Quality of life and influencing factors of coal miners in Xuzhou, China

Measuring the Health Related Quality of Life and Economic Burden of Illness Among Migrant Workers With Pneumoconiosis

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study is to evaluate the living status of migrant workers with pneumoconiosis (MWP) in China with regard to health-related quality of life (QOL) and economic burden of illness.

METHODS

An on-site investigation of 685 respondents in 7 provinces is conducted. Quality of life scores are derived using the self-made scale, and human capital method and disability-adjusted life year are applied to value the economic loss. Multiple linear regression and K-means clustering analysis are performed for further investigation.

RESULTS

Respondents have an overall lower QOL of 64.85 ± 7.04 and significant average loss of Ұ344.5 thousand per capita, where age and provincial heterogeneity generally exist. Pneumoconiosis stage and assistance condition are 2 significant predictors affecting MWP's living conditions.

CONCLUSIONS

The evaluation of QOL and economic loss would contribute to the formulation of targeted countermeasures for MWP to enhance their well-being.

Mental health in mine workers: a literature review

The mining environment is hazardous for worker's health. It can affect the mental health, triggering symptoms and diseases, such as anxiety, job stress, depression, sleep disorders, mental fatigue and other. The aim of this study was to describe and analyze the scientific literature about the mental health in mine workers and to summarize the findings. The method used was scoping review. The principal outcomes were the following: evidence in the last 12 years in the topic was focused in four themes 1) Psychological problems & personal factors (38.2%); 2) Psychosocial problems & health related factor (23.6%); 3) Well-being (21.1%) and 4) Physical problems & organization factors (17.1%). Several affections, symptoms, characteristics or disorders were inquired about mine worker's mental health, such as job strain, unsafety experiences, poor quality of sleep, non-subjective well-being, job unsatisfaction, social-relations conflict, risk of accidents and injuries, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), substance abuse, dangerous working conditions and demanding job organization, and so on. For those factors, Mining could expose to serious mental health problems to a part of their workers. It's necessary to deepen the elaboration of international policies and carry out more scientific research and suggestions to make programs on the topic.

Associations of occupational stress with job burn-out, depression and hypertension in coal miners of Xinjiang, China: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

Strategies and measures for fighting occupational stress in China are inadequate. This study aimed to determine the level of occupational stress in coal miners and to assess the associations between occupational stress and job burn-out, depression and hypertension. The results could provide clues for preventive measures and strategies to improve the psychological well-being of this population.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Xinjiang Coal Administration Bureau.

PARTICIPANTS

Four coal mines were selected randomly (computer-generated random number-based selection process) from the 21 coal mines of Xinjiang, and all miners with >1 year of employment were screened for participation.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES

A general demographic questionnaire, the Self-rating Depression Scale, the Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) model and the Maslach Burn-out Inventory.

RESULTS

A total of 1400 questionnaires were collected, including 1334 (95.3%) valid questionnaires. This survey indicated that 1107 (83.0%) participants with an ERI score >1 (high occupational stress) and 227 (12.8%) had ERI ≤1. Severe depression was found in 21.7% of the participants. Job burn-out was positively correlated with occupational stress, which was, in turn, associated with depression. Multivariable linear regression analysis showed that depression (β=0.006, p=0.012), sex (β=0.358, p<0.001) and occupational stress (β=0.702, p<0.001) were independently associated with job burn-out. Working years (β=-0.086, p=0.015) and job burn-out (β=0.022, p<0.001) were directly associated with depression.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights that occupational stress may affect job burn-out, depression symptoms and hypertension. A higher degree of occupational stress was associated with poorer mental status and hypertension.

Who Reports Low Interactive Psychology Status? An Investigation Based on Chinese Coal Miners

In mine safety and health research, psychological issues have always been neglected. This paper aims to identify the psychological perceptions of workers with respect to the mine environment and interpersonal environment across the whole production system. A survey was designed that measured the miners' demographic details and perceptions of two affect-based interactions; three resource-based interactions for the manager, supervisor, co-worker; and three actual environment interactions. A total of 642 frontline coal miners from six mines located in six provinces in China completed the survey. The main results indicated that that miners reported low psychology status, especially those over 51 years old, with a monthly income of 2000-4000 and junior school education. Second, there was a high proportion of inferior value in environmental interactions. Meanwhile, the miners' interactions with their co-workers were perceived as the most positive and those with their managers as the least in interpersonal interactions. Third, there were significant differences in sub-dimension interactions (actual environment, resource-based, affect-based interactions) that certainly existed in these interactive roles. Additionally, the dissociated type of miners with manager and supervisor (low resource and affect-based interaction) reached 23.99~24.45%. This study revealed the inner psychological risk factors for safety and health work in coal mines and provides an essential guideline for mining industries.

Physical symptoms and mental health status in deep underground miners: A cross-sectional study

The aim of the present study was to reveal the physical symptom changes and their correlations with mental health status in deep underground miners.A total of 286 deep underground miners completed a cross-sectional questionnaire study at China Pingmei Shenma mine complex. The questionnaire included sociodemographics, self-reported physical symptoms, underground adverse environmental factors, and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R). Five environmental parameters of 1 deep mine were also measured.Data from 266 valid questionnaires were analyzed. The 3 most frequent complaints about underground adverse conditions were moisture [62.03% (165/266)], dim light [45.86% (122/266)], and high temperature [42.11% (112/266)]. Fatigue [40.22% (107/266)], hearing loss [34.96% (93/266)], and tinnitus [31.58% (84/266)] were reported to be the three most common physical symptoms. Insomnia was reported in 204 participants (76.69%) mainly due to the difficulty of falling asleep [42.35% (84/204)] and dreams [39.70% (81/204)]. Mean scores of SCL-90-R subscales including somatization, anxiety, phobic anxiety, psychoticism, and paranoid ideation were elevated compared to Chinese norms, while there was diminished interpersonal sensitivity. Univariate analyses indicated that the 3 most common physical symptoms were associated with poorer SCL-90-R scores. With increasing depth below ground, air pressure, relative humidity, CO2 concentration and temperature rose, while total gamma radiation dose-rate decreased.The physical and mental health status of deep underground miners was poorer than the general Chinese male population. Some adverse environmental factors were identified that may have influenced health status. Measures are suggested to improve the deep underground working environment.

The effect of valve noise on the quality of life of patients after mechanical mitral valve replacement in a Chinese population

Objective

To investigate the effect of valve noise on the quality of life (QOL) in Chinese patients who underwent mechanical mitral valve replacement.

Methods

We enrolled a total of 103 patients who underwent mechanical mitral valve replacement (MVR, CM valve in 52 patients, SJM valve in 51 patients) from January 2016 to December 2016 in our institution and used the SF-36 as an instrument to assess patients’ QOL.

Results

Patients’ QOL improved over time. Patients who experienced disturbances due to valve noise had lower SF-36 scores in each scale, especially in general health, vitality, and mental health. Only 8.74% (n = 9) of patients complained of valve noise 1 year after the operation compared to 19.42% (n = 20) in the first month after the operation. The number of patients who experienced disturbances due to valve noise decreased over time, with a P value of 0.58. Logistic regression analysis showed that female patients those aged < 60 years old had a higher risk of experiencing disturbances due to valve noise. The valve type (CM vs SJM), body mass index (BMI) and valve size showed no significant differences in patients who experienced disturbances due to continuous valve noise. The SF-36 results were similar in the CM group and SJM group 1 year after the operation.

Conclusions

QOL evaluated by the SF-36 improved over time in Chinese patients who underwent mechanical MVR. Age less than 60 years and female sex were high risk factors for experiencing disturbances due to valve noise. CM and SJM mechanical valves demonstrated similar valve noise levels and impact on QOL in patients who experienced mechanical MVR.

Association of sleep quality with job burnout among Chinese coal mine staff: a propensity score weighting analysis

This study examines the association of sleep quality with job burnout among Chinese coal mine staff. 3832 subjects were selected from a coal mine group located in Shanxi Province in China. Job burnout was evaluated by the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey and sleep quality was acquired with a self-reported questionnaire. We used the inverse probability of treatment weighting with propensity score to mimic the randomization and to minimize bias in estimations. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to test the robustness of our findings. We identified that good sleep quality was significantly associated with lower risk of job burnout (OR: 0.70; 95%CI, 0.60 to 0.82, p = 6.02e-06), with 0.21 decrease in the score of exhaustion (95%CI,-0.29 to -0.12, p = 5.00e-06), and with 0.13 decrease in the score of cynicism (95%CI,-0.21 to -0.04, p = 3.73e-03). Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the results were robust to the choice of estimation models, as well as unmeasured confounding. Stratification analysis demonstrated that the associations of sleep quality with job burnout were largely heterogeneous for male and female workers. This study implicated that good sleep quality benefits the workers in relief of job burnout. Further research may be warranted in support of a definite causal relationship and intervention strategy.