Effects of an ergonomics-based job stress management program on job strain, psychological distress, and blood cortisol among employees of a national private bank in Denpasar Bali.

Abstract

The present work describes a newly developed ergonomics-based job stress management program - Ergo-JSI (Ergonomics-based Job Stress Intervention) - including a pilot study to ascertain the effects of the program on job strain, psychological distress, and blood cortisol levels among bank employees in Indonesia. A single-group, pre- and post-test experimental study was conducted in a sample of employees in a National Bank in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. The outcomes of the study focused on reductions in job strain index and psychological distress, measured by the Indonesian version of the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (BJSQ), and improvement in blood cortisol levels following the study.A total of 25 male employees, with an average age of 39, received an eight-week intervention with the Ergo-JSI. Compared to baseline, the job strain index decreased by 46% (p<0.05), and psychological distress decreased by 28% (p<0.05). These changes were accompanied by a 24% reduction in blood cortisol levels (p<0.05). The newly developed Ergo-JSI program may hence be effective for decreasing job strain, psychosocial distress, and blood cortisol among employees in Indonesia.

• Authors: Susy Purnawati, Norito Kawakami, Akihito Shimazu, Dewa Putu Sutjana, Nyoman Adiputra
• Journal: Industrial health (Ind Health) Pg. (Aug 06 2016) ISSN: 1880-8026 [Electronic] Japan
• PMID: 27498572 (Publication Type: Journal Article)