Stress Check Research Articles

Survey of occupational health-related activities in Hokkaido and Tohoku hospitals

This study aimed to evaluate occupational health-related activities and factors related to the violation of labor-related regulations in hospitals in Hokkaido and Tohoku districts. The study questionnaires were distributed to 1,108 Hokkaido and Tohoku hospitals in April 2024, among whom 307 (answered by June 2) participated. The questionnaires included queries on hospital characteristics, occupational health-related activities, and labor-related laws. Relationships between the hospital location, number of hospital beds, number of employees, and provision of emergency services and the number of labor-related regulation violations (assignments of occupational physicians and health officers, agreement on overtime [per Article 36 of the Labour Standards Act], physician interviews for workers with prolonged overtime, and implementation of the Stress Check program) were analyzed using multivariable ordinal logistic regression. Among the hospitals, 4.2%, 11.9%, 11.1%, 8.5%, and 2.6% did not assign occupational physicians, assigned directors as occupational physicians, did not assign health officers, did not have an agreement on overtime, and did not implement the Stress Check program, respectively. The multivariable ordinal logistic regression analysis revealed that hospitals with few beds and employees and those that did not offer emergency services had significantly higher odds of violating labor-related regulations. Smaller hospitals and hospitals that did not offer emergency services in Hokkaido and Tohoku districts had some difficulties complying with labor-related regulations. These hospitals may need external support for occupational health-related activities.

Predictability of the National Psychological Stress Screening for Subsequent Long-Term Psychiatric Sick Leave Among Employees: A Multicenter Nested Case-Control Study.

The aim of the study is to predict employees' long-term sick leave due to psychiatric disorders using the national psychological stress screening program. University employees who took long-term psychiatric sick leave in 2016-2018 were assigned as cases. Those who were present at work and matched for sex, age, and occupation type were assigned as controls. Answers in a 57-item questionnaire were analyzed by multivariable regression, and a prediction model was developed. It was validated in cases and matched controls in 2019. Six items were identified as independent predictors by multivariable regression and included in a prediction model. The area under the receiver-operating characteristics curve was 0.768 (95% confidence interval: 0.723-0.813). This finding was similar to that in the validation sample. The performance of the prediction model was modest and the national Stress Check Program should be further refined.

Prevention of the flow of clays located higher than productive formation outside and necking of production string

The paper studies the methods of prevention of necking of casings and in particular, production strings, as well as the complications occurring in the drilling process in the Caspian Sea as a result of clay flowing out and prediction of such kind of issues. Moreover, in the selection of production strings, “Stress Check” software program was used. One of the geological issues leading to the necking of casing is probably poorly cemented clay layers. In addition, the structure of the well drilled in Bulla-deniz field, formation pressure and the selection of casing for this well have been considered. In conclusion, the selection of casing to be lowered into the gas well in Bulla-deniz field has been executed via “Stress Check“ software program.

Comparing the effect of a lactation-specific relaxation and visualisation intervention versus standard care on lactation and mental health outcomes in mothers of very premature infants (the EXPRESS trial): study protocol for a multi-centre, unmasked, randomised, parallel-group trial

BackgroundPremature birth is the leading cause of neonatal death and can cause major morbidity. Maximising the amount of maternal breastmilk given to very premature infants is important to improve outcomes, but this can be challenging for parents. Parents of infants receiving neonatal care also have high rates of anxiety and distress. There is growing evidence for the impact of maternal relaxation interventions on lactation, as well as mental health. The trial will assess whether a brief self-directed relaxation and visualisation intervention, recommended for use several times a day during expression of milk, improves lactation and mental health outcomes for mothers of very premature infants.MethodsMulti-centre, randomised, controlled, unmasked, parallel-group trial with planned 132 participants who have experienced premature birth between 23 weeks and 31 weeks and 6 days of gestation and plan to express milk for at least 14 days. The primary outcome is the highest 24-h expressed milk yield recorded on any of day 4, day 14 or day 21 after birth. Secondary outcomes include exclusive breastmilk feeding at 36 weeks post-menstrual age and at 4 months after the estimated date of delivery, Spielberger State Trait Anxiety Index at day 21 and Post-traumatic stress Check List (for DSM 5) at day 21.DiscussionBreastmilk feeding for premature infants is an important research priority, but there are few randomised controlled trials assessing interventions to help parents reach lactation goals in this challenging context. This trial will assess whether a no cost, easily scalable relaxation tool has a role in this setting. Given the lack of harm and potential for immediate dissemination, even a small benefit could have an important global impact.Trial registrationISRCTN16356650. Date assigned: 19/04/2021.

Suggestions for new organizational-level item pools for the national Stress Check Program from management philosophy and mission statement: A qualitative study using unsupervised learning.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to obtain suggestions for new organizational‐level item pools that companies could utilize to accomplish management philosophy and mission statements in the context of survey and work environment improvements for the national Stress Check Program.MethodsA qualitative study was conducted using unsupervised learning. A large amount of text data related to management philosophy and mission statements were collected, that is, management messages described on the websites of all companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. For the main analysis, topic modeling was performed on the nouns from the management messages using Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) to build a model consisting of 10 latent topics, each represented by a group of the 10 most frequently reoccurring nouns. Each group of nouns was qualitatively summarized based on the topic model.ResultsIn total, 22 524 nouns were extracted from the management messages of 3575 companies. A topic model consisting of 10 latent topics was constructed using the LDA. The suggestion for new item pools included new technologies, business plans/strategies, company shareholders, health/happiness/wealth, profits/sales, development of society, a sustainable society, safety and security, customer/consumer satisfaction, corporate social responsibility, fairness, transparency, and human rights.ConclusionThe suggestions for potential item pools were derived from management philosophy and mission statement that are not covered in the existing survey. The suggestions could be useful for motivating employers to implement work environment improvement. Future studies need to make definite items and investigate whether they correlate to job stressors and mental health among workers.

Mental Disorders Experienced in Comprehensive Medical Checkup and the Topics of the Japanese Stress Check Program

Mental Disorders Experienced in Comprehensive Medical Checkup and the Topics of the Japanese Stress Check Program

The background and current state of implementing a legal system for stress checks in Japan

This paper discusses the development process, outline, main design points, post-enactment operation, and related research trends based on my own experiences from the formulation of the stress check system. Additionally, it surveys related literature and is the first of its kind to discuss future developments from a legal point of view. The ultimate purpose of the stress check system is to stimulate concrete measures for workplace environment improvements. However, despite frequent group analysis, effective measures for improving the environment have been limited. In this paper, based on past studies, I argue that reduced stress and other effects can be observed in workplaces in which such measures have been implemented, providing qualitative outcomes for workers. In addition, basic data can and has been accumulated for subsequent policies and measures. I conclude that realizing human and organizational individuality as well as supporting growth and environmental adaptation are key to the implementation of effective mental health measures.

Factors Related to Attitudes toward Responses to Stress Survey in Stress Check Program in Financial Industry

The purpose of this study is to clarify the factors related to attitudes toward responses to a stress survey in the Stress Check Program, which is used to screen for workers with high psychosocial stress at the workplace. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted on 1,800 regular staff member of a financial industry (valid response rate: 72.0%). The questionnaire items were the brief job stress questionnaire (BJSQ), the sense of coherence (SOC-13), the Japanese version of the Utrecht work engagement scale (UWES-J), attitudes toward responses to the stress survey, and the concerns of subjects regarding the stress check program. The stress in interpersonal relationships at the workplace in the BJSQ, "concerns about leaking results to the company", "concerns about receiving persistent calls for an interview", and "concerns about a disadvantageous treatment by the company" were positively related to 'writing general truths', whereas the support from the boss in the BJSQ and the subscales of SOC-13 were negatively related to 'writing general truths'. The stress in interpersonal relationships at the workplace and "concerns about receiving persistent calls for an interview" were positively related to 'writing falsehoods', but the "dedication" in UWES-J was negatively related to 'writing falsehoods'. To obtain authentic answers in the stress survey, it is important (1) to smooth relationships at the workplace, (2) to devise operation systems such as an interview guidance, and (3) to provide support that enhances the ability of workers to cope with stress and work engagement.

Abstract 15148: The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the Mental Distress of Health Care Providers Working in the Coronary Care Unit

Introduction: Medical workers fighting current COVID-19 pandemic are considered facing a mental health crisis. However, there is a paucity of data regarding mental distress in those who caring non-COVIT patients. To assess the mental distress of health care provider working in a coronary care unit during the COVID-19 pandemic, we evaluated the changes in occupational stress before and during the pandemic based on Stress Check Program, which was conducted by Japanese government to screen for workers with high psychosocial stress in the workplace. Methods: Between January 2019 and March 2020, a total of 115 healthcare providers working in our hospital participated in the routine Stress Check Program. Of those, 30 participants working in the coronary care unit underwent a follow-up stress check between May and June 2020. The mean age of the participants was 36.3 ± 9.23 years, and 24 of them (80%) were women. We used the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire, which comprises four components with a total of 57 items: psychological stressors (17 items), psychological and physiological stress reactions (29 items), social support in the workplace (9 items), and personal satisfaction (2 items). Each item was rated on a 4-point scale ranging from 1 to 4. Scores were expressed as mean ± SD for analysis. The changes in scores from before to during the pandemic in terms of the four components and 57 items were analyzed. Results: The mean scores before and during the pandemic for 4 components; psychological stressors, psychological and physiological stress reaction, social support in the workplace, and personal satisfaction were 2.67 ± 0.93 vs. 2.76 ± 0.95 ( p = 0.14); 1.99 ± 0.94 vs. 2.23 ± 1.01 ( p < 0.001); 2.18 ± 0.89 vs. 2.18 ± 0.83 ( p = 0.92); and 2.05 ± 0.65 vs. 2.20 ± 0.78 ( p = 0.09), respectively. Conclusion: Significant worsening during the pandemic was observed for psychological and physiological reactions without no significant change in psychological stressors, social support in the workplace, or personal satisfaction. These results may indicate that the current COVID-19 pandemic was the sole factor contributing to the worsened stress reactions in healthcare providers.

Implementation and effectiveness of the Stress Check Program, a national program to monitor and control workplace psychosocial factors in Japan: a systematic review. Translated secondary publication

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to conduct a comprehensive review on the implementation and the effect of Japan's Stress Check Program, a national program to monitor and control workplace psychosocial factors that was initiated in December 2015.Design/methodology/approachWe comprehensively reviewed articles published in Japanese and English, assessed the performance of the Stress Check Program and summarized future challenges. We also discussed the implications for practice.FindingsThe available literature presented a scientific basis for the efficiency and validity of predictions using the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire, which is the instrument recommended to screen workers with high stress in the program. No study has verified the effect of the program on workers' mental health by using group analysis of stress check results. There is room for improvement in tools that contribute to identifying workers with high stress and in measures for improving the work environment. The Stress Check Program contrasts with risk management of psychosocial factors at work, widely adopted in European countries as a strategy for improving workers' mental health by focussing on the psychosocial work environment.Practical implicationsAlthough the effectiveness of the Japanese program needs further evaluation, future developments of the program would provide insight for national policies on psychosocial risks/psychosocial stress at work.Originality/valueThis paper is the first systematic review on the implementation and effects of Japan's Stress Check Program.

Stress Check: How Cultural Stress Is Impacting Health and Longevity, and What We Can Do About It

Our phones recognize our face shapes better than our friends. Digital consumption is replacing human touch. Even when we’re together, we are texting rather than talking. If personal connection was classified as a sustainable resource, we could hypothesize that it is non-renewable and fleeting—fast. How is it that, in this age of being more connected than ever, we are at our loneliest? Advances in technology, enhanced screen time, and digital interconnectedness have collectively created a false sense of connection and a new type of stress: Cultural Stress (CS) and its pervasive, recognizable syndrome classified as Cultural Stress Anxiety Syndrome (CSAS).

Behavior and stress check of concrete box girders strengthened by external prestressing

The deterioration of existing bridges has become a major problem around the world. In the paper, a new model and an associated stress checking method are proposed for concrete box girders strengthened by external prestressing. The new model called the spatial grid model can analyze all the spatial behaviors clearly by transforming the box girder into discrete orthogonal grids which are equivalent to plate elements. Then the three-layer stresses are employed as the stress checking indices to evaluate the stress state of the plate elements. The initial stress check before strengthening reveals the cracked and potential cracking areas for existing bridges, making the strengthening design more targeted and scientific; the subsequent stress check after strengthening evaluates the strengthening effect and ensures safety. A deficient bridge is selected as the practical example, verifying the accuracy and applicability of the proposed model and stress checking method. The results show that principal stresses in the middle layer of plate elements reflect the main effects of external prestressing and thus are the key stress checking indices for strengthening. Moreover, principal stresses check should be conducted in all parts of the strengthened structure not only in the webs. As for the local effects of external prestressing especially in the areas near anchorage and deviator, normal stresses check in the outer and inner layers dominates and local strengthening measures should be taken if necessary.

Effect of the National Stress Check Program on mental health among workers in Japan: A 1-year retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: This retrospective cohort study evaluated the impact of the Stress Check Program, a recently introduced national policy and program aimed at reducing psychological distress among Japanese workers. Methods: A baseline survey was conducted from November 2015 to February 2016, the period when Japan began enforcing the Stress Check Program. A one-year follow-up survey was conducted in December 2016. In the follow-up survey, two exposure variables were collected: having taken the annual stress survey, and experiencing an improvement in the psychosocial work environment. Psychological distress was assessed using the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (BJSQ) at baseline and 1-year follow-up. The two exposure variables were used to define four groups: "Neither", "Stress survey (SS) only", "Psychosocial work environment improvement (WI) only", and "Both". BJSQ results were analyzed using repeated measures general linear modeling (GLM). Results: The study included 2,492 participants: 1,342 in the "Neither" group, 1,009 in the "SS only" group, 76 in the "WI only" group, and 65 in the "Both" group. Overall time-group interaction effects were not significant. The "Both" group showed significantly greater improvements in psychological distress than the "Neither" group (p = 0.02) at the 1-year follow-up, although the effect size was small (d = -0.14). Conclusions: Combination of the annual stress survey and improvement in psychosocial work environment may have been effective in reducing psychological distress in workers, although the effect size was small.

ストレスチェックの集団分析と 職場環境の改善： ストレスチェックの戦略的活用に向けて

ストレスチェックの集団分析と 職場環境の改善： ストレスチェックの戦略的活用に向けて

Scientific base for the Japanese Stress Check Program.

Scientific base for the Japanese Stress Check Program.

Factors Associated with Stress Check Attendance: Possible Effect of Timing of Annual Health Examination

The stress check program has been part of annual employees' health screening since 2015. Employees are recommended, but not obliged, to undergo the stress check offered. This study was designed to examine the factors associated with stress check attendance. A total of 31,156 Japanese employees who underwent an annual health examination and a stress check service at an Occupational Health Service Center in 2016 participated in this study. Data from the annual health examination and stress check service included stress check attendance, date of attendance (if implemented), gender, age, workplace industry, number of employees at the workplace, and tobacco and alcohol consumption. Data were analyzed using multiple logistic regression. The mean rate of stress check attendance was 90.8%. A higher rate of stress check attendance was associated with a lower duration from the annual health examination, age ≥30 years, construction and transport industry, and 50-999 employees at the workplace. A lower rate of stress check attendance was associated with medical and welfare industry and ≥1,000 employees at the workplace. These findings provide insights into developing strategies for improving the rate of stress check attendance. In particular, stress check attendance may improve if the stress check service and annual health examination are conducted simultaneously.

Points of Attention in Implementation of the Stress Check Program

Points of Attention in Implementation of the Stress Check Program

The Stress Check Program and hospital management

The Stress Check Program and hospital management

Validity of the Criteria for Defining High−Stress Employees in the Japanese Stress Check Program

Validity of the Criteria for Defining High−Stress Employees in the Japanese Stress Check Program

Current Status and Challenges Following Implementation of Stress Check System

Current Status and Challenges Following Implementation of Stress Check System