'Person under train' incidents from the subway driver's point of view--a prospective 1-year follow-up study: the design, and medical and psychiatric data.

UNLABELLED: From the subway driver's point of view, a 'person under train' (PUT) incident is a serious life event. This study focuses on the 1-yr consequences of such events. Follow-up was made 3 wk, 3 months and 1 yr after the event. 40 consecutive PUT subway drivers were followed. For each PUT driver, a control driver matched with regard to gender, age and country of birth was followed at identical intervals. MAIN RESULTS: the PUT group had significantly more sick days during the interval from the event to 3 wk later. During the period 3 wk to 3 months after the event no difference between the groups was observed. From 3 months to 1 yr after the PUT significantly more days were again reported by the PUT group. 38% in the PUT groups vs 14% in the control group had at least 1 month of sickness absence during this period. A mild acute psychophysiological reaction was observed 3 wk after the event, with elevated prolactin and increased sleep disturbance in the PUT group. Such acute reactions were transitory and not correlated with long-term sick leave, which was predicted independently, however, by a high plasma cortisol level (analysed in men) and a high depression score. Drivers in the group with seriously injured victims were absent from work for longer periods than drivers in the groups with mildly injured or dead victims. PUT victims described a successively worsened psychosocial work situation during the 12 months of follow-up whereas the drivers in the control group described an unchanged situation.

Influence of job strain and emotion on blood pressure in female hospital personnel during workhours.

A homogeneous sample of 56 women who were between the ages of 20 and 59 years and worked in acute emergency care, child psychiatry, or a pediatric outpatient clinic comprised the subjects of this study to determine the relationship between job strain and blood pressure. Job strain was measured with a standardized questionnaire, and blood pressure during workhours with self-triggered equipment. Endocrine factors (morning concentration of plasma prolactin, cortisol, and dehydroepiandrosterone) and emotional states recorded in diaries were also studied. Significant interrelationships occurred among perceived job strain, plasma prolactin, and diastolic blood pressure during workhours even when body mass index, age, family history of hypertension, level of education, and mood state were adjusted for in a multiple regression analysis. Thus job strain of female care givers was associated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure during workhours and also with diastolic blood pressure at rest, but not with blood pressure during leisure time.

"Person under train" incidents: medical consequences for subway drivers.

UNLABELLED: From the subway driver's point of view, a "person under train" (PUT) incident is a serious life event. This study focuses on the 1-year consequences of such events. Follow-up was made 3 weeks, 3 months, and 1 year after the event. Forty consecutive PUT subway drivers were followed. For each PUT driver, a control driver matched with regard to gender, age, and country of birth was followed at identical intervals. MAIN RESULTS: The PUT group had significantly more sick days during the interval from the event to 3 weeks later. During the period 3 weeks to 3 months after the event no difference between the groups was observed. From 3 months to 1 year after the PUT significantly more days were again reported by the PUT group. Thirty-eight percent in the PUT group versus 14% in the control group had at least 1 month of sickness absence during this period. A mild acute psychophysiological reaction was observed 3 weeks after the event, with elevated prolactin and increased sleep disturbance in the PUT group. Such acute reactions were transitory and not correlated with long-term sick leave, which was predicted independently, however, by a high plasma cortisol level (analyzed in men) and a high depression score. Drivers in the group with seriously injured victims were absent from work for longer periods than drivers in the groups with mildly injured or dead victims.