The application of a short anxiety and depression questionnaire to oil industry staff

Health and well-being of rotation workers in the mining, offshore oil and gas, and construction industry: a systematic review

Introduction

Rotation work, characterised by travelling long distances to work in isolated areas where workers typically rotate consecutive days working and living on-site with periods at home, is increasingly used in the resources and construction sectors globally. Such employment practices may have an impact on workers’ health and well-being. This systematic review explores the impact rotation work has on mental and physical outcomes in rotation workers in the resources and construction sectors.

Method

The PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus databases were systematically searched on 1 May 2020 to identify quantitative, qualitative and mixed-method studies addressing the health of rotation workers published in peer-reviewed journals. Findings from the studies were summarised narratively.

Results

Of 6268 studies retrieved, 90 studies were included in the review. Studies suggested higher prevalence of psychological distress in onshore rotation workers and higher overweight/obesity rates among rotation workers as compared with the general population. We found more sleep problems and higher levels of smoking during work periods compared with off-site days; and higher alcohol intake during off-site days compared with on-site days. Workers generally perceived their physical health status as good. High-perceived job demands (such as workload, repetitive work) were associated with mental distress and exhaustion, sleep problems and perceived poor physical health status, while high-perceived job resources (such as job clarity/control, support) were associated with low mental distress and exhaustion, less smoking and alcohol intake, and better sleep.

Conclusion

Rotation work is associated with several poorer health behaviours and outcomes, such as sleep problems, smoking, alcohol consumption and overweight/obesity. Interventions needed to improve rotation workers’ health should include maximising available job resources and reducing job demands. Further longitudinal studies are needed to explore the long-term health effects of rotation work and the short-term contextual effects of the different aspects of rotation work.

Prevalence of depression disorder in industrial workers: a meta-analysis

Objectives. Depression is known to be associated with a variety of occupational factors. The aim of this study was to meta-analyze the prevalence of depressive disorder in industrial workers. Methods. Three databases indexing abstracts of articles were selected and searched until August 2020: PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus. For each study, the sample size and number of depression events were extracted, and after extracting these data, the random effects method was used to assess the prevalence. I² and χ² values were used to investigate the heterogeneity. Results. The prevalence of depressive disorder in industrial workers is 21%. The prevalence of depressive disorder in men and women industrial workers is 23 and 28%, respectively. The prevalence of depressive disorder in Asia, Europe and America is equal to 22, 18 and 20%, respectively. The result of the heterogeneity test showed that the heterogeneity is high. Conclusion. The prevalence of depression in industrial workers is higher than in the general population. These differences can be due to the working conditions of industrial workers. Therefore, the work environment and the promotion of occupational health can play an important role in preventing depression.

Men, Work, and Mental Health: A Systematic Review of Depression in Male-dominated Industries and Occupations

Among men, depression is often unrecognised and untreated. Men employed in male-dominated industries and occupations may be particularly vulnerable. However, efforts to develop tailored workplace interventions are hampered by lack of prevalence data. A systematic review of studies reporting prevalence rates for depression in male dominated workforce groups was undertaken. Studies were included if they were published between 1990 - June 2012 in English, examined adult workers in male-dominated industries or occupations (> 70% male workforce), and used clinically relevant indicators of depression. Twenty studies met these criteria. Prevalence of depression ranged from 0.0% to 28.0%. Five studies reported significantly lower prevalence rates for mental disorders among male-dominated workforce groups than comparison populations, while six reported significantly higher rates. Eight studies additionally found significantly higher levels of depression in male-dominated groups than comparable national data. Overall, the majority of studies found higher levels of depression among workers in male-dominated workforce groups. There is a need to address the mental health of workers in male-dominated groups. The workplace provides an important but often overlooked setting to develop tailored strategies for vulnerable groups.

Extraversion, neuroticism and secondary trauma in Internet child abuse investigators

BACKGROUND

Working with victims and perpetrators of child sexual abuse has been shown to cause secondary traumatic stress (STS) in child protection professionals.

AIMS

To examine the role of gender and personality on the development of secondary trauma responses.

METHODS

A study of Internet child abuse investigators (ICAIs) from two UK police forces. Participants completed a personality test together with tests for anxiety, depression, burnout, STS and post-traumatic stress disorder to assess secondary trauma. The data were normally distributed and the results were analysed using an independent t-test, Pearson correlation and linear regression.

RESULTS

Among 126 study subjects (50 females and 75 males), there was a higher incidence of STS in investigators who were female, introverted and neurotic. However, there were lower levels of STS in the participants in this study than those found in other studies.

CONCLUSIONS

Psychological screening and surveillance of ICAI teams can help to identify risk factors for the development of STS and identify where additional support may be required.

Work-related symptoms in indoor environments: a puzzling problem for the occupational physician

PURPOSES

People who work indoors often manifest symptoms related to the work environment. Sick building syndrome (SBS) is a condition closely associated with sealed, air-conditioned workplaces and is especially frequent in countries with a cold climate. However, it is also present in Mediterranean countries where artificial ventilation accompanies the natural one. The significance of personal factors, air quality perception, and psychosocial work conditions in relation to SBS and other work-related symptoms needs to be clarified.

METHODS

Workers from 28 companies in the Latium region of Italy were invited to answer a questionnaire during their routine medical examination at the workplace. A total of 4,029 out of 4,129 took part in the survey, giving a response rate of 97.6 %.

RESULTS

A high percentage of workers (31.9 %) reported symptoms related to work, and two-thirds of the employees (65.4 %) complained of environmental problems. In logistic regression models, personal factors (gender, smoking habit, age, and atopy), anxiety and depression, environmental discomfort and job strain were associated both with symptoms of SBS and other work-related symptoms. There was a significant association between the perception of stuffy air, dry air, and electricity and cases of SBS. Some associations between symptoms and the work environment lacked biological plausibility.

CONCLUSIONS

The occupational physician's task is to systematically monitor workers' symptoms and their perception of the work environment in order to analyze this relationship and indicates the best mode of preventing illness/discomfort. This paper provides a method and reference values.

The exploding spark: workplace violence in an infectious disease hospital--a longitudinal study

Objectives. Workplace violence (WV) is an important occupational hazard for healthcare workers (HCWs). Methods. A longitudinal study was carried out on HCWs from an infectious disease hospital. Work-related stress, anxiety, and depression were measured at baseline in 2003, and they were reassessed in 2005, along with the assaults that occurred in the previous year. Results. One-year prevalences of 6.2% and 13.9% were reported for physical and verbal aggressions, respectively. Perpetrators were mainly patients. The professional groups most frequently attacked were physicians, followed by nurses. Workers with job strain at baseline had a significant risk of being subject to aggression (OR 7.7; CI 95%, 3.3–17.9) in the following year. The relationship between job strain and subsequent WV remained significant even after correction for anxiety, depression, and other confounders. Conversely, experiencing WV was associated with a high risk of job strain and effort-reward imbalance in the following year. The final levels of anxiety and depression were predicted using regression models that included physical aggression among predictive variables. Conclusions. WV is the spark that sets off a problematic work situation. Effective prevention of WV can only be achieved within the framework of an overall improvement in the quality of work.

Are skin disorders related to work strain in hospital workers? A cross-sectional study

Background

To evaluate whether occupational stress factors (high demands, low control, low social support, strain, and iso-strain) are associated with skin disorders in hospital workers and whether psychological problems, such as anxiety and depression, act as potential mechanisms through which occupational stress factors are associated with skin disorders.

Methods

1,744 hospital workers were invited to answer a questionnaire concerning the occurrence of skin disorders and psychosocial factors at work. The abbreviated Italian version of the Demand/Control model (Karasek) was used to assess perceived work strain, while the Goldberg scales were used to assess anxiety and depression. Analyses were adjusted for age, gender, occupation, latex glove use and history of atopy.

Results

Of the participants, 25% reported hand dermatitis in the previous 12 months and 35% had been affected by skin disorders in other parts of the body. High job demands (OR = 1.09 CI95% 1.05-1.14), low social support (OR = 0.90, CI95% 0.87-0.93), high strain (OR = 1.54 CI95% 1.20-1.98) and high iso-strain (1.66 CI95% 1.27-2.19) were all associated with a higher prevalence of reported hand skin disorders. Both depression (OR = 2.50 CI95% 1.99-3.14) and anxiety (OR = 2.29 CI95% 1.81-2.89) were associated with higher risk of hand skin disorders. The same pattern was observed for dermatological complaints in other parts of the body. Only a slight reduction in the association between occupational stress variables and skin disorders was observed after including depression and anxiety in the model.

Conclusions

Job stress plays a significant role in triggering skin disorders among hospital workers and psychological problems do not appear to be the mechanism behind this association. Occupational health education and training should focus on reducing job demands and occupational stress in order to prevent skin problems among hospital workers.

Mental health issues in Chinese offshore oil workers

BACKGROUND

Offshore oil platform work is regarded as a stressful occupation, and occupational stress has been shown to be an important risk factor for mental illness. Little, however, is known about the main and interactive effects of occupational stress and coping styles on the mental health of Chinese offshore oil platform workers.

AIMS

To explore the association of mental health with occupational stress, coping styles and their interaction among Chinese offshore oil platform workers.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 561 Chinese offshore oil platform workers. They were sent a self-administered questionnaire exploring their socio-demographic characteristics, occupational stress, coping styles and mental health. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to assess the main and interactive effects of occupational stress and coping styles on mental health.

RESULTS

After controlling for age, educational level, marital status and years of offshore working, poor mental health was significantly positively associated with occupational stress, 'internal behaviour' coping methods and the interaction between occupational stress and internal behaviour coping.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study suggest that the mental health of Chinese offshore oil platform workers is associated with occupational stress, some coping styles and interactions of occupational stress and some coping styles.

Review Article: Influence of occupational stress on mental health among Chinese off-shore oil workers

Aim: To explore the influence of occupational stress on mental health in off-shore oil production. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 561 Chinese off-shore oil workers. The workers were invited to fill in a self-administered questionnaire exploring their socio-demographic characteristics, occupational stress levels, and 12-item general health questionnaire. A hierarchical multiple regression procedure was used to assess the effects of occupational stress on mental health. Results: After controlling for age, educational level, marital status and years of off-shore work, poor mental health was found to have a significant positive association with seven of the nine identified sources of occupational stress. They were: conflict between job and family/social life, poor development of career and achievement at work, safety problems at work, management problems and poor relationship with others at work, poor physical environment of the work place, uncomfortable ergonomic factors at work, and poor organizational structure at work. All of these occupational stress sources together explained 19.9% of the total variance. Conclusions: The results confirmed that occupational stress was a major risk factor for poor mental health among Chinese off-shore oil workers. Reducing or eliminating occupational stressors at work would benefit workers’ mental health.

Work stress in radiologists. A pilot study

PURPOSE

We studied occupational stress and its psychosocial effects in a sample of Italian radiologists and radiotherapists:

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Radiologists and radiotherapists attending two medical conferences were invited to complete a questionnaire comprising four sections investigating the risk of occupational stress (organisational discomfort, Karasek's Job Content Questionnaire, Siegrist's Effort-Reward Imbalance, Warr's Job Satisfaction) and four sections investigating the health effects of such stress (Goldberg's Anxiety and Depression Scales, General Health Questionnaire, Lifestyles Questionnaire).

RESULTS

Radiologists and radiotherapists generally expressed high levels of control, reward and satisfaction. However, 38.5% complained of severe organisational discomfort, 24% reported job strain, 28% reported effort/reward imbalance and 25% were dissatisfied. Female radiologists and radiotherapists showed higher levels of organisational discomfort than their male colleagues. Younger and less experienced radiologists and radiotherapists had higher strain scores than their older and more experienced colleagues. A significant correlation was observed between stress predictors and the effects of stress on health, including depression and anxiety, psychological distress and unhealthy lifestyles.

CONCLUSIONS

Radiologists and radiotherapists are exposed to major occupational stress factors, and a significant percentage of them suffer from workplace stress. A special effort is required to prevent this condition.

Mental health in the oil industry: a comparative study of onshore and offshore employees

Few empirical studies have examined the mental health of workers on North Sea oil and gas installations, and it is unclear from the available literature whether offshore employees show impaired mental health relative to their onshore counterparts. The present study was intended to clarify this issue by direct comparison of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) scores of onshore and offshore personnel engaged in similar work. As compared with published data, only the onshore group showed low GHQ-12 scores, although both groups were low in neuroticism. Analysis of GHQ subscale scores demonstrated that anxiety was significantly higher among offshore workers than among those working onshore, but there were no significant differences in somatic symptoms or social dysfunction. Regression analyses showed that this result was not affected by control for age, job level, and neuroticism, although there was a significant interaction between job level and neuroticism in predicting anxiety. The nature of the offshore environment, and the factors which may play a causal role in elevated anxiety among offshore workers, are discussed.