Significant Psychosocial Risk Research Articles

The Application of Attribution Theory in Understanding Women Workers' Perception of Occupational Health and Safety in the Metal Industry: A Focus Group Investigation

With the advent of the industrial revolution, women have become integral participants in the workforce, facing occupational risks similar to men. However, due to societal gender roles, women often encounter heightened psychosocial risk factors in the workplace, impacting both their attitudes towards work and societal roles. This study explores women workers' awareness of psychosocial risk factors within the Turkish metal industry. Employing attribution theories from social psychology, the study investigates negative attitudes towards occupational health and safety practices. Utilizing qualitative methods, data was gathered through focus group discussions with 155 female members of the Turkish Metal Union in Bursa, Turkey. The study evaluates factors such as job satisfaction, job stress, wellness, and relationships with coworkers and managers. Findings suggest that work stress and communication issues are significant psychosocial risk factors contributing to job dissatisfaction.

Development and validation of the Workplace Relational Needs Satisfaction Scale (W-RNSS).

While inadequate relationships in the workplace pose a significant psychosocial risk, quality interpersonal relationships can contribute to positive effects and prevent negative outcomes. Erskine's model of relational needs, not yet studied in the work environment, can provide a more detailed understanding of the needs employees experience in their workplace relationships. We adapted the general Relational Needs Satisfaction Scale (RNSS) for coworker relationships and examined the factor structure of relational needs in the workplace and their connections to various work aspects. The sample comprised 273 participants, including both employees and students, in a workplace setting with coworkers. The results show that the Workplace Relational Needs Satisfaction Scale (W-RNSS) is a valid and reliable instrument (α = 0.93 for the total scale and 0.77 < α < 0.89 for the subscales) for measuring relational needs in coworker relationships. A bi-factor model was the most suitable for describing the data (χ 2/df = 1.94, CFI = 0.95, TLI = 0.94, NNFI = 0.94, RMSEA = 0.06, SRMR = 0.04, AIC = 13289.27, BIC = 13506.29), confirming the previously supported 5-factor structure and the general factor. Satisfaction of relational needs was associated with higher work satisfaction, increased work engagement, greater motivation and lower burnout, underscoring the importance of quality interpersonal relationships among employees. W-RNSS shows potential for researching connections with other work aspects and practical applications in prevention and intervention strategies.

Emotions, a managerial resource for collective dynamics

The hospital environment is changing profoundly and is the terrain of a strong emotional charge that can generate a significant psychosocial risk. Long perceived as irrational and non-productive, emotions today tend to appear as a resource to professional dynamics. On a daily basis, the study of emotions and group phenomena opens the field of conscious and benevolent management in favor of a collective dynamic.

Acceptance and commitment therapy in parents of children with cancer at psychosocial risk: A randomized multiple baseline evaluation

Developing and testing psychological interventions for primary caregivers of children with cancer at significant psychosocial risk is still needed. One psychological factor contributing to their emotional distress is repetitive negative thinking (RNT). This study conducted a randomized, multiple-baseline evaluation of the effect of an individual, online, 2-session, RNT-focused ACT intervention in 12 parents. Participants responded to daily measures of emotional symptoms, RNT, and progress in values during baseline, intervention, and the 2-month follow-up. These measures have shown adequate psychometric properties at the individual level in this study. All 12 participants completed the intervention. A Bayesian hierarchical model indicated that most participants showed reductions in emotional symptoms and RNT (10 of 11), and 8 of 12 participants showed increases in valued living. The design-comparable standardized mean difference was computed to estimate the intervention effect overall. The effect sizes were large for all variables (PHQ-4: d = 0.83, 95% CI [0.27, 1.40]; RNTQ-3: d = 0.81, 95% CI [0.34, 1.28]; VQ-3: d = 1.07, 95% CI [0.22, 1.91]). Participants evaluated the intervention as useful at the 2-month follow-up. In conclusion, a brief and online RNT-focused intervention showed promising results in parents of children with cancer at significant psychosocial risk.

Pressure Pain Thresholds and Central Sensitization in Relation to Psychosocial Predictors of Chronicity in Low Back Pain

(1) Background: Peripheral, as well as central, sensitization have been described in chronic low back pain (cLBP). The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of psychosocial factors on the development of central sensitization. (2) Methods: This prospective study investigated local and peripheral pressure pain thresholds and their dependence on psychosocial risk factors in patients with cLBP receiving inpatient multimodal pain therapy. Psychosocial factors were assessed using the Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire (ÖMPSQ). (3) Results: A total of 90 patients were included in the study, 61 (75.4% women, 24.6% men) of whom had significant psychosocial risk factors. The control group consisted of 29 patients (62.1% women, 37.9% men). At baseline, patients with psychosocial risk factors showed significantly lower local and peripheral pressure pain thresholds, suggesting central sensitization, compared to the control group. Sleep quality, measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), was also correlated with altered PPTs. After multimodal therapy, all participants reported increased local pain thresholds compared to at admission, independent of psychosocial chronification factors. (4) Conclusions: Psychosocial chronicity factors measured using the ÖMPSQ have a significant influence on pain sensitization in cLBP. A 14-day multimodal pain therapy increased local, but not peripheral, pressure pain thresholds.

Organizational Justice and Health: Reviewing Two Decades of Studies

Organizational justice refers to employees’ perceptions of the fairness of decision-making rules and policies in the workplace. Lack of justice is suggested to be a significant psychosocial risk factor that affects employees’ attitudes and health. The aim of this narrative review was to compile the evidence available about the effects of organizational justice on health. To this end, a literature search was carried out using the Web of Science, PubMed, and PsycINFO databases. The final sample consisted of 103 articles that studied the effects of justice on mental health (40 results), job stress (26), sickness absence (15), physical health (14), absenteeism/presenteeism (3), safety at work (3), and health of third parties (2). The results show that perceptions of workplace justice predict employees’ mental health, stress-related health problems, and lower levels of sickness absence were relatively compelling. Future studies should focus on less-researched outcomes and on how these associations are modified by other variables for a better understanding of how justice affects health, with a view to being able to carry out preventive measures more efficiently.

Predictors of Smoking Initiation among the Youth In Kiambaa Sub County, Kiambu County

This study explored the predictors of smoking initiation among the youth by focusing at 116,637 youths aged 12-34 years in Kiambaa Sub-County. A sample size of 384 youths was calculated using Fishers Formula. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the youth. Logit model was used to evaluate association between the smoking predictors and smoking initiation among youth in Kiambaa Sub County. It was found that 58.5 percent of the youth ever smoked. Most youth first smoked at the average age 17 years. The significant social economic factors that predict smoking initiation among youth in Kiambaa Sub County include gender, age, educational attainment by parent/guardian, marital status and family size while the significant psychosocial risk factors include use of alcohol and drugs, peer influence, awareness level and self-esteem. The study concludes that the significant predictors of smoking initiation among youth in Kiambaa Sub County fall under two categories; social economic and psychosocial risk factors. There is need for sensitization and educational campaigns among youth on the dangers of smoking in form of seminars, workshops by the county government in conjunction with youth groups and NACADA, widespread sensitization and education against smoking through the mainstream media including radio stations, televisions, social media and newspapers. Parents and guardians should also be role models to the youth and avoid smoking in the presence of children or young people. Educational institutions including schools, colleges and rehabilitation centers need to further create awareness among youth on the dangers associated with smoking. Keywords: Smoking, Initiation, Youth, Smoking Predictors

Psychosocial Risk Factors Affecting the Nurses Working at An Educational Research Hospital in the Province of Istanbul

The main purpose of the present study is to prioritize the risk factors affecting the nurses working at a public educational research hospital located at the European Side of the province of Istanbul. By this means, it was intended to provide concrete information to health executives on the subjects of motivating the employees, affiliating them to the institution, and ensuring them in being more peaceful and happier at the workplace. In this study, psychosocial risk factors, affecting the nurses working at an educational research hospital affiliated to Ministry of Health, were prioritized by the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) which is one of the Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) Techniques. In the research, data collection tool was designed as Saaty’s 1-9 scale conforming to the format of AHP. The collected data was analyzed by the researchers according to Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) with the help of Microsoft Office Excel 2013 analysis. The study was conducted in 2019 and 25 nurses in total participated. According to the results of the study, the most significant psychosocial risk factor affecting the nurses was found as Interpersonal Relations.

Transport Terrorism: A Counter-Terrorism Medicine Analysis.

Many capital cities around the world have been subjected to terrorist attacks on their transport systems with devastating consequences. Large crowds in small enclosed spaces, disruption to people movement, and the psychosocial and financial repercussions of attacks are some of the many soft target vulnerabilities of mass-transit systems.This study is an epidemiological examination of all terrorism-related events targeting air, sea, and ground transport modalities sustained from 1970-2019, comparing the rates of fatal injuries (FI) and non-fatal injuries (NFI). The Global Terrorism Database (GTD) was downloaded and searched using the internal database search functions for all events that occurred from January 1, 1970 - December 31, 2019. Years 2020 and 2021 were not yet available at the time of the study. "Transportation," "Airport and Aircraft," and "Maritime" as primary target types were selected for the purpose of this study, and events were further sub-classified by region, weapon type used, and by suicide attack (SA). "Airport personnel" were excluded. All classifications and sub-classifications were pre-determined by the GTD. There were 8,729 transportation-related (air, sea, and ground) attacks documented during the study period with 19,020 fatalities and 45,218 NFI. This accounted for 5.2% of all terrorist attacks (168,003 total events), 5.6% of all FI (total 339,435), and 9.1% of all NFI (total 496,225). The mean FI was 2.2 per event and the mean NFI was 5.2 per attack.South Asia (28.4%), Middle East and North Africa (18.2%), and South America (14.9%) accounted for 61.5% of all transport related attacks. Attacks on subways inflicted a disproportionately high 51.5 NFI per attack. Suicide attacks recorded the highest ratios for both FI (13.71 per attack) and NFI (139.00 per attack). Transport modalities are vulnerable terrorist soft targets. The repercussions of attacks on public transport modalities represent a significant and unique psychosocial and economical risk to the affected communities. Suicide attacks on subways represent a unique and significantly higher casualty risk than other transport modalities. Risk mitigation strategies should be regularly revisited by Counter-Terrorism Medicine (CTM) specialists.

Socio-psychological risk factors that influence Smoking Prevalence among Youth in the United States of America

The smoking habit among youth is an active problem. In the United States, 11.1% of youths first smoked at age 10 years and below whereas 60.4% of school going children of age 16 year and more reported smoked a full cigarette. Retrospective U.S. national data on smoking prevalence indicates that daily active adult smokers started smoking before the age of 18 years.&nbsp; A cross-sectional study&nbsp;of 116,637 youths of ages 12-34 years was conducted across US states. Data was also sourced from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Youth Tobacco Survey and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The socio-psychosocial risk factors investigated include contemplation of suicide, use of alcohol and drugs, level of strictness of parent or guardian, peer influence, awareness about dangers of smoking and level of self-esteem. Data analysis was done by use of Statistical Software for Social Sciences Version 25.0 Software. A significance level of p of &lt;0.05 was used. Logit model was employed to determine of association between socio-psychosocial risk factors and smoking prevalence among youth in US. The significant psychosocial risk factors that predict smoking initiation among youth in US were identified as use of alcohol and drug, peer influence, awareness influence and self-esteem. A conclusion is therefore made that use of alcohol and drug, peer influence, awareness influence and self-esteem are significant psychosocial risk factors that influence smoking initiation among the youth. There is need for periodic educational awareness programmes for youth regarding use of alcohol and drug. Educational institutions including schools, colleges and rehabilitation centers need to further emphasize in teaching and creating awareness among youth on the dangers associated with smoking. There is also need for counseling sessions in school, churches and community levels for youth who may be facing problems related with low self-esteem. The counseling sessions should gear at identifying the causative factors and devise mechanism to create self-worth among the youth. In addition, parents, guardians, religious leaders and other community members need to work in coordination to identify peer influence among youth and advise accordingly to protect many youth from falling trap to peer influence for lack of awareness.&nbsp; There is also need to for correctional centers serviced by well-trained social personnel, psychologists to counsel and correct youth who are addicted to smoking. Keywords: Socio-psychological risk factors, Smoking Prevalence, Youth, USA

The prevalence of MSDs and the associated risk factors in nurses of China

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are one of the most serious health problems facing nurses all over the world, but few studies have assessed the prevalence of MSDs together with associated risk factors for nurses representing multiple regions of China. Therefore, the current cross-sectional study investigated 645 registered nurses from four regions of China using a previously validated musculoskeletal survey. Survey includes questions to understand and identify individual characteristics of nurses, biomechanical and psychosocial risk factors associated with MSDs. There was an 84.2% overall 12-month prevalence of MSDs, which were most common in the lower back (73.5%), neck (73.2%) and shoulders (66.2%). A logistic regression including all risk factors was performed for MSDs at each body site. Among individual factors, weekly working hours, gender, BMI, age, and alcohol use significantly affected the odds ratios of MSDs. The most influential biomechanical risk factors identified were cumulative characteristics of the stress, such as time in awkward posture, time of manual material handling, and sustained squat posture. Statistically significant psychosocial risk factors included support from supervisors and/or colleagues, work control and demands, nurse staffing, and medical device supply. The prevalence of MSDs in Chinese nurses in the current study was high compared with previous studies. Exposures from cumulative physical stresses appeared to increase the risk of MSDs and the development of the associated guidelines on these cumulative exposures is merited. Sufficient nurse staffing, sufficient and proper medical equipment should be provided to reduce the risk of MSDs.

Drug Addiction in Pakistan: A step towards alleviation of sufferings

Drug Addiction in Pakistan: A step towards alleviation of sufferings

Emotional Demand and Mental Health in Korean Employees.

Background: Emotional demand (ED) at work is related to mental health in the general workforce, not just emotional workers. We investigated the relationships between ED and mental health outcomes, including distress, depressive symptoms (DS), experience of depression (DE), and suicidal ideation (SI) on the entire general workforce using nationally representative data. Methods: 5787 full-time employees were analyzed using cross-sectional design with the fourth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (K-NHANES IV). Work-related psychosocial factors and mental health status were measured through face-to-face interviews. Multi-stage and stratified survey designs were considered in the analysis, and the mental health effects of ED were analyzed using multivariable logistic analysis. The Cochran–Armitage trend test was conducted to investigate increases in the relationship between the severity of ED and mental health outcomes. Results: The subjects comprised 3089 men and 2698 women. ED was reported by 36.7% of men and 39.3% of women. The estimated prevalence of distress was 27.5% in men and 34.6% in women. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of ED for distress were 2.62 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.10–3.28) for men and 2.57 (95% CI = 1.92–3.45) for women. DS was significantly related to ED (men: OR = 1.72, 95% CI = 1.18–2.50; women: OR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.33–2.74). ED was also significant psychosocial risk factor for DE (men: OR = 1.88, 95% CI = 1.07–3.29; women: OR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.15–2.75) and SI (men: OR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.11–2.41; women: OR = 2.31, 95% CI = 1.63–3.28). Conclusions: ED was a risk factor for distress, DS, DE, and SI in the general workforce. Legal and social safety networks should be constructed for workers whose emotions may be hidden at work, as well as workers in emotion-related fields.

The clinical performance and cost-effectiveness of two psychosocial assessment models in maternity care: The Perinatal Integrated Psychosocial Assessment study

ProblemAlthough perinatal universal depression and psychosocial assessment is recommended in Australia, its clinical performance and cost-effectiveness remain uncertain. AimTo compare the performance and cost-effectiveness of two models of psychosocial assessment: Usual-Care and Perinatal Integrated Psychosocial Assessment (PIPA). MethodsWomen attending their first antenatal visit were prospectively recruited to this cohort study. Endorsement of significant depressive symptoms or psychosocial risk generated an ‘at-risk’ flag identifying those needing referral to the Triage Committee. Based on its detailed algorithm, a higher threshold of risk was required to trigger the ‘at-risk’ flag for PIPA than for Usual-Care. Each model’s performance was evaluated using the midwife’s agreement with the ‘at-risk’ flag as the reference standard. Cost-effectiveness was limited to the identification of True Positive and False Positive cases. Staffing costs associated with administering each screening model were quantified using a bottom-up time-in-motion approach. FindingsBoth models performed well at identifying ‘at-risk’ women (sensitivity: Usual-Care 0.82 versus PIPA 0.78). However, the PIPA model was more effective at eliminating False Positives and correctly identifying ‘at-risk’ women (Positive Predictive Value: PIPA 0.69 versus Usual Care 0.41). PIPA was associated with small incremental savings for both True Positives detected and False Positives averted. DiscussionOverall PIPA performed better than Usual-Care as a psychosocial screening model and was a cost-saving and relatively effective approach for detecting True Positives and averting False Positives. These initial findings warrant evaluation of longer-term costs and outcomes of women identified by the models as ‘at-risk’ and ‘not at-risk’ of perinatal psychosocial morbidity.

Father involvement in infancy predicts behavior and response to chronic stress in middle childhood in a low-income Latinx sample.

Fathers' involvement in early childhood is important for children's physical, emotional, and cognitive development, particularly in low-income families. However, little is known about the longitudinal relations between early father involvement and children's later physiological responses to chronic stress and behaviors impacted by stress in the context of poverty. These issues are particularly important among Latinx immigrant families who face significant psychosocial and poverty-related risk. In the current study, we examined the relationship between father involvement in infancy and physiological chronic stress in the middle childhood period, as measured through hair cortisol concentration (HCC), and several behavioral measures (attention problems, working memory) in a Latinx immigrant sample with low income. Father involvement in infancy predicted children's later HCC, and working memory in second to third grade. Father involvement also moderated the effect of HCC on working memory, such that increased HCC predicted better working memory when fathers were not involved. These findings suggest that the fathers' involvement in infancy has lasting impacts on health and behavior and that associations between physiological and behavioral measures of stress may be moderated by differences in early father involvement.

Social Isolation and Hospitalization Risk Factors Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

PURPOSE: This study examines psychosocial risk factors associated with hospitalization among community-dwelling older adults in the United States. METHODS: Using two waves of the National Health and Aging Trends Study from 2011 and 2015, we conducted descriptive and multivariate analyses of individual-level data from a nationally representative sample of 8,003 Medicare beneficiaries ages 65 and older. Associations between hospitalization and risk factors including social isolation, depression, and anxiety were assessed. Covariates included gender, race/ethnicity, age, region, insurance type, falls, and comorbidities. RESULTS: Overall, about 20.9% of older adults reported a hospitalization within the past year and 22.2% were socially isolated. The odds of hospitalization were higher for socially isolated adults (OR 1.17; p = .02), for depressed adults (OR 1.25; p = .01), and for individuals with anxiety (OR 1.25; p = .02). Individuals living in the Western region had lower odds of hospitalization (OR 0.71; p = .001), whereas men (OR 1.13; p = .03), those requiring assistance with activities of daily living (OR 1.48; p < .001), and those having one (OR 1.41; p = .03) or more (OR 3.05; p < .001) chronic health conditions had higher odds of hospitalization. CONCLUSION: Social isolation, depression, and anxiety represent significant psychosocial risk factors for hospitalization among community-dwelling older adults in the United States. Efforts to reduce health care costs and improve health outcomes for older adults should explore ways to strengthen social integration and improve mental health.

THE CORRELATION BETWEEN PSYCHOSOCIAL RISK FACTORS AND WORK PERFORMANCE IN MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

Nature of psychosocial risk as to the unseen hazards in the working population, potentially exposing the workers towards the adverse effect of mental health. Compromising the well- being of mental health could lead to deterioration of work performance. The objective of this study is to analyze the constructed measure of psychosocial risk factors and work performance of manufacturing workers using statistical analysis. Then, the constructed measure is used to find the correlations between the two factors. A set of the questionnaire is administered to 258 manufacturing workers. The questionnaires were adapted and adopted from Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ III), NIOSH Generic Job Stress Questionnaire, and Individual Work Performance Questionnaire (IWPQ 1.0) and the instrument were found to be reliable (Cronbach Alpha value = 0.7 ). After conducting Exploratory Factor Analysis by using Principal Component Analysis, the construct validity to conduct data collection in the manufacturing industry is tested. Using eight factors understudy that already extracted using factor analysis, it is found that there are significant psychosocial risk factors present in the manufacturing industry. As for the association between psychosocial and work performance, it is found that there is a significant association between psychosocial risk factors and work performance. This study is essential to explore the presence of psychosocial risk factors that underlies in the manufacturing industry, which might affect worker performance and well-being. For future research, it is recommended so that this study can be replicated to other manufacturing industry or different types of industries to see the robustness of the developed instruments. At the same time, the issue of psychosocial risk factors and workers' performance also can be identified, and the mitigation can be planned.

Screening for caregiver psychosocial risk in children with medical complexity: a cross-sectional study

ObjectiveTo quantify psychosocial risk in family caregivers of children with medical complexity using the Psychosocial Assessment Tool (PAT) and to investigate potential contributing sociodemographic factors.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingFamily caregivers completed questionnaires during...

Screening of malnutrition and its correlates among a sample of rural elderly in Qalyobeya Governorate, Egypt.

Malnutrition is a multifactorial problem that contributes to many health problems, as a cause or as a consequence. In elderly, it is a major health problem as it leads to progressive decline in physical and cognitive health, increased utilization of health services, and increased mortality.To screen the elderly persons for malnutrition and to detect the underlying factors of this problem.A cross-sectional study was conducted on 320 elderly persons. A structured interview questionnaire sheet was used. It included sociodemographic data; anthropometric measurement; the Mini-Nutritional Assessment-Short Form in its Arabic version; and physical, psychosocial, and cognitive risk factors of malnutrition.Overall, 35% of the participants were malnourished and 38.4% were at risk of malnutrition. There were significant associations between malnutrition or being at risk of malnutrition and all the studied sociodemographic characteristics (P<0.05) except tobacco smoking (P=0.39). Moreover, significant association (P<0.05) was detected between malnutrition and lack of physical exercise, oral and gastrointestinal tract problems, chronic pain, physical dependency, number of chronic diseases, and number of drugs taken regularly. Social isolation, insomnia, special senses problems, and depression were the significant psychosocial and cognitive risk factors.Malnutrition or being at risk of malnutrition is prevalent among the rural elderly persons in Qalyobeya Governorate. The underlying factors were sociodemographic factors, lack of physical exercise, morbidities, and some psychological and cognitive factors. It is recommended that nutritional assessment should be included in any designed geriatric healthcare and health appraisal for the elderly.

Screening of malnutrition and its correlates among a sample of rural elderly in Qalyobeya Governorate, Egypt.

Malnutrition is a multifactorial problem that contributes to many health problems, as a cause or as a consequence. In elderly, it is a major health problem as it leads to progressive decline in physical and cognitive health, increased utilization of health services, and increased mortality. To screen the elderly persons for malnutrition and to detect the underlying factors of this problem. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 320 elderly persons. A structured interview questionnaire sheet was used. It included sociodemographic data; anthropometric measurement; the Mini-Nutritional Assessment-Short Form in its Arabic version; and physical, psychosocial, and cognitive risk factors of malnutrition. Overall, 35% of the participants were malnourished and 38.4% were at risk of malnutrition. There were significant associations between malnutrition or being at risk of malnutrition and all the studied sociodemographic characteristics (P<0.05) except tobacco smoking (P=0.39). Moreover, significant association (P<0.05) was detected between malnutrition and lack of physical exercise, oral and gastrointestinal tract problems, chronic pain, physical dependency, number of chronic diseases, and number of drugs taken regularly. Social isolation, insomnia, special senses problems, and depression were the significant psychosocial and cognitive risk factors. Malnutrition or being at risk of malnutrition is prevalent among the rural elderly persons in Qalyobeya Governorate. The underlying factors were sociodemographic factors, lack of physical exercise, morbidities, and some psychological and cognitive factors. It is recommended that nutritional assessment should be included in any designed geriatric healthcare and health appraisal for the elderly.