Top

Published in:

01-11-2014 | Original Paper

Relationships of Mental Health Problems with Stress Among Civil Servants in Guangzhou, China

Authors: Chunyan Zhu, Li Chen, Liming Ou, Qingshan Geng, Wei Jiang

Published in: Community Mental Health Journal | Issue 8/2014

Abstract

Psychosocial problems and stress-related diseases account for a high proportion of health problems. This study aimed to assess stress status and mental health, and their relationships with each other among civil servants in China. In a cross-sectional study of 600 randomly selected civil servants in 2007, we assessed mental health via the Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90), and stress status via a Self-Rated Stress Scale. Canonical correlation analysis was performed to assess the interrelationships among mental health symptoms and the various stressors. The participants scored higher in the total score and the seven domains of the SCL-90 (except for interpersonal sensitivity and hostility), compared with the norms documented in China. Canonical correlation analysis demonstrated positive and direct relationship in the first canonical function indicating that the nine mental health problems and various stressors were related (Canonical correlation = 0.715). Among the civil servants, mental health problems are highly associated with various stressors.

Bagozzi, R. P., Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Canonical correlation analysis as a special case of a structural relations model. Multivariate behavioral 13. Research, 16(4), 437–454.

Barcikowski, R., & Stevens, J. P. (1975). A Monte Carlo study of the stability of canonical correlations, canonical weights, and canonical variate-variable correlations. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 10, 353–364.CrossRef

Chen, C. Z. (2005). Mental health of the civil servants. Development Research, 4, 71–73.

Chen, S. L., & Li, L. J. (2003). Re-testing reliability, validity and norm applicatility of SCL-90. Chinese Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases, 29(5), 323–327.

David, B. P. (1995). Stress management for patient and physician. The Canadian Journal of Continuing. http://www.mentalhealth.com/mag1/p51-str.html.

Dept. of Health. (1993). Mental illness: Key area handbook (The health of the nation) (pp. 11–24). London: UK Department of Health.

Derogatis, L. R. (2000). Symptom Checklist-90-Revised. In A. J. Rush, M. M. First & D. Blacker (Eds.), Handbook of psychiatric measures (pp. 81–84). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

Derogatis, L. R., Lipman, R. S., & Covi, L. (1973). SCL-90: An outpatient psychiatric rating scale-preliminary report. Psychopharmacology Bulletin, 9, 13–28.PubMed

Hair, J. F., Anderson, R. E., Tatham, R. L., & Black, W. C. (1998). Multivariate data analysis (5th ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NY: Prentice Hall Inc.

Huo, T. Y. (2004). Investigation of youthful and middle-aged primary officials’ mental health and personality. Heath Psychology Journal, 12(4), 303–306.

Jin, H., Wu, W. Y., & Zhang, M. Y. (1986). Study on the normal of SCL-90 in China. Chinese Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases, 12(5), 260–263.

Kivimäki, M., Leino-Arjas, P., & Luukkonen, R. (2002). Work stress and risk of CV mortality: Prospective cohort study of industrial employees. British Medical Journal, 325, 857–862.PubMedCentralPubMedCrossRef

Kopp, M. S., Stauder, A., Purebl, G., Janszky, I., & Skrabski, Á. (2007). Work stress and mental health in a changing society. European Journal of Public Health, 18(3), 238–244.PubMedCrossRef

Levi, L. (2005). Working life and mental health—A challenge to psychiatry? World Psychiatry, 4(1), 53–57.PubMedCentralPubMed

Li, H., & Chen, L. (2004). A survey on personality and mental health of civil servants and police. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology, 12(3), 260–262.

Liu, Z. Q. (2005). The problem on the civil servant’s health: Needing the government’s intervention. Administration and law, 9, 63–65.

Netterstrøm, B., Conrad, N., Bech, P., Fink, P., Olsen, O., Rugulies, R., et al. (2008). The relation between work-related psychosocial factors and the development of depression. Epidemiologic Reviews, 30(1), 118–132.PubMedCrossRef

Northwestern National Life Insurance Company. (1992). Employee burnout: Causes and cures. Minneapolis, MN: Northwestern National Life Insurance Company.

Pan, L., Se, S. H., & Li, H. J. (2007). Relationship between job stress and mental health in civil servants. Journal of Sichuan Administration College, 2, 98–101.

Paterniti, S., Niedhammer, I., Lang, T., & Consoli, S. M. (2002). Psychosocial factors at work, personality traits and depressive symptoms. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 181, 111–117.PubMedCrossRef

Phillips, M. R., Zhang, J. X., Shi, Q. C., Song, Z. Q., Ding, Z. J., Pang, S. T., et al. (2009). Prevalence, treatment, and associated disability of mental disorders in four provinces in China during 2001–05: An epidemiological survey. Lancet, 373, 2041–2053.PubMedCrossRef

Siegrist, J. (2000). Work stress and beyond. European Journal of Public Health, 10, 233–234.CrossRef

Stevens, J. P. (1986). Applied multivariate statistics for the social sciences. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Verhoeven, C., Kraaij, V., Joekes, K., & Maes, S. (2003). Job conditions and wellness/health outcomes in Dutch secondary school teachers. Psychol Health, 18, 473–487.CrossRef

Wang, Y. (2008). The influential factors and intervention mechanism of public servants occupational health psychology. Chinese Public Administration, 9, 61–64.

Whiteford, H. A., Degenhardt, L., Rehm, J., Baxter, A. J., Ferrari, A. J., Erskine, H. E., et al. (2013). Global burden of disease attributable to mental and substance use disorders: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Lancet, 382(9904), 1575–1586.PubMedCrossRef

Xu, L. L., Ou, L. M., & Geng, Q. S. (2012). A study of the reliability and validity of the Administrator Work Stress Scale. China Journal of Health Psychology, 20(1), 153–154.

Zhao, X. M. (2008). Results of MMPI-2 among the leaders of civil servants. Chinese Mental Health Journal, 22(6), 474.

Zhu, C. Y., Ou, L. M., Geng, Q. S., Zhang, M. L., Ye, R. F., Chen, J., et al. (2012). Association of somatic symptoms with depression and anxiety in clinical patients of general hospitals in Guangzhou, China. General Hospital Psychiatry, 34(2), 113–120.PubMedCrossRef

Title: Relationships of Mental Health Problems with Stress Among Civil Servants in Guangzhou, China
Authors: Chunyan Zhu
Li Chen
Liming Ou
Qingshan Geng
Wei Jiang
Publication date: 01-11-2014
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Community Mental Health Journal / Issue 8/2014
Print ISSN: 0010-3853
Electronic ISSN: 1573-2789
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-014-9726-7

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Relationships of Mental Health Problems with Stress Among Civil Servants in Guangzhou, China

Abstract

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 8/2014

Embodying Recovery: A Qualitative Study of Peer Work in a Consumer-Run Service Setting

From the Editor in Chief Jacqueline Maus Feldman

The Client–Caseworker Relationship and Its Association with Outcomes Among Mental Health Court Participants

Mental Health Correlates of Past Homelessness in Latinos and Asians

People Living in Community with a Severe Mental Illness: Utilization and Satisfaction with Care and Support

Life Span History of Non-fatal Suicidal Behaviours in a Large Sample of General Practitioners’ Patients: Data from Rovigo, Northern Italy