Association of Subway Driver's Depressive Symptoms and Experience of Work-Related Problems

Abstract

OBJECTIVESSubway drivers experience various types of work-related problems during their driving, and those experiences can act as risk factors for depressive symptoms. This study was conducted to investigate the association between work-related problems and subway driver's depressive symptoms.METHODSWe recruited all of the 961 current subway drivers of a subway company located in Seoul, South Korea and conducted a survey of their socio-demographic and vocational characteristics, hospital visits as an outpatient or inpatient, and work-related problem experiences during the last year. Work-related problems included an accident resulting in death or injury, a conflict with a customer, a sudden stop from an emergency bell, or a near accident. Depressive symptoms were measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) instrument. The survey was performed using a self-report questionnaire from April 16 to July 13, 2007. The data of 827 drivers (86.2%) were analyzed.RESULTSExperience of a conflict with a passenger (p=0.011), a sudden stop from an emergency bell (p=0.001), or a near accident (p=0.001) increased the prevalence of depressive symptoms among subway drivers. A multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that a sudden stop from an emergency bell increased the risk of depressive symptoms significantly (OR=2.59, p=0.026). Near accidents were marginally associated with a higher risk for depressive symptoms (OR=1.62, p=0.062).CONCLUSIONThe experience of a sudden stop from an emergency bell increased subway driver's depressive symptoms, and near accidents may increase the risk of depressive symptoms. Therefore, interventions for the drivers who had experienced these work-related problems are needed.

Factors associated with suicide ideation among subway drivers in Korea

“…Because the model explaining that suicide occurs because of PTSD after PUT accidents is incomplete, and the completion of installation of the platform screen door system in the Seoul Subway did not have the desired effects on the suicide rate of subway drivers, it is necessary to determine other factors affecting psychiatric morbidity and suicide in subway drivers. Work-related factors such as sudden stops from the emergency bell and near accidents, rather than PUT experience, had strong relationships with depressive symptoms in the 2007 study [ 6 ]. As the 2007 study did not assess suicide ideation, our results cannot be compared with those directly.…”

Factors associated with suicide ideation among subway drivers in Korea

“…Because the model explaining that suicide occurs because of PTSD after PUT accidents is incomplete, and the completion of installation of the platform screen door system in the Seoul Subway did not have the desired effects on the suicide rate of subway drivers, it is necessary to determine other factors affecting psychiatric morbidity and suicide in subway drivers. Work-related factors such as sudden stops from the emergency bell and near accidents, rather than PUT experience, had strong relationships with depressive symptoms in the 2007 study [ 6 ]. As the 2007 study did not assess suicide ideation, our results cannot be compared with those directly.…”

The association between psychiatric disorders and work-related problems among subway drivers in Korea

“…The number and time of PUT experiences and the severity of the victim’s injury were asked, and we also inquired about the following work-related problems: conflict with passengers, experience of a sudden stop due to an emergency bell, having a near accident, experience of breakdown, and PUT experience of a colleague. Subway drivers sometimes experience mechanical troubles during their driving (breakdown), and they occasionally suffer from mental distress due to PUT experience of a co-worker although it is not their direct experience [ 2 ].…”

Systematic Review of the Impact of Suicides and Other Critical Incidents on Railway Personnel

“…Recruitment strategies could play a key role in representative participation and the quality of the results. In retrospective studies, questionnaires were sometimes sent to all members of a railway union (Margiotta, ; Napper, ) and sometimes to all employees of a railway network (Austin & Drummond, ; Garrison, ; Jo, Yim, Kim, Lee, & Park, ; Vatshelle & Moen, ). Systematic recruitment via employers seems to have induced higher participation rates than via the unions.…”

“…There are no population‐based epidemiologic studies to assess the scope of the involvement of railway employees in a CI. There are very important variations in the samples studied so far, ranging from 4% of train drivers involved in a CI (Jo et al., ) to 55% (Meier et al., ) and 73% (Napper, ). These differences may be due to cultural factors, variations in railway suicide incidence, network characteristics (density of traffic or of population), or recruitment bias.…”

Factors associated with suicide ideation among subway drivers in Korea

“…Because the model explaining that suicide occurs because of PTSD after PUT accidents is incomplete, and the completion of installation of the platform screen door system in the Seoul Subway did not have the desired effects on the suicide rate of subway drivers, it is necessary to determine other factors affecting psychiatric morbidity and suicide in subway drivers. Work-related factors such as sudden stops from the emergency bell and near accidents, rather than PUT experience, had strong relationships with depressive symptoms in the 2007 study [ 6 ]. As the 2007 study did not assess suicide ideation, our results cannot be compared with those directly.…”

The association between psychiatric disorders and work-related problems among subway drivers in Korea

“…The number and time of PUT experiences and the severity of the victim’s injury were asked, and we also inquired about the following work-related problems: conflict with passengers, experience of a sudden stop due to an emergency bell, having a near accident, experience of breakdown, and PUT experience of a colleague. Subway drivers sometimes experience mechanical troubles during their driving (breakdown), and they occasionally suffer from mental distress due to PUT experience of a co-worker although it is not their direct experience [ 2 ].…”

Systematic Review of the Impact of Suicides and Other Critical Incidents on Railway Personnel

“…Recruitment strategies could play a key role in representative participation and the quality of the results. In retrospective studies, questionnaires were sometimes sent to all members of a railway union (Margiotta, ; Napper, ) and sometimes to all employees of a railway network (Austin & Drummond, ; Garrison, ; Jo, Yim, Kim, Lee, & Park, ; Vatshelle & Moen, ). Systematic recruitment via employers seems to have induced higher participation rates than via the unions.…”

“…There are no population‐based epidemiologic studies to assess the scope of the involvement of railway employees in a CI. There are very important variations in the samples studied so far, ranging from 4% of train drivers involved in a CI (Jo et al., ) to 55% (Meier et al., ) and 73% (Napper, ). These differences may be due to cultural factors, variations in railway suicide incidence, network characteristics (density of traffic or of population), or recruitment bias.…”

Factors associated with suicide ideation among subway drivers in Korea

“…Because the model explaining that suicide occurs because of PTSD after PUT accidents is incomplete, and the completion of installation of the platform screen door system in the Seoul Subway did not have the desired effects on the suicide rate of subway drivers, it is necessary to determine other factors affecting psychiatric morbidity and suicide in subway drivers. Work-related factors such as sudden stops from the emergency bell and near accidents, rather than PUT experience, had strong relationships with depressive symptoms in the 2007 study [ 6 ]. As the 2007 study did not assess suicide ideation, our results cannot be compared with those directly.…”

The association between psychiatric disorders and work-related problems among subway drivers in Korea

“…The number and time of PUT experiences and the severity of the victim’s injury were asked, and we also inquired about the following work-related problems: conflict with passengers, experience of a sudden stop due to an emergency bell, having a near accident, experience of breakdown, and PUT experience of a colleague. Subway drivers sometimes experience mechanical troubles during their driving (breakdown), and they occasionally suffer from mental distress due to PUT experience of a co-worker although it is not their direct experience [ 2 ].…”

Systematic Review of the Impact of Suicides and Other Critical Incidents on Railway Personnel

“…Recruitment strategies could play a key role in representative participation and the quality of the results. In retrospective studies, questionnaires were sometimes sent to all members of a railway union (Margiotta, ; Napper, ) and sometimes to all employees of a railway network (Austin & Drummond, ; Garrison, ; Jo, Yim, Kim, Lee, & Park, ; Vatshelle & Moen, ). Systematic recruitment via employers seems to have induced higher participation rates than via the unions.…”

“…There are no population‐based epidemiologic studies to assess the scope of the involvement of railway employees in a CI. There are very important variations in the samples studied so far, ranging from 4% of train drivers involved in a CI (Jo et al., ) to 55% (Meier et al., ) and 73% (Napper, ). These differences may be due to cultural factors, variations in railway suicide incidence, network characteristics (density of traffic or of population), or recruitment bias.…”