Affective and personality disturbances among female former microelectronics workers.
The production and manufacture of microelectronic components, carried out primarily by women workers, require extensive use of organic solvents. Affective and personality disturbances frequently have been associated with organic solvent toxicity. A group of women, former microelectronics workers (N = 70), primarily of Hispanic origin (77.1%) but raised in the United States, were evaluated for affective and personality disturbance with the MMPI. Profiles were analyzed, and diagnostic classification was performed blind. Results showed that (1) 85.7% of the profiles indicated abnormally high clinical elevations; and (2) MMPI profile classification revealed four clinical diagnostic groups: somatoform (24.3%), depression (15.7%), anxiety (28.6%), and psychotic (14.3%). These findings indicate significant psychopathology among these women, who formerly had worked in a microelectronics plant. The patterns of impairment present similarities to previous reports of organic solvent toxicity.
Bowler
R M
RM
University of California at San Francisco 94118.
Mergler
D
D
Rauch
S S
SS
Harrison
R
R
Cone
J
J
D000328:Adult; D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004581:Electronics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008950:MMPI / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D011594:Psychometrics; D012997:Solvents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology
D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D012997:Solvents