Depression in high voltage power line workers.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the association between effort-reward imbalance and depressive symptoms among workers in high voltage power lines.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study among 158 workers from an electric power company in Northeast Brazil. The main independent variables were the Effort-Reward Imbalance Model (ERI) dimensions and the main dependent variable was the prevalence of depression, as measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale. Data were analyzed by multiple logistic regression techniques.


RESULTS
The group of low reward workers presented a depression prevalence rate 6.2 times greater than those in the high reward group. The depression prevalence rate was 3.3 greater in workers in the situation of imbalanced effort-reward than in those in effort-reward equilibrium.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of depression was strongly associated with psychosocial factors present in the work of electricity workers.
Departamento de Medicina Preventiva e Social da Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brasil. suerda.souza@gmail.com
Suerda Fortaleza
SF
de Souza
Fernando Martins
FM
Carvalho
Tânia Maria
TM
de Araújo
Sergio
S
Koifman
Lauro Antonio
LA
Porto
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011210:Power Plants; D015995:Prevalence; D012201:Reward