Risk Factors For Work-related Stress Research Articles

Personal and Environmental Risk Factors of Work-Related Stress: A Cross-Sectional Study among Female Workers of a Textile Industry in Indonesia

Background: In 2017, the prevalence of work-related stress reached 10.7% of the 792 million population. This work-related stress is common in the textile industry, characterized by many environmental risk factors coming from the weaving processes. The stress problem is discussed in various countries worldwide. Objective: The study aimed to investigate the personal and environmental risk factors for work-related stress in textile industry workers. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a textile factory weaving section in Solo, Indonesia. The subjects of this study were 188 female weaving operators that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The sound level meter was operated to measure the environmental noise, while environmental working conditions, work experience, social support, and work-related stress were measured using questionnaires. Furthermore, the Somers' Delta correlation was used to analyze the relationship between personal and environmental risk factors for work-related stress. Results: Surprisingly, this study found no significant correlation between personal and environmental risk factors (independent variables) with work-related stress (dependent variables). In personal factors, most of the workers are late adulthood (36-45 years old), the length of working dominated more than ten years (90.42%), with most of them having senior high school education (58.51%). In terms of environmental risk factors, most of the workers have good working environment conditions (51.6%); are well experienced in weaving tasks (54.3%), with a high social support category (58%). Conclusion: Although some previous studies indicated that personal factors, working conditions, and social support could trigger stress among workers, this study found no correlation between the independent and the dependent variables.

Burnout, stress and intentions to leave work in New Zealand psychiatrists; a mixed methods cross sectional study

BackgroundDemand for mental health services in New Zealand and internationally is growing. Little is known about how psychiatrists are faring in this environment. This study aimed to investigate wellbeing of psychiatrists working in the public health system in New Zealand, identify the main risk factors for work-related stress, gauge perceptions of how workload has changed over time, assess job satisfaction and whether individuals intend or desire to leave their work.MethodsPsychiatrists working in New Zealand who were also members of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists were invited to participate in an online survey. Main outcome measures were degree of burnout and stress experienced at work. Supplementary measures included perceived workplace demands and levels of support. Predictor variables included perceptions of changes to workloads over time, degree of job satisfaction and intentions to leave work. Logistic regression assessed characteristics associated with burnout and job satisfaction as well as intentions to leave work. Free text comments were analysed thematically alongside quantitative trends.Results368/526 responded (70% response rate). 34.6% met the criteria for burnout and 35.3% scored with high work stress. There were no significant patterns of association with demographic variables but significant correlation with all but one predictor variable; having experienced a change to the demands of the on-call workload. 45% agreed they would leave their current job if able and 87% disagreed that they are working in a well-resourced mental health service. Respondents emphasised the impact of growing workloads and expressed concerns about their ability to provide optimal care in these circumstances.ConclusionsHigh burnout appears to affect one in three psychiatrists in New Zealand. Many attribute their feelings of burnout to demand for their services. These findings may assist with better workforce planning for psychiatry and emphasises potential consequences of demand for and poor resourcing of mental health services for the retention and wellbeing of doctors in psychiatry worldwide.

The Interplay among Age and Employment Status on the Perceptions of Psychosocial Risk Factors at Work

While the role of individual differences in shaping primary appraisals of psychosocial working conditions has been well investigated, less is known about how objective characteristics of the employee profile (e.g., age) are associated with different perceptions of psychosocial risk factors. Moreover, previous research on the link between employment status (i.e., work contract) and such perceptions has provided mixed results, leading to contradictory conclusions. The present study was conducted on a nationally representative sample of theItalian employed workforce surveyed with computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) methodology. The principal aim of the study is to bridge this gap in the extant literature by investigating the interplay between two key characteristics of the employee profile (i.e., age and work contract) in shaping employees’ perceptions of psychosocial risk factors. Given the disparate literature scenario on the interplay between age and employment status in shaping primary appraisals of psychosocial stressors, we formulated and compared multiple competitive informative hypotheses. Consistent with the principles of the conservation of resources (COR) theory, we found that older contingent employees reported a higher level of psychosocial risk than their permanent peers who, in turn, were more vulnerable than middle-aged and younger workers (regardless of their employment status). These results highlight the importance of simultaneously assessing multipleobjective variables of the employee profile (i.e., age and employment status) which may act to shape subjective perceptions of psychosocial risk factors for work-related stress. Given our findings, employers and policy makers should consider older contingent employees as one of the workforce sub-populationsmost vulnerable to negative work environments.

Work-related stress risk and preventive measures of mental disorders in the medical environment: an umbrella review.

Work-related stress (WRS) is widespread among medical doctors. WRS not only affects the physician's mental and physical well-being, but also patient care quality and the overall efficiency of the healthcare system. The aim of this study is to conduct a systematic review of the current preventive measures against mental disorders, work-related stress, and burnout among physicians. The presentation of this systematic review is in accordance with the PRISMA statement. The methodological quality of the selected studies was assessed with specific rating tools: INSA, Newcastle Ottawa Scale, JADAD scale, and AMSTAR. English publications only were selected. No restrictions applied for publication type. Reviewers excluded articles not concerning the following topics: WRS prevention, WRS risk factors and mental disorders among physicians. Reviewers also excluded findings of less academic significance, editorial articles, individual contributions, purely descriptive studies published in scientific conferences. Online search returned 4748 references on the following databases: PubMed (1638), Scopus (3108) and Cochrane Library (2). 36 studies were included in this review (thereof, 13 reviews and 23 original articles). Narrative reviews were rated on the INSA scale. The mean, median, and modal rating was 6. This indicates an intermediate-high quality of these studies. Systematic reviews were rated on the AMSTAR scale. The mean and median rating was 9, and the modal rating was 8. This indicates a high quality of these studies. The scores assigned to the original articles have a mean, median, and modal rating of 7. This also indicates an intermediate-high quality of these studies. Work-related stress and mental disorders seem to be widespread among medical practitioners. It is already a priority to adopt preventive measures against these phenomena. However, there is still no consensus on what the most effective measures are. Additional research is needed to formulate evidence-based recommendations.

Work-related stress risk factors and health outcomes in public sector employees

IntroductionWork-related stress is one of the major concerns for occupational safety and health. Indeed, workplace stress may affect workers’ well-being and lead to health issues, and it has been estimated that about half of all work absence is due to work-related stress disorders. The objective of this study is to investigate associations between work-related stress risk factors and a set of health outcomes, in a sample of public sector employees. Material and methodsEmployees (N=779) filled in a self-report questionnaire on work-related stress, musculoskeletal pain and stressrelated disorders. Logistic regressions were conducted, with pain and disorders as outcome variables and the Health and Safety Executive Management Standards Indicator Tool (HSE-MS IT) scales as predictors. ResultsExcessive workload was associated with neck pain, shoulder pain and anxiety-depression symptoms. Employees exposed to risk on the role dimension reported higher neck pain and more gastrointestinal disorders. Hostile working relationships were associated with shoulder pain and gastrointestinal disorders, and lack of managers’ support turned out to be a risk factor for insomnia. ConclusionsWorkplace stress plays a role in the incidence of specific health outcomes. Through the use of validated work-related stress assessment instruments, such as the HSE-MS IT, management can identify the critical intervention targets in work design domains for improving workers’ health and well-being.

Risk factors for work-related stress and subjective hardship in health-care staff in nursing homes for the elderly: A cross-sectional study.

This study aimed to explore potential risk factors for work-related stress by, detailing working conditions and subjective hardship according to occupational category in health-care staff working with elderly patients. A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted in 105 nursing homes for the elderly in France. Data on nursing home working conditions were collected by occupational physicians. The study population was limited to those in direct contact with the elderly, who were divided into 3 occupational groups defined by qualifications and tasks: housekeepers (HKs), nursing assistants (NAs) and nurses (Ns). Employees answered a questionnaire on their perceived working conditions and vocational training courses. Psychosocial stress was assessed with the Siegrist questionnaire. The subjects included 706 HKs, 1,565 NAs and 378 Ns, and the findings showed confusion of tasks and responsibilities in the study population. Verbal abuse by residents was reported by 60.9% of HKs (versus 76.2% of NAs and 76.7% of Ns, p<0.001). Physical attack by residents was more frequently reported by NAs (59.1%) than Ns (52.8%) or HKs (38.0%) (p<0.001). Nearly 10% of employees reported clear effort/reward imbalance (10.4% of NAs, 9.2% of Ns and 7.0% of HKs, p=0.059). Great hardship related to proximity to death was reported by 40.5% of HKs (versus 37.3% of NAs and 22.6% of Ns; p<0.001). To prevent stress related to insufficient ability, nursing home workers should be encouraged to attend job training courses, which should cover knowledge of the specific care needs of elderly patients and of the authority/responsibility required to do their job.

The relevance of socio-demographic and occupational variables for the assessment of work-related stress risk

BackgroundWork-related stress is widely recognized as one of the major challenges to occupational health and safety. The correlation between work-related stress risk factors and physical health outcomes is widely acknowledged. This study investigated socio-demographic and occupational variables involved in perceived risk of work-related stress.MethodsThe Italian version of the Health and Safety Executive Management Standards Indicator Tool was used in a large survey to examine the relationship between work-related stress risks and workers’ demographic and occupational characteristics. Out of 8,527 questionnaires distributed among workers (from 75 organizations) 6,378 were returned compiled (74.8%); a set of mixed effects models were adopted to test single and combined effects of the variables on work-related stress risk.ResultsFemale workers reported lower scores on control and peer support and more negative perceptions of relationships and change at work than male workers, most of them with full-time contracts. Age, job seniority, and educational level appeared positively correlated with control at work, but negatively with job demands. Fixed-term workers had positive perceptions regarding job demands and relationships, but more difficulties about their role at work than permanent workers. A commuting time longer than one hour and shift work appeared to be associated with higher levels of risk factors for work-related stress (except for role), the latter having more negative effects, increasing with age.ConclusionsThe findings suggest that the assessment and management of work-related stress risk should consider specific socio-demographic and occupational risk factors such as gender, age, educational level, job status, shift work, commuting time, job contracts.

Managing the causes of work-related stress

WORK-RELATED stress can affect individuals at any level within a practice, from director or partner through to recently graduated assistant. It can damage vets' health, their ability to treat cases...

Risk factors for work-related stress and health in head teachers

Work-related stress (WRS) is known to cause ill-health and decreased productivity. Work in the education sector is thought to be particularly stressful. Few studies have considered risk factors for WRS and health in head teachers. To investigate health in head teachers in West Sussex. To determine personal risk factors most likely to predict cases of WRS and of poor health in head teachers. A cross-sectional study, in a population of 290 head teachers and principals of colleges of further education, using a validated questionnaire, 'a short stress evaluation tool' (ASSET) and additional questions derived from earlier studies. Results were compared with the ASSET database 'norm' groups: a general population of workers (GPN) group and a group of managers and professionals (MPN). 'Caseness' was defined as respondents who felt work was 'very or extremely stressful'. Head teachers had poor physical and mental health compared to the GPN group. Psychological well-being, particularly of females and primary head teachers was worse than a comparative group of managers and professionals. Teaching<5 h/week was a significant predictor of caseness and being female was the main risk factor for poor psychological well-being. Prevalence of self-reported stress in head teachers in West Sussex is high. Female head teachers had worse health outcomes. Our study identified possible personal risk factors predicting WRS and/or poor health in head teachers.

Perceived work-related stress and early atherosclerotic changes in healthy employees

ObjectiveThis study was conducted to investigate the relationship between perceived work-related stress and preclinical atherosclerosis.MethodsA total of 100 managers and 50 office workers aged 35–65 participated in a questionnaire study. Individual, family and work-related stress risk factors and coping were evaluated in all the studied individuals. Serum levels of biochemical (total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, TG, glucose) and serological risk factors of atherosclerosis (anticardiolipin, anti-β2 GPI, anti-oxLDL, anti-HSP and anti-hsCRP antibodies) were evaluated. A computer analysis of B-mode ultrasound images was used to assess carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) and atherosclerotic plaque in carotid arteries. Statistical analysis was conducted with SPSS v. 11.5.ResultsThe studied individuals showed average ranges of both the global stress level and of coping results. In 71% no changes were found in the ultrasound image and in 29% of individuals (43) the presence of plaque was shown. The mean value of the IMT measure was 0.0618 ± 0.013 mm. IMT and plaque correlated negatively with the level of global work-related stress (r = −0.26; P < 0.01; and r = −0.28; P < 0.01; respectively). No correlation was found either between work-related stress and coping, or between coping and IMT (P > 0.05), or between work-related stress and healthy lifestyle (no smoking, no excessive use of alcohol, high physical activity), or between healthy lifestyle and IMT (P > 0.05). Positive correlation between IMT and LDL and smoking did not result from higher stress reaction in the studied individuals.ConclusionsThe explanation of the negative correlation between perceived work-related stress and preclinical atherosclerosis was not confirmed either by the subjects under high stress undertaking healthy protective activities or by their escaping into unhealthy behaviour. The most probable interpretation of the results is that in individuals with a low level of perceived work-related stress, somatization of stress takes place.