Citation

Horton RA, Lipscomb HJ. Am. J. Ind. Med. 2011; 54(10): 791-799.

Affiliation

Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA. ravery@email.unc.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/ajim.20991

PMID

21796659

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Work in poultry-processing plants is physically demanding, and a number of studies have documented the effects of such work on the physical health of workers. Few studies, however, have examined the potential effects on mental health. METHODS: Longitudinal data were collected on 223 women who worked in two poultry-processing plants in northeastern North Carolina. Effects on depressive symptoms of demographic variables, work tenure at baseline, musculoskeletal pain, psychosocial job characteristics, coping style, and health-related quality of life were examined using mixed models. RESULTS: Psychosocial job characteristics were not associated with depressive symptoms as measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D) in this cohort of workers. CES-D scores decreased with increasing work tenure at the plant, which suggests a healthy worker survivor effect (HWSE). CONCLUSIONS: These exploratory analyses draw attention to the need to more carefully explore the possibility that the HWSE may extend to mental health outcomes as well as physical ones.

Language: en