title: A study of well-being among a population of Swedish workers using a job-related criterion-referenced multidimensional vocational assessment.
abstract: OBJECTIVES: This study involved Swedish workers (n = 106) who perform jobs categorized into four occupational groups from Jist's Enhanced Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) (Technical, Clerical, Service and Miscellaneous occupations) [1]. The workers capacity for work were investigated according to the Criterion Referenced Multidimensional Vocational Assessment (CMVA) comprising four aspects (described below), which were assessed in 14 different ways using 465 items. METHOD: The participants were interviewed [2], observed during performance of simulated work tasks [3], and answered mailed questionnaires [4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15]. The collected data were statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics and the tests of Cronbach's alpha coefficient, ANOVA, Chi-square, linear regression and Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The participants' work contained different level of occupationally substantive complexity showing that the work demands were different for the four work groups. For some of the participants ill-health were detected; The workers' work skills, e.g., the demands (VALPAR work samples) [3] the jobs required of the worker was higher than 14 of the workers' capacity for work. It was remarkable that many of the workers (34%) estimated themselves in need for rehabilitative measures (Functional Status Questionnaire) [12,13]. The results suggested that there was a negative discrepancy of what the workers' valued and strived for in connection to what they had attained in their work-lives [15,16]. The psychosocial work environment influenced the worker both positively and negatively. Participants (about 17%) who are performing their usual work for at least 20 hours a week had risks for ill-health [6]. In several components of CMVA there were significant differences between male and female workers, probably showing that the female workers had a greater burden to perform all the myriad of daily occupations (Self-Assessed Capabilities to Perform Daily Occupations) [7] including salaried work.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Section of Caring Science, University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Söderback
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jacobs