ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Suicide is a leading and growing cause of death in the military during peacetime. This study sought to examine the psychological mechanisms relating to entrapment, stress, and psychological protective factors facilitating suicide ideation among military personnel. METHOD: The study population comprised 168 soldiers (aged 18-21) divided into 3 groups: suicide attempters (n = 58), those receiving treatment by a mental health professional, reporting no suicidal behavior (n = 58), and controls (n = 50). RESULTS: In general, the suicidal group scored higher than the 2 other groups in stress levels and entrapment but lower than the other 2 groups in perceived problem-solving abilities and perceived social support. Moreover, the interaction of stress and entrapment predict suicide ideation beyond stress, protective factors, and entrapment alone. CONCLUSION: Entrapment is an important predictor of suicide ideation and can serve as a moderator, in that its presence may exacerbate the harsh situation of subjective stress within the military context and intensify it into a suicide risk.
Subject(s)
Military Personnel/psychology , Social Support , Stress, Psychological/psychology , Suicidal Ideation , Suicide, Attempted/psychology , Adolescent , Adult , Female , Humans , Israel , Male , Protective Factors , Young AdultABSTRACT
The aims of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of upper body quadrant pain among Israeli professional urban bus drivers and to evaluate the association between individual, ergonomic, and psychosocial risk factors and occurrence of neck pain. Three hundred and eighty-four male urban bus drivers were consecutively enrolled in the study. Data pertaining to work-related ergonomic and psychosocial stress factors were collected. The 12-month prevalence of neck pain was 21.2%, followed by shoulder: 14.7%, upper back: 8.3%, elbow: 3.0%, and wrist: 3.0% pain. Prevalence of neck pain was associated with uncomfortable seats (odds ratio; OR [95% confidence interval; CI]: 2.2 [1.2-4.3], back support (2.3 [1.2-4.2]), and steering wheel (2.2 [1.1-4.5]). Drivers with neck pain reported significantly higher prevalence of pain in the upper back (OR [95% CI]: 5.9 [2.7-12.9]), shoulders (8.1 [4.3-15.3]), and wrists (7.0 [2.0-21.8]) compared to drivers without neck pain. Work-related organizational stress factors were not associated with neck pain prevalence.
Subject(s)
Automobile Driving , Motor Vehicles , Neck Pain/epidemiology , Occupational Diseases/epidemiology , Automobile Driving/statistics & numerical data , Chi-Square Distribution , Confidence Intervals , Cross-Sectional Studies , Ergonomics/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Israel/epidemiology , Male , Middle Aged , Motor Vehicles/statistics & numerical data , Neck Pain/etiology , Occupational Diseases/etiology , Odds Ratio , Prevalence , Psychology , Risk Factors , Shoulder Pain/epidemiology , Shoulder Pain/etiologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Professional drivers have been found to be at high risk for developing low back pain. However, the exact reasons are poorly understood. OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of LBP among Israeli professional urban bus drivers, and evaluate the association between LBP in drivers and work-related psychosocial and ergonomic risk factors. METHODS: A total of 384 male full-time urban bus drivers were consecutively enrolled to this cross-sectional study. Information on regular physical activity and work-related ergonomic and psychosocial stressing factors was collected during face-to-face interviews. The prevalence of LBP was assessed using the Standardized Nordic Questionnaire. RESULTS: From the total cohort, 164 bus drivers (45.4%) reported experiencing LBP in the previous 12 months. Ergonomic factors associated with LBP were uncomfortable seat (odds ratio 2.6, 95% confidence interval 1.4-5.0) and an uncomfortable back support (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.4-4.5). In the group of drivers with LBP, 48.5% reported participation in regular physical activities vs. 67.3% in the group without LBP (P<0.01). The following psychosocial stressing factors showed significant association with LBP: "limited rest period during a working day" (1.6, 1.0-2.6), "traffic congestion on the bus route" (1.8, 1.2-2.7), "lack of accessibility to the bus stop for the descending and ascending of passengers" (1.5, 1.0-1.5), and "passengers' hostility" (1.8, 1.1-2.9). CONCLUSIONS: Work-related ergonomic and psychosocial factors showed a significant association with LBP in Israeli professional urban bus drivers. Prevention of work-related stress, organizational changes targeted to reduce stressful situations, improvement in seat comfort, and encouraging regular sports activity need to be evaluated as prevention strategies for LBP in professional bus drivers.
