Stress, coping and safety compliance in a multinational gold mining company

Evaluating the Efficacy of Telehealth-Based Treatments for Depression in Adults: A Rapid Review and Meta-Analysis

PURPOSE

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the leading causes of work-related disability, and accessing telehealth therapies can be a promising modality for workers with MDD. Barriers to accessing in-person mental healthcare, such as limited availability and accessibility in rural and remote communities, financial constraints, and stigma, have highlighted the need for alternative approaches like telehealth. This study investigated the efficacy of telehealth interventions including CBT for adults over 18 diagnosed with MDD.

METHODS

This rapid review and meta-analysis followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to ensure a transparent methodology. Out of the 2549 studies screened, 19 were incorporated into the rapid review, and of those, 10 were included in the subsequent meta-analyses. Articles were screened independently by two reviewers, with the disagreements reconciled through discussion. A reviewer extracted data from eligible articles. Descriptive statistics and narrative syntheses were used to describe outcomes. Two meta-analyses were conducted to investigate the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) delivered by telehealth (tCBT). The first compared tCBT to in-person CBT (pCBT). The second meta-analysis compared tCBT to a control group that did not receive CBT or another telehealth-based treatment. Non-CBT interventions investigated within the non-CBT group included somatic rhythm therapy, problem-solving therapy, psychiatry, behavioral activation, and interpersonal psychotherapy.

RESULTS

Overall, individuals with MDD who received tCBT showed significant improvement in depression symptoms. However, the efficacy of tCBT compared to non-telehealth control groups varied across studies. The first meta-analysis indicated the magnitudes of effect were similar for both interventions in reducing depression symptoms 0.023 (95% CI - 0.120 to 0.166); p = 1.00. In the second meta-analysis, the ratio of means comparing tCBT (0.51 ± 0.14 SD) to the control group (0.68 ± 0.12 SD) exhibited a statistically significant 25% reduction with regard to depression scores (one-sided p = 0.002), favouring tCBT to non-telehealth, non-CBT study groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Telehealth-based CBT demonstrated positive effects on depression symptoms; it was generally superior when compared to control groups not receiving CBT and was on par with pCBT. The growing mental health burden in the community underscores the need for accessible telehealth services like tCBT. Effective policy formulation and implementation in national health agendas are essential to meet the increasing demand for mental health support.

Mental health and mining: the Ghanaian gold mining story

PURPOSE

There is limited empirical evidence regarding mental health in workplace settings in Africa. Gold mining is a major industry in Ghana, and this study investigated mental health-related symptoms and the factors contributing to such symptoms among employees in the Ghanaian.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey design study was used to collect data from employees working in the mining industry across five gold mines in Ghana. All mining employees were invited to participate in the survey. Sociodemographic and work characteristic data (including job content) was collected alongside measures of recent mental health-related symptoms (Kessler-10). Questionnaires were administered in English. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression models.

RESULTS

Of 1165 participants (response rate: 78%), 87% were male and 13% were female. The majority of the participants were in the 25-34 age category. Psychological distress was categorized as low (62.6%), moderate (24.3%), high (10.0%) and very high (3.2%). Shift type (working 12 h or more), physical working conditions and financial factors were significantly associated with psychological distress. Job resources and job demands was not significantly associated with levels of psychological distress.

CONCLUSION

This is the first study to explore mental health in the Ghanaian gold mining industry. The findings identify workplace factors associated with psychological distress in the mining industry in Ghana and support the importance of promoting mental health as part of workplace health and safety strategy to improve mental health across the mining population.

The Mediating Role of Job Competence between Safety Participation and Behavioral Compliance

The effective improvement of employee behavioral compliance and safety performance is an important subject related to the sustainable development of the construction industry. Based on data from a Chinese company (n = 290), this study used a partial least squares-structural equation model to clarify the relationship among safety participation, job competence, and behavioral compliance. Empirical analysis found that: (1) safety participation had a significant positive impact on employees’ behavioral compliance; and (2) job competence played a partial mediating role between safety participation and behavioral compliance. By selecting two new perspectives of safety participation and job competence, this study derived new factors affecting behavioral compliance, constructed a new theory about safety management, and conducted an in-depth discussion on improving behavioral compliance theoretically. Practically, the research put forward a new decision-making model, deconstructed the mechanism between safety participation and behavioral compliance, and provided new guiding strategies for improving employee behavioral compliance.

Mining is bad for health: a voyage of discovery

Mining continues to be a dangerous activity, whether large-scale industrial mining or small-scale artisanal mining. Not only are there accidents, but exposure to dust and toxins, along with stress from the working environment or managerial pressures, give rise to a range of diseases that affect miners. I look at mining and health from various personal perspectives: that of the ordinary man (much of life depends on mined elements in the house, car and phone); as a member of the Society for Environmental Geochemistry and Health (environmental contamination and degradation leads to ill health in nearby communities); as a public health doctor (mining health is affected by many factors, usually acting in a mix, ranging from individual inheritance-genetic makeup, sex, age; personal choices-diet, lifestyle; living conditions-employment, war; social support-family, local community; environmental conditions-education, work; to national and international constraints-trade, economy, natural world); as a volunteer (mining health costs are not restricted to miners or industry but borne by everyone who partakes of mining benefits-all of us); and as a lay preacher (the current global economy concentrates on profit at the expense of the health of miners). Partnership working by academics with communities, government and industry should develop evidence-based solutions. Employment, health, economic stability and environmental protection need not be mutually exclusive. We all need to act.

Musculoskeletal disorders, stress perception and physical activity in police officers

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to analyze association between stress perception and physical activity with the prevalence of symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders (SMSD) in police officers. The police officers (n=142) answered the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10) and the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. Pearson’s linear correlation coefficient was used to measure strength and direction of relationship between PSS-10 and prevalence of SMSD and showed a positive correlation between variables in the last 7 days (r=0.34, p=0.00001) and in the last 12 months (r=0.40, p=0.00001). The mean prevalence of SMSD in the last 12 months was lower among police officers practicing physical activity (W=1888.5, p=0.04). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the practice of physical activities as well as efforts to reduce stress perception both decrease the odds of musculoskeletal disorders. This study indicated that stress level and physical activity practice influenced in prevalence of SMSD. Multidisciplinary interventions with actions to reduce stress level and encourage physical activity practice are needed to control SMSD prevalence.