The present study examines the well-being of workers in an Italian manufacturing plant, focusing on work engagement, emotional exhaustion and work ability. These dimensions have received relatively little attention in manufacturing contexts. Utilising a person-centred approach, the objective is to identify distinct subjective well-being profiles among Italian manufacturing workers and to examine how work-related psychosocial characteristics differentiate these profiles. The research, which collected data from 340 workers (predominantly male at 62.1%) between July and September 2023, focused on work engagement, emotional exhaustion, and work ability—factors that have been previously understudied in manufacturing environments. Through cluster analysis, researchers were able to identify three worker profiles. The largest group, designated “Motivated & Healthy” (45.3%), exhibited the most favourable characteristics: strong work engagement, minimal emotional exhaustion, and adequate work ability. These workers reported experiencing reduced physical demands, greater autonomy in decision-making, and superior rewards compared to their colleagues. The second-largest group, “Motivated & Stressed” (32.5%), demonstrated a mixed profile. While maintaining average work engagement, these workers experienced high levels of emotional exhaustion and diminished work ability. The smallest group, termed “Disillusioned” (22.2%), consisted entirely of blue-collar workers and exhibited the most concerning pattern: low engagement, high exhaustion, and mediocre work ability. This group also reported the most challenging working conditions, including the highest physical and cognitive demands, least decision-making authority, and lowest rewards. The study corroborates earlier research findings by identifying significant relationships between work engagement and work ability (positive correlation) and emotional exhaustion (negative correlation). These results suggest that manufacturing facilities might benefit from tailoring their support strategies to address the specific needs of each worker profile, rather than applying one-size-fits-all solutions.

Hybrid working has become increasingly common globally; however, its impact on employees’ well-being is still debated. Research has shown mixed results, underscoring the need to delve into the relationships that link job characteristics and well-being in hybrid contexts and how remote work frequency may influence these dynamics. The objective of this study is to tackle these issues by testing a moderated mediation model of the relations between a job demand (i.e., workload), a job resource (i.e., role clarity), and well-being (anxiety and work engagement), focusing on the mediating effects of coping strategies and the moderating effects of remote work frequency. Data were collected from 1002 technical-administrative staff of a large Italian university during the final stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, when working remotely was no longer mandatory and a hybrid model prevailed. Findings showed that a higher workload led to higher anxiety and lower work engagement through an increase in avoidance strategies, while role clarity enhanced well-being by increasing approach coping and reducing avoidance strategies. Notably, the frequency of remote work did not moderate these effects. This study highlights that job design in hybrid contexts is related to well-being through coping strategies regardless of remote work frequency. These results suggest the importance of integrating individual coping interventions with job redesign for all employees to improve well-being in hybrid work environments.

We have been witnessing the perpetuation of violent and cruel aggression against the Palestinian people by Israel. At the international level, there have been sparse individual or collective initiatives within the field of psychology to demonstrate solidarity with Palestine and against the genocide in Gaza, yet the question of Palestine remains ambiguous, and the possible stance of psychology as a research field and scientific institution on the matter is still unclear. This ambiguity and uncertainty about the position of psychology reflects neutrality claims. However, this neutrality normalizes and silences the current violations of human rights and the suffering of the Palestinian people, rendering psychology a silent complicit actor in the genocide. In this contribution, we address this silence of psychology by looking at the international juridical norms on the violation of human rights. Following the juridical concept of jus cogens, we discuss the responsibility of psychology in relation to the question of Palestine. With this juridic diagnosis, we continue by presenting how psychology can advocate for human rights. We propose to rethink and redefine psychology from the perspective of protecting human rights, to situate psychology for Palestine. This work is our humble form of resistance, and we hope that our paper can encourage reflections on the role of psychology in the context of emerging global conflicts and genocides.

Purpose The Italian healthcare system is facing complex and difficult obstacles characterised by the reduction of the public healthcare budget, the reduction of the workforce and the low motivation of those who remain. This study examines the effects of emotional exhaustion and health impairment among public health workers (HW). Methods We collected data from 843 employees of a public hospital in northern Italy using an online survey, we conducted the analysis on a valid sample of 534 HW. We tested a mediated structural equation model aimed at predicting health impairments. Results The results show that emotional exhaustion plays a mediating role between job demands and health impairments as well as between personal resources and health impairments. Furthermore, the results emphasise the direct impact of job resources on employees’ health impairment. Conclusions Our findings highlight the complexity of public HW experiences and provide evidence for strategic interventions to optimise the psychophysical health of public HW. By understanding the factors that have the greatest impact on the mental and physical health of healthcare workers, we could develop customised strategies to promote staff wellbeing in high-pressure environments such as public health.

BACKGROUND:University students' mental health represents an increasing public health concern, particularly in STEM contexts characterized by high academic demands. Students living away from home, including international students, may face additional stressors related to relocation, social integration, and adaptation. This study examined how narrated academic experiences are associated with psychological and academic functioning among relocated STEM students. METHODS:A cross-sectional convergent parallel mixed-methods study was conducted at an Italian STEM university (May-June 2024). An online survey was distributed to the entire accessible student population (33,336 invitations; 12,538 accesses; response rate = 37.6%). Analyses focused on relocated students who completed all relevant sections (N = 776; M age = 22.96). Quantitative measures assessed academic self-efficacy, burnout (Emotional Exhaustion; Cynicism), engagement (Vigor; Dedication), study program satisfaction, and perceived academic goal attainment. Open-ended responses underwent thematic analysis with a codebook approach and transformed into category count variables. Hierarchical regression models examined associations controlling for age, gender, and academic level. RESULTS:Organizational and learning-related difficulties were the most frequent categories. Content categories explained additional variance across outcomes (ΔR2 = 0.054-0.107). Teaching-related narratives were associated with higher burnout and lower engagement and satisfaction, whereas Positive narratives showed the opposite pattern. CONCLUSIONS:Institutional and pedagogical experiences are systematically associated with student well-being among relocated STEM students, highlighting modifiable targets for university-level mental health promotion strategies.

Menstruation, maternity and menopause are three natural and everyday experiences in most women's lives, but they often intersect in complex ways with career paths and workplace dynamics. In this study, the existing literature on these "three Ms" is systematically examined in relation to taboo, discrimination and stigma in work context, taking into account the PRISMA guidelines. A total of 84 articles from Pubmed, Scopus and Web of Science databases were analyzed. Most of the articles included refer to studies conducted in post-industrial, English-speaking countries, and only a few of them were conducted in non-post-industrial and low-income countries. The review is structured around the three key phases of the female reproductive life course: menstruation, maternity and menopause. These three Ms are examined using a tripartite framework: (1) the individual and subjective level, which focuses on personal experiences, identity, and psychological responses; (2) the organizational environment, which examines workplace policies, professional cultures, and institutional practices; and (3) attitudes and effects on well-being, including societal perceptions, stigma, and effects on psychological and overall health. This multi-level approach provides a comprehensive understanding of how these transitions are experienced, managed and interpreted both individually and in the socio-organizational environment. Despite the near parity in employment rates between men and women and the prevalence of the three Ms in post-industrial with high income countries, the literature is less extensive than expected, suggesting that there is limited academic engagement with the topic. The study highlights the reciprocal relationship between cultural beliefs and academic research. Increased academic attention to menstruation, maternity and menopause in relation to taboo, stigma and discrimination in the workplace could enhance public discourse and help improve the experiences of women at these life stages throughout their careers.

Confronting death and suffering represent central work-related contents in the funeral industry occupations. Despite past research evidence on the role of psychosocial risks, a positive side of the relationship with death exposure has also been highlighted. To expand research on these topics, the aim of the present study was to analyze the role of death exposure in affecting funeral and mortuary operators' wellbeing. Analysis of variance was performed on 201 questionnaires to analyze differences between work exposure. Workers always/very often exposed to death through sight or manipulation of bodies showed better psychological and occupational wellbeing compared to those not at all/very rarely committed with these tasks. Those who interacted very frequently with the bereaved showed better psychological and occupational wellbeing, compared to those who were never/very rarely committed with these relational tasks. Insights on the role of death and suffering exposure and information for occupational health practitioners are discussed.

OBJECTIVE:The aim of the study was to examine how perceived safety, age, and job demands influence work ability in older workers, using the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model. METHOD:A survey was administered to 340 employees at a manufacturing facility in Northern Italy. The analysis explored interactions between safety perception, age, cognitive, and physical job demands. RESULTS:A significant three-way interaction showed that older workers with lower cognitive demands relied more on safety perception to maintain work ability. For those with higher cognitive demands, this relationship was weaker. Physical demands had a consistently negative impact on work ability, regardless of age or safety perception. CONCLUSIONS:Work ability in older adults is shaped by a complex interplay of psychosocial and cognitive factors. Tailored interventions addressing safety culture, cognitive support, and ergonomics are essential to sustain employment in aging workforces.

BackgroundThe ageing of the working population and the sustainability of work throughout the life cycle represent a significant challenge for many European countries, particularly in relation to the implementation of legislation raising the retirement age.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to examine the physical, psychological and social risk and protective factors that influence the sustainability of work during the ageing process.MethodsTwenty-five interviews were conducted, followed by a reflexive thematic analysis, with the aim of gathering the perspectives of a company's employees regarding factors related to ageing in the workplace.ResultsTwo key themes emerged from the analysis, encapsulating the participants' different perceptions of risk and protective factors. Among the physical risk factors were those related to stress caused by job characteristics, which affect physical health. In addition, the study identified continuous shift work as a significant risk factor, which affects both physical health and the ability to reconcile work and family life. In addition, the responsibility of caring for dependent elderly family members and childcare responsibilities were highlighted as social factors that may affect employees' well-being.ConclusionsThe study provides a useful basis for the implementation of company interventions to improve the work sustainability of older employees, with possible applications in other similar companies.

The aim of this study was to identify profiles of workplace bullying, emotional exhaustion, and work engagement in a sample of public healthcare workers in Italy. Drawing on the Job Demands-Resources Model, we explored how job demands (quantitative demands, perceived injustice, and role conflict), job resources (quality of the work environment, career development, horizontal and vertical trust, social support), and personal resources (self-efficacy, and passion for work), predict these profiles. In addition, we examined how the identified profiles relate to organisational and personal outcomes (physical and psychological symptoms, intention to quit, performance, and job satisfaction). 624 healthcare workers completed an online survey and latent profiles analysis were performed to identify profiles. Latent factor analysis and multinomial logistic regression analysis were performed. Results allowed the identification of four profiles (Balanced, Engaged, Bullied Not Stressed, and Bullied & Stressed), which differed significantly in job demands, resources and outcomes. Our findings highlight the complexity of public healthcare workers' experiences and provide evidence for strategic interventions aimed at optimising working conditions to enhance both employee well-being and organisational effectiveness. Understanding workplace experiences through a person-centered lens allows for more tailored strategies to support staff well-being and performance in high-pressure environments such as public healthcare.

The Perceived Academic Stress (PAS) scale is commonly used to assess academic stress among university students, but there is limited evidence on its accuracy and structure. This study investigated the reliability, validity and structure of the PAS scale in a large sample of Italian engineering students. A total of 5,499 participants (61.7% men; mean age = 22.9 years) completed the PAS. To ensure robust results, the sample was randomly divided into three groups to perform reliability tests, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and tests for measurement invariance (MI). The results showed that the original three- and four-factor structure of the PAS was not fully supported. Instead, the revised scale includes 16 items organized into three new factors: 1) Concerns related to academic work and examinations, 2) Concerns about expectations, 3) Positive self-perception as a student, including time management skills. Two items from the original scale were removed due to inconsistencies. The revised PAS had high reliability and was consistent across genders, that is, men and women students interpret and respond to the items in a similar way. This updated version of the PAS provides a more accurate instrument for assessing academic stress in students. It can help faculty and university support services identify key stressors, improve student well-being programs, and develop targeted interventions.

Gendered norms in society can strongly influence the presence of men or women in professional contexts. This study examined the perceptions of 13 women working in the funeral directing services in order to better understand how they perform gender roles to play in a field that has long been considered male-dominated. The findings suggest that women face many challenges to play a professional role in funeral directing and that they rely on their ability to perform care work to be recognized as better professionals. The issue of physical strength-a characteristic element of funeral work-seems to be an issue that still arouses contrasting positions among women. Another finding was that women also perform gender roles through their professional appearance, which they recognize as an important aspect of their professionalism. This work brings new insight into this specific and under-researched area and provides new understanding on how women use gender performativity to achieve professionalism in the death care; in particular, it shows that women do gender in different ways to achieve the same entitlement to be good funeral professionals as men.

Little attention has been paid to the role that the quality of relationship with students can play in the professional well-being of academics. The study assessed the psychometric properties of a new scale measuring the dual role of the relationship with students, considered as a form of support or as a draining request. Three samples were enrolled: 289 in 2017 (69.9 % men; 29-70 years; M = 46.9, SD = 9.9), 592 in 2019 (67.9% men, 28-70 years; M = 47.3, SD = 9.4), and 623 in 2021 (70.5% men, 28-69 years; M = 48.7, SD = 9.1). CFA and IRT models were used to test construct validity and reliability of the scale in the first two samples, and a SEM approach was applied in the third sample to assess its nomological validity within the Job Demands-Resources model. The scale resulted in a useful measure of the relationship with students and its effects on the academics well-being.

Vengono qui presentate alcune riflessioni per quanto riguarda la formazione professiona-lizzante nell'ambito della psicologia della salute, pensando in particolare alle esperienze svilup-pate nell'ambito delle Scuole di Specializzazione in Psicologia della Salute e alle attese generate dallo sviluppo della psicologia delle cure primarie.

In this paper, we present the initial insights from a qualitative study conducted with developers working in the Italian software industry. More specifically, we conducted three focus groups to gain insights into the job characteristics, both job demands and resources, that characterize Software Development (SD) and might affect well-being at work among developers. The focus groups involved 21 developers from two multinational corporations operating in Italy. We analyzed the gathered data through template analysis. To drive our template analysis, we employed a theoretical model widely used in the field of occupational health psychology: the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model. We identified several job demands and resources that characterize SD. Among the job demands, time pressure is considered an important stress factor: deadlines often overlap one another so that developers have to accomplish more work at the same time, adding further difficulty in time management; moreover, most work is categorized as "urgent". As for the job resources, we found (among others) that developers appreciate the autonomy in the organization of working time.

The present paper is situated within the burgeoning debates about Work and Organizational Psychology (WOP) as socially useful applied research. The paper focuses on the different research approaches marking the relationship between academics and practitioners. Recently, WOP critical perspectives have largely discussed the potential ideological assumptions underpinning theorybuilding and research-conducting within the field. In parallel, there has been a surge of critical examinations of how contemporary WOP models can bridge the gap between research and practice and how these models can effectively contribute to social and individual needs. These issues highlight the unresolved epistemological and pragmatic questions underpinning the social utility of WOP research. In light of this debate, the paper aims to reflect on the tensions, contradictions, and dilemmas that WOP scholars face in establishing and maintaining relationships with working contexts to engage in socially useful applied research. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 31 Italian WOP academics to explore their research orientations and practices. Considering the concept of social utility, the results show different ways in which WOP scholars interpret and cultivate the relationship with the contexts and how scholars' practices are linked to their epistemologies and institutional constraints. On this basis, the paper discusses alternatives for stimulating reflections on the future of WOP.

Job insecurity is now one of the major stressors affecting well-being at work. In academia, researchers appear to be in the most precarious position. To explore the relationship between job insecurity and well-being at work, we analyzed a sample of research fellows belonging to STEM disciplines in Italy. Using a latent profile approach, we identified three “hidden” subgroups: “Safe & Sound”; “Safe not so Sound” and “Neither Safe or Sound.” Compared to previous studies, our results show that even within a population of STEM researchers that tends to have good levels of employability and mobility, there are subgroups of people characterized by greater job insecurity and low work commitment, who suffer from emotional exhaustion and cynicism at work level, i.e., more exposed to the risk of burnout.

Objective This article assesses work ability in a sample of blue-collar workers who often perform physically demanding tasks. Method The data collected resulted in 354 validly completed questionnaires from 426 participants (response rate: approximately 90%). Results In this sample, the average score on WAI of workers is 37.42 (SD = 6.62), indicating good work ability. Regression analyses revealed that work ability was significantly associated skill discretion (β = 0.365, P = 0.001), home-work conflict (β = −0.199, P = 0.001), and work-home conflict (β = −0.320, P = 0.001). Conclusions Of the psychosocial factors examined in this study, skill discretion was the most important factor associated with work ability. Therefore, it is necessary to develop measures that support this component.

Peopleware, which includes anything related to the role of people in Software Development (SD), has been arousing an increasing interest from both the software industry and research community. This interest is due to the current economic system that demands high-quality software products with a short time to market, staying on the budget. This exposes software developers to the risk of experiencing stress, burnout, and reduced motivation, leading, in turn, to reduced job performance, low-quality SD-related artifacts, and increased turnover. Mindfulness represents a promising intervention that might let developers do their best at work, limiting or even preventing the previously mentioned negative outcomes. This paper presents MOOD (Mindfulness fOr sOftware Developers), a research project whose overarching goal is to customize a well-known and validated group-based intervention program, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), in the context of SD-related tasks and assess whether it helps developers to improve their well-being and performance, as well as the quality of the SD-related artifacts they produce.

Home-care of the elderly is often neglected among the care professions, despite the fact that it can be exposed to a high level of stress due to prolonged contact with suffering and often in solitude at home. In the theoretical framework of the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, this paper aims to identify the demands and resources proper of this profession. We have carried out the template analysis of 49 interviews with both Italian and immigrant home-care workers. The results show that the relationship with the elderly and their relatives is the main source of both demands and resources, as they can be demanding and aggressive, but also offer social support and recognition. For immigrants, the conflict between caring for the assisted elderly and their relatives in their countries is then crucial. Greater social recognition and government protection would help to balance the burden of this profession, which is carried out in private homes.