Occupational stress and musculoskeletal disorders in firefighters: the mediating effect of depression and job burnout.

The firefighting profession carries a heightened risk of musculoskeletal disorders. A firefighter's job is physically demanding and includes activities such as running, climbing, dragging, and lifting. Often, these tasks are unpredictable, performed in harsh environments, and have been found to cause psychological stress. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of occupational stress on work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSD) in firefighters. In addition, the mediating effects of depression and job burnout on proposed relationships were examined. Data informing this study were collected using a survey questionnaire. The survey questionnaire included the Beck Depression Inventory, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Inventory (PCL), and the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. Collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling approach in AMOS. The results of the 2339 responding firefighters suggest that work related stress is positively related to WRMSDs in firefighters and can lead to musculoskeletal symptoms through four paths, being emotional exhaustion, personal accomplishment, CES-D total score, and depersonalization. Through depersonalization, job stress had the most significant impact on musculoskeletal symptoms (coefficient = 0.053). Furthermore, the results showed that post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) can affect musculoskeletal symptoms through ten paths, again through depersonalization, PTSD had the most significant impact on musculoskeletal symptoms (coefficient = 0.141). The results of this study suggest that organizations should design interventions and policies to prevent and manage occupational stress, depression, and job burnout to negate its undesired consequences on firefighters' health (i.e. WRMSD).

Relationships between job stress, post-traumatic stress and musculoskeletal symptoms in firefighters and the role of job burnout and depression mediators: a bayesian network model.

INTRODUCTION: Job stress, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and negative psychological outcomes in firefighters can be caused, or aggravated, by their work. These mental disorders can impart musculoskeletal symptoms. This study aimed to investigate relationships between musculoskeletal and psychological disorders in a population of firefighters using a Bayesian network model. METHODS: This cross-sectional study, conducted in 2022, included 2339 firefighters who completed questionnaires during their rest periods. The questionnaires comprised of demographical information, the Occupational Stress Questionnaire-HSE, the PTSD Checklist, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Center for Epidemiologic Studies - Depression scale (CES-D), and Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. GeNIe academic software was used to analyze the Bayesian network. RESULTS: High job stress and high PTSD each increased the probability of musculoskeletal symptoms by 34%. When combined, high job stress and high PTSD increased the probability of musculoskeletal symptoms by 37%. Among the mediator's burnout and depression, depression had the highest association with musculoskeletal symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Job stress and PTSD can increase musculoskeletal symptoms and are influenced by psychological mediators (like burnout and depression). Adopting preventive and therapeutic measures to mitigate job stress and PTSD, mitigate and rehabilitate WMSD, and manage associated mediators are critical for the mental and physical health of firefighters.

Measurement of work-related psychological injury with depressive symptoms.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to measure the level of psychological injury caused by work-related stress as well as the severity of depression among workers. METHOD: First, we conducted an online survey and recruited 500 workers diagnosed with depression or adjustment disorder to investigate what type of stress they experienced within six months before onset. Second, we conducted another online survey and recruited 767 participants who experienced some form of work-related stress. All the participants were classified into four groups by whether or not they were diagnosed with depression and whether or not they quit their jobs due to work-related stress. We used the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) to measure psychological injury caused by work-related stressful events and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 to assess the severity of depression. RESULTS: In study 1, 62.4% of workers diagnosed with depression or adjustment disorder experienced work-related stress within six months before onset. In study 2, the IES-R mean scores were 40.7 (SD = 23.1) for Group A (workers with depression and quit their jobs) and 36.67 (SD = 23.4) for Group B (workers with depression but stayed at their jobs), with both exceeding the cut-off point (24/25) of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), while the mean score of Group C (workers who did not have depression but quit their jobs because of work-related stress) was 20.74 (SD = 21.2), and it was 13.89 (SD = 17.4) for Group D (workers who had work-related stress but stayed at their jobs), with both of them below the cut-off point of PTSD. The total scores of IES-R of Group A and Group B were significantly higher than those of Group C and Group D(p < 0.001). There was a significant positive correlation between the scores of IES-R and PHQ-9 for all four groups (r = 0.708). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that it is necessary to measure not only depressive symptoms but also the level of psychological injury resulting from stressful events in the workplace to assess workers with depression.

The mediating role of psychological capital in the relationship between job stress and professional identity in Chinese medical interns.

BACKGROUND: Adaption to clinical work during the internship can induce several stressors among medical students, especially in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Particularly, job stress could be linked to the development of psychological traits and the formation of the professional identity of medical interns. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the relationship between job stress, psychological capital, and professional identity through a mediation analysis of Chinese medical interns. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 30 hospitals and clinics in China from June 2021 to March 2022. A total of 665 medical interns filled out questionnaires related to demographic questions, psychological capital, job stress, and professional identity. Data analysis was executed using the IBM SPSS version 22.0 software and its add-in PROCESS Windows version 4.0. RESULTS: The findings indicated a statistically significant mediating effect of psychological capital between job stress and professional identity. Job stress and job stress combined with psychological capital accounted for 5.3% and 37.9%, respectively, of the variance in professional identity. The bootstrapping method corroborated the significance of the indirect effect of job stress through psychological capital (95% bootstrap CI = -4.7921, -2.4345). CONCLUSION: The current findings underscore the need for increased attention on improving the psychological capital of medical interns.

Social inequalities, stressful work and non-fatal cardiovascular disease: follow-up findings from the CONSTANCES Study.

BACKGROUND: Studies show that a disadvantaged socioeconomic position (SEP) and psychosocial stress at work are both independently associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). But it is not clear if the effect of stress at work on CVD varies by SEP. METHODS: We used baseline and follow-up data from the French population-based cohort study CONSTANCES, including 48 383 employed women and men aged 30-70 years. Three SEP indicators (education, income, occupation), stressful psychosocial work as measured by effort-reward imbalance, pre-existing CVD and confounders were assessed at baseline, and incident non-fatal CVD events reported during annual follow-up (up to five follow-ups) were used as outcomes. The effect modification hypothesis was both investigated on an additive and multiplicative scale. RESULTS: SEP was inversely associated with CVD risk (eg, for low vs high income, OR 1.28 (95% CI 1.12 to 1.46)), and for all three components of stressful work CVD risks were significantly increased (eg, for effort-reward ratio OR 1.26 (95% CI 1.17 to 1.36)). Employees with a disadvantaged SEP showed moderately increased effect sizes of stressful work on CVD. However, no clear evidence of an effect modification was found. CONCLUSIONS: Disadvantaged SEP and stressful work contribute to higher CVD risk in this cohort. Despite moderately increased effect sizes for disadvantaged SEP groups, no evidence was found to support an effect modification hypothesis.

A cohort study on the association between changing occupational stress, hair cortisol concentration, and hypertension.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between changing occupational stress levels, hair cortisol concentration (HCC), and hypertension. METHODS: Baseline blood pressure of 2520 workers was measured in 2015. The Occupational Stress Inventory-Revised Edition (OSI-R) was used to assess changes in occupational stress. Occupational stress and blood pressure were followed up annually from January 2016 to December 2017. The final cohort numbered 1784 workers. The mean age of the cohort was 37.77±7.53 years and the percentage male was 46.52%. At baseline, 423 eligible subjects were randomly selected for hair sample collection to determine cortisol levels. RESULTS: Increased occupational stress was a risk factor for hypertension [risk ratio (RR) = 4.200, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.734-10.172]. The HCC of workers with elevated occupational stress was higher than that of workers with constant occupational stress [(ORQ score ≥70: geometric mean±geometric standard deviation = 5.25±3.59 ng/g hair; 60-90: 5.02±4.00; 40-59: 3.45±3.41; <40: 2.73±3.40) x2 = 5.261]. High HCC increased the risk of hypertension (RR = 5.270, 95% CI: 2.375-11.692) and high HCC was associated with higher rates of elevated diastolic and systolic blood pressure. The mediating effect of HCC was 0.51[(95% CI: 0.23-0.79, odds ratio(OR) = 1.67] and accounted for 36.83% of the total effect. CONCLUSIONS: Increased occupational stress could lead to an increase in hypertension incidence. High HCC could increase the risk of hypertension. HCC acts as a mediator between occupational stress and hypertension.

Examining Race-Based Discrimination, Depression, and Occupational Stress in Black Registered Nurses.

Nursing is a highly stressful and demanding profession that can negatively affect mental health, as shown by nurses' high rate of depression. Furthermore, Black nurses may experience additional stress due to race-based discrimination in the work environment. This research aimed to examine depression, experiences of race-based discrimination at work, and occupational stress among Black nurses. To better understand associations between these factors, we conducted multiple linear regression analyses to assess whether (1) past-year or lifetime experiences of race-based discrimination at work and occupational stress predicted depressive symptoms; and (2) controlling for depressive symptoms, past-year and lifetime experiences of race-based discrimination at work predicted occupational stress in a cohort of Black registered nurses. All analyses controlled for years of nursing experience, primary nursing practice position, work setting, and work shift. The results indicated that both past-year and lifetime experiences of race-based discrimination on the job were significant predictors of occupational stress. However, experiences of race-based discrimination at work and occupational stress were not significant predictors of depression. The results of the research highlighted the predictive effect of race-based discrimination on occupational stress in Black registered nurses. This evidence can inform the development of organizational and leadership strategies to improve the well-being of Black nurses in the workplace.

Four serially mediating mechanisms in the relationship between COVID-19 fear and employee performance.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, most workers were forced to work remotely, although having no prior experience, and as a result, they were exposed to new job-related stressors. OBJECTIVES: To examine the mediating role of job stress, work-family conflict and job satisfaction between fear of COVID-19 and job performance. METHODS: An online questionnaire was conducted a survey of remote workers in Turkey. Responses were obtained from 351 subjects. Related scales were used to measure work-life balance, job stress, job satisfaction, and employee performance as well as fear of COVID-19. Because all hypothesis constructs can be analyzed simultaneously, structural equation modeling was used for data analysis. RESULTS: The results showed that fear of COVID-19 affects job stress (p = .001; ß= .264). There was a significant relationship between job stress and job satisfaction (p = .001; ß= .619). Also, work-family conflict was affected employee job stress (p = .001; ß= .516). Job stress had a mediator role fear of COVID-19 on job satisfaction and work-family conflict on job satisfaction. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study provide a useful measurement model that can be used to evaluate and improve job performance and job satisfaction through work stress and work-family conflict in times of crisis such as COVID-19.

Surviving Burnout as an Oncologist.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The aim of this review is defining burnout in medical oncologists, analyzing the causes, and evaluating both individual and institutional approaches to overcome burnout. RECENT FINDINGS: Burnout is defined as a reaction to long-term work-related stress, which is a serious condition and has negative consequences at both personal and professional levels. In recent years, there has been a greater emphasis on burnout in medicine in general and specifically in oncology given the complexity of care provided to oncology patients. More research is being done in this field and more coping strategies are evolving to help oncologists reduce the amount of stress and burnout they are experiencing. Oncologists need to recognize and acknowledge burnout and use different strategies to find joy in their work while maintaining their work-life balance. Strategies like individual-directed interventions and organizational-directed interventions, such as providing support and resources to oncologists to relieve their work-related stress may have a positive impact on oncologists' well-being, their patients' care, and satisfaction.

Gender and Workplace Stress Affect the Association Between Concussion History and Depression Symptoms in Professional Jockeys.

OBJECTIVE: Professional jockeys experience high rates of concussion, workplace stress, and poor mental health. The present cross-sectional study, for the first time, concurrently assessed the potential interplay between concussion history and workplace stress with current depression symptoms. METHOD: Seventy-two professional flat-track jockeys (male = 49, female = 23) were grouped based on self-reported concussion history (CG; n = 56) and those who did not report a concussion history (NCG; total n = 16). Analyses featured both between (CG vs NCG) and within group (CG only) assessment on self-reported measures of workplace stress and depression symptoms (affect, daily functioning). RESULTS: Jockeys in the CG had more symptoms of negative affect than the NCG. This association, however, was nonsignificant after covarying for age, gender, and workplace stress. Higher workplace stress (p = .005) and gender (p = .001) were associated with poorer daily functioning after controlling for concussion history (CG vs. NCG) and age. Gender moderated the association between concussion group and poorer daily functioning (ß = -18.739, t (71) = -2.924, p = .005), with the difference between CG and NCG significant for females, but not males (ß = 33.648, t (71) = 3.420, p = .001). CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide preliminary evidence that previously concussed females may be more likely to report poorer daily functioning than males with a history of concussion, and that workplace stress may reduce the association between a history of concussion and depression symptoms. Prospective studies are required to validate and extend these findings.

Escape or activate? Pathways of work stress on substance use.

BACKGROUND: Research on the spillover effects of work stress on substance use have mainly focused on the concept of escapist substance. OBJECTIVE: Building on the concept of self-endangering work behavior, we expand this stress-theoretic view with a presenteeism path of work-induced substance use. Contrary to emotion-based disengaging coping strategies associated with escapist use, we argue that high job demands may also promote problem-focused engagement coping, where substances are used for activation. METHODS: A structural equation model was used to analyze both assumed pathways of stress-induced substance use with survey data from a random sample of n = 411 employees. RESULTS: We confirmed that high job demands are directly related to escapist substance use, but indirectly related to activating substance use, mediated by presenteeism behavior. Both types of substance use are reduced in organizations with high psychosocial safety climate, but increase with higher competitive climate. Social support is related to reduced activating substance use. Males show a stronger tendency for the escapist path, whereas the presenteeism path is more prevalent in women. CONCLUSION: Work stress may not only induce substance use as a disengaging emotional coping strategy, but also as an active problem-focused coping strategy, where employees engage in substance use to continue their efforts necessary for work-related goal attainment. A psychosocial safety climate may provide opportunities for intervening on the "cause of causes" of substance use. Moreover, due to the higher prevalence for activating substance use in female workers, previous research may have underestimated women's risks for work-induced substance use.

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ-22).

BACKGROUND: Although the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ-22) has been translated into numerous languages and applied in various countries, its cultural applicability in China remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To adjust the JCQ-22 for cross-cultural use and optimize the scoring method for suitability for Chinese working populations. METHODS: We first used the original JCQ-22 questionnaire to measure occupational stress. Cross-cultural adjustment involved reorganization of scale items (adjusted-I scale) and deletion of inefficient redundant items during reorganization of scale items (adjusted-II scale). Structural validity and the relationship between stress and health outcomes (insomnia and self-conscious symptoms) before and after adjustment were compared. RESULTS: Exploratory factor analysis revealed that the two-factor cumulative variance contribution rate of job demand and control of the adjusted-II scale was 52.47%, compared with 48.44% and 48.44% in the original version and adjusted-I scale, respectively. Among the 16 fitness indicators in confirmatory factor analysis, 9 items of the adjusted-II scale met the standard, compared with 4 items of the original and adjusted-I scales. The Pearson's correlation coefficients between occupational stress and insomnia as well as self-conscious symptoms from the adjusted-II scale were 0.15 and 0.32, respectively, which were higher than those of the original scale (0.10 and 0.20). Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that the adjusted-II scale exhibited a better area under the curve and Youden index values than the original scale. CONCLUSION: The adjusted-II scale exhibited superior structural validity with more reasonable health outcome predictions and fewer items, making it more suitable for measuring occupational stress in Chinese populations.

The Interaction between Occupational Stress and Smoking, Alcohol Drinking and BMI on Hypertension in Chinese Petrochemical Workers.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is one of the most vital risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, so we wanted to explore the impact of the interaction between occupational stress and smoking, alcohol drinking and BMI on hypertension in Chinese petrochemical workers. METHODS: A total of 1488 employees participated. Questionnaires included the value of blood pressure, occupational stress (assessed by the effort-reward imbalance scale), demographic factors and work conditions. Multivariable logistic regression was used to explore related factors, and the interactions between occupational stress and smoking, alcohol drinking and BMI on hypertension were analyzed using an additive model. RESULTS: The prevalence of hypertension was 34.3%. Age ≥ 56 (OR = 3.19, 95%CI: 1.841-5.526), male (OR = 1.436, 95%CI: 1.056-1.954), BMI ≥ 25 (OR = 1.86, 95%CI: 1.468-2.346), smoking (OR = 1.52, 95%CI: 1.191-1.951) and alcohol drinking (OR = 1.53, 95%CI: 1.180-1.972), ERI > 1 (OR = 1.50, 95%CI: 1.133-1.960) are risk factors for hypertension, and a higher education level (OR = 0.57, 95%CI: 0.438-0.754) is a protective factor against hypertension. Positive interactions existed between occupational stress and smoking (RERI = 2.134, AP = 0.328, S = 1.635), alcohol drinking (RERI = 2.332, AP = 0.361, S = 1.746) and BMI (RERI = 1.841, AP = 0.340, S = 1.717) on hypertension in petrochemical workers. CONCLUSIONS: Age, gender, educational level, BMI, smoking, alcohol drinking and occupational stress are closely related to the risk of hypertension. There are also positive interactions between occupational stress and alcohol drinking, smoking and BMI, which have a certain impact on hypertension.

[The new Maugeri diagnostic protocol for work-related stress and mobbing (MASD-2)]. / Il nuovo protocollo diagnostico Maugeri per stress lavoro-correlato e mobbing (MaSD-2).

SUMMARY: Occupational stress can exceed the workers' individual capacity to adapt, and cause psychopathological conditions, including adjustment disorder (AD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), for which medico-legal reporting is mandatory by law. Since the early 2000s, an interdisciplinary diagnostic protocol has been in use at our Institute to address patients towards an appropriate therapeutic path, in order to promote their psychological well-being and work reintegration. In 2017, the protocol was updated and expanded. The current version (MaSD-2) includes: occupational medicine examination, psychological counselling, psychiatric interview, and psychodiagnostic testing: Short-Negative Acts Questionnaire (S-NAQ), Cognitive Behavioral Assessment 2.0 (CBA-2.0), SCID (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF), Maugeri Stress Index - Reduced form (MASI-R). Between 2017 and 2019, we used the MaSD-2 to assess, for suspected psychopathological work-related problems, 198 patients (120 women and 78 men; mean age SD: 47.9 9.0 years). Nine (4.5%), already examined with the original version of the protocol, received diagnostic confirmation (2 cases of paranoid personality disorder, 7 of work-related anxiety-depressive disorder). Of the other 189 subjects, three (1.6%) were not affected by psychiatric disease, 12 (6.3%) had a psychiatric disorder (e.g., anxiety disorder, mood disorder, personality disorder) independent of work, 160 (84.7%) a work-related anxiety and/or depressive disorder. DA was identified in 12 cases (6.3%), and two patients (1.1%) were diagnosed with DA in pre-existent DPTS, for a total of 14 medico-legal reports of occupational disease. Compared to the past, the case record presents a much higher percentage of psychiatric disorders related to occupational stress. This may be due to a greater sensitivity of the new diagnostic protocol, and to a better selection of the patients referred to us. Women and tertiary workers continue to be at greater risk, with significant involvement of health professionals. Diagnoses of DA and DPTS remain rare, confirming the need for a rigorous and cautious interdisciplinary approach, aimed at selecting the cases for which to start medico-legal procedures. Finally, the study calls for adequate preventive measures.

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.

Impact of nurses' emotional labour on job stress and emotional exhaustion amid COVID-19: The role of instrumental support and coaching leadership as moderators.

AIM: This study examines Pakistan nurses' emotional labour and stress in health care emergencies, specifically their emotional exhaustion and availability of support of organization and management to alleviate the effects. BACKGROUND: As COVID-19 pandemic has been declared a global outbreak and many countries have enacted medical emergencies, this has increased job demands and expected desired emotional expressions from frontline workers. Such high levels of job demand contribute to various stress reactions among employees. METHODS: Authors applied a longitudinal design, using an experimental approach, to collect data from 319 nurses serving in 107 government hospitals in Pakistan. The authors surveyed nurses at two time points with the interval of 3 months by using an online questionnaire tool. At one time, they asked nurses to report on emotional labour, stress and exhaustion. In the second phase, after providing supports (during interval phase) at different levels, the authors repeated the same scales from same participants in addition to instrumental support and coaching leadership. Data were processed using SPSS-Amos for elementary analysis and SPSS-process macro software for robustness and hypotheses testing. RESULTS: The findings indicate that job stress fully mediates the relationship between surface acting and emotional exhaustion in controlled phase and partially mediates in intervention phase. Furthermore, in intervention phase, instrumental support moderates and alleviates positive effects of emotional labour on job stress, and coaching leadership moderates and lessens positive effects of job stress on emotional exhaustion. CONCLUSION: This research concludes that health care organizations can alleviate emotional exhaustion caused by emotional labour and job stress amid emergencies by providing support at different levels: organizational and managerial. However, the effectiveness of these supports depends on high to low levels. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: This study demonstrates that to handle and support emotional labour and job stress to avoid emotional exhaustion in health care emergencies, organizational supports matter. Support at organizational level can include instrumental support. At managerial level, holding a coaching leadership style can foster external facets of management while uplifting the internal support qualities of confidence and self-awareness that improve the individuals' ability to lead; work with paradox and uncertainty.

The impact of noise exposure and work posture on job stress in a food company.

BACKGROUND: In most food companies, workers are constantly exposed to non-standard levels of noise. Also, food production processes require intense manual labor and repetitive movements, which may result in musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Noise and awkward posture are considered as two important physical factors in the industrialized world, which can related to perceived stress. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted among food factory workers to investigate the impact of noise exposure and work posture on occupational stress. METHODS: A total of 200 workers were examined in this cross-sectional study. Individual noise exposure was measured by TES-1354 dosimeter (TES, TW) according to ISO 9612. Postural risk and job stress levels were assessed using Quick Exposure Check (QEC), and the Osipow occupational stress questionnaire, respectively. RESULTS: The level of noise exposure and awkward posture were significantly associated with work-related stress.The relationship of gender with occupational stress was also statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Considering that the noise exposure and work posture factors are important determinants of work-related stress, a combined approach to eliminate the levels of non-standard noise and inappropriate posture is essential for promoting psychological health in food companies.

Gene-environment interaction between circadian clock gene polymorphisms and job stress on the risk of sleep disturbances.

RATIONALE: Sleep disturbances was associated with numerous adverse health outcomes. Many studies have reported that long-term exposure to job stress can lead to sleep disturbances, which may be influenced by genetic and environmental factors. OBJECTIVES: This cross-sectional study investigated whether circadian clock gene polymorphisms modulated the influence of job stress on sleep disturbances in a Chinese Han population, which to our best knowledge has not been explored. METHODS: The Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) scale and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were both used to access job stress and sleep disturbances. The SNaPshot SNP assay was carried out by screening for circadian clock gene polymorphisms in every participant. Interactions associated with sleep disturbances were assessed by linear hierarchical regression analysis and SPSS macros (PROCESS). RESULTS: Linear hierarchical regression analysis showed that job stress was significantly related to sleep disturbances. Likewise, our study found a significant effect of PER2 rs2304672 polymorphisms on sleep disturbances (p < 0.01), after controlling for confounding factors. In addition, the PER2 rs2304672 genotype modulated the relationship between job stress and sleep disturbances (ß = 0.414, p = 0.007). Interestingly, further analysis of the results of the PER2 gene rs2304672 × job stress interaction showed that rs2304672 G-allele carriers had a high-risk effect on sleep disturbances under high job stress. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the PER2 rs2304672 polymorphism may modulate the influence of job stress on sleep disturbances. These findings contribute to the field of sleep disturbances prevention and treatment.

Higher allostatic load in work-related burnout: The Regensburg Burnout Project.

BACKGROUND: Burnout and chronic work stress have been linked to various negative health outcomes. While the mechanisms underlying this interplay are still unclear, the allostatic load (AL) model was suggested to demonstrate a possible biological pathway. However, previous studies provided divergent results regarding the association between burnout and AL, probably also due to the heterogeneity of selected samples. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine differences in AL between a conceptually strictly specified group of individuals suffering from burnout (BO group) and a healthy comparison group (HC group). METHODS: After a multi-stage recruitment procedure with strict inclusion criteria based on burnout symptomatology and pathogenesis, the BO group (n = 56) was compared to the HC group (n = 65) regarding an index of AL. The AL-index included 14 parameters: high-sensitivity c-reactive protein (hsCRP), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), fibrinogen, d-dimer, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol ratio (TC/HDL), dehydroepiandrosterone-sulphate (DHEA-S), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), waist-hip ratio (WHR), and body fat percentage. RESULTS: The BO group showed significantly higher AL-scores in comparison to the HC group. This effect remained significant after adjusting for sex, age, and smoking status. Additionally, burnout symptoms (assessed with the Maslach Burnout Inventory; MBI), MBI-subscales emotional exhaustion and depersonalization as well as chronic work stress (assessed with the effort-reward imbalance questionnaire) were significantly associated with higher AL-scores. CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with our hypothesis, we detected higher AL-scores in the BO compared to the HC group, indicating a greater cumulative physiological burden in individuals suffering from burnout. Given the high heterogeneity in individuals experiencing burnout symptoms, future studies may focus on well-specified subgroups, when examining the association between burnout and psychophysiological dysregulations.

Workaholism and burnout among stricto sensu graduate professors.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association of excessive work and compulsive work with the dimensions of the burnout syndrome in masters and doctoral professors of Languages, Literature, and Linguistics in Brazil. METHODS: Cross-sectional study carried out with 585 permanent professors of stricto sensu graduate studies in Languages, Literature, and Linguistics in Brazil. Data collection took place between February and August 2019, by an online questionnaire. The outcomes of this study were the compulsive work and excessive work dimensions of the Dutch Work Addiction Scale, the Maslach Burnout Inventory TM dimensions and their associated factors, identified by multiple logistic regression models. RESULTS: Professors with a high level of excessive work (29.40%) had 2.75 times the chance of high emotional exhaustion and 2.08 times the chance of high depersonalization. Regarding professors with a high level of compulsive work (8.03%), they had 4.88 times the chance of high emotional exhaustion and 2.97 times the chance of high depersonalization. No association of excessive work and compulsive work with low professional fulfillment was identified. CONCLUSION: The results showed a statistically significant association of excessive work and compulsive work with high emotional exhaustion and high depersonalization, allowing managers and professors to reflect the criteria that guide their work processes, to adopt management models, institutional regulatory policies, and strategies to improve the working conditions and health of professors.