Assessment of mental health status and its effective components among professional urban bus drivers in Qom Province, Iran, in 2014

Abstract

Background: The physical and psychological health of bus drivers is a critical factor in public driving performance. Any impairment can have dire consequences for passengers and the company. Thus, research on the mental health status of public bus drivers is a critical issue in reducing road accidents, decreasing passengers' injuries, and ensuring the safety of the operation. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in 2014 and the 28-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) was used for the psychological health measurement of 214 consenting bus drivers in Qom Province of Iran. In addition, a demographic questionnaire was applied. Data were analyzed in SPSS software. Results: All drivers (except one) were men with a mean age of 34.25 ± 7.49 years. The majority of the participants (207; 96.7%) were married. Based on the average scores obtained from GHQ-28 (21.45 ± 12.88), general psychological morbidity was 35.98%. Moreover, the components of somatic symptoms, sleep disorders and anxiety, social dysfunction, and depression were experienced by 33.64%, 40.65%, 50.93%, and 13.08% of bus drivers, respectively. The questionnaire data indicated that age (P < 0.05) and marital status (differences were not significant) played an important role in influencing mental health among the bus drivers. Conclusions: It can be concluded that drivers' physical and mental health are areas of concern that need to be addressed alongside the development of specific methodologies for permanent monitoring of these factors at specific times as permanent training and evaluation are necessary. The data obtained in the present study showed that prevention strategies such as routine evaluations, recording, and analysis of mental health status among drivers must be effective and applicable.