Occupational depression among beverage-processing workers in East Java, Indonesia: a cross-sectional study of...

Area of Science:

• Occupational health
• Psychiatry
• Industrial psychology

Background:

• Depression is a prevalent mental health issue among industrial workers.
• Identifying work-related stressors is crucial for developing preventive strategies in industrial settings.
• This study focuses on production workers in a beverage factory in East Java, Indonesia.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the associations between specific work stress factors and occupational depression.
• To identify key workplace stressors contributing to depression in production workers.
• To inform targeted interventions for mental health in the manufacturing sector.

Main Methods:

• An explanatory sequential mixed-methods study design was employed.
• Quantitative data collected via questionnaires (demographics, Holmes-Rahe Scale, SDS-30, ODI).
• Qualitative data gathered through focus group discussions (FGDs) with 15 selected workers.

Main Results:

• 20% of 140 production workers screened positive for occupational depression (ODI score ≥5).
• All six domains of the Stress Diagnostic Survey-30 (SDS-30) were significantly associated with occupational depression in bivariate analysis.
• Moderate-to-severe quantitative workload overload was independently associated with occupational depression (aOR 5.18; 95% CI 2.06-13.06).

Conclusions:

• Occupational depression is a significant concern, affecting one in five production workers.
• Quantitative workload pressure is a primary, modifiable risk factor for occupational depression.
• Workload management, clear task allocation, and organizational support are vital for protecting worker mental health.