Association of Co-Exposure to Psychosocial Factors With Depression and Anxiety in Korean Workers

Investigating the effects of co-exposure to noise and benzene on serum oxidative stress in rat

Occupational exposures are generally complex, workers are exposed with more than one hazardous agent in work environment. Combined exposure to noise and benzene is common in occupational environments. Sub-acute exposure to benzene vapors can induce oxidative stress in serum. Additionally, noise exposure leads to non-auditory effects, such as oxidative stress. However, In the authors' research scope, a study aimed at investigating the effect of co-exposure to noise and benzene on the oxidative stress of rat serum has not been found. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of co-exposure to noise and benzene on oxidative stress. In this study, 24 Wistar albino male rats were divided into four groups: the control group (1), the group exposed to white noise with an intensity of 100 dB and a frequency of 250-8KHz (2), the group exposed to benzene vapors with a concentration of 300 PPM (3), and the group co-exposed to white noise with an intensity of 100 dB and benzene vapors with a concentration of 300 PPM. Oxidative stress induced was investigated by serum oxidative stress indices, including lipid peroxidation (MDA), total oxidative capacity (TOS), and antioxidant activity indices (SOD) and (GSH), as well as total antioxidant capacity (TAC).The results showed that exposure to noise and benzene, both separately and combined, can lead to oxidative stress in rat serum, increasing serum oxidant indices MDA and TOS while decreasing serum antioxidant indices TAC, SOD, and GSH was detected in groups exposed to noise and benzene. The findings indicate that the serum oxidative stress caused by the co- exposure to noise and benzene is significantly higher than separate exposure to noise or benzene, also Co-exposure to noise and benzene can have an almost additive effect on increasing serum oxidative stress in rats. This study highlights the importance of studying co-exposure to physical and chemical hazardous agents in the work environment.

Anxiety-associated factors among employees with different personality profiles: a cross-sectional study in China

Introduction

Anxiety not only harms employees' work efficiency and satisfaction but also presents as a hazard to their mental health. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of anxiety among Chinese employees, identify their personality profiles and explore the anxiety-related factors in different personality profiles.

Methods

This national investigation adopted the multistage random sampling method to recruit employees. A total of 3,875 employees were enrolled in this study, and 39.1% (1,515/3,875) of them were experiencing anxiety at the time of the study. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted to identify personality subgroups among Chinese employees based on their BFI-10 scores.

Results

LPA identified a three-profile solution among Chinese employees: average, resilient, and introverted. Employees in the resilient profile had the lowest anxiety rate (16.1%, 132/822), and those in the average profile had the highest rate (46.8%, 1,166/2,494). Multivariate analysis results showed that for all personality profiles, self-efficacy was positively associated with anxiety, and work-family conflict was negatively associated with anxiety. High levels of perceived social support and self-efficacy reduced the risk of anxiety and higher work-family conflict and no partner increased the odds of anxiety in the average profile. For the introverted profile, female gender, and living in a city increased the chances of suffering from anxiety.

Discussion

This study identified that each personality profile of Chinese employees had its own set of factors associated with anxiety, which could facilitate employers to provide targeted interventions to alleviate employees' anxiety.

Association between Exposure to Particulate Matter Air Pollution during Early Childhood and Risk of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Taiwan

(1) Background: Recently, a growing number of studies have provided evidence to suggest a strong correlation between air pollution exposure and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In this study, we assessed the relationship between early-life exposure to particulate matter (PM)₁₀, PM₂.₅, and ADHD; (2) Methods: The National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) contains the medical records, drug information, inspection data, etc., of the people of Taiwan, and, thus, could serve as an important research resource. Air pollution data were based on daily data from the Environmental Protection Administration Executive Yuan, R.O.C. (Taiwan). These included particulate matter (PM_2.5 and PM₁₀). The two databases were merged according to the living area of the insured and the location of the air quality monitoring station; (3) Results: The highest levels of air pollutants, including PM_2.5 (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 1.79; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.58-2.02) and PM₁₀ (aHR = 1.53; 95% CI = 1.37-1.70), had a significantly higher risk of ADHD; (4) Conclusions: As such, measures for air quality control that meet the WHO air quality guidelines should be strictly and uniformly implemented by Taiwanese government authorities.

The significant association between quick return and depressive symptoms and sleep disturbances in paid workers: A nationwide survey

Objectives

Although many studies have examined the association between shift work and depression or insomnia, few studies have examined the relationship between quick return (QR) to work and depressive symptoms, regardless of shift work. Thus, in this study, we aimed to assess the association between depressive symptoms (DS)/sleep disturbances (SDs) and QR.

Methods

Data from the 6^th Korean Working Conditions Survey (2020) were used for this study. Paid workers aged between 20 and 65 years were included. DS were defined using the World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5) with a cut-off 50, and SD was defined as the occurrence of the following symptoms several times per month: difficulty in falling asleep, waking up in the middle of the night, or feeling tired even after waking up. QR was defined as "at least one case where the working interval between leaving work and the next day's work was < 11 h in the past month." Multivariable logistic regression was performed to estimate the adjusted odd ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Mediation analysis was conducted to examine whether SD was a significant mediator in the association between QR and DS.

Results

Among the 27,554 participants, DS occurred in 8,277 patients, while SD occurred in 6,264 patients. The aORs (95% CIs) of DS and SD by QR were 2.01 (1.78-2.27) and 3.24 (2.87-3.66), respectively, after adjusting for age, gender, income, education, working hours, job status, working duration, region, shift work, and occupation. SD was a significant mediator in the association between QR and DS.

Conclusion

QR is significantly associated with DS or SD regardless of demographic factors and the working environment. The significant relationship between QR and DS may be mediated by SD.

Association between Self-Perceived Social Support in the Workplace and the Presence of Depressive/Anxiety Symptoms

This study aimed to investigate the association of support from colleagues and supervisors at the workplace on depressive and anxiety symptoms in wage earners from Korea. The data used in this study were from the fifth Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS) conducted in 2017 and analyzed using a multivariate logistic regression model. Furthermore, we measured the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of depressive and anxiety symptoms by stratifying covariates. The ORs of depressive and anxiety symptoms for the “non-support” group were higher than for the “support group” in terms of support from both colleagues and supervisors. The results of the stratified analysis of covariates, male, young, highly-educated, full-time, and white-collar groups were associated with the lack of support. Support from colleagues and supervisors was significantly associated with the Korean wage worker’s mental health—depressive and anxiety symptoms, respectively. Further longitudinal and clinical studies on the relationship between mental health and support at the workplace are required.