A study on professional stress, depression and alcohol use among Indian IT professionals

Occupational Stress Among Middle-Aged Professionals in India

Background

Professional world nowadays is very competitive, and surviving the cutthroat competition while sustaining work-related stress and pressure is an important task for employees. Professionals are required to meet daily and monthly objectives and may encounter work-related stressors.

Purpose

The study aims to explore occupational stress among middle-aged professionals in the age range of 45-60 years from the marketing, banking, and teaching sectors.

Methods

A total sample of 180 consented middle-aged professionals in the age range of 45-60 years from the banking, teaching, and marketing sectors were included in the study using a purposive and snowball sampling technique. Professionals having serious medical or psychiatric conditions and undergoing treatment for the same were excluded. The Occupational Stress Index was administered to assess different types of occupational stressors. The statistical analysis was done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20 software. A descriptive analysis and a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to get meaningful results.

Results

Results revealed that 40% of the middle-aged professionals reported experiencing minimal levels of occupational stress, followed by 32.2% experiencing moderate levels and 27.8% experiencing high levels of occupational stress. Additionally, it was found that a significantly higher percentage (91.6%) of banking professionals reported low levels of occupational stress compared to their counterparts. Eighty percent of marketing professionals reported experiencing high levels of occupational stress, whereas a majority (73.3%) of teaching professionals reported moderate levels of occupational stress.

Conclusion

Occupational stress with different severity levels is found to be common among middle-aged professionals, which is a risk factor to develop mental health problems and affects well-being. Large-scale primary and secondary interventions are required to manage stress and facilitate professional growth and development in India.

Levels of work stress among information technology professionals during COVID-19 pandemic in an Indian metropolis

Introduction

Amid the ongoing Non-Communicable Disease and COVID-19 pandemic, understanding prevalence and characteristics associated with work stress is vital from a health and economic perspective, more so among information technology (IT) professionals.

Objective

To estimate the prevalence and factors associated with work stress among IT professionals during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Bengaluru, India.

Materials and Methods

A cross-sectional study was undertaken on a convenient sample of 356 IT professionals in Bengaluru, India, between September 2020 and March 2021 to assess work stress. The weblink to TAWS-16 (Tool to Assess and classify Work Stress) was provided for IT employees to self-report their experience of work-related stressors and coping abilities in the past 6 months. The prevalence and specific prevalence of work stress were calculated. Multi-variate logistic regression was conducted to identify factors associated with work stress. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Institutional Ethics committee, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru. Informed consent was obtained from study subjects.

Results and Conclusion

The prevalence of work stress among IT professionals was 17.7% during the COVID19 pandemic, with higher rates among employees aged 31 years and above, among female employees, and among employees with 4-7 years of work experience. More than 80% of the professionals experienced deadline pressures, long working hours, regular multi-tasking, and difficulty in maintaining work-life balance. Based on the results, it is recommended to integrate work-stress assessment in periodical medical examination of IT employees from a health promotion and productivity improvement perspective.

Reliability of a Newly Developed Tool to Assess and Classify Work-related Stress (TAWS-16) for Indian Workforce

OBJECTIVES

Work stress is associated with non-communicable diseases, increased healthcare costs, and decreased work productivity among employees in the information technology sector. There is a need for regular work-stress screening among employees using valid and reliable tools. The Tool to Assess and Classify Work Stress (TAWS-16) was developed to overcome limitations in existing stress assessment tools in India. This study aimed to test the reliability of TAWS-16 in a sample of managerial-supervisory employees.

METHODS

This observational reliability study included data from 62 employees. Test-retest and inter-method reliability were investigated using a TAWS-16 web application and interview by telephone, respectively. Kappa values and intra-class correlation coefficients were calculated. Internal consistency was assessed through Cronbach's alpha.

RESULTS

For both test-retest and inter-method reliability, the agreement for both work-related factors and symptoms suggestive of work stress exceeded 80%, and all kappa values were 0.40 or higher. Cronbach's alpha for test-retest and inter-method reliability was 0.983 and 0.941, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

TAWS-16 demonstrated acceptable reliability. It measured stressors, coping abilities, and psychosomatic symptoms associated with work stress. We recommend using TAWS-16 to holistically identify work stress among employees during periodical health check-ups in India.

Face, content, criterion and construct validity assessment of a newly developed tool to assess and classify work-related stress (TAWS- 16)

INTRODUCTION

As work-stress, is associated with Non Communicable Diseases, and decreased work productivity, health and economic benefits are expected from periodic work-stress screening among employees using valid and reliable tools. Tool to Assess and classify Work Stress (TAWS- 16) was developed to overcome limitations in existing work-stress assessment tools in India. This study aims to test face, content, criterion and construct validity of TAWS- 16 in a sample of managerial-supervisory employees.

METHODS

Nine domain experts rated face and content validity of TAWS- 16. Content validity was measured by Content Validity Indices (I-CVI, S-CVI) and Modified Kappa statistics. Empirical validity was tested by analysing data reported from 356 Information Technology (IT) professionals wherein Exploratory Factor Analysis was conducted for the assessment of Construct Validity. Self-reported data was collected in an unlinked and anonymous manner using a web-link, which was emailed to the study subjects, after initial introductory telephone or personal conversation. Criterion Validity was tested against stress sub-scale of DASS- 21. This study was approved by NIMHANS ethics committee.

RESULTS

Findings revealed that TAWS- 16 has good face validity. The content validity is acceptable (CVI = 0.829). Construct Validity is appropriate as 60.8% of the total variance was explained by the factors identified in our study. Criterion Validity was moderate (Kappa Value 0.208) due to inappropriate work-stress instrument for comparison with TAWS- 16.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, TAWS- 16 demonstrated good face, content and construct validity. It measures work-stressors, coping abilities and psycho-somatic symptoms associated with work-stress. We recommend use of TAWS- 16 for periodic screening and classification of work-stress among employees.

Relationship between burnout, effort-reward imbalance, and insomnia among Informational Technology professionals

BACKGROUND

Work in informational technology (IT) professionals is highly competitive and stressful, leading to job stress. This can lead to burnout, effort-reward imbalance (ERI), and poor sleep quality.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The present study examined associations of ERI, burnout, and poor sleep quality among IT professionals using data from 200 software engineers (mean age of 29.3 ± 4 years, 32% women). ERI and overcommitment were assessed using Siegrist's "effort-reward" questionnaire. The Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) was used to assess burnout and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to assess sleep quality.

RESULTS

ERI, burnout and poor sleep quality were present in 72%, 60%, and 70%, respectively. Females had higher ERI, burnout, and poor sleep quality compared to males. ERI is significantly associated with burnout (r = 0.45, P < 0.01) and poor sleep quality (r = 0.31, P < 0.01). Linear regression to assess the ability of ERI to predict levels of burnout yielded a statistically significant (R ² = 0.206, P < 0.01) indicating ERI to be a unique incremental predictor of burnout (b = 0.454, t = 7.16, P < 0.01). ERI tends to be a predictive factor of poor sleep quality with Odd's ratio = 3.5, 95%CI (1.81-6.73), P < 0.01.

CONCLUSION

In summary, Intervention programs both at the individual and at the organization level have to be designed to combat ERI, burnout, and poor sleep quality among IT professionals.

Comparing Anxiety and Depression in Information Technology Workers with Others in Employment: A UK Biobank Cohort Study

OBJECTIVES

Despite reported psychological hazards of information technology (IT) work, studies of diagnosed mental health conditions in IT workers are lacking. We investigated self-reported mental health outcomes and incident anxiety/depression in IT workers compared to others in employment in a large population-based cohort.

METHODS

We evaluated self-reported mental health outcomes in the UK Biobank cohort and incident diagnosed anxiety/depression through health record linkage. We used logistic regression and Cox models to compare the risks of prevalent and incident anxiety/depression among IT workers with all other employed participants. Furthermore, we compared outcomes within IT worker subgroups, and between these subgroups and other similar occupations within their major Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) group.

RESULTS

Of 112 399 participants analyzed, 4093 (3.6%) were IT workers. At baseline, IT workers had a reduced odds (OR = 0.66, 95%CI: 0.52-0.85) of anxiety/depression symptoms and were less likely (OR = 0.87, 95%CI: 0.83-0.91) to have ever attended their GP for anxiety/depression, compared to all other employed participants, after adjustment for confounders. The IT technician subgroup were more likely (OR = 1.22, 95%CI: 1.07-1.40) to have previously seen their GP or a psychiatrist (OR = 1.31, 95%CI: 1.06-1.62) for anxiety/depression than their SOC counterparts. IT workers had lower incident anxiety/depression (HR = 0.84, 95%CI 0.77-0.93) compared to all other employed participants, after adjustment for confounders.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings from this, the first longitudinal study of IT worker mental health, set the benchmark in our understanding of the mental health of this growing workforce and identification of high-risk groups. This will have important implications for targeting mental health workplace interventions.

Level and Relationships of Life Satisfaction with Cognitive Flexibility and Resilience in IT Professionals

Introduction:

Information Technology (IT) professionals commonly encounter occupation-related issues that adversely affect psychological health and well-being.

Aim and Objective:

To study the level and relationships of life satisfaction with cognitive flexibility and resilience in IT professionals.

Materials and Methods:

In this cross-sectional study, 457 IT professionals were assessed with Sociodemographic proforma, Cognitive Flexibility Scale (CFS), Cognitive Resilience Scale (CRS), and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS).

Statistical Analysis Used:

Descriptive statistics, Student's t-test, ANOVA, and linear regression analysis.

Results:

The mean score on CRS was high (4.5), whereas on CFS was low (49.36). The mean score on SWLS was also low (17.36) particularly with widowed and disrupted family status, positively linked to the scoring of CFS & CRS, and negatively linked to hours of work.

Conclusions:

Among Indian IT professionals, cognitive flexibility and life satisfaction are low and influenced by family. Life satisfaction is proportionately linked to cognitive flexibility and resilience.

The Effect of Inner Engineering Online (IEO) Program on Reducing Stress for Information Technology Professionals: A Randomized Control Study

In recent years, mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are rapidly growing in the workplace. Several meta-analyses conclude that overall MBIs have a moderate effect of alleviating deficit-based experiences, such as burnout and stress, but a small to no effect of promoting asset-based experiences, such as positive affect and well-being. While workplace MBIs vary greatly in their content, format, and duration, the dominant format is still face to face in a group setting, which limits scalability. Our study introduces an emerging workplace intervention called Inner Engineering Online (IEO) and evaluates its effect on reducing stress, burnout, depression, and anxiety and increasing mindfulness and joy. Drawing on the classical yogic science, IEO is a comprehensive web-based multicomponent intervention that utilizes dialectic discourse, meditation, and yogic practices designed to improve physical, mental, and emotional health. Utilizing a randomized active control cross-over experimental design with a sample of 71 employees of an Information Technology company, we tested our hypothesis that IEO training and regular daily yogic practice are likely to lower the stress levels, prevent burnout, and alleviate anxiety and depression, while at the same time promotes positive affect for employees. The results show that IEO program significantly reduces stress only among those who adhere to recommended daily yogic practices. The study is limited by its small sample size. Future research using a large sample is recommended to reexamine the effect of IEO training on occupational health. This trial is registered with NCT04126564.

A Review of Indian Research on Co-occurring Psychiatric Disorders and Alcohol use Disorders

Excessive use of alcohol has been identified as a major contributor to the global burden of disease. Excessive use of alcohol is a component cause of more than 200 disease and injury conditions. Alcohol use has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality across all regions of the world including South-East Asia. Epidemiological as well as clinic-based studies from Western countries have reported a high prevalence of co-occurrence of alcohol use disorder and psychiatric disorders. The research has established the clinical relevance of this comorbidity as it is often associated with poor treatment outcome, severe illness course, and high service utilization. Understandably, dual disorders in from of alcohol use disorders and psychiatric disorders present diagnostic and management challenge. The current article is aimed to review systematically the published Indian literature on comorbid alcohol use disorders and psychiatric disorders.

[Work-related disability among postal employees: incidence, duration, and social security costs in 2008]

This study analyzed the characteristics of Brazilian postal workers that received sick leave benefits in 2008. The databases were from the Unified Benefits System (SUB) and the National Registry of Social Information (CNIS). The incidence rate was 556.5 benefits per 10,000 employees, and the leading causes of work-related sick leave were injuries, musculoskeletal disorders, and mental disorders. Areas most frequently reported in injuries were knees and legs, wrists and hands, ankles and feet, and shoulders and arms, with higher incidence rates in men. Women were more affected by musculoskeletal disorders and mental disorders. Average sick leave lasted longer in men, and the incidence of benefits increased with age. The States with the highest incidence rates were Mato Grosso do Sul, Goiás, and Santa Catarina, and security benefits averaged BRL 1,847.00. Postal work may involve additional risk of injuries to the limbs, due to the long distances carrying heavy weight, assault, and dog bites.