Publish in OALib Journal
ISSN: 2333-9721
APC: Only $99

Paper Submission

Views	Downloads

Relative Articles
Diurnal profiles of salivary cortisol on workdays among construction workers versus white-collar workers
Understanding long-term sick leave in female white-collar workers with burnout and stress-related diagnoses: a qualitative study
Pattern of Smoking Habit among Greek Blue and White Collar Workers
Factors associated with utilization of traditional Chinese medicine by white collar foreign workers living in Taiwan
The Commoditization of White Collar Work
Study on the Current Employment Situation of Migrant Workers
Social Influence of Migrant Workers’ ICT Using in China
HEALTH STATUS AND LIFESTYLE RELATED RISK FACTORS AMONG MIGRANT WORKERS IN SHAH ALAM, MALAYSIA
Burnout and work engagement of South African blue-collar workers: The development of a new scale
Study on the Social Insurance of China’s Migrant Workers
More...

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2012

A Study of the Health-Related Quality of Life and Work-Related Stress of White-Collar Migrant Workers

DOI: 10.3390/ijerph9103740

Su-Ying Tsai

Keywords: white-collar worker, work-related stress, health-related quality of life, migrant worker

Full-Text Cite this paper Add to My Lib

Abstract:

Little is known about the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and work-related stress and its risk factors among white-collar businessmen and management workers that migrate to high-income developing countries. A structural questionnaire survey was administered to 156 white-collar Taiwanese management personnel of representative companies of their industries in Taiwan, who were assigned long-term job positions in China. Questionnaire content included demographics and medical history, self-reported physical and mental conditions, personal lifestyle and behavior, Beck Depression Inventory, and information on HRQoL. White-collar migrant workers reported a high prevalence of alcohol consumption (72.4%) and perceived work-related stress (62.2%), and a lower prevalence of regular exercise (12.2%). Workers with higher levels of perceived work-related stress reported more alcohol consumption, a history of hyperlipidemia, and a higher prevalence of self-reported neck pain, poor sleep, and mild/moderate/severe depression. In our primary multivariate risk model to determine lifestyle and work-related stress variables and HRQoL, perceived work-related stress and a feeling of depression negatively impacted both the Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores of the SF-36 health survey. Hyperlipidemia and self-reported neck pain were associated with significantly lower PCS scores, whereas cardiovascular disease, gastric ulcer, and poor sleep were associated with statistically lower MCS scores. White-collar migrant workers are generally younger with high socioeconomic status. Perceived work-related stress and a feeling of depression indirectly affect HRQoL. Hyperlipidemia, self-reported neck pain, cardiovascular disease, gastric ulcer, and poor sleep also had a significant negative impact on HRQoL.

References

[1]	Benach, J.; Muntaner, C.; Chung, H.; Benavides, F.G. Immigration, employmentrelations, and health: Developing a research agenda. Am. J. Ind. Med. 2010, 53, 338–343.
[2]	Ahonen, E.Q.; Benavides, F.G.; Benach, J. Immigrant populations, work and health—A systematic literature review. Scand. J. Work Environ. Health 2007, 33, 96–104, doi:10.5271/sjweh.1112.
[3]	Benach, J. Reducing the health inequalities associated with employment conditions. BMJ 2010, 340, 1392–1395, doi:10.1136/bmj.c1392.
[4]	Idler, E.L.; Benyamini, Y. Self-rated health and mortality: A review of twenty-seven community studies. J. Health Soc. Behav. 1997, 38, 21–37, doi:10.2307/2955359.
[5]	Kawakami, N.; Kobayashi, F.; Araki, S.; Haratani, T.; Furui, H. Assessment of job stress dimensions based on the job demands- control model of employees of telecommunication and electric power companies in Japan: Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Job Content Questionnaire. Int. J. Behav. Med. 1995, 2, 358–375, doi:10.1207/s15327558ijbm0204_5.
[6]	Kawakami, N.; Haratani, T. Epidemiology of job stress and health in Japan: Review of current evidence and future direction. Ind. Health 1999, 37, 174–186, doi:10.2486/indhealth.37.174.
[7]	Cheng, Y.; Luh, W.M.; Guo, Y.L. Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the job content questionnaire in Taiwanese workers. Int. J. Behav. Med. 2003, 10, 15–30, doi:10.1207/S15327558IJBM1001_02.
[8]	Barling, J.; Kelloway, E.K.; Frone, M.R. Handbook of Work Stress; SAGE Publications: Thousand Oaks, CA, USA, 2005.
[9]	Van der Klink, J.J.; Blonk, R.W.; Schene, A.H.; van Dijk, F.J. The benefits of interventions for work-related stress. Am. J. Public Health. 2001, 91, 270–276, doi:10.2105/AJPH.91.2.270.
[10]	Beck, A.T.; Ward, C.H.; Mendelson, M.; Mock, J.; Erbaugh, J. An inventory for measuring depression. Arch. Gen. Psychiat. 1961, 4, 561–571, doi:10.1001/archpsyc.1961.01710120031004.
[11]	Bech, P. Rating scales for affective disorders: their validity and consistency. Acta Psychiat. Scand. 1981, 64, 1–101, doi:10.1111/j.1600-0447.1981.tb00756.x.
[12]	Beck, A.T.; Steer, R.A.; Garbin, M.G. Psychometric properties of the Beck Depression Inventory: Twenty-five years of evaluation. Clin. Psychol. Rev. 1988, 8, 77–100, doi:10.1016/0272-7358(88)90050-5.
[13]	Beck, A.T.; Steer, R.A.; Ball, R.; Ranieri, W. Comparison of Beck Depression Inventories -IA and -II in psychiatric outpatients. J. Pers. Assess. 1996, 67, 588–597, doi:10.1207/s15327752jpa6703_13.
[14]	McDowell, I.; Newell, C. Measuring Health: A Guide to Rating Scales and Questionnaires; Oxford University Press: New York, NY, USA, 1996; pp. 238–249.
[15]	Beck, A.T.; Steer, R.A.; Brown, G.K. Manual for the Beck Depression Inventory-II; Psychological Corporation: San Antonio, TX, USA, 1996; pp. 34–61.
[16]	Ware, J.E.; Sherbourne, C.D. The MOS 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36). I. Conceptual framework and item selection. Med. Care. 1992, 30, 473–483, doi:10.1097/00005650-199206000-00002.
[17]	Tsai, S.Y.; Chi, L.Y.; Lee, L.S.; Chou, P. Health-related quality of life among urban, rural, and island community elderly in Taiwan. J. Formos. Med. Assoc. 2004, 103, 196–204.
[18]	Tsai, S.Y.; Chi, L.Y.; Cheng, C.Y.; Hsu, W.M.; Liu, J.H.; Chou, P. The impact of visual impairment and use of eye services on health-related quality of life among the elderly in Taiwan: The Shihpai Eye Study. Qual. Life Res. 2004, 13, 1415–1424, doi:10.1023/B:QURE.0000040791.87602.fe.
[19]	Tsai, S.Y.; Chou, P.; Chi, L.Y.; Lee, C.H. Health-related quality of life as a predictor of mortality among the community elderly. Eur. J. Epidemiol. 2007, 22, 19–26, doi:10.1007/s10654-006-9092-z.
[20]	McHorney, C.A.; Ware, J.E.; Lu, J.F.; Sherbourne, C.D. The MOS 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36). III. Tests of data quality, scaling assumptions, and reliability across diverse patient groups. Med. Care. 1994, 32, 40–66, doi:10.1097/00005650-199401000-00004.
[21]	McHorney, C.A.; Ware, J.E.; Raczek, A.E. The MOS 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36). II. Psychometric and clinical tests of validity in measuring physical and mental health constructs. Med. Care. 1993, 31, 247–263, doi:10.1097/00005650-199303000-00006.
[22]	Ware, J.E.; Kosinski, M.; Keller, S.D. SF-36 Physical and Mental Health Summary Scales: A Users’ Manual; The Health Institute: Boston, MA, USA, 1994. Chapters 3 and 4.
[23]	Nomura, K.; Nakao, M.; Tsurugano, S.; Takeuchi, T.; Inoue, M.; Shinozaki, Y.; Yano, E. Job stress and healthy behavior among male Japanese office workers. Am. J. Ind. Med. 2010, 53, 1128–1134, doi:10.1002/ajim.20859.
[24]	Everson, S.A.; Lynch, J.W.; Chesney, M.A.; Kaplan, G.A.; Goldberg, D.E.; Shade, S.B.; Cohen, R.D; Salonen, R.; Salonen, J.T. Interaction of workplace demands and cardiovascular reactivity in progression of carotid atherosclerosis: population based study. BMJ 1997, 314, 553–558.
[25]	Silva, L.S.; Barreto, S.M. Adversepsychosocialworkingconditions and poorquality of life among financialserviceemployees in Brazil. J. Occup. Health 2012, 54, 88–95, doi:10.1539/joh.11-0072-OA.
[26]	Hanebuth, D.; Meinel, M.; Fischer, J.E. Health-related quality of life, psychosocialworkconditions, and absenteeism in an industrialsample of blue- and white-collar employees: A comparison of potential predictors. J. Occup. Environ. Med. 2006, 48, 28–37, doi:10.1097/01.jom.0000195319.24750.f8.
[27]	Rusli, B.N.; Edimansyah, B.A.; Naing, L. Working conditions, self-perceived stress, anxiety, depression and quality of life: A structural equation modelling approach. BMC Public Health 2008.
[28]	Tobiasz-Adamczyk, B.; Brzyski, P. Psychosocial work conditions as predictors of quality of life at the beginning of older age. Int. J. Occup. Med. Environ. Health 2005, 18, 43–52.
[29]	Nahit, E.S.; Pritchard, C.M.; Cherry, N.M.; Silman, A.J.; Macfarlane, G.J. The influence of work related psychosocial factors and psychological distress on regional musculoskeletal pain: A study of newly employed workers. J. Rheumatol. 2001, 28, 1378–1784.
[30]	Griffiths, K.L.; Mackey, M.G.; Adamson, B.J. Behavioral and psychophysiological responses to job demands and association with musculoskeletal symptoms in computer work. J. Occup. Rehabil. 2011, 21, 482–492, doi:10.1007/s10926-010-9263-3.
[31]	McDonald, M.; DiBonaventura, M.; Ullman, S. Musculoskeletal pain in the workforce: The effects of back, arthritis, and fibromyalgia pain on quality of life and work productivity. J. Occup. Environ. Med. 2011, 53, 765–770, doi:10.1097/JOM.0b013e318222af81.
[32]	Stewart, W.F.; Ricci, J.A.; Chee, E.; Morganstein, D.; Lipton, R. Lost productive time and cost due to common pain conditions in the US workforce. JAMA 2003, 290, 2443–2454, doi:10.1001/jama.290.18.2443.

Full-Text