Abstract:
Objective To explore the relation between occupational stress and symptoms of depression in different occupational population.
Methods This cross-sectional study included 2 458 working population, aging 20-63, in a district of Shanghai. The Chinese version of Karasek's Job Content Questionnaire (C-JCQ) and the Chinese version of Siegrist's Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire (C-ERI) were used to measure job strain, and the Chinese version of Center for Epidemiological Survey Depression Scale (CES-D) was used to assess depressive symptoms. Sociodemographic characteristics and individual life behaviors were also investigated. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the associations between depressive symptoms and occupational stress factors.
Results The average CES-D score reached 16.1& #177;7.2 and the prevalence of depressive symptoms was 44.0% of the occupational population enrolled. Education level, job position, working time, and smoking were related with depressive symptoms. High job strain, low job control, low social support, high over-commitment, and high effort-reward imbalance were risk factors for depressive symptoms.
Conclusion Demographic characteristics and work stressors could increase the risk of developing depressive symptoms among working populations.