Mental and Physical Symptoms of Female Rural Workers: Relation between Household and Rural Work.

Marta Cezar-Vaz,Clarice Bonow,Mara Da Silva

doi:10.3390/ijerph120911037

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the relations among mental disorders, physical discomfort, household work and farm work among women. We conducted a cross-sectional study based on the administration of a structured questionnaire to 182 female farm workers. The data were analyzed by means of Poisson regression, where the significance level was set to 5%. Results indicated that 111 (61%) participants reported work-related mental disorders and physical discomfort was reported by 160 (87.9%). The participants with mental disorders and at least moderate levels of physical discomfort reported significantly higher levels of physical demand, time working (temporal demand), total effort and frustration with regard to farm work, in addition to significantly higher levels of frustration with regard to housework. Women with moderate or greater levels of both physical discomfort and frustration with farm work increased the chances of mental disorders. The results illustrate the complex challenge for health professionals in caring for women with mental disorders and physical discomforts related to their farm work, in the context of both the farm and domestic work demands these workers experience.

Highlights

Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision (ICD-10) [1]
The most common mental disorder reported by the participants was generalized anxiety, and the most common cause of physical discomfort was pain in the upper body
The mental disorders exhibited by the participants were associated with their frustration with agricultural work as well as at least moderate levels of physical discomfort

Summary

Introduction

Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision (ICD-10) [1] These conditions include diseases such as depression, bipolar affective disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, stress, disorders related to substance abuse, disorders of the sleep-wake cycle, mental deficiencies and developmental and behavioral disorders [2]. Such disorders might be related to work as a function of the type of work activities and the conditions under which work is performed [3]. Some studies described high prevalence rates of mental disorders among women in association with rural work [9,10,11]

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Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion