TY - JOUR
PY - 2021//
TI - Associations between workplace factors and depression and anxiety in Australian heavy vehicle truck drivers
JO - Annals of work exposures and health
A1 - Chalmers, Taryn
A1 - Maharaj, Shamona
A1 - Lal, Sara
SP - ePub
EP - ePub
VL - ePub
IS - ePub
N2 - INTRODUCTION: A number of health issues have been identified as prevalent within the Australian heavy vehicle driving population. Mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety, are among those disorders that have been regularly reported, however, the contributing factors are yet to be elucidated.
METHODS: This study aimed to assess the associations between workplace factors such as years of employment, social interaction and shift length, with depressive and anxious symptomology in a cohort of 60 Australian heavy vehicle drivers.
RESULTS: Significant positive associations were identified between depression and alcohol use (P = 0.044), coffee consumption (P = 0.037), number of accidents during career (P = < 0.004), and number of hours driving per shift (P ≤ 0.001). Anxiety was found to be positively associated with a number of hours driving per week (P ≤ 0.001), and the number of accidents or near misses during a driving career (P = 0.039).
CONCLUSION: Several workplace factors were identified as being correlated to depression or anxiety within this cohort, suggesting potential changes to rostering systems and education regarding alcohol use may benefit the mental health of this driver population.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 2398-7308 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/annweh/wxaa134 ID - ref1 ER -