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Mission
Bowling Green State University’s training program in Occupational Health Psychology (OHP) focuses on the application of psychology
and related disciplines to improve the quality of work life and to ensure the health and safety of workers. Our program emphasizes
the organizational and job-design factors that influence work-related injury and illness. The interdisciplinary focus of our
program allows students from all of our psychology graduate disciplines to collaborate in research projects.
For further information, contact Prof. Steve Jex (sjex@bgsu.edu).
What is Occupational Health Psychology?
- Occupational health psychology (OHP) is defined as the application of psychological principles to improve employee health
and safety and enhance well-being (Sauter & Hurrell, 1999). This field is multi-disciplinary and draws heavily from the fields
of public health, ergonomics, occupational medicine and industrial hygiene.
- Training in OHP began in the early 1990’s, with grants from the American Psychological Association (APA) and the National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). BGSU was among the first schools to be awarded an OHP grant, and OHP
training at BGSU began in 1998.
- Some examples of OHP-related topics include, but are not limited to, the following: assessment and treatment of work-related
stress; promotion of and adherence to safety programs; psychological assessment of workplace hazards; employee physical health;
emotional labor.
- For more information, check out the publications listed below, and also see the Research pages.
Why Study Occupational Health Psychology At BG?
Given the hours that most adults and adolescents spend in the workplace, a major public health concern is the relationship
between work-related factors and both physical and emotional health. To remain competitive in the applied and academic worlds,
graduates of doctoral Psychology programs can benefit immensely from training in the discipline of Occupational Health Psychology
(OHP).
Psychologists trained in OHP are in a unique position to contribute to address organizational concerns due to their methodological
training, understanding of the principles of human behavior, and experience with worksite interventions.
The OHP program at BGSU was founded on the scientist-practitioner model of training, which posits that in an emerging discipline
there should be a combination of scientific discovery and systematic application of research findings. This program is a minor
concentration available to students in the doctoral programs in Clinical and Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology. The
OHP minor provides broad training in general psychology and specialized training in Occupational Health Psychology.
These interdependent objectives are principally achieved through coursework, research, and supervised practicum experiences.
Each is described below.
Students are encouraged to work with Psychology Department faculty members, to focus research on specialized OHP-related areas.
Examples of Occupational Health Psychology research areas are as follows: recovery, work-family conflict, workplace stressors,
burnout, worker health and well-being, workplace violence/aggression, and ergonomics. BGSU faculty support group collaboration
as well as individual research projects.
Occupational Health Psychology Research Group
One of the most beneficial aspects of Bowling Green State University’s Occupational Health Psychology program is the OHP Research
Group. Projects are multifaceted to include students from several disciplines. Topics include workplace incivility and health-related
outcomes of job characteristics. Current projects focus on employee stress, work-family conflict and psychometric evaluation
of stress. Future projects aim to explore areas such as employee fitness and ergonomics. For information regarding projects,
feel free to contact group members: Jason Kain (jmkain@bgsu.edu), Katherine Alexander (alexank@bgsu.edu), Youngah Park (ypark@bgsu.edu), Kenji Sakurai (sakurak@bgsu.edu), Michael Daniels (mdaniel@bgsu.edu), Mike Sliter (msliter@bgsu.edu), Erin Smith (esmith@bgsu.edu), Katherine Wolford (wolfoka@bgsu.edu), Ryan Whorton (rwhorto@bgsu.edu), and Purnima Gopalkrishnan (purnimg@bgsu.edu).
The OHP Research Group offers continuing education to keep students and faculty up-to-date with current issues. Trips to National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, guest speakers, and peer educators offer unique perspectives to enhance and direct research. Research from graduate students
has been presented at the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology annual conference, Academy of Management annual conference, Work, Stress, & Health bi-annual conference, as well as at the
Bi-Annual Symposium of the National Occupational Research Agenda. The group also maintains research collaborations with the University of Cincinnati as well as the U.S. Army Walter Reed
Hospital.
OHP-Related Grants
Park, Y., Gopalkrishnan, P., Yugo, J., & Jex, S. M. (2009). Workplace incivility as a threat to safety behaviors among nurses.
Education and Research Center Pilot Research Project Program funded by NIOSH. (Direct costs: $6981).
Pui, S.Y., Sliter, M.T., Wolford, K.A., Jex, S., & McInnerney, J. (2009). The effect of multiple sources of hostility on
mental well-being, burnout, and performance. NIOSH Education and Research Center Pilot Project Grant. (Direct costs: $7000).
Alexander, K., Mazolla, J., Moore, T., & Jex, S. (2009). Education and Research Center Pilot Project Grant – University of
Cincinnati. Daily Workplace Barriers and Facilitators to Proper Nutrition and Exercise. Funded. (Direct costs: $3497)
Smith, E.N., McInroe, J., Adelman, M., Fritz, C., & Kain, J.M. (2007). The impact of coping and gender role identification
on the work-family interface. NIOSH Education and Research Center Pilot Project Grant. (Direct costs: $5000).
Understanding teaching: Determining age-related differences in stressors and resources. (2006). J. E. Yugo, J. McInroe, S.
Lindinger-Stern, & C. Fritz.
Predicting youth farm injury: A psychological perspective. (2005). J.E. Yugo, M.C. Colatat, & G. De La Rosa.
Health and safety training for direct care providers of people with dementia. (2005). J. Z. Gillespie, C. Conley, & S. Bolen.
Investigation of the Impact of Incivility Among Nurses. (2004). A. M. Guidroz, J. L. Burnfield, O. Clark, H. Schwetschenau,
& S. Jex.
The work-family consequences of shiftwork. (2004). L. J. Whinghter, C. J. L. Cunningham, & S. Jex.
Study of universal precautions in healthcare. (2004). O. Clark & S.Jex
OHP-Related Publications and Presentations 2008-2009
Pui, S-Y., Sliter, M. T., Wolford, K. A., Jex, S., & McInnerney, J. (2009). The effect of multiple sources of hostility on
mental well-being, burnout, and performance. Poster presented at the 10th Annual Pilot Research Project Symposium (PRP), Cincinatti, OH.
Sliter, M. T., Wolford, K. A., & Jex, S. (2009). The employee as a punching bag: The effect of multiple sources of incivility
on withdrawal. Poster presented at the 8th annual Work, Stress, and Health 2009 conference, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Sliter, M.T., Jex, S., Wolford, K. A., & McInnerney, J. (2009). The moderating effect of emotional labor on customer incivility. Interactive poster to be presented at the 24th annual conference of the Society for Industrial-Organizational Psychology, New Orleans, LA.
Fritz, C., Park, Y., Gopalkrishnan, P., & Alexander, K. N. (November, 2009). Vigor and Employee Health: Results from a Longitudinal
Study. Symposium at the 8th International Conference on Occupational Stress and Health, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Park, Y., Gopalkrishnan, P., Yugo, J., & Jex, S. M. (October, 2009). Workplace Incivility as a Threat to Safety Behaviors
among Nurses. 2009 Pilot Research Project Symposium, Cincinnati, OH.
Jex, S. M., Kain, J. M., & Park, Y. (In press). Situational factors and resiliency: Social support, organizational issues.
In D. McCreary (Ed.) Psychological Resilience in Military Personnel. Praeger Press.
Jex, S. M., & Kain, J. M. (2009, October). Negative Affectivity as a Moderator of the Effects of Workplace Incivility. Poster
to be presented at the 52nd annual Midwest Academy of Management Conference. Chicago, IL.
Kain, J. M., & Jex, S. M. (2009, April). The relationship between incivility and affect: Entitlement as a moderator. Poster
to be presented at the 24th Annual conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP). New Orleans,
LA.
Kain, J. M., Jex, S. M., Clark, O., & Geimer-Burnfield, J. (2008, April). Interactional Justice and Incivility: Task Interdependence/Job-Related
Self-Efficacy as Moderators. Poster to be presented at 23rd annual conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational
Psychology (SIOP). San Francisco, California.
Kain, J. M., & Jex, S. M. (2008, March). The effect of incivility on affective commitment, exhaustion, and workplace deviance
behaviors. Symposium to be presented at seventh annual Work, Stress, and Health Conference. Washington DC.
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