Work - related Stress and Urinary Catecholamines among Laboratory

Increasing concern about the role of the psychosocial environment at work in shaping health among workers has been noted during the last few decades . The demandcontrol-support theory and the effortreward imbalance theory have been the most commonly used theoretical frameworks that explained the effects of psychosocial work environment on physiological and psychological health reactions among workers. This issue has been examined in a wide variety of occupations; however, the relationship between workrelated psychosocial stress and health among the laboratory technicians has still not been well investigated. As a matter of fact, laboratory technicians are subject to a harsh psychosocial work environment. Their daily tasks imply high exposures to psychological demands (sensorial and cognitive), as they are required to handle precisely potentially hazardous infectious biological specimens, which poses a significantly increased risk to their health. Moreover, the laboratory technicians’ tasks involve great responsibility, as they deal with the clinical diagnosis of patients. Besides, like any large bureaucratic institution, laboratories tend to be monotonous and impersonal, which increases the staff’s alienation and feeling of lack of significance or participation. Little has been published in the scientific literature about the health of laboratory technicians and their exposures to occupational stress. One study that described the mortality rates, causes and distribution among laboratory technicians in Britain showed that they have higher mortality rates than other healthAbstract: Work-related Stress and Urinary Catecholamines among Laboratory Technicians: Ali GHADDAR, et al. Observatory of Public Policies and Health, Center Bonmarche, Lebanon—Objectives: Workrelated psychosocial hazards are associated with adverse health outcomes among workers. The association between psychosocial hazards and physiological health outcomes among laboratory technicians has not been studied previously. The objective of this study was to measure the association between work-related psychosocial hazards and the level of urinary catecholamines of laboratory technicians. Methods: The Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 125 workers in one community in Lebanon (response rate 73%) to measure psychosocial hazards. High-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to measure adrenaline, noradrenaline and dopamine in 24-hour urine samples. Results: Sensorial demands, insecurity at work, influence at work and low possibilities of development were particularly high among the workers. Linear regression analysis showed that sensorial and quantitative demands and low possibilities for development increased the levels of urinary catecholamines. Discussion: the results suggest important policy implications for laboratory administrations regarding improvement of the exposure of workers to sensorial and quantitative demands and low possibilities for development as a way to improve worker health. (J Occup Health 2013; 55: 398–404)