The impact of changes in work stressors and coping resources on the risk of new-onset suicide ideation among Chinese petroleum industry workers

General work stress and suicide cognitions in health-care workers: mediating effect of hopelessness and job satisfaction

Individuals with a satisfactory level of job satisfaction are much less likely to feel hopeless about their future and are more likely to perform efficiently in the workplace. General work stress (i.e., the work-related stress subjectively experienced) is a significant predictor of suicide cognitions. Furthermore, it has been posited that satisfaction and hope are fundamental to life from an existential perspective. We, therefore, tested a hypothetical model of general work stress, suicide cognitions, hopelessness, and job satisfaction. The data were collected from 416 health-care workers through a convenience sampling method. The mediation analysis results revealed significant negative and positive relationships among general work stress, suicide conceptions, hopelessness, and job satisfaction. The findings indicate that hopelessness and job satisfaction have a parallel mediating effect in the relationship between general work stress and suicide cognitions. The result of the study is of great importance, which suggests that interventions to alleviate hopelessness and work stress and to boost the job satisfaction of medical staff may help prevent suicide cognitions.

Perceived abusive supervision and graduate students' suicidal ideation: from the perspective of interpersonal psychological theory of suicide

BACKGROUND

In recent years, the issue of suicide caused by the stress of a contradictory relationship between graduate students and academic supervisors has aroused heated discussion in society. Based on the interpersonal psychological theory of suicide, this study aims to examine the influence of the perceived abusive supervision on graduate students' suicidal ideation and the parallel mediating roles of thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional online survey measuring perceived abusive supervision, interpersonal psychological needs and suicidal ideation among 232 Chinese graduate students. A structural equation model was constructed to test the hypothesis.

RESULTS

The results showed that abusive supervision directly exacerbated suicidal ideation (β = 0.160, 95% CI = [0.038, 0.281], p = 0.009) and indirectly influenced suicidal ideation through thwarted belongingness (β = 0.059, 95% CI = [0.008, 0.110], p = 0.019) and perceived burdensomeness (β = 0.102, 95% CI = [0.013, 0.191], p = 0.018). The indirect effect accounted for 50.15% of the overall effect.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings enrich our understanding of the influence of supervisor-student relationship by integrating the literatures on educational and organizational behaviour, and provide practical insights for psychosocial interventions from the perspective of the interpersonal psychological theory of suicide.

Hussenoeder F, Conrad I, Riedel-Heller S, Romero Starke K. Psychosocial Occupational Exposures and Mental Illness

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study is to investigate the exposure-risk relationship between psychosocial occupational stress and mental illness.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review with meta-analyses as an update of a systematic review published in 2014. The study protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020170032). Literature searches were carried out in the MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Embase databases. All procedural steps were performed independently by two reviewers; discordances were solved by consensus. All of the included full texts were subject to a methodological appraisal. Certainty of evidence was determined with the GRADE procedure.

RESULTS

The pooled risk of depression was found to be approximately doubled in workers exposed to high job strain, which is defined as high work demands combined with low job control (effect estimate [EE] = 1.99, 95% CI [1.68; 2.35], heterogeneity [I2] = 24.7%, n = 8). In particular, high work demands are associated with incident depression (ES = 13.8 [1.19; 1.61], I2 = 69.0%, n = 9) and with incident anxiety disorder (ES = 1.79 [1.44; 2.23], I2 = 48.1%, n = 5). There were only a small number of methodologically adequate studies available on burnout, somatoform disorders, suicidal ideation, and suicide. Thus, no pooled risk estimates were calculated, although some individual studies showed a considerably increased risk.

CONCLUSION

Psychosocial occupational stress is clearly associated with depression and anxiety disorders.

Exploring men's use of mental health support offered by an Australian Employee Assistance Program (EAP): perspectives from a focus-group study with males working in blue- and white-collar industries

Background

Men continue to be overrepresented in the Australian suicide statistics despite wide scale public health initiatives to improve men’s mental health literacy and to increase their help-seeking behaviour. Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) deliver free and confidential mental health support; however, their services are underutilised by men. In the absence of contemporary literature that explores end-user experiences of EAPs, we asked men from blue- and white-collar employment settings about the barriers and enablers to using EAP services and explored differences between employment settings.

Methods

Forty-four men participated in this qualitative study: 32 from one white-collar employer and 12 from one blue-collar employer. Two qualified mental health professionals facilitated five first-round and three second-round focus groups and one interview with white-collar workers, and two focus groups and three interviews with blue-collar workers. Data were thematically analysed using a framework approach.

Results

Four of the six main themes were barriers: no need for EAP—alternative supports; uncertainty of EAP services; scepticism and distrust of EAP; and societal and workplace cultures. Elements of enduring barriers to EAP use were contained within sub-themes. These included lack of knowledge about EAPs, issues of trustworthiness and confidentiality, and fear of stigma and career jeopardy. Enablers comprised the need for attractive, reliable messaging and proactive connections and service delivery. Differences within sub-themes for white-collar and blue-collar groups reflected the corporate nature of work and workplace culture for white-collar participants, and workers’ communication and practical problem resolution preferences for blue-collar workers.

Conclusion

Some elements identified in the barriers to EAP use are more entrenched than were previously estimated and these need to be a priority for action to increase confidence in EAP services by end-users. EAPs that have a visible and proactive presence in the workplace, that tailor their marketing and service delivery to different workgroups, that provide a competitive advantage to its service users, and more confidently conveys independence from its client organisations may help to increase men’s interest in accessing EAP support services. Further initiatives that reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and help-seeking both in society and the workplace are needed.

The Influence of Changes in Work Stressors and Coping Resources on Sleep Disturbances: Evidence from the OHSPIW Cohort Study

STUDY OBJECTIVES

We investigated whether changes in psychosocial work conditions affect the risk of sleep disturbances.

METHODS

Data pertaining to 2738 males and 1431 females were obtained from the Occupational Health Study of Petroleum Industry Workers (OHSPIW), a prospective cohort study of Chinese petroleum industry workers. The subjects were assessed with regard to work-related stressors, coping resources and sleep disturbances at baseline (2012) and follow-up (2018). The variations in work stressors and coping resources, which were assessed using the Occupation Stress Inventory-Reviewed (OSI-R), were calculated. Sleep disturbances were evaluated with the self-reported Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).

RESULTS

Increased work stressors (OR=1.57, 95% CI=1.24-1.99) and decreased coping resources (OR=2.03, 95% CI=1.48-2.78) were correlated with the likelihood of sleep disturbances in male and female workers. The primary risk factors included high role overload, increased responsibility, enhanced physical environment stressors, reduced self-care, and reduced rational coping. A reduction in work stressors was a protective factor against sleep disturbances in females only (OR=0.63, 95% CI=0.45-0.88). Coping resources had a modifying effect on the relationship between increased work stressors and sleep disturbances, with increased coping resources being associated with a lower odds of increased works stressors on sleep disturbances (OR=1.29, 95%CI=1.01-1.66) than decreased coping resources (OR=3.60, 95%CI=1.10-11.81).

CONCLUSIONS

Changes in work stressors and coping resources have a significant influence on the risk of sleep disturbances. Our findings highlight important precautionary strategies to abate adverse psychosocial working environments and to strengthen coping resources to prevent work-related sleep disturbances.

Perceived stressfulness mediates the effects of subjective social support and negative coping style on suicide risk in Chinese patients with major depressive disorder

BACKGROUND

Risk factors for suicide have been widely investigated in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD); However, far less research has been conducted on protective factors for suicide.

METHODS

The diagnosis of MDD and suicide risk were evaluated by the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Social support and coping behaviors were assessed by the Social Support Rate Scale (SSRS) and Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ), respectively. Life stressors were captured by the Life Events Scale (LES). Severity of depression was assessed by 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17). Logistic regression analysis and path analyses were used to test the association of protective factors, risk factors, life stress and suicide risk.

RESULTS

Patients with suicide risk showed a significantly lower level of subjective social support (adjusted P < 0.012), a higher level of perceived stressfulness (P < 0.001) and negative coping style (P = 0.008) compared with patients without suicide risk. Path analysis showed that perceived stressfulness can mediate the protective effect of subjective social support and deleterious effect of negative coping style on suicide risk.

LIMITATIONS

Cross-sectional design, and retrospective recall of stressful life events.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that subjective social support and negative coping style may be regarded as a protective factor and a risk factor for suicide risk in MDD patients, respectively, and perceived stressfulness mediates their roles in suicide. Further suicide prevention and intervention strategies should focus on increasing individual subjective social support and improving coping strategies to enhance their resilience.

Etiopathogenesis of Suicide: A Conceptual Analysis of Risk and Prevention Within a Comprehensive, Deterministic Model

Suicide is a rising global health concern receiving disproportionate attention in comparison to other health conditions. In spite of substantial technological and scientific advancements, suicide research has continued to move slowly in terms of clinical translation due to the complexity of neural mechanisms, and subjective experiences that seem to underpin this complex human behavior. This paper analyzes the concepts of risk and prevention in the context of suicide in an attempt to bridge the large methodological and theoretical gaps between the biological, psychological, and sociological dimensions. This paper aims to accomplish the following objectives: (1) operationalize the concepts of suicide risk and prevention as they relate to current knowledge and capabilities; (2) synthesize and integrate suicide research across biological, psychological, and sociological dimensions; (3) discuss limitations of each dimension in isolation; (4) suggest a model of etiopathogenesis that incorporates extant literature and bridges unnecessary gaps between dimensions; and (5) suggest future directions for multidimensional research through the inclusion of principles from the physical sciences. Ultimately, this paper provides a basis for a comprehensive model of suicide within a deterministic, chaotic system.

Abusive supervision and suicidal ideation: The mediating role of basic psychological need satisfaction

This study examines whether abusive supervision is related to suicide ideation and whether the need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness mediates this relationship. We use a diverse sample (N = 687) from six Chinese organizations. Abusive supervision was significantly related to suicidal ideation and satisfaction of the needs for competence and relatedness, but not for autonomy, partially mediated this relationship. Findings suggest that organizations that initiate intervention strategies to limit the adverse consequences of abusive supervision thereby help protect subordinates from suicidal ideation.

Making Sense of Chinese Employees' Suicide Ideation: Does Meaning in Life Matter?

Drawing on the self-determination theory and conservation of resources, our research shed light on the linkage between organizational autonomy support and suicide ideation. Specifically, this study examined whether the negative influence of autonomy support on suicide ideation is mediated via meaning in life, and if employee's autonomy orientations constitute a boundary condition of this relationship. To test the hypothesized model, data were collected from professional employees (N = 687) across six organizations of various business sectors. The findings supported our proposed hypotheses and showed that individuals' meaning in life mediated the linkage between autonomy support and suicide ideation. As suggested, hypothesized relations were moderated by employee's disposition in such a way that autonomy support influences meaning in life of employees high on autonomy orientation, but not of employees low on autonomy orientation. The study discussed implications and future research avenues.

Workplace psychosocial stressors experienced by migrant workers in Australia: A cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

To explore work-related psychosocial stressors among people of Chinese, Vietnamese and Arabic-speaking backgrounds currently working in Australia.

METHODS

In 2015, a telephone survey of 585 Vietnamese, Chinese and Arabic-speaking workers asked about workplace bullying, ethnic discrimination, job complexity, degree of control, security and fairness of payment along with demographic and employment information. Estimates of job-related psychosocial stressors were derived and regression analyses used to identify significant associations.

RESULTS

At least one workplace stressor was reported by 83% of the workers in the study. Education was significantly associated with experiencing any psychosocial stressor and also with the total number of stressors. Workers aged 45 years and older were more likely to be bullied or experience racial discrimination compared with younger workers of any ethnicity. There was a greater likelihood of reporting low control over a job when the interview was conducted in a language other than English and the workers were either Chinese or Arabic. Workers on a fixed-term contract, independent of ethnicity were more likely to report a job with low security. Overall psychosocial job quality decreased with education and was associated with occupation type which interacted with ethnicity and gender.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that job-related psychosocial stressors are widespread but not uniform across ethnic groups. Further research into what drives differences in work experience for migrant groups would provide information to guide both employers and migrants in ways to reduce workplace psychosocial stressors.