ABSTRACT
A cross-sectional epidemiological survey was conducted among prison staff in France to investigate the relationships between working conditions and health. The sample included men and women 20 to 64 years old belonging to all categories of prison personnel: prison guards, administrative staff, socioeducational workers, technicians, health care workers, and managers (n = 4587, response rate 45.7%). A mailed self-administered questionnaire was used to assess sociodemographic characteristics, working conditions, and physical and mental disorders. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the effects of working conditions and social relationships on health of prison staff. However, the results reported here only concern 17 health disorders: body mass index, sick leave, medication use, accidents, digestive disorders, lower extremities and back disorders, hypertension, hemorrhoids, arthritis, skin disorders, urinary infections, chronic bronchitis, cholesterol, gastric ulcer, respiratory infections, ocular disorders. The living non professional conditions mostly associated with health disorders were financial difficulties (OR: 1.9 for digestive disorders, 1.8 for gastric ulcer, 1.7 for medication use) and irregularity of meals (OR = 1.5 for digestive disorders, and hypertension). In the occupational environment, the factors most associated with health disorders are seniority (OR = 4.2 for arthritis, 2.3 for cholesterol) and constraints (OR = 1.7 for lower extremities disorders). In spite of some limits associated to this kind of study, relationships between occupational and non occupational factors and physical health conditions were observed; the results also pointed out the protective role of the social relationships for health conditions.
Subject(s)
Administrative Personnel , Health Status , Occupational Health , Prisons/organization & administration , Quality of Life , Adult , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , France , Health Surveys , Humans , Logistic Models , Male , Middle Aged , Risk Factors , Socioeconomic Factors , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: A cross-sectional epidemiologic survey was conducted among prison staff in France to investigate the relationships between work conditions and mental health. METHODS: The sample included men and women 20 to 64 years of age belonging to all categories of prison personnel (prison guards, administrative staff, socioeducational workers, technicians, health care workers, and managers). A postal self-administered questionnaire was used to assess sociodemographic factors, work conditions, and physical and mental disorders. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the effects of work conditions and social relationships on the mental health of prison staff. RESULTS: The results presented in this report only concern depressive symptomatology (measured by the French version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale), anxiety (measured by the state version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), and sleep disorders. The percentage of mental disorders was higher among prison staff than that determined for other occupational samples. Guards comprised the prison staff least affected by these symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that, in our sample, the factors concerning the subjective evaluation of work conditions and social support were more closely related to mental disorders than work conditions. In addition, seniority was associated with depressive symptoms and anxiety among the men.
Subject(s)
Mental Disorders/epidemiology , Occupational Diseases/epidemiology , Prisons , Stress, Psychological/complications , Workplace , Adult , Anxiety/epidemiology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Depression/epidemiology , Female , France/epidemiology , Humans , Logistic Models , Male , Middle Aged , Odds Ratio , Risk Factors , Sleep Wake Disorders/epidemiology , Social EnvironmentABSTRACT
Apresenta-se uma análise crítica das diversas abordagens científicas do acidente do trabalho, particularmente em epidemiologia, ergonomia e sociologia tentando destacar os limites epistemológicos em cada campo respectivo. O acidente do trabalho é, por sua própria natureza, näo somente uma lesäo física mas também um fenômeno econômico, social e legal, que nos permite examinar os problemas apresentados pela necessidade de uma abordagem multidisciplinar na pesquisa de saúde pública
Subject(s)
Accidents, Occupational , Working Conditions , BrazilABSTRACT
This article critically analyses the various scientific approaches taken to industrial accidents, particularly in epidemiology, ergonomie and sociology, by attempting to outline the epistemological limitations in each respective field. An occupational accident is by its very nature not only a physical injury but also an economic, social and legal phenomenon, which more so than illness, enables us to examine the problems posed by the need for a multidisciplinary approach in Public Health research.