Oyeniyi Samuel Olaniyan

• Olaniyan, Oyeniyi Samuel; Iversen, Sandra Karine Kvisgaard; Hole, Maria; Førde, Henrik Ytrehus; Mathiassen, Katrine S. & Notelaers, Guy Louis Alice (2026). Exploring Curvilinear Relationships of Transformational and Engaging Leadership with Stress. Is Engaging Leadership Any Better. Scandinavian Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology. 11(1). doi: 10.16993/sjwop.357. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Leadership is typically assumed to benefit employee well-being; however, recent research suggests that even positive leadership behaviors may not be uniformly beneficial. Drawing on conservation of resources theory and Warr’s vitamin model, the present study examines whether transformational leadership and engaging leadership display linear or curvilinear relationships with employee stress outcomes. Using survey data from 766 employees across six Belgian organizations, we investigated associations with emotional exhaustion and sleep deprivation. Results indicated significant negative linear relationships between both leadership styles and stress outcomes. In addition, transformational leadership showed statistically significant but small curvilinear (U-shaped) relationships with emotional exhaustion and sleep deprivation, whereas engaging leadership was exclusively linearly related to both outcomes. Supplementary analyses examining incremental validity showed that engaging leadership explained unique variance in stress outcomes beyond transformational leadership. Overall, the findings suggest that leadership grounded in employees’ basic psychological need satisfaction may be less susceptible to diminishing returns in relation to stress. Theoretical and practical implications for leadership research and development are discussed.

• Svendal, Kristel; Olaniyan, Oyeniyi Samuel & Ortiz-Barreda, Gaby (2025). Resilience, Risk and Protective Factors in Children and Adolescents Growing Up with Parental Alcohol Misuse. Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma. ISSN 1936-1521. doi: 10.1007/s40653-025-00776-0. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Abstract The present scoping review addresses resilience, risk/protective factors, and coping in children growing up with parental alcohol misuse. Around 8.7 million children in the USA live with a parent who misuses alcohol, and between 780,000 and 1.3 million children in the UK live in families affected by alcohol misuse. Our preliminary search indicated that no existing global statistics are available on children living with parental alcohol misuse, which underscores the importance of expanding knowledge in this field. On the one hand, research shows that growing up in homes where one or two parents have an alcohol use disorder can lead to a variety of challenging outcomes in adulthood for the children. On the other hand, there are children who face these hurdles in their childhood but manage their adulthood better than expected. Twenty-five primary studies were included. These studies were conducted in different parts of the world. Findings are discussed in view of attachment theory and regulation theory as a framework for understanding resilience, risk/protective factors, and coping in children and adolescents growing up with parental alcohol misuse. We identified risk and protective factors on biological, individual, parental, familial, and social levels. Each level addresses factors that affect children’s physical and psychological development, both positively and negatively. Furthermore, the analysis included research on interventions implemented to prevent negative consequences for the children involved. Analysis of the literature indicates that further research on familial and social levels is required.

• Olaniyan, Oyeniyi Samuel (2025). Child welfare workers‘ perception of colleague support in Norway. Children and Youth Services Review. ISSN 0190-7409. 173. doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108326. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Frontline child welfare workers (CWW) and the child welfare services have often been criticized for decisions they make concerning children and families in their care. Some of these criticisms (may be valid) often fail to take into consideration the working conditions among this work group, the high work pressure, and the constant heavy workload that comes with the job as CWW. More importantly, the working conditions and the amount of workload that most of the CWW must deal with often lead to negative experiences like sick leave, intention to quit, and turnover. The current study has examined two things, first, what are the common challenges CWW are exposed to in their line of work? And second, how does support help CWW cope (in terms of resources) with the numerous work pressure and the impact of these experiences? An in-depth interview of sixteen CWW make up the data for the present study. Thematic analysis of the data produced three distinct themes; “complexities attached to the roles as CWW”, “challenges with the system”, and “being in the same boat”. The employment of Hobfoll s Conservation of resources model allows for a deeper and broader understanding of the nature of work among these CWW. Findings point to the importance of encouraging a supportive work environment through dedicated tasks and organizational health interventions.

• Vetås, Esther; Hollekim, Ragnhild; Iversen, Anette Christine & Olaniyan, Oyeniyi Samuel (2024). Perception of leadership challenges within the Norwegian child welfare services: A Gordian knot. Qualitative Social Work. ISSN 1473-3250. 24(4). doi: 10.1177/14733250241302861. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The Norwegian child welfare service is under pressure both nationally and internationally after several unfavourable verdicts in the European Court of Human Rights (EMD) and national inspections that uncovered serious problems in the system. While the challenging situation for child welfare workers has been well documented in research, there is limited knowledge on how child welfare leaders (CWLs) experience their work situation. This article explores how CWLs experience their everyday work by applying the theoretical framework of the job demands-resources (JDR) model. Data were obtained through qualitative interviews with 12 CWLs and analysed thematically. The study shows that CWLs experience a relatively high imbalance between work demands and available resources in the workplace. Additionally, participants also experience staff challenges, seemingly impossible priorities, and a sense of great personal responsibility. Many leaders experience a work situation that can best be described as a Gordian knot.

• Brend, Denise Michelle; Olaniyan, Oyeniyi Samuel & Collin-Vézina, Delphine (2024). Residential childcare worker perceptions of work-related achievement and pride. Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. doi: 10.3389/frcha.2024.1360365. Full text in Research Archive
• Weldemariam, Hailemariam Haileslase; Dadzie, Ophelia; Ogunbode, Charles Adedayo; Antwi, Philomena; Sam, David Lackland & Olaniyan, Oyeniyi Samuel [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2024). A qualitative exploration of the coping strategies of UK ethnic minority healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Discover Psychology. 4(1). doi: 10.1007/s44202-024-00267-7. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Purpose: There is a dearth of empirical evidence on the coping strategies of UK ethnic minority (UKEM) healthcare workers during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic despite evidence of their increased risk of infection and less protection, disproportionate redeployment, and gross work-life imbalance. The present study explored UKEM healthcare workers’ coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A qualitative design comprising individual and joint interviews, and a focus group was used. Participants were 15 UKEM healthcare workers (11 females; age range: 26–58 [43.3 ± 9.4] years). Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Participants navigated the pandemic using three key coping strategies: problem-focused coping (active and restraint coping), emotion-focused coping (positive reframing, reflective acceptance, and religiosity/spiritual bypass), and social coping and support-seeking. They particularly underscored the importance of religiosity/spiritual bypass as a coping strategy. Conclusion: The pandemic challenged our sample of UKEM healthcare workers to deploy a variety of coping strategies. Religiosity/spiritual bypass was particularly important in navigating the challenges of the pandemic. Coping strategy enhancement interventions among UKEM healthcare workers and the UKEM community during and post hyper-precarious conditions such as pandemics may benefit from targeting the identified coping strategies.

• Olaniyan, Oyeniyi Samuel & Hetland, Hilde (2024). Health Interventions to Improve Work and Well-Being Among Child Welfare Workers: A Scoping Review. Asian Social Work and Policy Review (ASWP). ISSN 1753-1403. 18(3). doi: 10.1111/aswp.12330. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The work environment among child welfare workers (CWW) has often been described as intensive and complex, filled with uncountable negative experiences for CWW. Several authors have also pointed out that measures should be in place to curb these negative workplace experiences. Since most recent publications within the field points to the impact of psychosocial risks on the health and well-being on CWW, the current scoping review explored the literature to investigate existing intervention studies and provide recommendations for future research. We employed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis extension for scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist as a guide for reporting findings. The authors explored five databases and identified a total of nine primary studies investigating health and well-being intervention among CWW in the review. Based on the intervention focuses of the included studies, three overarching thematic categories were constructed: design team-based interventions, colleagues/peer interventions, and individual-centered interventions. Findings showed that more health and well-being intervention research tailored to the needs of CWW is needed within the field.

• Olaniyan, Oyeniyi Samuel; Hetland, Hilde & Karanika-Murray, Maria (2022). Narratives of individual capacities: Positive organisational scholarship amongst child welfare workers in Norway. The British Journal of Social Work. ISSN 0045-3102. 52(7), p. 4242–4259. doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcac063. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Child welfare services across the world are often criticised for the quality of service and care that they provide. Whilst the validity of some of these criticisms is debatable, critics often neglect to take into account the intense nature and working conditions of this work, staff mental health and well-being, and the range of work-related psychosocial risks in child welfare workers’ (CWW) daily work. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to explore CWW work experiences and personal capacities to conduct their work. We achieve this through the lens of positive organisational scholarship and in-depth interviews with sixteen CWW in Norway. Thematic narrative analysis yielded five distinct personal capacities: showing commitment and going the extra mile, viewing challenges as opportunities for learning and growth, demonstrating confidence and efficacy beliefs, controlling work behaviours and prioritising work tasks. These personal capacities enabled CWW to perform their work despite excessive pressure and demands at work, since they serve as protective factors for their well-being and performance. Our in-depth findings highlight the utility of making more resources available for building and maintaining individual capacities to support this work group, especially when changing the nature of the work and working conditions is not feasible.

• Olaniyan, Oyeniyi Samuel; Iversen, Anette Christine; Ortiz-Barreda, Gaby & Hetland, Hilde (2021). When your source of livelihood also becomes the source of your discomfort: the perception of work–family conflict among child welfare workers. European Journal of Social Work. ISSN 1369-1457. 25(3). doi: 10.1080/13691457.2021.1901659. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  We know from past research that social workers within the CWS are exposed to an array of workplace risks more than any other group within human services. Although several articles tend to focus on the reasons child welfare workers (CWW) leave/stay on their job, we know very little regarding how these workers juggle their roles between the home and the work domain. The present study explored CWW’s perception on how they combine the challenges at work with successful private/family life. We collected data through interviews with 16 CWWs across different cities in Norway. The use of thematic analysis produced four overarching themes, ‘it goes both ways’, ‘work-self-identity’, ‘spill-over effects’, and ‘on the lookout’. Overall, respondents acknowledge the interconnectedness between the home and the work domain. They maintain that they identify with the job and the field. They also raised issues concerning the negative effects of work on their private lives. Owing to the constant stress and challenges, a few of our respondents are already on the lookout for better alternatives. Findings point towards creating a better working environment for CWW through useful interventions and policies that ameliorate workloads of CWW.

• Olaniyan, Oyeniyi Samuel; Hetland, Hilde; Hystad, Sigurd William; Iversen, Anette Christine & Ortiz-Barreda, Gaby M. (2020). Lean on me: A scoping review of the essence of workplace support among child welfare workers. Frontiers in Psychology. 11:287, p. 1–17. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00287. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Child welfare workers (CWWs) often work under conditions similar in nature to workers within safety critical organizations (SCOs). This is because most of their work surrounds child neglect, securing homes for foster children, haphazard, and intricate cases, among other things, and where making wrong decisions, inattention to details, and the likes could lead to adverse consequences especially for the kids within their care. Research has shown that employees who experience support at work often report less stress symptoms, burnout, and a host of other negative workplace experiences. Experience of support at work has also been found to boost employees’ retention, job satisfaction, and productivity. Despite this development, research exploring the essence of workplace support among CWW is very scarce in the literature, and we know very little about the type of workplace support and their influence on a host of workplace outcomes, especially the negative ones like secondary traumatic stress, aggression, and violence toward CWWs. The purpose of the current scoping review was to uncover what is known about workplace support and their relationship with workplace outcomes among CWWs. The authors explored four databases and identified 55 primary studies investigating workplace support and workplace outcomes among CWWs in the review. Studies mostly framed support under three main support types of coworker/peer support, social/organizational/management support, and supervisor/leadership support. Findings showed that workplace support has a positive impact on workplace variables like job satisfaction, engagement, commitment, and reduces the risk of turnover, burnout, and other negative workplace variables. The review highlights possible directions for future research.

• Saksvik, Per Øystein; Færgestad, Margrethe; Fossum, Silje; Olaniyan, Oyeniyi Samuel; Indergård, Øystein & Karanika-Murray, Maria (2018). An effect evaluation of the psychosocial work environment of a university unit after a successfully implemented employeeship program. International Journal of Workplace Health Management. ISSN 1753-8351. 11(1), p. 31–44. doi: 10.1108/IJWHM-08-2017-0065. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether a successful implementation of an intervention could result in an effect evaluated independently from a process evaluation. It was achieved by evaluating the effects of an intervention, the “employeeship program,” designed to strengthen the psychosocial work environment through raising employees’ awareness and competence in interpersonal relationships and increasing their responsibility for their everyday work and working environment. Design/methodology/approach An employeeship intervention program was developed to improve the psychosocial work environment through reducing conflict among employees and strengthening the social community, empowering leadership, and increasing trust in management. An earlier process evaluation of the program found that it had been implemented successfully. The present effect evaluation supplemented this by examining its effect on the psychosocial work environment using two waves of the organization’s internal survey and comparing changes in the intervention unit at two points and against the rest of the organization. Findings The intervention was effective in improving the psychosocial work environment through reducing conflicts among employees and strengthening the social community, empowering leadership, and increasing trust in management. Research limitations/implications More attention should be paid to developing and increasing positive psychosocial experiences while simultaneously reducing negative psychosocial experiences, as this employeeship intervention demonstrated. Practical implications An intervention focusing on employeeship is an effective way to achieve a healthier psychosocial work environment with demonstrable benefits for individuals and the working unit. Originality/value Although organizational-level interventions are complex processes, evaluations that focus on process and effect can offer insights into the workings of successful interventions.

• Sagoe, Dominic; Severinsen, Ingrid Gesine; Saasen, Svein Erik Hellum; Gracian, Thamara; Olaniyan, Oyeniyi Samuel & Pallesen, Ståle (2017). Perceived source of anabolic-androgenic steroids and the construal of users' personality. Journal of Substance Use. ISSN 1465-9891. 22(6), p. 587–591. doi: 10.1080/14659891.2016.1271038. Full text in Research Archive
• Hystad, Sigurd William; Olaniyan, Oyeniyi Samuel & Eid, Jarle (2016). Safe travel: Passenger assessment of trust and safety during seafaring. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour. ISSN 1369-8478. 38, p. 29–36. doi: 10.1016/j.trf.2016.01.004. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Across two studies, this paper explores passengers’ knowledge and perceptions of safety and risk during voyage at sea. Study 1 showed that, although overall safety knowledge can be considered good, some differences exist between groups of passengers. Younger passengers and passengers on shorter trips generally have less safety knowledge than older passengers and passengers on longer trips. Study 2 addressed the effects of two different formats of presenting safety relevant information on passengers’ perception of trust, safety and risk on board. Results showed that passengers receiving an in vivo safety demonstration and teaching session reported being better informed about safety and expressed higher levels of trust in the crew compared with passengers receiving on board video-only safety instructions. Thus, although video modelling can be an easy and inexpensive way to deliver safety information our results suggest that additional personalized and live demonstration quickly builds confidence and trust from passengers that represents an important asset for commercial transportation companies.

• Olaniyan, Oyeniyi Samuel & Hystad, Sigurd William (2016). Employees’ psychological capital, job satisfaction, insecurity, and intentions to quit: The direct and indirect effects of authentic leadership [Capital psicológico, satisfacción laboral, inseguridad e intención de abandono de los trabajadores: efectos directos e indirectos del liderazgo auténtico]. Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology. ISSN 1576-5962. 32(3), p. 163–171. doi: 10.1016/j.rpto.2016.09.003. Full text in Research Archive
• Saksvik, Per Øystein; Olaniyan, Oyeniyi Samuel; Lysklett, Kristin; Lien, Mathilde & Bjerke, Linn (2015). A process evaluation of a salutogenic intervention. Scandinavian Psychologist. doi: 10.15714/scandpsychol.2.e8. Full text in Research Archive

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• Røhnebæk, Maria; Hermanrud, Inge; Stamsø, Mary Ann; Myklebø, Sigrid; Kårstein, Asbjørn & Olaniyan, Oyeniyi Samuel (2026). Digital transformation of welfare-to-work services. Full text in Research Archive
• Hermanrud, Inge; Kårstein, Asbjørn; Myklebø, Sigrid; Olaniyan, Oyeniyi Samuel; Røhnebæk, Maria & Stamsø, Mary Ann (2024). Consequences of digitalization of public welfare services – An integrative review. Full text in Research Archive
• Olaniyan, Oyeniyi Samuel (2023). The importance of support among child welfare workers in Norway. Full text in Research Archive
• Olaniyan, Oyeniyi Samuel; Furunes, Trude & Mathisen, Gro Ellen (2017). Psychosocial risk factors, employees well-being, job satisfaction and the role of a supportive leader within the service industry in Norway. Full text in Research Archive
• Olaniyan, Oyeniyi Samuel (2017). Authentic Leadership, psychological capital, and employees well-being. In Christensen, Marit; Saksvik, Per Øystein & Karanika-Murray, Maria (Ed.), The Positive Side of Occupational Health Psychology. Springer. ISSN 9783319667805. p. 45–64. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-66781-2_5. Full text in Research Archive
• Olaniyan, Oyeniyi Samuel & Hystad, Sigurd William (2017). Authentic leadership roles in employees job satisfaction, job insecurity, and intentions to quit the organisation. Full text in Research Archive
• Saksvik, Per Øystein; Olaniyan, Oyeniyi Samuel; Lysklett, Kristin; Lien, Mathilde & Bjerke-Busch, Linn Slettum (2015). A process evaluation of a salutogenic intervention. Scandinavian Psychologist. Full text in Research Archive
• Anderssen, Norman; Olaniyan, Oyeniyi Samuel & Malterud, Kirsti (2016). Kartlegging av levekår blant lesbiske, homofile, bifile og transpersoner. Et indikatorsett for ti års oppfølging. Universitetet i Bergen. Full text in Research Archive

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