[A qualitative study to validate the Work and Career (Santé et Itinéraire Professionnel) statistical survey: principles and methods]. / Une post-enquête qualitative dans la validation technique de l'enquête statistique «?Santé, itinéraire professionnel?¼ : principes et méthode.

INTRODUCTION: The population-based survey "Santé et itinéraire professionnel" (SIP) aims to investigate the relationship between health and career. A qualitative study was conducted to identify potential biases in the design of the questionnaire. The Laboratoire d'ergonomie et d'épidémiologie en santé au travail (research center on "Ergonomics and Epidemiology in Occupational Health" based at the University of Angers, France) recently conducted a study entitled "Rapport subjectif au travail, sens des trajets professionnels et construction de la santé" ("The subjective perception of work, career paths and the construction of health"). METHOD: Individual interviews were conducted with thirty survey respondents (irrespective of whether they had reported any health problems or established a link between a health event and their career path) by two experts in the psychodynamics of work. The analysis of the clinical and statistical data involved four stages: a study of an initial test case, a comparison of monographs and reports drawn up by the DREES/DARES, an analysis of questionnaire responses, and an analysis of thirty monographs. MAIN RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: After an examination of the results in relation to sample composition and the method used, the study shows that the relationship between health and career is not overestimated, but also indicates that psychological and musculoskeletal disorders and "minor" work accidents tend to be underreported. The study also found a loss of information about professional mobility as a way of maintaining health. CONCLUSION: Based on a qualitative approach to validation, the proposed method provides a basis for assessing the design of the questionnaire and provides reference points for data interpretation and the direction of future research.

[Psychiatric disorders observed in the Angers university hospital occupational psychopathology department]. / Troubles psychiatriques rencontrés en consultation de psychopathologie du travail au Centre hospitalier universitaire d'Angers.

INTRODUCTION: This epidemiological study was conducted on the medical records of 168 employees consecutively evaluated by the occupational health psychiatrist between 2007 and 2009. METHODS: Psychiatric disorders were listed according to the WHO International Classification of Diseases. RESULTS: The diagnoses observed were anxiety disorder including post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive episode, burn-out and work-related stress. Suicidal thoughts were systematically investigated and more often affected men and were associated with major depressive episodes, burn-out and post-traumatic stress disorder. DISCUSSION: This study opens several fields of reflection. The delayed management of suffering employees could be improved by better awareness and training of healthcare professionals in work-related mental health problems. Employees should be encouraged to more readily consult occupational health services. The creation of specific healthcare networks would avoid inappropriate treatment and delayed management that predispose to chronic disorders. A detailed analysis by policy-makers on working conditions in post-modern societies is essential to prevent progression of mental suffering in the workplace.

[Explarotory study about professional characteristics of suicide attempters]. / Étude exploratoire des caractéristiques professionnelles d'un échantillon de suicidants hospitalisés.

We aimed to describe the professional characteristics of suicide attempters. One investigator asked 87 consecutive patients, aged 18 to 25 years, who had been hospitalized in a university hospital in Angers after having attempted suicide anytime during a 6.5-month period (November 2008-April 2009) to complete a questionnaire about their working conditions. The working conditions of both sexes were approximatively the same. Many patients described situations where work organization was known to produce given mental disorders. Patients hospitalized for suicide attempts are in professions that leaves them more stressed than the general population of workers (Sumer, Samotrace etc.). This evidence could favour a link between attempted suicide and mental factors of strain at work. The results of this study should be interpreted with caution because of the phenomena of circuitous data and small sample size.