Straipsnyje pristatoma lietuviška streso įveikos vertinimo metodika. Ji sudaryta naudojant empirinę skalių konstravimo strategiją. Darbas atliktas trimis etapais. Pirmuose dviejuose, panaudojus aiškinamosios  aktorinės analizės matematinį modelį, pradinis teiginių skaičius – 167 buvo sumažintas iki 24, jie priskirti keturiems faktoriams: socialinės paramos, problemų sprendimo, emocinės iškrovos ir vengimo. Trečiojo tyrimo etapo metu įvertintos kai kurios klausimyno psichometrinės savybės. Nustatyta, kad išskirti faktoriai paaiškina 47,93 proc. duomenų dispersijos. Gauti tokie skalių vidinio suderinamumo (Cronbacho α rodikliai: socialinė parama (α = 0,832), problemų sprendimas (α = 0,760), emocinė iškrova (α = 0,721), vengimas (α = 0,624). Patvirtinančiosios faktorinės analizės rezultatai rodo patenkinamą pasirinkto keturių faktorių modelio tinkamumą: Chi-Square = 140,81; RMSEA = 0,055; GFI = 0,89; CFI = 0,87; NNFI = 0,84. Pagrindiniai žodžiai: streso įveika, streso įveikos strategijos, streso įveikos matavimas. COPING WITH STRESS QUESTIONNAIRE: APPLICATION OF THE FOUR-FACTOR MODELŽygimantas Grakauskas, Gintautas Valickas SummaryThe article introduces the Lithuanian stress coping assessment method. The lack of stress coping assessment methods adapted for the Lithuanian population fostered its composition. The method was constructed using the strategy of empirical scale development. The research was carried out in three stages. In the first and second stages, statements were selected from various stress coping questionnaires (WCQ, COPE, CISS etc.) and classified using the mathematical model of explanatory factor analysis. In the first stage, the original list consisting of 167 statements was submitted to 178 participants of the study. In the second stage, the list consisting of 90 statements was submitted to 147 participants. The participants were students of Vilnius University and the General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania, average age – 20.4 years. On the basis of mathematical criteria and semantic analysis of the statements, the number of the statements was reduced to 24 in the final version of the questionnaire; 4 factors were xtracted: social support, problem solving, emotional discharge, avoidance. 208 participants took part in the third stage of the study, during which some psychometrical characteristics of the questionnaire were assessed. It was established that these four factors explain for 47.93 per cent of data dispersion. The following indexes of scales reliability (Cronbach’s alpha) were found: social support (α = 0.832), problem solving (α = 0.760), emotional discharge (α = 0.721), avoidance (α = 0.624). Confirmatory factor analysis data indicate a satisfactory suitability of the model of four factors (Chi-Square = 140.81; RMSEA = 0.055; GFI = 0.89; CFI = 0.87; NNFI = 0.84).While composing the questionnaire, the problem of optimal balance was encountered between choosing a good method in the sense of content and a method distinctive characterized by good psychometrical characteristics. There is a plan in the future to verify the psychometrical characteristic of the composed stress coping assessment method on the basis of data of a more representative sample, to assess the relation of the questionnaire to the other methods of stress coping and to improve separate scales of the questionnaire, especially those dealing with the factor of avoidance. Keywords: coping with stress, stress coping strategies, stress coping measurement.

This article tends to fill the existing knowledge gap in understanding if work-life balance (WLB) can not only make a direct impact on employee well-being, but also play a mediating role between work culture and well-being. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating effect of WLB on the relationship between the structural dimensions of work culture – temporal flexibility, supportive supervision and operational flexibility – and employee well-being. The data were collected on the basis of a survey of employees employed by business and public sector organisations in Lithuania. The research revealed that all the components of work culture were important factors in defining employee well-being, had a strong direct impact on well-being and affected WLB. The results demonstrated that a direct effect of work culture on well-being was much stronger than the one moderated by an indirect effect of WLB. The findings also suggest that family-friendly culture can help employees to reach a better WLB, which, in its turn, assists employees in feeling higher satisfaction with general well-being at work. The current study expands the role of WLB as a mediator in organisational settings and its findings may be important for practitioners who seek to improve the performance of their organisation by enhancing the well-being of employees.

Contemporary concept of career comprises not only vertical promotion to higher posts but also any change of posts, responsibilities and the related learning. Currently it is almost unanimously agreed that career is owned by an individual, but organizations, via their career development systems, can also actively participate in the employees' career development. The purpose of the empirical research was assessment and analysis of the following individual level career development and learning related constructs: career conception, career aspirations, conceived career possibilities, career barriers, career satisfaction, work engagement and evaluation of learning system suitability/non-suitability for career development in the Lithuanian civil service. The representative survey of the Lithuanian civil servants was carried out. The applied method enabled to clarify the career development and learning related tendencies and attitudes in the Lithuanian civil service. The main findings of the research were that the level of career aspirations in the civil service is much higher that the level of conceived career possibilities. The most important barriers for career in the civil service are considered lack of career opportunities in the civil service, unfavourable career policy towards civil servants and belief that selection and promotion processes are unfair.

Siekiant įvertinti keturių faktorių streso įveikos klausimyno psichometrinius rodiklius, buvo atlikti trys tyrimai, kuriuose iš viso dalyvavo 831 tiriamasis. Klausimynas buvo tobulinamas atsižvelgiant į anksčiau gautus patikimumo ir validumo rezultatus (Grakauskas ir Valickas, 2006). Jo patikimumas buvo tikrinamas taikant vidinio suderinamumo metodą, pakartotinį matavimą ir apskaičiuojant teiginių homogeniškumo rodiklius, o konstrukto validumas – taikant tiriančiąją ir patvirtinančiąją faktorinę analizę, taip pat dviejų klausimynų skalių įverčių koreliacinę analizę. Gauti šie skalių vidinio suderinamumo (Cronbacho alpha) rodikliai: socialinė parama (α = 0,864), problemų sprendimas (α = 0,760), emocinė iškrova(α = 0,692), vengimas (α = 0,661). Nustatytos tokios pirmos ir pakartotinės apklausos skalių įverčių vidurkių tarpusavio koreliacijos (taikytas Pearsono koreliacijos koeficientas): socialinės paramos – 0,802, problemų sprendimo – 0,791, emocinės iškrovos – 0,68, vengimo – 0,63. Išskirti keturi faktoriai yra stabilūs, paaiškina 48,504 proc. duomenų dispersijos, o visų faktoriams priskirtų teiginių apkrovos viršija 0,4 ribą (svyruoja nuo 0,415 iki 0,832). Patvirtinančiosios faktorinės analizės rezultatai rodo patenkinamą pasirinkto keturių faktorių modelio tinkamumą: χ² = 287,58, df =74; RMSEA = 0,077; GFI = 0,93; CFI = 0,87; NFI = 0,84. Keturių faktorių streso įveikos klausimyno ir įveikos strategijų klausimyno (COPE) skalės, kurių prasmė panaši, statistiškai reikšmingai koreliuoja tarpusavyje (Pearsono koreliacijos koeficientai svyruoja nuo 0,360 iki 0,809).Pagrindiniai žodžiai: streso įveika, keturių faktorių streso įveikos klausimyno patikimumas ir validumas.Psychometric characteristics of the improved four-factor coping with stress questionnaire Gintautas Valickas, Paulina Želvienė, Žygimantas Grakauskas SummaryThe article presents the process of improving the Lithuanian coping with stress questionnaire (Grakauskas ir Valickas, 2006). To assess the reliability and construct validity of the four-factor questionnaire, three studies with the participation of 831 respondents were conducted. The respondents were students of Vilnius University (average age 21.04 years) and of Vilnius gymnasiums (average age 16.42 years). In the first study, the questionnaire was submitted to 417, in the second study to 103 and in the third study to 311 respondents. In the first and second studies, statements of the questionnaire were improved, and the four-factor structure of the questionnaire was assessed. In the third study we assessed some psychometrical characteristics of the questionnaire. The following indexes of scales’ internal reliability (Cronbach’s alpha) were found: social support (α = 0.864), problem solving (α = 0.760), emotional venting (α = 0.692), avoidance (α = 0.661). The test–retest score reliability (Pearson’s correlation coefficients) varied from 0.630 (avoidance scale) to 0.802 (social support scale) (test–retest time interval was two weeks). It has been established that four factors of the questionnaire explained 48.504 per cent of data dispersion. The exploratory factor analysis also indicated a satisfactory suitability of scale items (factor loadings varied from 0.415 to 0.832). Confirmatory factor analysis data indicate a satisfactory suitability of the model of four factors (χ² = 287.58, df =74; RMSEA = 0.077; GFI = 0.93; CFI = 0.87; NFI = 0.84). A correlation between the four-factor coping with stress questionnaire and the COPE questionnaire was also assessed. The Pearson’s correlation indexes between similar scales of the two questionnaires varied from 0,360 to 0,809.Differences were also found between age and gender. University students used the problem solving and social support stress coping strategy more often than gymnasium students, while women used the social support, avoidance and emotional venting stress coping strategy more often than men.Key words: coping with stress, reliability and validity of the four-factor coping with stress questionnaire.

Kadangi elgesio savireguliacijos ir streso fenomenų sąveika nėra vienareikšmiškai suprantama, šiame darbe pabandėme išanalizuoti jų sąveiką paaiškinančio teorinio modelio sukūrimo galimybes. Susipažinę su pagrindinėmis elgesio savireguliacijos bei streso teorinėmis sampratomis tokį abu minėtus reiškinius apimantį teorinį modelį pasiūlėme kurti remiantis socialine kognityvine bei kibernetine elgesio savireguliacijos paradigmomis ir R. S. Lazaruso streso samprata, tikslus panaudojant kaip tarpinį abu reiškinius vienijantį konceptą. STRESS AND SELF-REGULATION: THEORETICAL INTERACTION PROBLEMSŽygimantas Grakauskas SummaryDuring the last two decades more and more attention has been paid to the research of the phenomenon of self-regulation of behaviour. Human desire and ability to successfully regulate and control his behaviour has not just big theoretical but also practical, economic value, therefore the need of self-regulation laws practical application is increasing in such areas as health care, education, management of organizations.Self-regulation skills may also be successfully used for stress related problems solving as in other life spheres. However both on the level of theories and practically the interaction of self-regulation and stress phenomena is not completely clear and unambiguously understood. The purpose of this paper was to clarify the possibilities of creation of stress and self-regulation phenomena comprising theoretical model.We have defined behaviour self-regulation as the whole of internal and transactional processes, enabling the purposeful behaviour of individuals in time and in the presence of changing circumstances (Karoly, 1993).We have developed in detail the concept of self-regulation uniting various ideas of the authors of selfregulation paradigms (social-cognitive, cybernetic, dynamic, decision making) into one theoretical model, taking as the basis the feedback loop model suggested by cybernetic paradigm (Carver, Scheier, 1998).Stress has been described on the basis of R. S. Lazarus stress conception as the relation between the individual and environment, which threatens the personal wellbeing of the latter (Lazarus, Folkman, 1984), however instead of the concept of wellbeing we suggested to use the concept of goals. In such case they became the main connecting link between stress and self-regulation: the person is seeking self-regulation using the aid of self-regulation, and stress is raising barriers for these goals achievement.Further we have analysed certain stress and selfregulation interaction peculiarities. The major part of attention was directed to the dynamics of emotional reactions. Having assigned the transmission of informatikon as the main function, which is performed by them during the process of self-regulation, we defined three possible sources of this information during the time of stress. We also suppose that the emotions may also provide the information about what is the character of the goals, which are affected by stress. The other important question is the search of the methods for decreasing of negative stress influence on the selfregulation. In order to make them more productive we suggest to unite the researches carried out in the areas of coping and self-control, also to direct attention to the peculiarities of coping depending on the character of the pursued goals.In the further researches of stress and self-regulation we suggest to direct attention to the emotionalmotivational side of these effects’ interaction and try to explain how differing character of the goals (approach-avoidance) influences coping, how stress is influencing disengagement of goals or their revision, what the character of stress influence on various self-regulation processes is, how self-regulation is changing with the increasing stress strength, in case of its increase to the extreme and etc.