Work-related psychosocial hazards are on the verge of surpassing many other occupational hazards in their contribution to ill-health, injury, disability, direct and indirect costs, and impact on business and national productivity. The risks associated with exposure to psychosocial hazards at work are compounded by the increasing background prevalence of mental health disorders in the working-age population. The extensive and cumulative impacts of these exposures represent an alarming public health problem that merits immediate, increased attention.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Health workers faced overwhelming demands and experienced crisis levels of burnout before the COVID-19 pandemic; the pandemic presented unique challenges that further impaired their mental health.
Methods: Data from the General Social Survey Quality of Worklife Module were analyzed to compare self-reported mental health symptoms among U.S.
The present study advances research on the negative consequences of precarious work experiences (PWE), which include perceptions of threats to one's job and financial security as well as a sense of powerlessness and inability to exercise rights in the workplace. Using the COVID-19 pandemic as a backdrop, we examine how PWE relate to sickness presenteeism and worry about work-related COVID-19 exposure. In a 12-week, four-wave study of workers working fully in-person, perceptions of powerlessness and job insecurity were associated with presenteeism (e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
November 2022
There is widespread recognition that the world of work is changing, and agreement is growing that the occupational safety and health (OSH) field must change to contribute to the protection of workers now and in the future. Discourse on the evolution of OSH has been active for many decades, but formalized support of an expanded focus for OSH has greatly increased over the past 20 years. Development of approaches such as the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)'s Total Worker Health concept and the World Health Organization (WHO)'s Healthy Workplace Framework are concrete examples of how OSH can incorporate a new focus with a wider view.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Examining workplace psychosocial risk factors for back pain becomes increasingly important because of the changing nature of work and rising healthcare costs. Some psychosocial risk factors for back pain, such as work and family imbalance, exposure to a hostile work environment, and job insecurity, are understudied for the working population in the United States.
Methods: Data used in this study came from the Quality of Work Life Survey (QWL), a supplementary module of the General Social Survey conducted in the United States.
On September 13-14, 2019, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) hosted a national forum entitled "Working hours, sleep and fatigue: Meeting the needs of American workers and employers." The purpose of this inaugural meeting was to discuss current evidence about the broad-based risks and effective countermeasures related to working hours, sleep, and fatigue, with further considerations to tailor solutions for specific industries and worker populations. We aimed to identify the knowledge gaps and needs in this area and future directions for research.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Occup Environ Med
September 2021
Objective: Investigate associations between occupational injury to parents and the psychological well-being of their children.
Methods: We used multiple logistic regression to examine effects of occupational injury to parents on measures of psychological well-being among their children using National Health Interview Survey data from 2012 through 2016.
Results: Children of injured workers exhibited greater impairment than children of workers who had not sustained injuries for four of five measures of emotional and behavioral functioning that were hypothesized to differentiate these two child groups.
Objective: To compare adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in women with chronic pelvic pain with a control group, and describe occurrence of specific ACEs in women with chronic pelvic pain.
Methods: This case-control study examined the relationship between history of ACEs, traumatic events occurring during childhood as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and chronic pelvic pain. Patients diagnosed with chronic pelvic pain (n=60) were age-matched to a control group of women without chronic pelvic pain (n=60).
Background: Neck pain is a prevalent musculoskeletal condition among workers in the United States. This study explores a set of workplace psychosocial and organization-related factors for neck pain.
Methods: Data used for this study come from the 2010 National Health Interview Survey which provides a representative sample of the US population.
Am J Health Promot
December 2016
The increasingly popular practice of using a stability ball (exercise/fitness ball) as a sitting surface runs counter to conventional human factors/ergonomics guidelines for seated workspace design. Employees sitting on stability balls in an office environment present safety risks that might be justifiable if the practice has a definitive benefit to the promotion of health. However, the published studies and best evidence to date call into question even the theoretical basis for this practice and do not suggest significant health benefits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To investigate the co-effect of Demand-control-support (DCS) model and Effort-reward Imbalance (ERI) model on the risk estimation of depression in humans in comparison with the effects when they are used respectively.
Methods: A total of 3 632 males and 1 706 females from 13 factories and companies in Henan province were recruited in this cross-sectional study. Perceived job stress was evaluated with the Job Content Questionnaire and Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire (Chinese version).
Background: Little is known about the association between psychosocial factors and injury absence in the workplace.
Purpose: This study aims to assess the association of comprehensive workplace psychosocial factors with work-related injury absence among Korean workers.
Methods: The data (n = 7,856) were derived from the First Korean Working Conditions Survey conducted in 2006 with a representative sample (n = 10,043) of the Korean working population.
The purpose of this study was to examine the association between psychosocial job stress (by the Job Control-Demand (JCD) model and Effort-Reward imbalance (ERI) model) and musculoskeletal (MS) symptoms among workers in China. Overall, 3,632 male and 1,706 female workers from 13 factories/companies participated in this study. Perceived job stress was evaluated by the Chinese version of the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) and ERI Questionnaire.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt Arch Occup Environ Health
February 2013
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the association of organizational factors with work-related sleep problems (WRSP) among Korean workers.
Methods: The data were derived from the First Korean Working Conditions Survey conducted in 2006 with a representative sample of the Korean working population (n = 10,039).
Results: The overall prevalence of WRSP was 5.
This research project characterizes occupational injuries, illnesses, and assaults (OIIAs) as a negative outcome associated with worker exposure to generalized workplace abuse/harassment, sexual harassment, and job threat and pressure. Data were collected in a nationwide random-digit-dial telephone survey conducted during 2003-2004. There were 2151 study interviews conducted in English and Spanish.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNurses regularly are exposed to a variety of occupational hazards. In addition to documented occupational hazards, exposure to smoking remains a major concern. This article reviews the prevalence of smoking among nurses working in the United States and discusses their reasons for smoking.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe purpose of this study is to examine the independent association of job satisfaction with common cold and sickness absence among Japanese workers. A total of 307 apparently healthy white-collar employees (165 men and 142 women), aged 22-69 (mean 36) yr, completed a questionnaire survey during April to June, 2002. Global job satisfaction was measured by a 4-item scale from the Japanese version of a generic job stress questionnaire with higher scores indicating greater satisfaction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough the association of job satisfaction with health has been well documented, little is known about the biological mechanisms underlying this relationship. This study investigates the association of job satisfaction with cell-mediated immunity among Japanese white-collar daytime workers. A total of 306 healthy full-time employees (141 women and 165 men), aged 22-69 (mean 36) years, provided a blood sample for the measurement of circulating immune (natural killer (NK), B, and total T) cells and NK cell cytotoxicity (NKCC) and completed a questionnaire survey during April to June 2002.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Although self-rated health (SRH) has been established as a robust predictor of morbidity and mortality, the immunological mechanisms underpinning this relationship are poorly understood.
Purpose: This study examined the association of SRH with humoral and cellular immune markers in healthy individuals who reported no physical illnesses.
Method: A total of 116 healthy Japanese white-collar employees (79 women and 37 men) at a pharmaceutical company, aged 23-62 (mean 32) years, underwent a blood draw for the measurement of circulating immune (T, B, and natural killer) cells, inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha), and plasma immunoglobulin G (IgG) and completed a health survey including SRH.
Objective: To assess the relation of passive and active smoking to depressive symptoms in 1839 men and 931 women working in a suburb of Tokyo in 2002.
Method: Self-reported smoking history and exposure to passive smoking (no, occasional, or regular) at work and at home. Depressive symptoms according to the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, with a cut-off point of 16.
Background: This study expanded previous NIOSH-IRS research examining the effects of rest breaks and stretching exercises on symptoms and performance in data-entry workers.
Methods: All workers spent 4 weeks with conventional breaks (two 15 min breaks per day) and 4 weeks with supplementary breaks (two 15 min breaks plus four 5 min breaks per day). One-half were assigned at random to a group instructed to perform brief stretching exercises during breaks.
Workers involved in small-scale manufacturing businesses are known to comprise a high-risk population for occupational injury. The present study investigated the prevalence and correlates of occupational injury in this population. A self-administered questionnaire that solicited answers about occupational information including injury, demographic characteristics, health conditions and lifestyle factors was collected from a sample of 1,298 workers in 228 small-scale manufacturing enterprises (defined as fewer than 50 workers) aged 16-78 (mean 46) yr in Yashio city, Saitama, Japan (response rate 65.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Workers involved in manufacturing are known to comprise a high-risk population for occupational injury, and this risk is greater in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The purpose of this study was to examine the association between psychosocial job stress and occupational injuries among workers in SMEs.
Methods: One thousand forty-nine men and 721 women from 244 SMEs participated in this study.
A cross-sectional study evaluated the contribution of daily sleep habits to occupational injuries. A self-administered questionnaire solicited answers about sleep, symptoms of depression, occupational injury, demographics, presence of diseases and lifestyle factors from 2,903 workers between the ages of 16-83 (mean 45) yr in small and medium-scale enterprises. Eight sleep habits were queried and dichotomized: 1) less or more than 6 hr of daily sleep, 2) taking more or less than 30 min to fall asleep (Difficulty initiating sleep; DIS), 3) awakening during sleep more or less than 3 times/wk (Difficulty maintaining sleep; DMS), 4) early morning awakening more or less than 3 times/wk (EMA), 5) definitely/somewhat difficulty waking up or not, 6) sleeping very poorly/not so well at night or not, 7) definitely/somewhat insufficient nightly sleep or not, and 8) difficulty in breathing during sleep more than once/week or less.
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