ABSTRACT
AIMS: To investigate the impact of maternal childhood abuse on toddlers' behaviour and assess the potential mediation of maternal mental distress for this pathway. METHODS: This study was based on the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study, conducted by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. The study sample consisted of 25,452 children and their mothers. Maternal childhood abuse was investigated as a potential predictor for child externalizing behaviour at 36 months of age. Maternal mental distress at child age 18 months was assessed as a potential mediator. Hierarchical linear regressions were used for analyses. RESULTS: Childhood emotional abuse alone was reported by 8.3% of the mothers and physical and/or sexual abuse by 8.9%. Mothers with childhood abuse experiences were younger, less educated, more at risk for adult abuse and mental distress, and fewer were married or lived with a partner compared with women not reporting childhood abuse. Children of mothers with childhood abuse experiences showed significantly more externalizing behaviour even after adjusting for maternal age, education, single motherhood, gender and adult abuse experiences. When maternal mental health was entered into the model, the associations remained statistically significant, but were substantially attenuated. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal childhood abuse consistently predicted increased externalizing behaviour in the offspring, and this study suggests that childhood abuse impacts subsequent generations. Multiple pathways are possible, but this study identified increased maternal mental distress as a possible pathway between maternal childhood abuse and increased externalizing behaviour in the offspring.
Subject(s)
Adult Survivors of Child Abuse/psychology , Child Behavior Disorders/diagnosis , Mothers/psychology , Stress, Psychological , Adolescent , Adult , Adult Survivors of Child Abuse/statistics & numerical data , Aggression , Attention , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Mothers/statistics & numerical data , Norway , Pregnancy , Prospective Studies , Risk Factors , Socioeconomic Factors , Surveys and Questionnaires , Young AdultABSTRACT
This study investigated the relationships between workers' compliance with health and safety (H&S) routines and instructions adopted in the company (dependent variable) and psychological demands, decision authority, social support, management support, unionization and H&S management system (independent variables). A cross-sectional questionnaire study was performed among 1051 workers and the managers of 102 small- and medium-sized motor vehicle repair garages. Multilevel modeling was performed to account for the hierarchical structure of the data. At the worker level, high compliance with H&S routines correlated significantly with both social support and H&S-related management support. At the garage level, mean management support and a well-developed H&S management system correlated significantly with high workers' compliance. Changing both the individual and contextual factors in the work environment may thus increase workers' participation in H&S activities.
Subject(s)
Accidents, Occupational/prevention & control , Organizational Culture , Safety Management/standards , Workplace , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Cross-Sectional Studies , Data Collection , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Motor Vehicles , Norway , Protective Devices/statistics & numerical data , Young AdultABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: On the basis of the job demands-control-support model by Karasek and Theorell, we investigated how social and organizational factors influence workers' use of personal protective equipment (PPE). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed among 1420 workers in 203 motor vehicle-repair garages. Multilevel modeling was performed to account for the hierarchical structure of the data. RESULTS: Social and management support correlated positively with PPE use at the worker level. Low demands measured at the garage level and having a health and safety management system at the garage also correlated with active use of PPE. An interaction effect between social support and garage-level demands was observed. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to health information and provision of PPE, focusing on social and organizational factors seems necessary to get more workers to comply with the instructions on PPE use.
