Mental health of scientific researchers. I. Characteristics of job stress among scientific researchers working at a research park in Japan

Association between occupational stress, occupational burnout, and depressive symptoms among medical staff during COVID-19: A cross-sectional study in Chongqing, China

BACKGROUND

Studies have extensively examined the factors contributing to the onset of occupational stress, burnout, and depression. However, the relationship between these variables is limited.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore the association between occupational stress, burnout, and depressive symptoms and to investigate the mediating effect of burnout between occupational stress and depressive symptoms in medical staff.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among medical staff in Chongqing, China. The Core Occupational Stress Scale (COSS), Maslach Burnout Inventory: General Survey (MBI-GS), and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) were used to assess the status of occupational stress, burnout, and depressive symptoms, respectively. The bootstrapping analyses using SPSS PROCESS macros version 3 were conducted to examine mediating effects.

RESULTS

The study conducted on medical staff in Chongqing revealed that the detection rates of occupational stress, occupational burnout, and depressive symptoms were 31.8%, 23.3%, and 30.3%, respectively. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that occupational stress and burnout accounted for 19.3% (p < 0.001) and 18.8% (p < 0.001) of the variance in depressive symptoms, respectively. Mediation analysis showed that occupational stress indirectly affected depressive symptoms through the mediating effect of occupational burnout, with a mediation effect value of 0.13 (bootstrap 95% CI: 0.116-0.144) and the mediation effect accounting for 44.8% of the total effect.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicated that occupational stress and burnout were predictors of depressive symptoms. Occupational stress had a significant indirect effect on depressive symptoms via burnout. These results suggest that reducing occupational stress and burnout could be effective strategies for preventing depression among medical staff.

Identifying the risk features for occupational stress in medical workers: a cross-sectional study

Objective

Occupational stress is considered a worldwide epidemic experienced by a large proportion of the working population. The identification of characteristics that place people at high risk for occupational stress is the basis of managing and intervening in this condition. In this study, we aimed to identify and validate the risk features for occupational stress among medical workers using a risk model and nomogram.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 1988 eligible participants from Henan Province in China. Occupational stress and worker-occupation fit were measured with the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21) and Worker-Occupation Fit Inventory (WOFI). The identification of risk features was achieved through constructing multiple logistic regression model, and the risk features were used to develop the risk model and nomogram. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and calibration plots were generated to assess the effectiveness and calibration of the risk model.

Results

Among 1988 participants in our study, there were 42.5% (845/1988) medical workers experienced occupational stress. The risk features for occupational stress included poor work-occupation fit (WOF score < 25, expected risk: 77.3%), nurse population (expected risk: 63.1%), male sex (expected risk: 67.2%), work experience duration of 11–19 years (expected risk: 54.5%), experience of a traumatic event (expected risk: 65.3%) and the lack of a regular exercise habit (expected risk: 60.2%). For medical workers who have these risk features, the expected risk probability of occupational stress would be 90.2%.

Conclusion

The current data can be used to identify medical workers at risk of developing occupational stress. Identifying risk features for occupational stress and the work-occupation fit can support hierarchical stress management in hospitals.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00420-021-01762-3.

Comparison of predicted psychological distress among workers between artificial intelligence and psychiatrists: a cross-sectional study in Tsukuba Science City, Japan

OBJECTIVES

Psychological distress is a worldwide problem and a serious problem that needs to be addressed in the field of occupational health. This study aimed to use artificial intelligence (AI) to predict psychological distress among workers using sociodemographic, lifestyle and sleep factors, not subjective information such as mood and emotion, and to examine the performance of the AI models through a comparison with psychiatrists.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

We conducted a survey on psychological distress and living conditions among workers. An AI model for predicting psychological distress was created and then the results were compared in terms of accuracy with predictions made by psychiatrists.

PARTICIPANTS

An AI model of the neural network and six psychiatrists.

PRIMARY OUTCOME

The accuracies of the AI model and psychiatrists for predicting psychological distress.

METHODS

In total, data from 7251 workers were analysed to predict moderate and severe psychological distress. An AI model of the neural network was created and accuracy, sensitivity and specificity were calculated. Six psychiatrists used the same data as the AI model to predict psychological distress and conduct a comparison with the AI model.

RESULTS

The accuracies of the AI model and psychiatrists for predicting moderate psychological distress were 65.2% and 64.4%, respectively, showing no significant difference. The accuracies of the AI model and psychiatrists for predicting severe psychological distress were 89.9% and 85.5%, respectively, indicating that the AI model had significantly higher accuracy.

CONCLUSIONS

A machine learning model was successfully developed to screen workers with depressed mood. The explanatory variables used for the predictions did not directly ask about mood. Therefore, this newly developed model appears to be able to predict psychological distress among workers easily, regardless of their subjective views.

Association between flourishing mental health and occupational stress among workers of Tsukuba Science City, Japan: a cross-sectional study

Background

Flourishing, defined as the coexistence of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, is the most favorable end of the mental health spectrum. A growing body of evidence has demonstrated the association between flourishing mental health and favorable work-related outcomes. However, epidemiology of flourishing mental health is scarce in Japan. Moreover, the relationship between flourishing mental health and occupational stress has not been elaborated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to elucidate (1) the prevalence of flourishing mental health and (2) the association between flourishing mental health and occupational stress among Japanese workers.

Methods

The present survey was conducted in from February to March 2017 via an anonymous, self-administered, and web-based questionnaire among workers in Tsukuba Science City, Japan. Mental Health Continuum Short Form was used to assess flourishing mental health. We performed binomial logistic regression analyses to calculate the adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of occupational stress for flourishing mental health, controlling for sociodemographic factors.

Results

A total of 7012 respondents (4402 men, 2610 women) were analyzed. The overall prevalence of flourishing mental health among the respondents was 12.4%. Full-time (permanent) workers were less likely to be flourishing. Reward from work (AOR = 2.34, 95% CI = 2.04–2.68), support from colleagues and superiors (AOR = 1.67, 95% CI = 1.44–1.94), and workload (AOR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.05–1.36) were positively associated with flourishing mental health, whereas mental workload (AOR = 0.65, 95% CI = 0.57–0.75) was inversely associated with flourishing mental health.

Conclusions

The findings of the present study shed light on the association between flourishing mental health and occupational stress.

Relationship between workplace social capital and suicidal ideation in the past year among employees in Japan: a cross-sectional study

Background

A growing body of evidence has demonstrated the associations between social capital and health. In residential or geographical areas, social capital has attracted attention for its protective effects against suicide. However, to this date, the relationship between social capital and suicidal ideation is not fully elaborated in the occupational setting. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the association between workplace social capital and suicidal ideation in the past year among employees in Japan.

Methods

A cross-sectional, web-based survey was conducted in February/March 2017 via an anonymous self-administered questionnaire distributed to workers in Tsukuba Science City, Japan. Binomial logistic regressions were used to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for suicidal ideation in the past year, controlling for age group, marital status, educational attainment, and annual household income. The results were shown stratified by sex and occupation.

Results

In total, 7255 of 19,481 workers responded, out of which we could analyze 6325 responses (4030 men, 2295 women). The prevalence of suicidal ideation in the past year was 5.9% for men and 7.8% for women. Low workplace social capital was statistically significantly associated with suicidal ideation both for men (OR = 2.57, 95% CI = 1.72–3.83) and for women (OR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.15–2.66), compared with high workplace social capital after controlling for socioeconomic factors.

Conclusion

Higher workplace social capital was associated with a reduced risk of suicidal ideation in the past year. Promoting workplace social capital could contribute to preventing suicide among employees in Japan.

Factors associated with occupational stress among Chinese doctors: a cross-sectional survey

OBJECTIVES

Doctors constitute the main workforce in hospitals and are known to experience occupational stress. High level of stress is believed to affect doctors' physical and mental health. Thus, it is essential to study doctors' occupational stress well to improve their quality of lives. The aim of this study was to explore factors associated with occupational stress among Chinese doctors in public hospitals.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted during the period of May/June 2008. The study population comprised 1989 doctors registered and working in the 20 national hospitals in Liaoning province, China. A questionnaire pertaining to occupational stress that was assessed based on the Chinese Version Personal Strain Questionnaire (PSQ), demographic characteristics, work situations, occupational roles, and personal resources was distributed to these doctors. A total of 1,587 effective respondents (673 men, 914 women) became our subjects (effective response rate 79.8%). The general linear model (GLM) was employed to explore the factors related to occupational stress. All data analysis was performed separately in men and women.

RESULTS

The average PSQ score was 86.92 in the total study population, 89.4 in men and 85.1 in women among Chinese doctors. GLM showed that PSQ was significantly associated with, in standard estimate (beta) sequence, role boundary, role insufficiency, responsibility, social support, rational/cognitive coping, doctor-patient relationship and role overload in men; whereas with role insufficiency, role boundary, social support, responsibility, self-care, role overload, education, chronic disease, and doctor-patient relationship in women.

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicate that the major factors associated with occupational stress differed between male and female doctors in China. Overall, role boundary and role insufficient were the most crucial factors in male and female doctors, respectively. Therefore, occupational health education and occupational training programs with the purpose to improve doctor's knowledge and ability to copy with their task should be considered to lessen occupational stress among Chinese doctors.

Work stress and reduced health in young physicians: prospective evidence from Swiss residents

OBJECTIVES

Job stress, investigated by the effort-reward model in various working environments in different countries, has been widely reported, yet studies addressing physicians are lacking. The present study investigated the perceived job stress, its association with the amount of working hours, and its impact on young physicians' self-reported health and their satisfaction with life during residency.

METHODS

In a prospective study design, a cohort of Swiss medical school graduates was followed up, beginning in 2001. In their second and fourth years of residency, 433 physicians assessed their effort-reward imbalance, overcommitment, physical and mental well-being and satisfaction in life. Taking the longitudinal design into account, four categories of stressed residents were defined: (1) subjects not reporting high work stress at either measurement, (2) subjects reporting high work stress in the second but not in the fourth year of residency, (3) subjects with onset of high work stress in fourth year and (4) residents reporting high work stress at both measurements.

RESULTS

All components of the perceived stress at work were significantly correlated with the amount of working hours, effort showing the highest correlation. While two-thirds of the participants do not report high work stress, assessed by the extrinsic part of the effort-reward imbalance model (the ratio between effort and reward) and 12% show a decrease of stress over time, there are 15% with an increase of stress over time, and 10% with persistently high stress experience. In terms of the intrinsic stress component (overcommitment), 71% show low values, 12% show a decrease, 9% an increase and 8% constantly high values. The groups with constant and increasing extrinsic and intrinsic stress experience exhibit significantly worse health and life satisfaction compared to the remaining groups, after controlling for gender and baseline health.

CONCLUSIONS

Stress at work in young physicians, especially when being experienced over a longer period in postgraduate training, has to be a matter of concern because of its negative impact on health and life satisfaction and the risk of developing symptoms of burnout in the long run.

Job stress and mental health of child-counseling office workers

In Japan, consultations concerning child abuse cases are increasing rapidly, and the mental health of child-counseling office workers, who must deal with them, has emerged as an issue. To measure the state of mental health of these workers, and to clarify the characteristics of their job-related stress, we sent a questionnaire to 69 workers of child-counseling offices in Ibaraki Prefecture and obtained responses from 45. (1) Their job environment was characterized as high demand/low control/low reward. (2) The mean score of GHQ-12 of the subjects was 5.9 +/- 3.6, indicating a very poor state of mental health. (3) Stress due to physical and verbal assaults by the parties involved in the cases and the psychological burden of intervention were found to be related to their poor mental health. Along with measures to prevent such assaults, training in intervention techniques, supervision, and care for psychological trauma are needed for child-counseling office workers.

Associations of sleep problems and recent life events with smoking behaviors among female staff nurses in Japanese hospitals

For the purpose of examining the relation of sleep problems and other possible correlates with smoking among staff nurses in hospitals, the cross-sectional data of a self-administered questionnaire survey for 522 Japanese female staff nurses were reanalyzed. Registered nurses or licensed practical nurses were 82%, while nursing assistants were 18%. The prevalence of current smoking (PCS) was 29%, being higher than that in the general population of Japanese women. The current smokers exhibited a high tendency toward tobacco dependence. Multivariate analyses revealed that PCS was associated with recent frequent night shifts and a large amount of support from coworkers, while the association of a large amount of job control and a feeling of light overnight sleep with PCS was also suggested. The tobacco-dependent tendency was associated with recent life events and the presence of insomnia. It is possible that smoking is a countermeasure against sleepiness caused by the disadaptation to shift-work, or that tobacco-intake pharmacologically disturbs sleep. For decreasing PCS in staff nurses, further research should focus on the relation of smoking with their sleepiness and shift-working system, and also on the process in which major life events develop smoking behaviors.

[Development of the Brief Scales for Coping Profile (BSCP) for workers: basic information about its reliability and validity]

Coping profile of workers greatly affects the process where job stressors develop health problems, but most of the previously proposed questionnaires for the coping profile are too long to be applied to the program of occupational mental health. In the present study, the authors report the process of developing a new self-rating questionnaire for assessing workers' coping profile which includes only 18 questions. Based on the results of a preparatory study, the 18 questions which provide 6 scales about coping strategies were proposed as the Brief Scales for Coping Profile (BSCP). A self-administered questionnaire including BSCP, Brief Scales for Job Stress (BSJS), and a depression scale (CES-D) was applied to 394 workers in a company, and 328 (83%) responded. Their age was 40.1 +/- 10.0 yr (mean +/- SD), 78% were men, 75% were married, and most of them were white collar workers. Six factors extracted through factor analysis of BSCP closely agreed with the expected 6 scales and also with the results of previous studies. They were named "active solution", "seeking help for solution", "changing a point of view", "changing mood", "emotional expression involving others", and "avoidance and suppression". The Cronbach's reliability coefficients for the scales were from 0.66 to 0.75, showing sufficiently high internal consistency. None of them related to gender or age. Multiple regression analysis revealed that 38% of the variance of the depression score was explained by "workload", "problems in personal relationships", and "reward from work" scores in BSJS, and also with "active solution" and "avoidance and suppression" scores in BSCP. Interaction analysis revealed that the coping profile modifies the relationship between job stressors and depressive symptoms; the "active solution" score was inversely associated with the depression score, particularly for the workers with high "problems in personal relationships" scores and low "reward from work" scores, while "avoidance and suppression" scores were positively associated with the depression score particularly for the workers with high "problems in personal relationships" scores. These results support part of the reliability and validity of BSCP, and also support the feasibility of BSCP as a tool for self-management and health education concerning job stress in the field of occupational mental health. The test-retest reliability and concurrent validity of BSCP should be confirmed in a future study. It also should be confirmed in future whether the coping profile relates with gender, age, job type, or other outcome of job stress in other populations.