Psychosocial Risks and Mental Disorders among Mexican Oil Workers

Abstract

Psychosocial risks in workers have an influence on health, job performance and job satisfaction, however, this phenomenon in oil industry workers has been little studied. The objective was to analyze the association of stress and job burnout disorders in oil workers in the southeastern region of Mexico. Materials and methods: Cross-sectional and analytical design. The sample consisted of 501 workers in the onshore oil industry in the southeastern region of Mexico. The instruments used were the Job Burnout Inventory, the Stress Symptom Inventory and the Goldberg General Health Questionnaire (GHQ 28). The instruments were applied between October and November 2016. Chi-Square test was used to analyze the relationship between variables, and Odds Ratio was determined to establish the level of risk to mental disorders. Results: Moderate levels of stress (21.4%), efficacy (41.5%), cynicism (30.6%) and burnout (39.7%) were found. Mental disorders were found in 11.8% of the workers. Stress and job burnout dimensions were associated with mental disorders (p<.050). Finally, stress and job burnout are risk factors for mental disorders (OR=12.96, 95%CI [7.03, 23.94] p=0.00). Conclusions: Stress and job burnout represent risk factors for presenting mental disorders in oil workers.