Citation

Theorell T, Leymann H, Jodko M, Konarski K, Norbeck HE, Eneroth P. Psychosom. Med. 1992; 54(4): 480-488.

Affiliation

National Institute of Psychosocial Factors and Health, Stockholm, Sweden.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1992, American Psychosomatic Society, Publisher Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

1502289

Abstract

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.

Language: en