Abstract
The incidence of psychological problems among occupational groups is becoming increasingly more serious, and adverse psychological conditions will seriously affect the working ability of occupational groups and harm the health of their bodies. This study adopted a multi-stage stratified cluster sampling method to conduct a cross-sectional survey on the mental health of 3631 oil workers in Karamay, Xinjiang from March 2017 to June 2018. The mental health status of oil workers was evaluated using the Symptom Checklist-90, and mental health risk factors were evaluated. The correlation between the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene and mental health was analyzed, and the DNA methylation level of the MAOA gene was compared between the normal group and the abnormal group. The results show the incidence of mental health problems among oil workers according to differences in age, nationality, type of work, length of service, professional title, shift work, and marital status. The evaluation of mental health risk factors revealed that shift work, occupational stress, and high payment/low return affect mental health. The somatization scores of different genotypes of rs6323 in the MAOA gene were statistically significant (p < 0.05), suggesting that the somatization scores of different genotypes of rs6323 were different. According to the average rank, the TT genotype group had the highest score, followed by the GT genotype group, and the GG genotype group had the lowest score. The level of DNA methylation in the abnormal group was lower than that in the normal group (p < 0.05). The results suggested that occupational mental health can be enhanced by improving shift work, reducing stress, and balancing effort and reward. This preliminary investigation suggests that methylation status can affect mental health, indicating that methylation level may be a predictor of mental health status.
Highlights
In modern society, fierce job competition and tense interpersonal relationships can cause mental health problems among professional people
The incidence of mental health problems among oil workers differed according to age, ethnicity, type of work, working years, professional title, shift work, and marital status
After assessing the mental health risk factors of oil workers, it was concluded that shift work, occupational stress, and high effort/low return would all affect mental health
Summary
Fierce job competition and tense interpersonal relationships can cause mental health problems among professional people. Mental health refers to a state of psychological functioning in which an individual has no mental illness or abnormality, is well adapted to society, has a perfect personality and ability, and can fully realize their potential [1]. The physical and mental health of the population and the ability to be socially well-adjusted can directly affect the survival and development of enterprises as well as national social stability [2]. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 149; doi:10.3390/ijerph17010149 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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