The relationship between job-anxiety and trait-anxiety--a differential diagnostic investigation with the Job-Anxiety-Scale and the State-Trait-Anxiety-Inventory.
Job-related anxiety, in contrast to general trait-anxiety, is by its very nature associated with problems of participation at work. The aim of this study is to investigate the relation between general trait-anxiety and specific job-related anxiety and to examine whether job-anxiety and trait-anxiety are differently associated with sick leave. 190 inpatients of a psychosomatic and orthopaedic rehabilitation center with mental and somatic disorders filled in the Job-Anxiety-Scale (JAS) and the State-Trait-Anxiety-Inventory (STAI-T). Additionally, informations on age, gender, the current duration of sick leave in weeks, employment status, duration of unemployment, and position at the workplace were collected. Highest scores of job-anxiety were found for the JAS-dimensions "job-related worries" and "health anxieties", followed by "cognitions of insufficiency," "stimulus-related anxieties," and "social anxieties." JAS and STAI-T were significantly correlated. Job-anxiety, in contrast to trait-anxiety, was significantly related to duration of sick leave. Women showed higher scores on the STAI-T but not on the JAS. It can be concluded that job-anxiety is related to but not identical with trait-anxiety. Job-anxiety is important to understand sick leave and appears as a multidimensional and clinically important phenomenon.
Muschalla
Beate
B
Research Group Psychosomatic Rehabilitation, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Rehabilitation Center Seehof, Lichterfelder Allee 55, 14513 Teltow/Berlin, Germany. beate.muschalla@gmx.de
Linden
Michael
M
Olbrich
Dieter
D
D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001416:Back Pain / Q000523:psychology; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors; D018582:Sick Leave; D014478:Unemployment / Q000523:psychology