Workplace ethical climate and its relationship with depression, anxiety and stress.

BACKGROUND: Ethical climate in the workplace has been highlighted to have an important impact on workers' mental health; the evaluation of workplace ethics and its impact on workers' health should be considered an occupational health issue. AIMS: The present study aims to investigate ethical climate as perceived by workers, and its correlation with mental health outcomes, in particular, symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed by administering an online survey, investigating socio-demographic variables, workplace ethics (through the Italian short version of the Corporate Ethical Virtues questionnaire) and mental health outcomes (using the short version of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale). Descriptive analyses, analyses of variance and regression models were performed; P-values were considered significant for values ≤0.05. RESULTS: The sample included 176 workers; the mean age of participants was 46.22 years and 44% were males. The most represented job sector was health care (37%), and 42% of participants had college-level education. Ethical climate was significantly correlated with all mental health outcomes investigated in the study: anxiety (P ≤ 0.001), depression (P ≤ 0.05) and stress (P ≤ 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Results from this study highlighted a significant correlation between workplace ethical climate and depression, anxiety and stress. This study underlines the importance of evaluating and improving ethical climate to prevent the onset of psychological distress in workers. Furthermore, results from this study should be a starting point for future research investigating the role of ethics and mental health in employees' turnover intention and job satisfaction.

Assessing the Great Resignation phenomenon: voluntary resignation of young Italian workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has determined a radical change in workplace dynamics, with a reported increase in voluntary resignation from employment at a global level, especially among the young-est workers. The aim of this study is to investigate the social, demographic, and cultural characteristics of young people aged between 25 and 45 years who voluntarily resigned from their previous jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This is a cross-sectional observational study; an ad hoc questionnaire was designed and admin-istered via an online link. Descriptive analyses were performed to describe the sample, and the Pearson analysis was performed to investigate statistically significant correlations; p values ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 72 valid responses were gathered. Mean age was 32.6 years; 43.1% participants were males, 54.2% were married, and 80.6% had no children; most participants (68.1%) had a college level education. The most reported cause of job resignation was work dissatisfaction (38.9%), followed by inadequate remuneration (27.8%). The most reported perspective for people who had resigned or were planning on resigning, was a better salary (27.8%), followed by the pursuit of a higher work-life balance (25.0%). The perception that having resigned was the right choice was significantly correlated with the timeframe of resignation (p<0.01), with having suffered from COVID-19 (p<0.05), and with a close relative having suffered from COVID-19 (p<0.01). Conclusion: This study highlighted that voluntarily resigning was significantly correlated to having suffered from COVID-19, or a close relative having suffered from it; 84.9% of participants who had resigned thought that it had been the right choice. The COVID-19 pandemic could have changed workplace perception, making employees feel more at risk; the indirect impact of the pandemic should be further investigated, and prevention strategies should be implemented to ensure the safety and wellbeing of employees.

Workplace violence against healthcare workers: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses was to address workplace violence (WPV) against healthcare workers (HCWs). Several systematic reviews exist in the literature, but the diversity of settings, population considered, and type of violence investigated make it difficult to gain insight and use the vast amount of available data to implement policies to tackle WPV. With this in mind, we conducted an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on WPV against HCWs to examine the global prevalence of the phenomena and its features. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, PubMed, Scopus, and ISI Web of Science were searched for relevant systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in English up to November 2022. Data on authors, year, country, violence type, prevalence (pooled and not), setting, population, and specific considerations were extracted. RESULTS: A total of 32 systematic reviews were included, 19 of which performed a meta-analysis, investigating overall, physical, and non-physical violence. Even considering the variability of the data, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the scale of the problem. From our review, we found that overall violence prevalence among HCWs was reported to be as high as 78.9%, and nurses working in psychiatric wards were the professionals most impacted. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, this umbrella review revealed a high prevalence of WPV among HCWs, which varies between countries, population subgroups, and detection methods. Strengthening recognition of the problem could lead to appropriate local and international strategies to address it.

Occupational exposure to work-related stress, a proposal of a pilot study to detect psychological distress in collar-workers.

Introduction: Work-related psychosocial risks have been identified as significant occupational health and safety risks; the occupational physicians must assess and monitor the health status of workers in order to verify that work is not a source of harm to exposed operators. The aim of the study was to investigate the outcomes related to anxiety and depression traits in workers exposed to stress-related work. Methods: A questionnaire was administered to a large population of Italian public administration workers; the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies - Depression Scale questionnaire was used to measure depression, the Self rating Anxiety Scale was used to measure anxiety, the UK Management Standards Indicator tool questionnaire was used to assess work adjustment. A descriptive analysis, a multivariate analysis, as well as logistic regression models were used to assess the health outcomes related to stress. Results: A total of 292 workers participated in the study; 100% of participants had a Centre for Epidemiologic Studies - Depression Scale score over the cut-off; 41.78% had a Self rating Anxiety Scale score over the cut-off; the results support a correlation between the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies - Depression Scale results and the UK Management Standards Indicator tool results; and a correlation between Self-rating Anxiety Scale results and the UK Management Standards Indicator tool results. Conclusions: The Demand, Management, Support and Relationship results were associated with mental health outcomes, and it could be a useful tool in occupational medicine, to identify workers at risk for negative mental health outcomes, becoming an essential tool in workers' health assessment and for prevention of mental health disorders.

[Alcohol and work. Consensus Document of the La.R.A. (Workers representing a risk for others) group]. / Alcol e Lavoro. Documento di consenso del gruppo La.R.A.

AIM: Current Italian legislation obliges employers to prevent workers who are occupationally at risk or who perform jobs that may be hazardous for the safety or health of third parties from consuming alcohol. The LaRA Group undertook to assess whether the law fully safeguards the health and safety of both workers and third parties, without impinging upon the civil rights of workers. METHOD: A written document expressing agreement was produced following discussions between doctors, lawyers, bioethicists and social partners. RESULTS: There are gaps and inconsistencies in current laws; the differences in local and regional provisions prevent authorities from applying a single strategy at national level. There should be a change in existing rules under which the employer's obligation to enforce the ban on consumption alcohol in the workplace is enacted solely by the "competent" physician whose institutional role is to safeguard and promote health. Some occupational categories that are subject to a ban on alcohol consumption do not currently under-go health surveillance. For example, if road transport drivers are not exposed to a specific occupational risk foreseen under another law, they can be placed under health surveillance only in those regions where the local laws contemplate this type of control. In other cases, the practice of assessing the risk to third parties and providing for compulsory health surveillance in the Risk Assessment Document, is considered by some jurists to be a "consuetudo praeter legem" and therefore acceptable in a field not yet covered by a specific law, but to be "contra legem" or unlawful by other jurists. Moreover, the competent physician who uses a breathanalyser or tests for alcohol addiction faces an ethical dilemma, since by communicating the results to an employer or authorities responsible for the issuing of licenses, he may be violating his professional oath of secrecy. Furthermore, the emphasis placed on testing has induced companies and inspectors to overlook educational and rehabilitation aspects. It is essential to involve general practitioners, educators and specialist services in addressing the problems of alcohol abuse so as to inform/train, recover and rehabilitate. The few studies available indicate that the rules are poorly enforced and that non-compliance may go unobserved. CONCLUSIONS: The Group urges all employers to assess the risk for third parties caused by alcohol abuse and to devise a policy on alcohol. Controlling alcohol-related risks in the workplace calls for a better definition of the roles of Vigilance Bod-ies and Company Physicians together with a shift from a reactive to a proactive attitude of all the parties involved.

[The relationship between mobbing and depression syndrome in the female working population of service industry: the problem statement and the prevention strategies in Sicilian environment]. / Rapporto tra mobbing e sindrome depressiva nella popolazione lavorativa femminile del terziario avanzato: dimensione del problema e strategie di prevenzione nella realtà Siciliana.

The concept of "work" and the social interactions in the workplace contribute to develop the working satisfaction and the social and personal identity of the adult. The aim of the survey is that of checking up on the presence of a statistically significant relation between The Depression Syndrome and The Mobbing Phenomenon. It is necessary to understand and value if and how some of the employer's behaviours could have a heavy influence on the worker's psychophysical condition, up to causing a state of anxiety and depression. It has been used the now famous "LIPT" (Leymann Inventory of Psychological Terror), elaborated by Leymann at the beginning of the 90's. It is a short anonymous questionnaire recognized all over Europe as a standard to confirm the Mobbing existence in organizational contexts. The current version of the questionnaire is called "LIPT EGE", a more suitable tool to check the seven parameters of the Mobbing determination, as well as the quantification of the consequent harm. Some scales for depressive symptoms evaluation have been added to the Mobbing questionnaire: The Self Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and The Depression Status Inventory (DSI) of Zung. The questionnaires are administered to 500 workers women in public and private corporation in Sicily, exactly in Siracusa and Catania provinces. 206 women aged 34-50 have answered the questionnaires. In addition to the age and the sex, the distinction variables of the examined people are the position in the firm, nationality, vocational qualification, and the yearly gross income. The research has begun in july and has continued on august 2006. Attention has been focused only on the administrative sectors. Through the chi2 test and the exact Fisher test, the dependence between the changeable presence of depression in the two questionnaires (Zung 1 and Zung 2) and every single variable of the questionnaire on the Mobbing has been pointed out. In particular, the results establish a connection between the presence of depression and systematic isolation, and depression and the changes in the working tasks. The survey has pointed out the working conditions that may lead to Mobbing situations and to psychological frustration; it follows that the Mobbing prevention is a key element if you want to better working life and avoid social emargination.

[Evaluation of the psychological well-being and coping strategies in a population of ex asbestos exposed on its work place]. / Valutazione del benessere psicologico e delle tecniche di coping in una popolazione di ex esposti all'amianto in ambiente lavorativo.

The aim of the current study was mainly to asses the coping strategies used by a sample of subjects (n = 100) and its psychological well-being. The INAIL had recognized these subjects in the past time had been massively exposed to asbestos in their work place. An anonymous self-report questionnaire, made up of (a) an explorative section, (b) the Carver's COPE, (c) the Carol Ryff's Psychological Wellbeing Scales (PWBS), has been used. Both tests parametric (Chi Square and t Student analysis) and not parametric (Mann-Whitney Test) were carried out in order to assure strength results. The survey data indicated that there were an acknowledge about the asbestos-related diseases' action and a general use of "avoidance" coping strategies. Contrary to expectation concerning the PWBS, there was a statistically significant higher score in the "exposed group" than the "control group" (n = 50) as regards the "Positive Relations with Others" and the "Personal Growth" scales. Different variables may concur to explain the results of this study.

[Evalutation of neoplasms prevalence as a consequence of stressful events in the occupational and non-occupational field]. / Valutazione della prevalenza di neoplasie in seguito ad eventi stressanti in ambito lavorativo ed extralavorativo.

Starting from the hypothesis that stressful events, badly elaborated by individuals, can bring a decreasing activity of immunitary system and represent a co-factor in development of breast cancer, analyzing which events are more stressful and as a consequence, which are the ones causing a decreasing of immunitary defence. This study considers the breast cancer in large increasing amongst women. 60 women compiled the Events of Life Questionnaire (Qav) and they have been divided into two groups: 30 elements affected by breast cancer (experimental group) and 30 without evident pathologies (control group). Their age was included between the 25 and 75 years old, they came from the same social class, cultural extraction, instruction level. Throughout every single interview, each one lasting about an a hour with hospitalized patients, we potentially find a depressive personality. The statistic analysis gives extremely interesting results regarding negative events of the affective life: underlining a strong dependence among negative events of affective life relating to the development of the breast cancer This interest start from the evident limit in the medical practice, considering organic problems as the only for disease development, excluding emotional and psychological factors which are part of human being's life. Anyway, today is possible to find especially in onchological medicine, the consciousness that the medical or surgical intervention is not the only duty but is also important to underline, in a more complete view, that the patient's care also depends from the ability of questioning about patient's conditions in every day life; as shown in this study which underlines the necessity of psychotherapeutic intervention for patients affected by breast cancer, specially in pre and post operating phases.

[Well-being and safety awareness in the context of hospital units related to work place quality]. / Percezione del benessere e della sicurezza in ambito ospedaliero correlata alla qualità dell'ambiente di lavoro.

Several studies founded a positive relationship between environmental work stresses, perceived safety of work places and number of injuries. This study tested the relationship between cognitive dimensions of environmental quality, dimensions of affective quality, and perceived safety in the context of hospital units. A total of 204 hospital workers filled in a questionnaire measuring Perceived Hospital Environment Quality Indicators (PHEQIs: Fornara et al., 2006), Affective Qualities of Places (Perugini et al., 20021, and the Work Safety (WSS: Hayes et al., 1998). Results show a positive relationship between subjective indicators (both cognitive and affective) of environmental quality and specific dimensions of perceived safety in hospital units.

[Role of the occupational physician in the management of the emergency of SARS]. / Ruolo del medico competente nella gestione dell'emergenza SARS.

The recent epidemic event related to SARS has focused the attention on an important role that the occupational doctor should play in prevention, protection and information of the workers. We would like to introduce some advices to resolve some problems that could happen in every business activity.