MIAMI -- Addressing how stress in the workplace affects employees' health and productivity and how such effects can be reduced is the focus of the sixth international conference on occupational stress and health. The conference Work, Stress, and Health 2006: Making a Difference in the Workplace will be held in Miami, Florida, on March 2-4, 2006, at the Hyatt Regency Miami Hotel.
Co-sponsored by The American Psychological Association (APA), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the National Institute of Justice, the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, and the U.S. Department of Labor, the Work, Stress, and Health conference series is designed to address the constantly changing nature of work, the implications of these changes for the health, safety, and well-being of workers and to translate new research findings into programs that reduce workplace stress. New employment contracts, workplace restructuring, long hours of work, work and family, workplace violence, workforce diversity, the aging workforce, cardiovascular disease and work, disability management, mass disasters, best practices and stress prevention programs are among some of the topics to be covered at the conference.
"We are also dedicating several sessions to address the aftermath of natural disasters such as how recent hurricanes in the Gulf Coast affected the nation's workers and ways to reduce stress among emergency responders," said conference co-chair Gwendolyn Puryear Keita, Ph.D., executive director of APA's Public Interest Directorate.
Other topics covered:
- Prevention Strategies and Programs - Organizational, Individual and Multilevel Interventions, Policy and Legislative Developments, Labor-management Initiatives, Collaborations Between Researchers and Practitioners, Program Evaluation, and Dissemination of Knowledge.
- Health Services - EAPs, Return to Work, Disability Management Programs, and Quality of Care.
- Organizational Restructuring and Work Redesign - Lean Production, Downsizing, Resizing, and Outsourcing, Continuous Improvement, Process Reengineering/Restructuring, New Technologies, Telecommuting/Flexible Workplace.
- Alternative Employment Arrangements - Contract and Temporary Work, Part-time Work, Job Sharing, Self-employment.
- Changing Health, Pension and other Benefits Packages
- Hours of Work - Overtime/Extended Hours, Shift Work, Flexible Work Hours, Compressed Work Schedules, Reduced Hours, Unpredictable/On-call Schedules.
- Aspects Of Work - High-risk occupations, Job Task Characteristics, Job Insecurity, Underemployment, Work Overload, Organizational Climate and Culture, Supervision and Leadership, Moderators of Stress, Positive Aspects of Work, Multiple Jobs.
- Consequences and Burden of Job Stress - Musculoskeletal, Cardiovascular, Immune Function, Psychological, Alcohol and Substance Abuse, Injury and Disability, Quality of Life, Social and Economic Burden, Job and Organizational Performance, Medical Error.
- Work, Family, and Community - Child/Elder Care, Work-Family Balance, Work at Home, Volunteerism.
- Workplace Violence - Violence by Clients/Customers/Patients, Co-worker or Supervisor Violence, Domestic Violence, Bullying, Harassment, Violence Prevention, Responding to Incidents.
- Theoretical and Methodological Developments - Models of Stress and Health, Research Methodologies.
- National and International Surveillance (Tracking) - Hazard (Organization of Work) Surveillance, Surveillance of Stress and Health.
- Worker Demographics, Health, and Wellbeing - Discrimination Against Named Groups, Age, Race/Ethnicity, Gender, Disability, Socioeconomic Status, Migrant Workers, Immigrant Workers.
- Health Disparities in the Workforce.
- Women's Issues - Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, Career Development and Advancement, Pay Equity.
- Disasters and Traumatic Stress - Health and Stress Consequences, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Prevention and Therapeutic Intervention, Job Performance and Productivity Consequences.
- Occupational Health Psychology Education and Training - Conceptual Issues, Training Programs, Application, Outreach to other Disciplines, International Developments.
Note to journalists: the conference sponsors will waive registration fees for all credentialed journalists who are interested in covering the conference.
The American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC, is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 150,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 53 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting health, education and human welfare.