The Role of Workplace Bullying in Low Back Pain: A Study With Civil Servants From a Middle-Income Country.

This is a cross-sectional study that analysed the association between workplace bullying and LBP. The participants were 894 judicial civil servants from Porto Alegre, southern Brazil. Workplace Bullying was measured by the Negative Acts Questionnaire (NAQ-r) and Low Back Pain by the Nordic Questionnaire for Musculoskeletal Symptoms (NQMS). Logistic Regression was used to analyse data and test hypotheses. The prevalence of LBP in the last 7 days was 50.1%, while the overall prevalence of Chronic LBP was 19.3%. Some psychosocial factors at work were strongly associated with both outcomes. Workplace bullying was strongly associated with LBP, even after adjustment for several covariates. The odds of LBP in the last 7 days among bullied workers was 1.89 (95% CI: 1.31-2.71) times higher, compared to non-bullied. Workplace bullying was also associated with chronic LBP after adjustment for sociodemographic, behavioural and some occupational factors (OR = 1.60; 95% CI: 1.05-2.44). Psychosocial factors at work, and particularly workplace bullying, were strong risk factors for LBP, in contrast to most individual factors, and dose-response patterns were showed. Positive associations between bullying and LBP raise hypotheses on causation, and the role of psychosocial factors at work are discussed. Further longitudinal studies should address these hypotheses, investigating causal paths, mechanisms and possible mediation. PERSPECTIVES: As a psychosocial risk, workplace bullying may play a role in low back pain and can be focus of interventions to prevent LBP. Dose-response patterns on the association between workplace bullying and low back pain are discussed and hypotheses are raised. The paper addresses different ways of measuring and categorising bullying at work, in order to study the relationship between bullying and pain.

Association between workplace bullying and common mental disorders in civil servants from a middle-income country.

Workplace bullying (WB) is associated with Common mental disorders (CMD) in high-income countries, but there is a lack of evidence relating to this subject in low- and middle-income countries. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between bullying and CMD in Brazil. A cross-sectional study with 907 judicial civil servants from Porto Alegre, southern Brazil, was carried out. WB was measured by the Negative Acts Questionnaire (NAQ-r) and CMD by the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20). Logistic regression was used to analyse data and test hypotheses. The overall prevalence of CMD was 32.8%, while the overall prevalence of bullying was 18.3%. WB was strongly associated with CMD, even after controlling for confounders. After adjustment for sociodemographic, personality and occupational confounders, weekly and daily exposures to negative acts increased 4.32 (95% CI: 2.00-9.33) and 6.80 (95% CI: 3.42-13.51) times the risk of CMD, respectively. Considering the operational definition, bullied workers had a 3.45 (95% CI: 2.26-5.25) higher risk of CMD. The results are consistent with studies from high-income countries. Different ways of categorising exposure to WB and testing association with CMD are suggested. Interventions to prevent bullying, focusing on work processes and psychosocial factors at work, could reduce the risk of mental health problems.

Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the New Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (New BJSQ) among workers in China.

This study aimed to develop the Chinese version of the New Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (New BJSQ) and investigate its reliability and validity. The survey was administered at two time-points separated by a two-week interval among Chinese workers. The Chinese version of the New BJSQ was developed according to the international guidelines. Cronbach's alpha, intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs), and Pearson correlation coefficient were calculated to assess the reliability. A variance explained by the first factor was calculated to examine factor-based validity, and confirmatory factor analysis was performed (CFA) to determine the construct validity. Baseline and follow-up analyses included 516 and 52 workers, respectively. In most scales, sufficient internal consistency and test-retest reliability were observed, and principal component analyses demonstrated that the first factor explained more than 50% proportion of the variance. CFA showed that the four-factor model (Job demands, Task-level job resources, Workgroup-level job resources, and Organizational-level job resources) demonstrated a moderate fit, similar to the original version. The Chinese version of New BJSQ showed good reliability and moderate validity. Future studies should explore content and construct validities and the factor structure of the Chinese version of the New BJSQ in more detail.

More Than Just "Stressful"? Testing the Mediating Role of Fatigue on the Relationship Between Job Stress and Occupational Crashes of Long-Haul Truck Drivers.

INTRODUCTION: Recent evidence consistently highlights the adverse work environment of long-haul professional drivers, whose task structure typically involves the performance of extensive shifts, driving under stressful working conditions. In this regard, job stress and fatigue - that are highly prevalent in this workforce - seem to play a crucial role in explaining this group's negative traffic safety outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess whether work-related fatigue is a mechanism that mediates the relationship between job stress, health indicators and occupational traffic crashes of long-haul truck drivers (LHTD). METHODS: The data used in this study were collected from 521 Spanish long-haul truck drivers (97% males) from all 17 regions of Spain, with a mean age of 47 years. RESULTS: Utilizing structural equation models (SEM), it was found that work-traffic crashes of long-haul truck drivers could be explained through work-related fatigue that exerts a full mediation between job stress (job strain), health-related factors and traffic crashes suffered during the previous two years. DISCUSSION: Overall, the findings of this research support that a) stressful working conditions and health issues of drivers have significant effects on traffic crashes, and b) fatigue is a mechanism relating stress-related factors and work-traffic crashes of long-haul drivers. This study highlights the need of stress- and fatigue-management policies and interventions, in order to reduce the crash risk of long-haul truck drivers.

Association between psychosocial factors at work and health outcomes after retirement: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: The world's population is rapidly ageing, and health among older people is thus an important issue. Several previous studies have reported an association between adverse psychosocial factors at work before retirement and postretirement health. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to examine the association between psychosocial factors at work and health outcomes after retirement, based on a synthesis of well-designed prospective studies. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The participants, exposures, comparisons and outcomes of the studies in this systematic review and meta-analysis are defined as follows: (P) people who have retired from their job, (E) presence of adverse psychosocial factors at work before retirement, (C) absence of adverse psychosocial factors at work before retirement and (O) any physical and mental health outcomes after retirement. Published studies were searched using the following electronic databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES and Japan Medical Abstracts Society. The included studies will be statistically synthesised in a meta-analysis to estimate pooled coefficients and 95% CIs. The quality of each included study will be assessed using the Risk Of Bias In Non-randomised Studies-of Interventions. For the assessment of meta-bias, publication bias will be assessed by using Egger's test, as well as visually on a funnel plot. Heterogeneity will be assessed using the χ² test with Cochran's Q statistic and I2. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Results and findings will be submitted and published in a scientific peer-reviewed journal and will be disseminated broadly to researchers and policy-makers interested in the translatability of scientific evidence into good practices. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42018099043.

Working Conditions, Job Strain, and Traffic Safety among Three Groups of Public Transport Drivers.

BACKGROUND: Working conditions and psychosocial work factors have acquired an important role explaining the well-being and performance of professional drivers, including those working in the field of public transport. This study aimed to examine the association between job strain and the operational performance of public transport drivers and to compare the expositions with psychosocial risk at work of three different types of transport workers: taxi drivers, city bus drivers, and interurban bus drivers. METHOD: A sample of 780 professional drivers was drawn from three transport companies in Bogota (Colombia). The participants answered the Job Content Questionnaire and a set of sociodemographic and driving performance questions, including age, professional driving experience, work schedules, and accidents and penalties suffered in the last 2 years. RESULTS: Analyses showed significant associations between measures of socio-labor variables and key performance indicators such road traffic accidents and penalties. Furthermore, multiple linear regression analysis contributed to explain significantly suffered accidents from key variables of the Job Demand-Control model, essentially from job strain. In addition, throughout post-hoc analyses, significant differences were found in terms of perceived social support, job strain, and job insecurity. CONCLUSION: Work stress is an issue that compromises the safety of professional drivers. This research provides evidence supporting a significant effect of job strain on the professional driver's performance. Moreover, the statistically significant differences between taxi drivers, city bus drivers, and interurban bus drivers in their expositions to work-related stress suggest the need for tailored occupational safety interventions on each occupational group.

Psychosocial factors at work and inflammatory markers: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic inflammation may be a mediator for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD), metabolic diseases and psychotic and neurodegenerative disorders. Meta-analytic associations between work-related psychosocial factors and inflammatory markers have shown that work-related psychosocial factors could affect the flexibility and balance of the immune system. However, few systematic reviews or meta-analyses have investigated the association between work-related psychosocial factors and inflammatory markers. Based on prospective studies, the present investigation will conduct a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between work-related psychosocial factors and inflammatory markers. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The systematic review and meta-analysis will include published studies identified from electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Web of Science and Japan Medical Abstracts Society) according to recommendations of the Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guideline. Inclusion criteria are studies that: examined associations between work-related psychosocial factors and increased inflammatory markers; used longitudinal or prospective cohort designs; were conducted among workers; provided sufficient data for calculating ORs or relative risk with 95% CIs; were published as original articles in English or Japanese; and were published up to the end of 2017. Study selection, data extraction, quality assessment and statistical syntheses will be conducted by 14 investigators. Any inconsistencies or disagreements will be resolved through discussion. The quality of studies will be evaluated using the Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for Non-randomized Studies. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The investigation study will be based on published studies, so ethics approval is not required. The results of this study will be submitted for publication in a scientific peer-reviewed journal. The findings may be useful for assessing risk factors for increased inflammatory markers in the workplace and determining future approaches for preventing CVD, metabolic diseases and psychotic and neurodegenerative disorders. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42018081553.

Working Conditions, Job Strain, and Traffic Safety among Three Groups of Public Transport Drivers

BACKGROUND: Working conditions and psychosocial work factors have acquired an important role explaining the well-being and performance of professional drivers, including those working in the field of public transport. This study aimed to examine the association between job strain and the operational performance of public transport drivers and to compare the expositions with psychosocial risk at work of three different types of transport workers: taxi drivers, city bus drivers, and interurban bus drivers. METHOD: A sample of 780 professional drivers was drawn from three transport companies in Bogota (Colombia). The participants answered the Job Content Questionnaire and a set of sociodemographic and driving performance questions, including age, professional driving experience, work schedules, and accidents and penalties suffered in the last 2 years. RESULTS: Analyses showed significant associations between measures of socio-labor variables and key performance indicators such road traffic accidents and penalties. Furthermore, multiple linear regression analysis contributed to explain significantly suffered accidents from key variables of the Job Demand-Control model, essentially from job strain. In addition, throughout post-hoc analyses, significant differences were found in terms of perceived social support, job strain, and job insecurity. CONCLUSION: Work stress is an issue that compromises the safety of professional drivers. This research provides evidence supporting a significant effect of job strain on the professional driver's performance. Moreover, the statistically significant differences between taxi drivers, city bus drivers, and interurban bus drivers in their expositions to work-related stress suggest the need for tailored occupational safety interventions on each occupational group.

Age-related effects of job characteristics on burnout and work engagement.

BACKGROUND: In light of an ageing and age-diverse workforce, it is imperative to understand how psychosocial aspects of work might influence health throughout working life. Recently, there has been an implicit call to differentiate job characteristics beyond the two factors of job demands and job resources. As needs, abilities and motivation fluctuate with age, different job characteristics might yield differential benefits. Additionally, markers beyond chronological age should be considered. AIMS: To explore systematically interactions between different job characteristics, age and age covariates (i.e. job tenure and position type) and their relationship with work-related health outcomes. METHODS: An online survey of workers in Switzerland, Austria and Germany, recruited through a panel data service provider. We excluded participants working fewer than 30 hours a week, trainees, self-employed people and senior managers. We assessed seven areas of psychosocial risks at work, burnout, work engagement and demographics. RESULTS: Of the 6000 workers contacted, 1916 responded (31%). After applying exclusion criteria, we analysed data from 1417 respondents. We found that age barely had a moderating effect between psychosocial factors and health outcomes, but its three-way interaction with age covariates had more explanatory potential. Young workers with high job tenure showed particular vulnerability to job demands and the lack of certain job resources. Older workers with managerial positions were more resilient. CONCLUSIONS: Age and its covariates, such as job tenure and position type, should be considered in developing age-sensitive occupational health models.

Occupational accidents in the Netherlands: incidence, mental harm, and their relationship with psychosocial factors at work.

This study investigated the incidence of mental harm due to occupational accidents and the relation between psychosocial factors at work and the occurrence of occupational accidents in the Netherlands for the construction industry and health and welfare sector. Analyses revealed that occupational accidents in the construction industry more often involved physical harm, whereas accidents in the health and welfare sector relatively more often resulted in mental harm, in comparison to other sectors. Results showed that psychosocial factors were associated with occupational accidents in both sectors. For the construction industry, high time pressure and exposure to violence and harassment by colleagues or supervisors were associated with occupational accidents. For the health and welfare sector, low autonomy and exposure to violence and harassment by colleagues or supervisors or by people outside the organization were associated with occupational accidents. The present paper stresses the importance of also taking psychological consequences and psychosocial factors at work into account in assessing the occurrence of occupational accidents.

Estresse ocupacional e saúde mental dos profissonais do centro de especialidaddes médicas de Aracaju / Occupational streess and the mental health of the professionls of the mediccal specialties center of Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil / Estrés laboral salud mental de los profesionaes del centro de especialidadess médicas de Aracaju, Sergipe, Brasil

As características ambientais e o modo de organização do trabalho em centros especializados em saúde podem produzir situações de estresse e efeitos negativos sobre a saúde dos trabalhadores. O objetivo do estudo foi avaliar a saúde mental dos profissionais de saúde da rede especializada de Aracaju (Sergipe) e as situações de estresse ocupacional com base no modelo esforço-recompensa. Estudo transversal realizado em 2011 com 94 profissionais de saúde em atividade em dois centros de atendimento especializado. Foi utilizado questionário contendo variáveis sociodemográficas e econômicas, situação e ambiente de trabalho, avaliação de estresse ocupacional (usando o Effort-Reward Imbalance) e o Self Reporting Questionaire para mensuração dos transtornos mentais comuns. A prevalência de transtornos mentais comuns foi elevada (50,6%), sendo mais frequente em fonoaudiólogos, psicólogos, terapeutas ocupacionais e fisioterapeutas e entre aqueles que relataram estar insatisfeitos com a sua condição salarial e de trabalho. Todos os profissionais que referiram desequilíbrio entre esforços e recompensas no trabalho apresentaram transtornos mentais comuns. Em conclusão, foram identificadas características do trabalho desfavoráveis aos profissionais e ao desempenho das suas funções, além de elevadas prevalências de transtornos mentais comuns. Programas voltados à proteção, valorização e promoção à saúde dos trabalhadores devem ser implantados a fim de elevar a qualidade de vida no trabalho.

The environmental characteristics and the way work is organized in specialized health centers can lead to stressful situations and have negative effects on the workers' health. The aim of the study was to evaluate the mental health of health professionals working at the specialized network of Aracaju, state of Sergipe, Brazil, and situations of occupational stress based on the effort-reward model. It is a cross-sectional study conducted in 2011 among 94 health professionals working at two specialized care centers. A questionnaire containing demographic and economic variables, the situation and working environment, occupational stress assessments (using Effort-Reward Imbalance) and a Self-Reporting Questionnaire were used to measure common mental disorders. There was a high prevalence of common mental disorders (50.6%), which were more frequent among speech therapists, psychologists, occupational therapists and physical therapists, and among those who reported being dissatisfied with their pay and work conditions. All professionals who mentioned imbalance between their efforts and their rewards at work presented common mental disorders. In sum, working characteristics unfavorable to the professionals and to the performance of their duties were identified, as was a high prevalence of common mental disorders. Programs aimed at the protection, enhancement and promotion of the workers' health must be implemented in order to improve their quality of life at work.

Las características ambientales y el modo de organización del trabajo en centros especializados en salud pueden generar situaciones de estrés y efectos negativos en la salud de los trabajadores. El objetivo del estudio fue evaluar la salud mental de los profesionales de la salud de la red especializada de Aracaju, Estado de Sergipe, Brasil, y las situaciones de estrés laboral, en base al modelo esfuerzo-recompensa. En 2011 se realizó un estudio transversal con 94 profesionales de la salud en actividad, en dos centros de atención especializada. Se utilizó un cuestionario conteniendo variables sociodemográficas, evaluación de estrés laboral (usando el Effort-Reward Imbalance) y el Self Reporting Questionaire, para medir los trastornos mentales comunes. La prevalencia de los trastornos mentales comunes fue elevada (50,6%), y se mostró más frecuente en fonoaudiólogos, psicólogos, terapeutas ocupacionales y fisioterapeutas, y entre aquellos que relataron estar insatisfechos con su condición salarial y laboral. Todos los profesionales que hicieron referencia a desequilibrio entre esfuerzos y recompensas en el trabajo presentaron trastornos mentales comunes. En conclusión, se identificaron características del trabajo desfavorables a los profesionales y al desempeño de sus funciones, además de elevada prevalencia de trastornos mentales comunes. Deben implementarse programas orientados a la protección, valorización y promoción de la salud de los trabajadores, con el fin de elevar la calidad de vida en el trabajo.

Health-related quality of life and working conditions among nursing providers / Qualidade de vida associada a saúde e condições de trabalho entre profissionais de enfermagem / Calidad de vida asociada a la salud y condiciones de trabajo entre profesionales de enfermería

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate working conditions associated with health-related quality of life (HRQL) among nursing providers. METHODS: Cross-sectional study conducted in a university hospital in the city of São Paulo, Southeastern Brazil, during 2004-2005. The study sample comprised 696 registered nurses, nurse technicians and nurse assistants, predominantly females (87.8 percent), who worked day and/or night shifts. Data on sociodemographic information, working and living conditions, lifestyles, and health symptoms were collected using self-administered questionnaires. The following questionnaires were also used: Job Stress Scale, Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) and Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Ordinal logistic regression analysis using proportional odds model was performed to evaluate each dimension of the SF-36...

OBJETIVO: Avaliar condições de trabalho associadas à qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde entre profissionais de enfermagem. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal realizado em um hospital universitário de São Paulo, SP, em 2004-2005. A população estudada foi de 696 enfermeiros, técnicos e auxiliares de enfermagem, predominantemente feminina (87,8 por cento) e que trabalhava em turnos diurnos e/ou noturnos. Os dados sociodemográficos, de condições de trabalho e de vida, hábitos de vida e sintomas de saúde auto-referidos foram obtidos por meio de questionários auto-aplicados: Resultados de Estudos de Saúde - versão reduzida, Escala de Estresse no Trabalho e Desequilíbrio Esforço-Recompensa. Valores do coeficiente 1,01 significam mais esforços do que recompensas no trabalho. Modelos de regressão logística ordinal de chances proporcionais foram ajustados para cada dimensão do SF-36...

OBJETIVO: Evaluar condiciones de trabajo asociadas a la calidad de vida relacionada con la salud entre profesionales de enfermería. MÉTODOS: Estudio transversal realizado en un hospital universitario de Sao Paulo, Sureste de Brasil, en 2004-2005. La población estudiada fue de 696 enfermeros, técnicos y auxiliares de enfermería, predominantemente femenina (87,8 por ciento) y que trabajaba en turnos diurnos y/o nocturnos. Los datos sociodemográficos, de condiciones de trabajo y de vida, hábitos de vida y síntomas de salud auto-referidos fueron obtenidos por medio de cuestionarios auto-aplicados: Resultados de Estudios de Salud-versión reducida, Escala de Estrés en el Trabajo y Desequilibrio Esfuerzo-Recompensa. Valores del coeficiente ³ 1,01 significan más esfuerzos que recompensas en el trabajo. Modelos de regresión logística ordinal de oportunidades proporcionales fueron ajustados para cada dimensión del SF-36...