The Impact of Workplace Violence on Headache and Sleep Problems in Nurses.

Workplace violence (WV) is a significant occupational hazard for nurses. Previous studies have shown that WV has a reciprocal relationship with occupational stress. Headaches and sleep problems are early neuropsychological signs of distress. This cross-sectional study aims to ascertain the frequency of physical or verbal assaults on nurses and to study the association of WV with headaches and sleep problems. During their regular medical examination in the workplace, 550 nurses and nursing assistants (105 males, 19.1%; mean age 48.02 ± 9.98 years) were asked to fill in a standardized questionnaire containing the Violent Incident Form (VIF) concerning the episodes of violence experienced, the Headache Impact Test (HIT-6) regarding headaches, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory (PSQI) on sleep quality. Occupational stress was measured using the Effort/Reward Imbalance questionnaire (ERI). Physical and non-physical violence experienced in the previous year was reported by 7.5% and 17.5% of workers, respectively. In the univariate logistic regression models, the workers who experienced violence had an increased risk of headaches and sleep problems. After adjusting for sex, age, job type, and ERI, the relationship between physical violence and headaches remained significant (adjusted odds ratio aOR = 2.25; confidence interval CI95% = 1.11; 4.57). All forms of WV were significantly associated with poor sleep in a multivariate logistic regression model adjusted for sex, age, job type, and ERI (aOR = 2.35 CI95% = 1.44; 3.85). WV was also associated with the impact of headaches and with sleep quality. WV prevention may reduce the frequency of lasting psychoneurological symptoms, such as headaches and poor sleep quality, that interfere with the ability to work.

Organizational Justice and Health: A Survey in Hospital Workers.

In complex systems such as hospitals, work organization can influence the level of occupational stress and, consequently, the physical and mental health of workers. Hospital healthcare workers were asked to complete a questionnaire during their regular occupational health examination, in order to assess the perceived level of organizational justice, and to verify whether it was associated with occupational stress, mental health, and absenteeism. The questionnaire included the Colquitt Organizational Justice (OJ) Scale, the Karasek/Theorell demand-control-support (DCS) questionnaire for occupational stress, and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ12) for mental health. Workers were also required to indicate whether they had been absent because of back pain in the past year. Organizational justice was a significant predictor of occupational stress. Stress was a mediator in the relationship between justice and mental health. Occupational stress was more closely related to perceptions of lack of distributive justice than to perceptions of procedural, informational, and interpersonal justice. Physicians perceived significantly less distributive justice than other workers. In adjusted univariate logistic regression models, the perceptions of organizational justice were associated with a significant reduction in the risk of sick leave for back pain (OR 0.96; CI95% 0.94−0.99; p < 0.001), whereas occupational stress was associated with an increased risk of sick leave (OR 6.73; CI95% 2.02−22.40; p < 0.002). Work organization is a strong predictor of occupational stress and of mental and physical health among hospital employees.

Association of Occupational Distress and Low Sleep Quality with Syncope, Presyncope, and Falls in Workers.

Syncope and presyncope episodes that occur during work could affect one's safety and impair occupational performance. Few data are available regarding the prevalence of these events among workers. The possible role of sleep quality, mental stress, and metabolic disorders in promoting syncope, presyncope, and falls in workers is unknown. In the present study, 741 workers (male 35.4%; mean age 47 ± 11 years), employed at different companies, underwent clinical evaluation and blood tests, and completed questionnaires to assess sleep quality, occupational distress, and mental disorders. The occurrence of syncope, presyncope, and unexplained falls during working life was assessed via an ad hoc interview. The prevalence of syncope, presyncope, and falls of unknown origin was 13.9%, 27.0%, and 10.3%, respectively. The occurrence of syncope was associated with an increased risk of occupational distress (adjusted odds ratio aOR: 1.62, confidence intervals at 95%: 1.05-2.52), low sleep quality (aOR: 1.79 CI 95%: 1.16-2.77), and poor mental health (aOR: 2.43 CI 95%: 1.52-3.87). Presyncope was strongly associated with occupational distress (aOR: 1.77 CI 95%: 1.25-2.49), low sleep quality (aOR: 2.95 CI 95%: 2.08-4.18), and poor mental health (aOR: 2.61 CI 95%: 1.78-3.84), while no significant relationship was found between syncope or presyncope and metabolic syndrome. These results suggest that occupational health promotion interventions aimed at improving sleep quality, reducing stressors, and increasing worker resilience might reduce syncope and presyncope events in the working population.