The features of self-awareness and value orientations in agricultural workers with occupational diseases of the peripheral nervous system

Abstract

The problem of preventing and reducing the level of occupational morbidity among agricultural workers is of particular importance, since occupational diseases are the cause of high disability and mortality rates of the working-age population all over the world. As a research task, the authors made an attempt to identify the features of the interdependence of the components of self-awareness and conflicts in value orientations for the manifestation of the phenomenology of disorders with further designation of the targets of psychotherapy. An experimental psychological study which included 40 agricultural workers with occupational diseases of the peripheral nervous system (experimental group) and without diseases (control group) was carried out using the multilevel personality questionnaire «Adaptability», the self-attitude test questionnaire by V.V. Stolin and S.R. Panteleev, and Schwartz's methodology «Value orientations». As a result of the study, it was found that in the subjects of the experimental group, in contrast to healthy individuals, the hyposthenic type of response prevails, there is the average level of neuropsychic tension, there is no tendency to reactions of the impulsive type, and a high negative and statistically significant relationship between the indicator of conflict in values and the level of personal adaptive potential is identified. The results of the study indicate that among agricultural workers with occupational diseases of the peripheral nervous system, accentuations of the character of the «inhibited» circle prevail, there is an increased level of anxiety and low tolerance to unfavorable factors of professional activity. The dominant personal values at the level of convictions are personal success in accordance with social standards and enjoyment of life, and at the level of behavior — understanding and protecting the well-being of all people and nature, preserving and increasing the well-being of loved ones. With an increase in conflict in value orientations, the adaptive potential of the respondents decreases, and a decrease in the level of self-attitude entails a decrease in adaptation.