Effects of wearing medical gowns at different temperatures on the physiological responses of female healthcare workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Using medical gowns with high protection against COVID-19 among healthcare workers (HCWs) may limit heat exchange, resulting in physiological challenges. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the physiological and neurophysiological responses of female HCWs when using two typical medical gowns at different temperatures during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Twenty healthy female HCWs participated in this study. Participants wore two types of medical gowns: Spunbond gown (SG) and laminate gown (LG). They walked on a treadmill in a controlled climate chamber for 30 minutes at three different temperatures (24, 28, and 32°C). Heart rate (HR), skin surface temperature (ST), clothing surface temperature (CT), ear temperature (ET), blood oxygen percentage (SaO2), galvanic skin response (GSR), and blood pressure were measured before and after walking on a treadmill. The study's results were analyzed using SPSS26. RESULTS: The study found that LG led to an average increase of 0.575°C in CT compared to SG at the same temperatures (P <  0.03). The average HR increased by 6.5 bpm in LG at 28°C compared to SG at a comfortable temperature (P = 0.01). The average ET in SG and GSR in LG at 32°C increased by 0.39°C and 0.25µS, respectively, compared to the comfortable temperature (P <  0.02). CONCLUSION: The study recommends maintaining a comfortable temperature range in hospitals to prevent physiological challenges among HCWs wearing medical gowns with high protection against COVID-19. This is important because using LG, compared to SG, at high temperatures can increase HR, ET, CT, and GSR.

A comparative study of electronic and pen-paper safety inspections: A mixed method study design for assessing ergonomic parameters.

BACKGROUND: Workplace inspections are applied to facilitate the adherence to the occupational health and safety regulations. The Iranian Ministry of Health introduced a new software system for tablets to inspect workplaces. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to take measurements of the usability, mental workload, and mood of inspectors. METHODS: Inspectors used both pen-and-paper and tablet methods to inspect the automotive industry in a mixed-method procedure. The NASA-TLX score, QUIS score, I-PANAS (SF) situation, inspection time, and number of errors were collected throughout the procedure. The differences were investigated using a paired sample and the Wilcoxon signed ranks test. RESULTS: In terms of efficacy, using the tablet resulted in lower error rates, but it took longer to complete the inspection task (P < 0.001). Participants perceived a lower workload when inspecting with a tablet rather than the traditional method. (Mental Demand: p < 0.002, Performance: p < 0.009, Effort: p < 0.012, TLX: p < 0.002 based on various subcomponents of NASA-TLX). The newly introduced system's usability was insufficient. CONCLUSION: Although the use of tablets has improved safety inspections, ergonomic redesign of the system and consideration of a user-centered approach, as well as inspector training, can make the system more likely to succeed.

Identifying, classifying and prioritizing factors affecting human errors in the mine design process: A mixed methods research.

BACKGROUND: Mines are often home to many dangers with a high rate of accidents and occupational diseases. One of the most effective ways to prevent these adverse incidents is to identify and control the influential factors causing human error in design and the ensuing negative consequences. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore, categorize and prioritize factors affecting human errors in the mine design process. METHODS: The study has a mixed-method design combining qualitative and quantitative data. In the qualitative phase, the required data were collected by conducting semi-structured interviews with 12 surface mine designers. The causes of errors were extracted and categorized by the latent content analysis using MAXQDA2022 software. The identified causes in the qualitative phase were sent to expert designers in Q tables, and the data were analyzed by factor analysis. RESULTS: Of the identified codes in the qualitative phase, 40 main themes in five different categories (individual, organizational, external, task, and environmental factors) were determined as causes. The results of the quantitative phase suggest the existence of four different mental patterns regarding the causes of design errors (DEs). The data analysis also shows that organizational and personal factors, particularly supervision and inspection, experience, and technical knowledge, were the strongest causes of DEs and environmental (hotness, coldness, indoor air quality, and noise) and external (work-family conflict) factors being the weakest ones. CONCLUSION: This study not only identifies and categorizes the causes of design errors in the mining industry but also suggests some control strategies for these errors based on the mental patterns of the experts.

Evaluation of a web-based randomized controlled trial educational intervention based on media literacy on preventing substance abuse among college students, applying the integrated social marketing approach: a study protocol.

BACKGROUND: Substance abuse is the actual psychosocial harm, especially in young people confronted with content marketing in nowadays media environment, a risk factor for experiencing substance abuse. Based on the literature review, education designed based on the cognitive-behavioral model and planning models, such as using a social marketing framework, is the most effective method to prevent addictive substance abuse. Also, media literacy related to substance abuse and the prototype willingness model is considered a new integrated approach to present the intervention measures' desired results. METHODS: The present study evaluates an intervention program based on media literacy on substance abuse prevention among students using an integrated social marketing approach. This study aims to complete the SMART model's sixth and seventh stages, implementing intervention and evaluation. Participants will be students of Hamadan University, Iran. Randomization will occur at the university and school levels, and gathered data will appear at two-time (i.e., pre-test and three months follow-up). Intervention group students will obtain both substance abuse prevention education and substance abuse media literacy (SAML) education between pre-test and 3 months post-test. Students in the delayed intervention will be given this education after study accomplishment; this group will receive their regular courses except for substance abuse prevention and media literacy titles during education intervention. The outcome variables are intentions and substance abuse behavior based on prototype willingness and substance abuse media literacy. DISCUSSION: Evaluation of Substance abuse prevention and substance abuse media literacy education must be careful to ensure that they effectively enable people, especially in youth in the new media ecology and unique "Infomedia" ecosystems, in the current digital society. The SAML education plan's evaluation has the first web-based education program in universities. No prior research has psychometrically considered SAML in students in the SMART model's sixth and seventh stages. TRIAL REGISTRATION: IRCT20200914048719N1 . Registered on June 30, 2021.

Investigation of Demand-Control-Support Model and Effort-Reward Imbalance Model as Predictor of Counterproductive Work Behaviors.

Background: Nowadays, counter-productive work behaviors (CWBs) have turned into a common and costly position for many organizations and especially health centers. Therefore, the study was carried out to examine and compare the demand-control-support (DCS) and effort-reward imbalance (ERI) models as predictors of CWBs. Methods: The study was cross-sectional. The population was all nurses working in public hospitals in Hamadan, Iran of whom 320 were selected as the sample based on simple random sampling method. The instruments used were Job Content Questionnaire, Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire, and Counterproductivity Work Behavior Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using correlation and regression analysis in SPSS18. Results: The findings indicated that both ERI and DCS models could predict CWB (p ≤ 0.05); however, the DCS model variables can explain the variance of CWB-I and CWB-O approximately 8% more than the ERI model variables and have more power in predicting these behaviors in the nursing community. Conclusion: According to the results, job stress is a key factor in the incidence of CWBs among nurses. Considering the importance and impact of each component of ERI and DCS models in the occurrence of CWBs, corrective actions can be taken to reduce their incidence in nurses.

Burnout and Mental Health of COVID-19 Frontline Healthcare Workers: Results from an Online Survey.

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has been prolonged and healthcare workers have become exhausted. The purpose of this study was to investigate burnout and its relationship with mental health in COVID-19 frontline healthcare workers. Method : This cross-sectional study was carried out in all hospitals where patients with COVID-19 were admitted in Hamedan, Iran. With the census method and considering the inclusion criteria, 924 COVID-19 frontline healthcare workers participated in this study. Data were collected using a web-based survey consisting of demographic characteristics, GHQ-28, and Maslach Burnout Inventory. Statistical analysis was performed using Stata 14. Results: The results showed that the main cause of concern and stress in employees was that it was not clear how long this situation would continue. The results regarding burnout and mental health showed that 29.33% of participants were high in emotional exhaustion (EE), 10.93% were high in depersonalization (DP), 34.31% were low in personal accomplishment (PA), 50.4% had physical symptoms, 50.2% had anxiety and insomnia symptoms, 62.2% had social dysfunction and 17.5% had depression symptoms. The results of the multivariate logistic regression showed that EE had the greatest role in reducing mental health of employees with OR = 6.92 for moderate EE and OR = 39.42 for high EE (P < 0.001). Conclusion: COVID-19 frontline healthcare workers are at risk for burnout and poor mental health. Health policies should be implemented to help reduce burnout in healthcare workers. Also, person-directed and organizational-directed interventions to rejuvenate these employees seem necessary.

Body physiological responses of city bus drivers subjected to noise and vibration exposure in working environment.

Background: The city bus drivers have critical roles in public transport and are occupationally exposed to different environmental stressors. This study aimed to investigate body physiological responses of city bus drivers subjected to noise and vibration exposure while crossing city routes. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 103 city bus drivers working in the governmental transportation system in Hamadan city. The subjects' exposures to noise and body vibration were measured during driving activities. Their blood pressure (BP), as well as heart rate (HR), were measured before and after driving. Multivariate regressions (MLR) were employed to analyze the effect size of the stimulus on body physiological responses using SPSS 22. Results: Exposure levels to noise, whole-body vibration (WBV), and hand-arm vibration among drivers were 79.50 ± 3.51dB, 0.620 ± 0.159 m/s2, and 0.438 ± 0.064 m/s2, respectively which were lower than the exposure limits. Heart rate as main physiological response before and after driving were 74.22 ± 4.11 and 79.23 ± 8.59 bpm, respectively. The developed MLR models statistically showed that noise exposure could only affect the HR (ß = 0.193 and p < 0.001); while WBV exposure affected both BP (ß = 0.360 and p < 0.001) and HR (ß = 0.367 and p = 0.020). The statistical analysis represented that exposure to noise and vibration in the presence of other possible covariates have significant effects on body physiological responses. Conclusion: The study empirically confirmed the possibility of body physiological changes influenced by physical stimulus during real driving activities. It is highly recommended that occupational health surveillance should continuously be implemented to maintain and promote the safety and health of drivers throughout their careers.

Incidence of Neurotoxic Symptoms in Iranian Anesthesiology Staff: Psychometric Properties of Persian Version of the Euroquest Questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: With the increase in the number of people exposed to anesthetic gases, there is a critical need to examine the prevalence of neurotoxic symptoms in these individuals using reliable tools. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of EUROQUEST questionnaire and to measure the rate of neurotoxic symptoms in the anesthesiology personnel. METHODS: This research was a cross-sectional study. This study was a cross-sectional one. Participants included 404 personnel of the operating room in western Iran. EUROQUEST questionnaire was translated into Persian and used to measure the rate of neurotoxic symptoms. Reliability of the questionnaire was examined by Cronbach's alpha, while face and construct validities were evaluated using SPSS 16 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) and AMOS 18 (IBM, Chicago, IL, USA) software. RESULTS: The results indicated that EUROQUEST questionnaire had acceptable reliability and validity. The most prevalent symptoms were observed in memory and concentration, fatigue, and sleepiness. The prevalence of fatigue was higher than other dimensions, with 28% of participants in the third and fourth quartiles. Also, there was no relationship between symptoms and work experience. CONCLUSIONS: EUROQUEST questionnaire can be applied in studies of the neurotoxic symptoms. The study of the prevalence of symptoms also indicated that most participants complained about memory and concentration, fatigue, and sleepiness, and these symptoms were observed in all individuals regardless of their work experience.

Can substance abuse media literacy increase prediction of drug use in students?

OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to determine the predictors of drug use among students based on the Extended Prototype willingness model (EPWM). METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed at Hamadan universities. The participants were selected via multi-stage sampling. Finally, out of 721 students participated. The questionnaire consisted of four sections: (a) socio-demographic characteristics, (b) Questionnaire about the prototype willingness model constructs, (c) Questionnaire about the status of drug use behavior, (d) Substance Abuse Media Literacy (SAML) scale. Data were analyzed using a structural equations partial least squares confirmatory composite approach and SPSS-23. RESULTS: The mean age of students was of 23.47 ± 4.14 years. Based on results, behavioral willingness (ß = 0.420, t-value = 9.010, p < 0.001) and behavioral intention (ß = 0.291, t-value = 6.957, p < 0.001) significantly predicted drug use. The presented results of analysis, 66% of the variance of the drug use, 62% of the variable of the behavioral willingness, and 56% of the behavioral intention could be explained by the EPWM. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated that EPWM could predict drug use in students. Therefore, designing and implementing educational and promotional intervention programs to reduce behavioral willingness and increase students' skills in substance abuse media literacy is necessary to prevent drug use behavior.

Insights into the relationship between usability and willingness to use a robot in the future workplaces: Studying the mediating role of trust and the moderating roles of age and STARA.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Human-robot collaboration is the key component of the fourth industrial revolution concept. Workers' willingness to collaborate with industrial robots is a basic requirement for an efficient and effective interaction. The roles of human-robot trust and technology affinity as mediators in the relationship between robot usability and worker willingness were analyzed in this study. As other critical variables, the mediator roles of Age and STARA were also calculated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 400 workers from a car company who interacted with industrial robots in their daily work activities. After examining the questionnaires' validity and reliability, the main variables were determined to be willingness to use robots and robot usability. AMOS software also considered human-robot trust and worker technology affinity as mediators. The bootstrapping method was used to evaluate indirect relationships. A set of goodness-of-fit indices were presented to determine the adequacy of the goodness of fit between the proposed model and the data. RESULTS: Based on model fit indices, an overall satisfactory model fit was obtained for the direct/indirect relationship between robot usability and worker willingness to use it (with mediating role of human-robot trust). Workers' age and fear of Smart Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Algorithms (STARA) were identified as moderators in the relationship between usability and willingness. CONCLUSION: Attention to the robot usability and the role of workers' trust in robots appears to be required to ensure workers' willingness to use robots and the success of human-robot collaboration in future workplaces. As the workers age and their fear of robots grows, usability can play a larger role in increasing their willingness to put robots to work.

Effect of the level of manual performance disability caused by exposure to vibration among sailors working on sailing speed vessels.

BACKGROUND: hand-arm vibration is one of the typical annoying physical factors. Hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) is a disorder caused by vibrating working tools which vibrate hands beyond the threshold. Long-term HAVS may result in damage to blood vessels, chronic numbness in the fingers, bone injury, and muscular weakness. People are exposed to high-rate noise vibration in a variety of situations, including vessel employment and operating in tiny boats. Moreover, the extant study was conducted to examine manual function disability levels caused by Sailing Speed Vessels (SSV) vibration. METHODS: The extant study was quasi-experimental research in which, 52 male sailors in SSVs were chosen as the experimental group, and 27 office personnel were selected as the control group. The demographic factors questionnaire, DASH questionnaire, grip and pinch strength tests, the neurosensory exam, and the skill-dexterity test were all employed in this study. SPSS23 software was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The findings suggested that the experimental group experienced greater vibration disorder symptoms than the control group. Because the experimental group had a higher score, the individuals experienced poorer circumstances in terms of arm, shoulder, and hand impairment as compared to the control group. The mean grip strength of hands and fingers in two hands of the experimental group was lower than the control group (P < 0.05). There was a statistically significant relationship among grip strengths of both experimental and control groups (P < 0.05). There was a reduction in skill and dexterity of both dominant and non-dominant hands of members in the experimental group. According to the statistical tests, there was no significant association between dominant (P = 0.001) skills and non-dominant (P = 0.010) hands in experimental and control groups. There was not also any significant relationship between skill and dexterity of both hands (P = 0.001) and the dominant hand tweezer test (P = 0.001) in two experimental and control groups. There was a statistically significant association between experimental and control groups in terms of assembly skill and dexterity (P = 0.482). CONCLUSION: Individuals who are at risk of vibration experience less physical and sensory function. DASH score, grip strength, skill, and dexterity could predict the reduction in physical function disability.

A comprehensive method for the quantification of medication error probability based on fuzzy SLIM.

Medication errors can endanger the health and safety of patients and need to be managed appropriately. This study aimed at developing a new and comprehensive method for estimating the probability of medication errors in hospitals. An extensive literature review was conducted to identify factors affecting medication errors. Success Likelihood Index Methodology was employed for calculating the probability of medication errors. For weighting and rating of factors, the Fuzzy multiple attributive group decision making methodology and Fuzzy analytical hierarchical process were used, respectively. A case study in an emergency department was conducted using the framework. A total number of 17 factors affecting medication error were identified. Workload, patient safety climate, and fatigue were the most important ones. The case study showed that subtasks requiring nurses to read the handwritten of other nurses and physicians are more prone to human error. As there is no specific method for assessing the risk of medication errors, the framework developed in this study can be very useful in this regard. The developed technique was very easy to administer.

What do the different ergonomic interventions accomplish in the workplace? A systematic review.

Introduction. Improving well-being and overall system performance are the ultimate goals of ergonomics, which are achieved through ergonomic interventions. This systematic review aimed to answer the question of what different ergonomic interventions accomplish in the workplace. Method. The systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines. Ergonomic interventions in workplaces focusing on any ergonomics health outcomes or productivity were identified in electronic databases up to June 1, 2019. Results. The 1635 articles collected from the literature screening stage were screened for their relevance to this study by the authors independently. The full-text review identified 22 papers qualified for inclusion in this systematic review. Most of the interventions implemented in the analyzed articles were ergonomic training programs, participatory ergonomics and workstation designs. The highlight results showed that interventions such as feedback, participatory ergonomics in short-term follow-ups and job rotation along with ergonomic guidelines did not significantly affect the risk of psychosocial factors. A significant reduction of musculoskeletal disorders in the upper limbs was reported with workplace improvements. Conclusion. There was no specific study method or intervention approach found to influence ergonomic outcomes. A multicomponent intervention program can be used to improve the impact of interventions on employees' health and system productivity.

Fatigue profile among petrochemical firefighters and its relationship with safety behavior: the moderating and mediating roles of perceived safety climate.

The present study aimed to investigate fatigue among firefighters and its relationship with their safety behavior. The moderation and mediation effects of perceived safety climate on this relationship were also investigated. Firefighters from 10 petrochemical companies in Iran were investigated. Moderation analysis was performed based on hierarchical regression analyses and mediation effects were studied using structural equation modeling. A total number of 261 firefighters participated in this study. The mean scores of general fatigue, physical fatigue, reduced activity, reduced motivation and mental fatigue were 10.5, 9.0, 8.2, 7.6 and 8.7, respectively. Fatigue had a negative significant effect on firefighters' safety behavior. Perceived safety climate had a mediation but not moderation effect on the relationship between fatigue and safety behavior of firefighters. Generally, the fatigue level among firefighters was fairly low, but had a significant negative effect on firefighter's safety behavior. Perceived safety climate can mediate such a negative effect.

Effectiveness of an ergonomics training program on musculoskeletal disorders, job stress, quality of work-life and productivity in office workers: a quasi-randomized control trial study.

Objectives. The increasing prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), especially in the neck and upper limbs, among office workers is an important issue related to health and job productivity. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of an ergonomics training intervention on MSDs, quality of work-life and occupational psychosocial stresses among office workers. Methods. This quasi-randomized trial study was conducted in Isfahan, Iran in 2019. Outcome measures were measured in a follow-up period of 1, 3 and 6 months after the intervention. The results were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance. Results. The interventions performed had a significant effect on neck, left shoulder, right wrist and left thigh discomfort. These interventions also had a significant effect on social support and physical job demands. Significant changes were detected in quality of work-life, chance of growth and security, social integration in organization and social relevance of work in life, although these changes decreased in quality of work-life. No significant differences were detected in the other measured outcomes. Conclusion. The implementation of ergonomic interventions was effective in reducing MSDs in the neck and upper limbs. It is recommended to conduct continuous training courses to control the risk of ergonomic factors affecting body discomfort.

Effect of warm/cool white lights on visual perception and mood in warm/cool color environments.

Color and light are two ambient attributes for interior spaces that can be used in the design and modification of workspaces. The visual and psychological effects of color and light of each have been studied separately and widely. The aim of this study was to investigate the simultaneous effects of warm/cool white light on visual perception and mood in a simulated colored workspace. Thirty-three healthy male participants were recruited. They were asked to judge the visual perception and mood of three types of workspace that were designed by colors of white, red, blue, and lights of a cool and warm white in the random six sessions. The participants have experienced higher levels of tension, anger, depression, anxiety and lower levels of visual comfort, attractiveness, brightness and calmness of environment in the red condition than to white in both state of light. The blue wall reduced brightness and increased attractiveness of environment compared to white wall. Cool white light reduced the warmth of color and increased brightness in all three color environments compared to warm light. The preference for cool or warm light depends on the color of the environment's indoor surface. It seems that the combination of the white color and warm light or the blue color with cool light has a more favorable effect on visual perception and people's mood in workplaces.

Ergonomics 4.0: A bibliometric review of Human Factors research in Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0).

BACKGROUND: The scientometric study is a visualization method used to collect big data from databases, to explore the relationships between citing and co-cited documents and then visualize the results. Unlike the new term Ergonomics 4.0, bibliometric analysis has been studied in various related fields of Ergonomics. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to create a bibliometric analysis in related field of Ergonomics and Fourth Industrial Revolution. This analysis can shed light on the new developed research field in both sides of the present study, occupational ergonomics and industry 4.0. METHODS: After selecting related keywords, Advance search was done in Scopus and Web of Science. Bibliometric results were presented by these databases' analyzer and by exported data to VOS viewer software. No time or language restriction was applied. RESULTS: Retrieved Articles were 104 and 285 for Web of Science and Scopus respectively. The frequent co-occurrences for keywords were seen between "industry 4.0" and "Human Factors". The USA and Germany were also the most productive countries in this field. Well-known Ergonomics journals had low participation in the Evolution of Ergonomics and Fourth Industrial Revolution topics. CONCLUSION: Due to more participation of industry 4.0-related researchers in this topic, it is recommended that ergonomists from around the world, and especially Eastern countries, attempt to conduct research in this field. Furthermore, devoting some forth-coming special issues in this field is recommended to top ergonomics journals.

Human cognitive functions and psycho-physiological responses under low thermal conditions in a simulated office environment.

BACKGROUND: In office environments, thermal comfort is one of the most significant factor affecting employees' performance. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the effects of exposure to low air temperatures on human cognitive performance, physiological responses, and thermal perceptions during mental work. METHODS: Twenty-four volunteers with an age range of 18-30 years participated in this study. The subjects were exposed to four different air temperatures (10, 14, 18, and 22°C) in a climate chamber based on a within-subject design. The n-back, CPT, and PVT tests were employed to evaluate some basic aspects of cognitive performance. Body physiological responses and the subjective thermal comfort were also measured. RESULTS: When the thermal condition deviated from relatively neutral temperature, the subjects' cognitive responses significantly disturbed (P < 0.05), such that the response accuracy was more affected by reduction of air temperature. The blood pressures and heart rate, galvanic skin response, and respiration rate increased as the air temperature decreased (P < 0.05), such that the galvanic skin response as a stress indicator was more affected. In the test configurations, as a result of decrease in air temperature of 1°C, the finger and body skin temperatures reduced to 0.74°C and 0.25°C, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The findings confirmed that low thermal condition can considerably affect cognitive performance and physiological responses during some office work tasks. The subjects' thermal comfort votes proposed that air temperature lower than 14 °C can be intolerable for employees during routine mental work. It is suggested that personalized conditioning systems should be used to provide individual thermal comfort in moderate cold air conditions.

Need for recovery scale in the firefighting context: Examination of the Persian culture-adapted version.

BACKGROUND: Work-related fatigue can cause disruption in mental and physical activities of the workers. Considering the importance of recovery from fatigue in emergency services, as seen in firefighting duties, the preparation and validation of the Need For Recovery Scale (NFRS) questionnaire can be useful and effective. OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the reliability and validity of the Persian version of Need For Recovery Scale among industrial firefighters. METHODS: Need for recovery scale contains 11 questions. First, a questionnaire was translated using backward-forward method. Then, for measuring validity of the questionnaire, the opinions of 10 experts in related fields were obtained. Content Validity Index (CVI) and Content Validity Ratio (CVR) were calculated. The reliability was determined through 107 questionnaires completed by the industrial firefighters. RESULTS: The average age of the firefighters in this study was 37.5 years and they had an average of 10 years of work experience. The mean Need For Recovery Index from fatigue was 33.03 for the study population. Of the first 11 questions, 9 questions in the original NFRS showed a satisfactory level of CVR. The Content Validity Index and Cronbach's α were 0.89 and 0.77 respectively. CONCLUSION: Based on the results, the Need For Recovery Scale is a reliable tool for assessing fatigue and revealed an acceptable level of validity and reliability that makes it usable for fatigue assessment in the industrial firefighters.

DSM-5 pathological personality domains as vulnerability factors in predicting COVID-19-related anxiety symptoms.

Since the beginning of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, individuals worldwide have shown different anxiety-related reactions. Several vulnerability factors may play a role in individuals' psychological reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic. Such factors include pathological personality traits which have been shown to contribute to the development of anxiety-related conditions. Consequently, the present study investigated the relationships between DSM-5 pathological personality domains and COVID-19-related anxiety symptoms. Using an online data portal, the relationships between DSM-5 pathological personality domains and COVID-19-related anxiety symptoms among a mixed university student and community sample (N = 612) were studied. The results showed that there was a positive and significant relationship between all DSM-5 pathological personality domains and COVID-19-related anxiety. The results of multiple linear regression analysis showed that DSM-5 pathological personality domains explained 21% of COVID-19-related anxiety variance. Based on standardized coefficients, the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) negative affect domain had the main role in COVID-19-related anxiety. The findings suggest that pathological personality domains can be predictors in the symptoms of anxiety in a viral outbreak. The novel findings add to the literature on individual differences in domains of personality in response to pandemic situations. Implications for future clinical applications and research investigations are discussed.