated based on coded data that 89.38% of dietitians indicated high level of EI (score ≥ 4.5). Levels of EI and burnout for dietitians were examined with a Chi (p = 0.000), Pearson r correlation (r = 0.28, p = 0.000), and positive linear regression (r = 0.075, p = 0.000). Levels of EI and job satisfaction for dietitians were examined with a Chi (p = 0.000), Pearson r correlation (r = 0.271, p = 0.000), and positive linear regression (r = 0.070, p = 0.000). Significant findings reveal that dietitians possess increased levels of EI, a positive correlation exists between EI and burnout, and a positive correlation exists between EI and job satisfaction. Results may contribute to social change by highlighting the importance of EI in the field of dietetics to integrate EI in curriculum, encourage professional growth, and improve client outcomes. Emotional Intelligence, Job Satisfaction, and Burnout for Dietitians by Cara N. Perdue MHS, Western Carolina University, 2010 BS, Western Carolina University, 2007 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Health Services Walden University February 2016 Dedication I would like to dedicate this dissertation to my wonderfully supportive husband David. Without his constant and loving support, I would not have achieved this goal. Acknowledgments I am most grateful to my dissertation chair Dr. Shirley Gerrior, for her guidance and support throughout the entire dissertation process. I would also like to thank my committee member Dr. Pat Carmoney and URR Dr. Diana Naser. I especially wish to recognize my family and friends for their unwavering support and encouragement.

The serotonin transporter (5-HTT) has been found altered in postmortem brain samples from persons committing suicide, but the results of radioligand binding studies have been inconsistent. In the present series of experiments, autoradiographic radioligand binding and in situ hybridization techniques were utilized to examine 5-HTT function in the brains of 8 depressed subjects who had committed suicide, and matched controls. It was hypothesized that depressed subjects would demonstrate decreased numbers of 5-HTT binding sites and mRNA; however, [I-125]RTI-55 binding to the 5-HTT was not different in the midbrain, hippocampus, or frontal cortex of depressed subjects. Also, 5-HTT mRNA levels in dorsal and median raphe nuclei were not different between controls and depressed subjects. The current results, although limited in scope because of the small number of subjects included, offer no evidence that alterations in the 5-HTT occur in pertinent brain regions of depressed individuals. (C) 1997 Society of Biological Psychiatry.

Noradrenergic function may be altered in depressive illness and thereby contribute to decreased pineal production of melatonin levels, as previously described in some depressed subjects. In the present study, the hypothesis was tested that pineal β-adrenergic binding would be increased in persons committing suicide with evidence of depressive disorders, reflecting diminished noradrenergic input. Initially, post-mortem human pineal glands were obtained at autopsy. Diagnostic and symptomatic information was then systematically collected from family members using standardized interview techniques. Seven subjects who committed suicide and suffered from major depression, and without exposure to treatment for depressive symptoms were age- and sex-matched with control subjects. Pineal β-adrenergic binding was assessed by quantitative autoradiography employing four concentrations of [125I]pindolol. Because of possibly complex adrenergic regulation of the pineal, β-adrenergic receptor binding were subtyped using the selective blocker ICI 89406. No differences in β-adrenergic receptors were detected between subjects with major depression compared to the matched controls.

Animal studies suggest that chronic cocaine exposure may increase the function and/or synthesis of the dopamine transporter (DAT) under certain conditions, but the literature is complex. In order to test the hypothesis that cocaine exposure alters the DAT in humans, preliminary studies were done characterizing [3HWIN 35428 binding in human striatum from normal controls. Following these experiments, the effects of chronic cocaine were examined in post mortem striatal specimens from 7 cocaine users and 7 controls matched for age and post mortem interval, employing quantitative autoradiography. Initial saturation experiments indicated that a one-site model was preferred with aKd of11±4nM. [3HWIN 35420 binding was then examined in cocaine users and controls at 0.5, 5, 10, and 50 nM radioligand concentrations. At each concentration of [3HWIN 35420, optical densities for cocaine-exposed subjects were increased in caudate, putamen, and accumbens. The results suggest that total numbers of binding sites were increased in cocaine users. Based on the present and previous results, it appears that the regulation of the DAT is fairly plastic, and is highly sensitive to cocaine dosing regimes and withdrawal intervals. Chronic adaptations induced by cocaine in the DAT could contribute to the symptoms of binging, withdrawal depression, and/or craving.