title: Is depression a risk factor for meatpacking injuries?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  While meatpacking is a physically demanding industry, the effect of depression on risks for injury has not been studied.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess depressive disorders (major depression and dysthymia) using a validated screening tool administered to injured and uninjured meatpacking workers in two Midwestern plants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Matched case-control analyses were conducted among 134 workers to evaluate the association between depressive disorder and the occurrence of laceration injury.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 268 workers, 13.8% screened positive for depressive disorder, whereas the general population prevalence estimate for depressive disorder using the same tool was 3.4% . Depressive disorder was not associated with an increased risk for injury; 17% of cases who experienced a laceration injury and 15% of uninjured controls reported depressive disorder (OR 0.81, 95% CI: 0.39-1.69).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Evaluation of depression causes among meatpacking workers is needed to elucidate prevention and treatment strategies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lander
authors.affiliation: Springfield Hospital Center, Sykesville, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Gary S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Sorock
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
authors.forename: Lynette M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: College of Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA.|Department of Environmental, Agricultural, and Occupational Health Sciences, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center-Omaha, NE, USA.
authors.forename: Terry L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Stentz
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Seung-Sup
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Murray A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Mittleman
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Melissa J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Perry
mesh_terms: D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007484:Iowa; D022125:Lacerations / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008462:Meat-Packing Industry; D009329:Nebraska; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Depressive disorder; laceration; meatpacking; occupational