Journal of Occupational Health最新文献

Objectives: The current study aimed (1) to examine the associations between bidirectional work-family conflict, comprising work-to-family conflict (WFC) and family-to-work conflict (FWC), and two mental health outcomes: psychological distress and mental disorder; and (2) to examine the associations between demographic variables and work-family conflict among Japanese working women.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 19 652 Japanese working women in June 2024. Psychological distress was assessed using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, and mental disorder was identified using a screening question about medical consultation or treatment. Work-family conflict was measured using the Work and Family Conflict Scale. Multivariable logistic regression analyzed associations between work-family conflict and mental health outcomes, whereas univariate linear logistic regression examined the associations between demographic variables and work-family conflict.

Results: Among participants, 9.5% reported psychological distress, and 5.3% reported receiving consultation or treatment for mental disorder. Severe WFC and FWC were significantly associated with psychological distress (WFC: odds ratio [OR] 4.94, 95% CI, 4.19-5.81; FWC: OR 3.44, 95% CI, 2.94-4.01; both P < .001) and mental disorder (WFC: OR 1.76, 95% CI, 1.46-2.12; FWC: OR 1.69, 95% CI, 1.40-2.04; both P < .001). Long working hours and caregiving responsibilities were strongly associated with WFC and FWC.

Conclusions: Work-family conflict is significantly associated with adverse mental health among Japanese working women. Organizations need to address this issue in the workplace, particularly regarding flexible work arrangements and caregiving support, to promote the mental well-being of working women.

Objectives: This study measured occupational status from the perspectives of occupational socioeconomic status, employment relationship, and class level, aiming to examine the effect of occupational status on depression among middle-aged and elderly people in China and determine whether being a state functionary plays a moderating role.

Methods: Panel data from the China Family Panel Studies (n = 28 645) were used and the year fixed-effects model was adopted. The 2-way interaction terms "state functionary × occupational status (the International Socioeconomic Index of Occupational Status [ISEI], the Standard International Occupational Prestige Scale [SIOPS], and the Erikson and Goldthorpe class categories [EGP])" were added to examine whether being a state functionary could moderate the relationship between occupational status and depression.

Results: Occupational status was negatively correlated with depression (ISEI: coefficient = -0.03; 95% CI, -0.04 to -0.02; SIOPS: coefficient = -0.01; 95% CI, -0.02 to -0.002; EGP: coefficient = 0.12; 95% CI, 0.08 to 0.15). The 2-way interaction terms "state functionary × occupational status (ISEI/SIOPS/EGP)" were significant among all middle-aged and older participants. The 2-way interaction terms were also significant in the educated and urban subgroups.

Conclusions: Higher occupational status is a protective factor against depression among middle-aged and older Chinese adults. However, being a state functionary can reverse the relationship between occupational status and depression. We found that the higher the occupational status of state functionaries, the more severe their depression. We also found a moderating effect of being a state functionary in the educated and urban subgroups.

Objectives: This study aimed to identify the factors influencing nurses' posttraumatic growth (PTG) during the early stages of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Methods: A literature search was conducted in February 2023 across databases, including Medline, CINAHL, APA PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, for articles published between January 2020 and February 2023 related to PTG in nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Inclusion criteria were English-language articles, original research on nurses' PTG, and studies conducted after January 2020. Of 1089 identified articles, 142 were screened, and 27 were selected for final analysis. Data extracted from the articles included the author(s) name(s), the study's geographic location, publication year, study purpose, study design, participants, methods, measurement scales, results, and notes. PTG factors were extracted and grouped into 4 broad categories: COVID-related factors, nursing-related factors, factors in Tedeschi's PTG conceptual model, and other factors. Smaller categories were then created by inductively categorizing the factors based on similarities and differences.

Results: As factors of nurses' PTG during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, 16 subcategories were organized under 4 categories. In addition to all factors from Tedeschi's PTG model, some COVID-related factors (eg, care context, organizational training), and some nursing-related factors (eg, work environment) were shown to be related to PTG. No significant relationships were found between almost all of the other factors, including sociodemographic attributes, and PTG.

Conclusions: Factors found in this study can help identify nurses' PTG facilitators and guide the development of interventions for future crises.

Objectives: Early detection of neurosensory injury among workers exposed to hand-arm vibration is crucial. The aim of our study was to evaluate the diagnostic test performance of clinical point-of-care testing using a tuning fork and temperature rollers in relation to vibrotactile and thermal quantitative sensory testing.

Methods: We recruited 225 vibration-exposed workers who underwent clinical point-of-care testing using a Rydel Seiffer tuning fork and temperature rollers (25°C and 40°C) applied to the distal phalanges of the index and little fingers bilaterally. Quantitative sensory testing was conducted at the same locations. Sensitivity, specificity, and other measures of diagnostic test performance were calculated.

Results: The study sample consisted of 208 men and 17 women with a median (IQR) age of 38 (26) years, and with a median (IQR) hand-arm vibration exposure duration of 12 (21) years. Using vibrotactile quantitative sensory testing as the reference method, the sensitivity for the Rydel Seiffer tuning fork to detect reduced perception of vibration ranged from 30.0% to 61.1%, depending on the tested finger. The corresponding values for specificity were 91.1% to 94.4%. The sensitivity of temperature roller discrimination in relation to warm detection thresholds ranged from 31.6% to 48.2%, and the specificity from 82.7% to 87.5%. The corresponding sensitivity of temperature roller discrimination in relation to cold detection thresholds ranged from 28.9% to 42.5%, and the specificity from 86.0% to 94.7%.

Conclusions: The sensitivity of clinical point-of-care testing was rather low, indicating that quantitative sensory testing adds value to the diagnostic procedure.

Objectives: This study examined the characteristics of employees with low health interest using Breslow's Health Practice Index (HPI).

Methods: A cross-sectional study of 2260 employees of a Japanese IT company was conducted in 2023. The association between the Health Interest Scale (HIS; range 0-36) and HPI (range 0-7), a predictor of healthy longevity, was examined using multiple linear and logistic regression. Additional analyses were conducted using median-split HIS groups (low: 0-23; high: 24-36).

Results: HIS was significantly lower among men, younger and unmarried individuals, and those without an appropriate body weight, but positively associated with HPI (β = .254, P < .001). HPI was significantly higher among less sedentary workers (β = .07, P < .001), non-management staff (β = .04, P < .05), and married individuals (β = .06, P < .05). HIS was associated with 6 of 7 health behaviors except Not snacking. After adjustment for HIS, women had higher odds of Not smoking (OR = 5.52; 95% CI, 2.96-10.3; P < .001) and Moderate use of alcohol (OR = 2.03; 95% CI, 1.33-3.09; P < .05). Median-split analysis confirmed these results.

Conclusions: Interventions are needed to increase health interest among younger individuals, men, and those who are unmarried or without an appropriate body weight. Sedentary workers, managerial staff, and unmarried individuals showed lower adherence to HPI after adjustment for health interest, indicating the need for focused workplace interventions. Health interest was positively associated with HPI, but no significant association was found for snacking, which requires further investigation.

Objectives: To estimate the association between suicide deaths and both occupational skill level and educational attainment in the United States.

Methods: Suicide deaths, employment, education, and demographic data from the 2021 National Center for Health Statistics Multiple Cause of Death Files, for ages 18-64 with a lifetime history of employment, were combined with comparable participants from the 2020-2022 Current Population Survey. Outcomes of interest were associations between suicide death and occupational skill level, assessed as a 5-level variable, and educational attainment. Logistic regression models were used to estimate these associations before and after adjusting for educational attainment, age, and sex, in each racial/ethnic subpopulation.

Results: We found a significant gradient in suicide death across occupational skill levels, with lower-skill occupations associated with higher suicide rates than higher-skill occupations. This gradient was more pronounced among non-Hispanic White (NHW) people and non-Hispanic Black (NHB) people than Hispanic people. However, upon controlling for educational attainment, this association was attenuated, indicating that the initial link was likely confounded by education.

Conclusions: The results suggest that educational attainment is a more robust predictor of suicide risk than occupational skill level. Targeted interventions addressing educational and ethnic disparities within higher-risk occupational groups can mitigate suicide risk.

Objectives: This study assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health status of self-employed workers by comparing their status before and during the pandemic, using nationwide data from the Korean Working Conditions Survey.

Methods: The final study included 16 620 and 14 342 self-employed participants in the fifth (2017) and sixth (2020-2021) surveys, respectively. Musculoskeletal symptoms, systemic fatigue, headache, and eye strain, as well as mental health status, such as anxiety, depression, and insomnia, were assessed using a structured questionnaire. Gender, age, education level, and income were adjusted for the multivariable logistic regression analysis to assess pre- and peri-pandemic changes in the health status based on working conditions.

Results: Compared with the pre-pandemic period, all aspects of the health status of self-employed individuals surveyed during the peri-pandemic period showed deterioration. Back pain increased 3.4 times (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.44; 95% CI: 3.15-3.75) compared with the pre-pandemic period, followed by anxiety, which increased 2.1 times (adjusted OR 2.13; 95% CI: 1.79-2.54). For single-person businesses, the overall health status showed statistically significant deterioration, highlighting the heightened vulnerability of these groups during this period.

Conclusions: This study confirmed that the physical and mental health status of self-employed individuals significantly deteriorated during the COVID-19 pandemic period compared with the pre-pandemic period. These findings suggest the need for government health protection policies for vulnerable groups, such as self-employed individuals, during future pandemics when social control measures are implemented.

Objectives: There has been limited research on demographic and work-related characteristics of general and workplace loneliness. The present descriptive cross-sectional study aimed to determine the demographic and work-related correlates of general and workplace loneliness in a general working population of Japan.

Methods: We recruited 25 000 persons aged 20 years or older and employed by a company, organization, or government agency. We limited the sample to only employees for this analysis. Demographic and work-related characteristics were assessed by a self-report questionnaire. General and workplace loneliness were measured by single-item questions and dichotomized.

Results: A total of 24 021 respondents were subjected for the analysis. Prevalences of general and workplace loneliness were 9.0% and 8.3%, respectively. Those who responded "others" or refused to answer a gender question (possibly gender minority), were middle-aged, not married, with a low household income, working in the manufacturing sector (compared with some service sectors), and reporting long working hours were associated with both general and workplace loneliness. Middle-aged groups and work hours were significantly associated with workplace loneliness after adjusting for general loneliness.

Conclusions: Common demographic and work-related correlates were found for both general and workplace loneliness. Middle age and working long hours may be factors for workplace loneliness, independent of general loneliness, in Japan.

Objectives: This study aimed to establish a method to determine workers' exposure concentrations to airborne nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA).

Methods: The sampler used an air sampling cassette containing a glass-fiber filter (GFF). After sampling, NTA extracted from the GFF using ultrapure water was derivatized using a boron trifluoride-methanol complex methanol solution and analyzed using a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer. The developed method was validated for the following parameters: retention efficiency, storage stability, method quantitation limit, and reproducibility.

Results: The retention efficiency for NTA on the GFF was 94%-101%, with the relative SD indicating the overall reproducibility (range 0.9%-2.4%). NTA on the GFF was stable at 4°C for at least 7 days. The method quantitation limit was 4.8 μg per sample.

Conclusions: The developed method will be useful for risk assessments because it can determine workers' exposure concentrations to NTA ranging from 0.02 to 4 mg/m3 in a 240 L sampling volume; the quantitation limit is 4.8 μg per sample.

It was previously thought that the particles inhaled by humans and having adverse effects were micron-sized; particles with a particularly high content of crystalline silica were thought to have harmful effects. In recent years, manufactured materials have been further refined to nano-level particles, and it has been reported that these ultrafine particles have different adverse effects, making it necessary to perform occupational health management for chemicals that differ from micron-sized particles. Here we report the adverse effects of carbon nanotubes, welding fumes, and organic substances as examples of nanoparticles.