Workplace stress and associated factors among vehicle repair workers in Hawassa City, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Introduction Workplace stress is a public health problem worldwide. Studies focusing on work-related stress among vehicle repair workers are scarce in African countries. The current study aimed to determine the prevalence of self-reported workplace stress and associated factors among vehicle repair workers in Hawassa City, South Ethiopia. Methods and findings A cross-sectional study design was employed among 347 vehicle repair workers from January 25 to February 22, 2019. Questionnaires were administered using interviews. Additional tools were used for weight and height measurements. The main findings were analyzed using descriptive statistics, bivariable, and multivariable logistic regression. The strength of association of variables was presented by odds ratio along with its 95% CI. The statistical assessments were considered significant at p<0.05. A total of 344 workers participated in the study. The prevalence of workplace stress among participants was 41.6% with 95% CI: (36.3–47.1). Factors associated with workplace stress were more than 10 years of work experience [AOR: 2.40; 95% CI (1.29–4.50)], work-related musculoskeletal disorder [AOR: 3.39; 95% CI (1.99–5.78)], squatting and lying work posture [AOR: 4.63; 95% CI (1.61–13.3)] and servicing large vehicles [AOR: 1.96; 95% CI (1.14–3.38)]. Conclusion and recommendations This study showed that the overall prevalence of work-related stress was substantially high. The independently associated factors were workers’ service years, symptoms of body pain, and the work environment. Preventive measures need to be implemented in vehicle repair workshops by focusing on work environment improvements.

Occupational stress and health risk of employees working in the garments sector of Bangladesh: An empirical study

“…Income level and occupational stress are found positive significant relationship. The work stress of low income workers is high whereas high income workers suffer less from work stress ( 43 ). The Tables 6 , 14 also found that the stress level was significantly different among level of education.…”

“…Another study proved that in garment industry occupational stress are strongly linked to gender ( 42 ), and different hierarchical level of workers like workers suffer from greater work pressure than supervisors. Various studies have shown that occupational stress higher where the work experience is more, Personality factors have shown inclination toward stress ( 43 ). They also revealed stress related to the worker status and showed an association with education level and the occurrence of occupational stress.…”

Einfluss der beruflichen Tätigkeit auf Erkrankungen des Bewegungsapparates der oberen Extremität

“…Bei Anstellung von körperlich überdurchschnittlich gesunden Personen für besonders belastende Tätigkeiten, können trotz hoher Belastung in bestimmten Berufsgruppen geringe Erkrankungsraten resultieren. Zudem können durch Möglichkeiten zur vorzeitigen Berentung und Einflüsse von tariflich unterschiedlich vereinbarten Entgeltfortzahlungen im Krankheitsfall Selektionseffekte entstehen [34]. Aber auch arbeitnehmerabhängige interindividuelle Faktoren, wie persönliche Kompetenz und Verantwortlichkeit im ausgeübten Beruf, können einen Einfluss auf die Entstehung von Erkrankungen der oberen Extremität haben.…”

Work-related stress and associated factors among garment workers in Bole Lemi Industrial Park of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a multi-center institution-based cross-sectional study

“…Some studies done among healthcare workers revealed that the prevalence of workplace stress ranges from 46.9 to 68.2% [11][12][13]. According to a few studies conducted in Ethiopia to measure the prevalence of work-related stress (WRS) and its determinants among employees of the manufacturing sector showed work-related stress ranged from 40.4 to 45.2% [14][15][16].…”