Determinants of environmental domain of quality of life in economically active population living in Silesian agglomeration, Poland

Objectives: The aim of this paper is to identify the factors that determine the environmental domain of quality of life in economically active adults living in the industrial agglomeration in Poland. Materials and Methods: During the crosssectional epidemiological study conducted among the economically active population aged 45–60, we used a short version of the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. Respondents were recruited randomly from selected factories located in the Silesian Agglomeration. The statistical analysis used descriptive and analytical methods available in the Statistica 9.0 software. Results: The results confi rmed the statistically signifi cant association between marital status, type of occupational activity, declared health status, and the environmental domain of quality of life in economically active inhabitants of the Silesian Agglomeration. The best qualities of life in the environmental domain were those of married people, white collars, and persons who declared their health status to be the best. Conclusions: The major determinants of environmental quality of life in economically active population living in the industrial agglomeration include non-occupational factors, such as marital status and current health status, while a signifi cantly better quality of life was associated with being a white-collar worker and not living in the vicinity of the road with heavy traffi c. The results may be useful for future planned activities intended to improve the health and the quality of working life

Long working hours in the context of psychological health and the quality of life - a review

W artykule zaprezentowano dane wskazujące na to, że długi czas pracy stanowi zagrożenie dla wydajności i zdrowia psychicznego pracowników, a także istotnie pogarsza jakość ich życia. Zmęczenie wywołane zbyt długim czasem pracy zwiększa ryzyko wypadków przez upośledzenie takich sprawności psychofizycznych, jak umiejętność koncentracji i podzielność uwagi, przetwarzanie informacji, w tym podejmowanie szybkich decyzji. Osoby pracujące więcej niż 8 godzin dziennie w dłuższym okresie skarżą się na stres, depresję i lęk. Mają ponadto trudności w pogodzeniu obowiązków zawodowych z rodzinnymi, zachowaniem dobrych relacji społecznych, często nadużywają alkoholu, substancji pobudzających, mają skłonności do przybierania na wadze, unikają aktywności fizycznej. Zwiększenie zakresu kontroli pracowników nad czasem swojej pracy byłoby być może szansą ograniczenia tych negatywnych skutków bez konieczności istotnego skracania czasu pracy.The paper presents data on how long working hours are a risk factor for workers' efficiency and psychological health as well as for their quality of life. Fatigue caused by excessive working hours increases accident risk through deteriorating such psychophysical capacities as concentration, attention and cognitive processing including quick decision making. Workers who work over 8 hours a day for a long period of time complain of stress, depression and anxiety. Moreover, the have difficulties in balancing their work and family life, and in maintaining good social relations. They often overuse alcohol and other stimulating substances, and are prone to gaining weight and avoiding physical activity. Increasing workers' control over their working time might limit the those negative consequences without the necessity to significantly reduce their working hour

The Effects of Worksite Stress Management Intervention on Changes in Coping Styles

In this study the effects of a worksite stress management intervention on changes in coping styles were examined. Ninety-five participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group participating in the intervention or to a control group with a delayed intervention. The stress management intervention was structured on enhancing so-called positive coping styles focused on problem solving and social diversion and on decreasing negative—emotion-focused and distraction—coping. The results showed that in the experimental group the level of positive coping styles significantly increased. The effect of decreased negative coping styles due to the intervention was observed only in the group of participants with a high level of negative affectivity

Long work hours and workers' physical health

Czas pracy w Polsce należy do najdłuższych w Europie. Jakie mogą być tego skutki dla zdrowia pracowników. Odpowiedzi na to pytanie poszukiwano dokonując przeglądu istniejących w literaturze badań na ten temat. Wskazują one jednoznacznie na to, że długi czas pracy jest związany z istotnym pogorszeniem się wskaźników układów krążenia, mięśniowo-szkieletowego oraz odpornościowego.Working time in Poland is one of the longest in Europe. What can be its effects on workers' health? An attempt has been made to answer this question by reviewing existing research on that problem. The relationship between long working hours and a significant deterioration in cardiovascular, immunological and musculoskeletal indices has thus been confirmed

Modification of Pathological Type A as Worksite Stress Management and Disease Prevention Intervention

The importance of helping an employee to better cope with occupational stress as the aim of stress management interventions is presented. It particularly concerns the employees who have the poorest temperamental and personality potential for effective coping and should be the target of primary stress intervention and prevention. According to evidence, Type A workers are at risk of occupational stress and disease, especially when some personality features of Type A are accompanied by high reactivity. The concept of pathological Type A is introduced. The already existing programs of modifying Type A and the framework of a program based on the elements that have been established to be the most therapeutic for pathological Type A are presented

Psychological programmes to assist employees

Programy psychologicznego wspierania pracowników to popularna na Zachodzie Europy oraz w Ameryce Północnej forma pomocy pracownikom, których dotknęły negatywne skutki stresu w pracy. Pomoc ta wyraża się w objętym całkowitą dyskrecją dostępie do bezpłatnych porad specjalistów w zakresie zdrowia psychicznego: psychologów, psychoterapeutów oraz pracowników społecznych. Programy te obejmują porady i doradztwo oraz gwarantują możliwość odbycia krótkoterminowej terapii. Istnieją dowody na to, że programy te m.in. przyczyniają się do poprawy psychicznego i fizycznego dobrostanu pracowników, spadku absencji oraz wzrostu wydajności pracy.Employee Assistance Programmes are a very popular in Western Europe and North America form of helping employees affected by negative stress outcomes, like real or potential job loss, mobbing and different forms of discrimination. EAP provide free and confidential access to counseling delivered by specialists in mental problems, like psychologists, psychotherapists, and social workers. EAP services offer short-term therapies. There is evidence that these programmes improve worker’s improved emotional and physical well-being, and that absence rate decreases, and occupational functioning improves

An Intervention to Reduce Work-Related Burnout in Teachers

The objective of the study was to develop and evaluate a 2-day burnout intervention program focused at enhancing coping with stresses observed in teachers’ work. Karasek’s job stress model was used as the theoretical framework. The aim of the intervention was to teach participants to deal better with high job demands and low job control. Some cognitive-behavioural methods of overcoming workload and enhancing a sense of self-mastery and relations with students were introduced in the workshop. 59 teachers were randomly assigned to an experimental or to a control group. Results showed that emotional exhaustion, perceived workload and somatic complaints decreased significantly in the intervention group. The greatest effect of the intervention was observed with regard to increased behavioural job control. It was concluded that teaching participants how to manage their work environment better could help them in changing their perception of stressful job characteristics, reducing emotional exhaustion and somatic complaints

Work and stress

Stres powoduje sytuacje, w których wymagania zewnętrzne są spostrzegane przez człowieka jako niezgodne z jego możliwościami i potrzebami. W artykule przedstawiono sposoby przeciwdziałania stresowi w pracy ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem doboru zawodowego.Stress is related to situations, in which external demands are perceived by an individual as discrepant with his/her capacities and needs. Methods of job stress prevention, particularly job selection, are presented in the paper