The impact of occupational stress factors on temporary work disability related to arterial hypertension and its complications

The Influence of Chronic Diseases on Self-Reported Work Disability: Evidence From the Korean Labor and Income Panel Study 2003-2018

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the relationship between the types of chronic diseases and self-reported work disability.

METHODS

We used data from the Korean Labor and Income Panel Study from waves 6 to 21 conducted from 2003 to 2018. New cases of work disability were defined as those who reported that they had work limitations due to their health problems. Information on chronic disease was collected using a questionnaire during the sixth wave of the survey. To evaluate the effects of chronic disease on self-reporting work disability, Cox proportional hazard models were used.

RESULTS

The three most influential diseases on work disability were ophthalmologic diseases, chronic kidney diseases, and cardiovascular diseases during the 15-year follow-up period.

CONCLUSION

Work disability is strongly and significantly associated with the aforementioned chronic diseases.

Disability stories: personal perspectives of people with disabilities on navigating the U.S. health system

Americans with disabilities and chronic illness or injury tend to be in poorer health, use more health services, and pay more for healthcare than those without disabilities. Consequently, their lives can be profoundly affected by federal and state health policies. The concerns of this population do not figure prominently in national health policy discourse and related public health and health services research efforts. This study sought to give voice to the lived experiences of people with disabilities as they navigate a fragmented U.S. healthcare system. We interviewed 30 adults who self-identified as having a disability and spoke or otherwise communicated in the English language. Directed content analysis was used to examine words and phrases in professionally transcribed documents by experienced qualitative researchers. We report and discuss four themes from the perspective of the participant, presented in thematic statements, related to vocation, finances, stressors, and advocacy.

The influence of specific aspects of occupational stress on security guards' health and work ability: detailed extension of a previous study

In our earlier study of security guards, we showed that higher occupational stress was associated with health impairments (metabolic syndrome, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases) and work disability. The aim of this study was to further explore the association of specific occupational stressors with health impairments and work disability parameters in 399 Serbian male security guards (aged 25–65 years). Ridge linear regression analysis revealed that, after controlling for age, body mass index, and smoking status, professional stressors including high demands, strictness, conflict/uncertainty, threat avoidance and underload were significant positive predictors of fasting glucose, triglycerides, total and LDL cholesterol, blood pressure, heart rate, Framingham cardiovascular risk score, and temporary work disability. The security profession is in expansion worldwide, and more studies are needed to establish precise health risk predictors, since such data are generally lacking.

The role of physical exercise as a personal resource against job stress

Purpose. The prevention of burnout symptoms is an essential goal in occupational health promotion. Physical exercise provides health-promotion benefits. This study aimed to verify physical exercise and its planned preparation as additional predictors of employees' burnout symptoms next to job demands and resources. We used the job demands-resources model as a theoretical framework. Method. In this longitudinal online study, 342 employees completed two questionnaires at an interval of 4 weeks. Results. Moderation and moderated mediation analyses confirmed vigorous physical exercise as a relevant personal resource, revealing that it buffers the detrimental effects of job demands on burnout symptoms. Planning strategies strongly predicted physical exercise and supported the debilitating effects of job resources on burnout symptoms. Especially in employees with medium levels of job stress, coping planning supported the enactment of vigorous physical exercise. Physical exercise did not mediate the association between job demands, job resources and burnout symptoms. Conclusions. This study enriches our knowledge about occupational health prevention. It points to a pressing topic for the near future, i.e., how work conditions (e.g., job stress) and leisure time (e.g., physical exercise) can be successfully combined to keep individuals' job stress to a minimum and to prevent burnout symptoms.

The relationship between occupational stress, health status, and temporary and permanent work disability among security guards in Serbia

Purpose. This study aimed to examine the influence of occupational stress on health status and work disability among security guards in Serbia. Methods. Three hundred and ninty nine male security guards (aged 25-65 years) were examined during regular medical preventive check-ups at the Institute of Occupational Health. Data on their health status and permanent and temporary work disability were obtained, and correlations with the levels of occupational stress (measured by occupational stress index [OSI] questionnaire) were analysed. Results. A high prevalence of health impairments, including diabetes (38.8%), dyslipidaemia (82.7%), hypertension (69.9%) and metabolic syndrome (77.7%), was found. Highly significant correlations were shown between reported levels of total stress at work (total OSI score) and measured values of glucose, lipids, blood pressure, heart rate, Framingham cardiovascular risk scale, occurrence of diabetes and impaired fasting glucose, dyslipidaemia, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular insults, degenerative eye-fundus changes, and temporary and permanent work disability. All of these correlations remained significant even after adjustments for age, body mass index and smoking status. Regression analysis confirmed the independent effect of occupational stress on the analysed parameters. Conclusions. There is a significant independent impact of occupational stress on development of health impairments and work disability among security guards.

Associations between occupational stress and demographic characteristics in petroleum workers in the Xinjiang arid desert

Owing to the transformation of the biomedical model of health, more and more professionals pay close attention to the occupational social psychological factors, such as occupational stress. Due to the socioeconomic impact of occupational stress and the petroleum workers stationed in the unique environment in Xinjiang, a cross-sectional study was carried out between May and December 2016 to investigate the relationship between occupational stress and demographic characteristics. A total of 1480 workers were selected. Occupational stress was evaluated with the Occupational Stress Inventory-Revised Edition. The findings of the present study revealed that the values of the Occupational Roles Questionnaire results (t = 9.266, P < .001) and Personal Strain Questionnaire results (t = 21.381, P < .001) were found to be higher than the national normal. Personal Resources Questionnaire values (t = -17.575, P < .001) were found to be lower than the national normal in petroleum workers stationed in the arid desert, and suggested a strong correlation between occupational stress and demographic characteristics. These data provide evidence that different demographic characteristics are associated with different occupational stress levels in petroleum workers stationed in the arid desert.

Anxiety, Stress-Related Factors, and Blood Pressure in Young Adults

Hypertension (HT) is a long-term medical condition characterized by persistently elevated blood pressure (BP) in the arterial vessels. Although HT initially is an asymptomatic condition, it chronically evolves into a major risk factor for cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and renal diseases that, in turn, represent crucial causes of morbidity and mortality in industrialized countries. HT is a complex disorder that is estimated to affect more than a quarter of the world's adult population. It is classified on the basis of both its pathophysiology (primary and secondary HT) and on the resting BP values (elevated systolic, diastolic, and pulse pressure). It originates from a complicated interaction of genes and several environmental risk factors including aging, smoking, lack of exercise, overweight and obesity, elevated salt intake, stress, depression, and anxiety. Anxiety and depressive disorders are the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders, affecting millions of people each year and impairing every aspect of everyday life, both of them characterized by affective, cognitive, psychomotor, and neurovegetative symptoms. Moreover, work-related stress has been considered as an important risk factor for HT and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Although different authors have investigated and suggested possible relations between HT, stress, anxiety, and depression during the last decades, a full understanding of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms has not been satisfactorily achieved, especially in young adults. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of anxiety and work-related stress in the development of HT amongst young health care profession students and the possible related consequences of early CVDs.