Past Occupational Dust Exposure, Depressive Symptoms and Anxiety in Retired Chinese Factory Workers: The Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study

Abstract

Past Occupational Dust Exposure, Depressive Symptoms and Anxiety in Retired Chinese Factory Workers: The Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study: Qiu‐Hong LIN, et al. Guangzhou No. 12 Hospital, Guangzhou Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment Centre, P.R. China— Objective Few studies have systematically investigated the impact of past occupational dust exposure on mental health. We examined whether retired factory workers exposed to any of the 4 dusts of silica, cement, coal and asbestos had more depressive symptoms and anxiety in southern China, which has experienced rapid economic development. Methods We used data from the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study phase 3. Exposures, lifestyle, symptoms and medical history of the participants were assessed with a structured interview. Self‐reported intensity and duration of past occupational dust exposure were used to derive cumulative exposure. Outcome measures were assessed by the 15‐item Chinese version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (score ≥5) and the single‐item on anxiety. Results The results revealed that 359 workers were exposed to at least one of the 4 dusts and that 1,253 were unexposed (controls). After adjustment of multiple confounders, greater risks of depressive symptoms were associated with high exposure to silica (odds ratio (OR) of 3.12, 95% CI of 1.17−8.31) and asbestos (OR of 6.90; CI of 1.29−36.75). Risks of anxiety were higher in those with low or high exposures to dust (OR of 2.01 and CI of 1.04−3.87 and OR of 2.29 and CI of 1.30−4.03, respectively) and cement (OR of 3.20 and CI of 1.27−8.07 and OR of 2.30 and CI of 1.09−4.87, respectively), and those with high exposure to silica (OR of 5.29, CI of 1.76−15.92). Conclusions Past occupational exposures to silica, cement, coal and asbestos dusts were associated with adverse mental health outcomes in retired factory workers. The mechanism underlying the relationship between occupational exposures and psychological symptoms in later life needs to be further studied.

The psychological distress and care needs of mesothelioma patients and asbestos‐exposed subjects: A systematic review of published studies

“…The literature review confirms that MM is associated with the physical, emotional, and social functioning of patients. Moreover, among asbestos‐exposed subjects, the risk of developing‐asbestos related diseases is often associated with high levels of psychological distress, despair, and related mental health problems …”

“…It should also be noted that the studies included in our research use a wide variety of tools to identify and assess psychological distress and care needs among MM patients and asbestos‐exposed subjects, many of which have been used on other oncologic populations (eg lung cancer patients) . Nevertheless, manifestations of psychological distress among MM patients is complex and multifaceted, and it is important to separate the assessment process and the means in which specific care pathways are developed .…”

“…This includes three clinical trials, one case‐control study, and two cross‐sectional studies . Among papers that focus on exposed subjects, eight are quantitative in nature, one is an exposed vs non exposed study, two are nested studies, and five are cross‐sectional studies . Psychological interventions have been analyzed in three studies, and one study focused on exposed subjects .…”

“…Some of the reviewed studies focused on aspects related to anxiety and depression. These phenomena were evaluated through the administration of the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAS), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES‐D), the Distress Thermometer (DT), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) . Other studies, meanwhile, investigated the consequences of trauma by using the Self‐evaluation scale of life events (Echelle d′auto évaluation des événements de vie—EAEE), the Trauma Symptom Inventory (TSI), the Impact of Events Scale (IES), the Revised PTSD Inventory” (R‐PTSD), the Lung Cancer Module (QLQ‐LC13), the Acceptance of Illness Scale (AOI), and the Lung Cancer Symptom Scale (LCSS) .…”

“…Most of the selected studies investigated the psychological impact of occupational asbestos exposure, many of which reported that both asbestos‐exposed and non‐exposed subjects can develop anxiety and depressive symptoms, even in the absence of pathology . A study in particular highlights that gender, age were significantly related to depression, stress, and acceptance of illness .…”