TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2011//
TI  - Organisational merger and psychiatric morbidity: a prospective study in a changing work organisation
JO  - Journal of epidemiology and community health
A1  - Väänänen, Ari
A1  - Ahola, Kirsi
A1  - Koskinen, Aki
A1  - Pahkin, Krista
A1  - Kouvonen, Anne
SP  - 682
EP  - 687
VL  - 65
IS  - 8
N2  - BACKGROUND: Prospective studies on the relationship between organisational merger and mental health have been conducted using subjective health indicators. The objective of this prospective occupational cohort study was to examine whether a negative change during an organisational merger is an independent predictive factor of psychiatric morbidity.  METHOD: Survey data on organisational characteristics, health and other factors were collected prior to (1996) and after the merger (2000); register data on psychiatric morbidity were collected at baseline (1/1/1994-30/9/2000) and during the follow-up (1/10/2000-31/12/2005). Participants were 6511 (77% men) industrial employees aged 21-65&emsp14;years with no register-based diagnosed psychiatric events prior to the follow-up (the Still Working Study). During the follow-up, 252 participants were admitted to the hospital due to psychiatric disorders, were prescribed a psychotropic drug or attempted or committed suicide.  RESULTS: A negative self-reported change in the work organisation during the merger was associated with increased risk of postmerger psychiatric event (HR 1.60, 95% CI 1.19 to 2.14). This association was independent of mental health-related factors measured before the merger announcement, such as demographic characteristics, occupational status, personal orientation to life, self-rated health, self-reported psychiatric morbidity or chronic disease.  CONCLUSION: A negative change in work organisation during an organisational merger may elevate the risk for postmerger psychiatric morbidity.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0143-005X
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jech.2010.126482
ID  - ref1
ER  -