Mobbing and Its Association with Quality Of Life in Health Professionals (Published)
Background and objectives: The impact of mobbing on the quality of life of Health Professionals (HP) has been studied to a limited extent in Greece. The purpose of this study is the effect of mobbing and the effect of demographic characteristics on the quality of life of health professionals. Materials and Methods: In the present cross-sectional study HP from 11 public Greek hospitals are involved. The sample was (N = 1536) HP, (A = 528) and (C = 1008), average age 39.2 years (SD = 10.3 years). A demographic data form and two tools were used anonymously, self-fulfilling. The World Health Organization questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) that measure the quality of life and the WPVB that measures violent psychological behaviour in workplaces. The two-sided level of statistical significance was set at 0.05, while the data analysis was performed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 22.0. Results: Women had lower scores in the Mental Health Scale and the quality life level of independence compared to men (p = 0.003). The tendency of individuals to declare that they had no health problem was associated with higher scores in the four domains of life quality (p <0.001). The tendency of individuals to declare that they have been subjected to mobbing in all domains (p <0.001) was associated with poor quality of life in all its factors (p <0.001). Married suffering mobbing reported better QOL (p = 0.003) and a healthier environment (p = 0.012) than married with children with poor QOL (p = 0.001), poor physical (p <0.001) and mental health (p = 0.009) and reduced social relationships (p = 0.001). The HP (doctors and nurses) with overall mobbing score, p = 0.001, had a better mental health and better social relations than those HP, who worked as Administrative and Technical Staff. Support by friends, relatives, family showed that they are associated with a better quality of life in all its factors. Health Professionals suffering any form of mobbing (p<0,001) have a poor quality of life (p<0,001), poor physical (p<0,001) and mental health (p<0,001) and poor social contacts (p<0,001). Conclusions: Taking into account the results of statistical controls on the effect of mobbing, demographic and other factors (sex, age, job, working years, etc.), it was found that mobbing negatively affects the QOL in general as the working environment is affected, their socio-demographic profile of both genders and their physical, mental and social well-being. Further studies are needed to show the universality of these results.
Keywords: Health, Quality of life, Working Environment, health professionals, mobbing, occupational health
Implications on Female Genital Cutting and Promotional Strategies by the Pokot Community in the Context of FGC (Published)
According to FORWARD (2005), data presented in a Female Genital Fact Sheet indicated that Female Genital Cutting (FGC) is traditionally carried out by elderly women ‘specialized’ in this task and Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA) – usually without anaesthetics and with crude instruments such as razor blades, knives and broken shards of glass. This paper looks into the health implications of female genital cutting in west Pokot community and further identifies the promotional health strategies adopted by the community during the process. The study was carried out in Sook location of West Pokot District of West Pokot County. This area was randomly selected out of the four locations in the District. A descriptive cross-sectional, qualitative research design was used for the study. Interviews and focus group discussions were used to collect data. The study considered 63 participants for interviews, all above 18 years, 9 key informants and 54 members of 7 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with between 6-10 participants of each group. The study identified demerits of the FGC practice as predisposition of girls to infections like HIV/AIDS, bleeding, though most participants said this could result from other reasons like witchcraft. Incompletion of education was also said to be one of the demerits of the FGC. Affirmation of community identity and promotion of positive aspects of culture which boosts self esteem in the community while preventing physical and psychological harm to women and girls should be advocated for through alternative rituals and Cultural day initiatives.
Keywords: Detrimental, Female Genital Cutting (FGC), Health, Implications, Promotion, Strategies.