Abstract
In order to examine the present situation and ideal way with regard to occupational mental health, we have conducted the following two surveys. 1) In order to examine the relationship between the following total scores and stress level, we have surveyed 1,586 workers (normal group) and 101 patients with occupational maladjustment syndrome (maladjustment syndrome group) by using the method for stress assessment of worker. This survey consisted of 65 stressor questionnaires based on the social readjustment rating scale by Holmes, including 18 new questionnaires in the occupational environment. The subject group judged their experiences during the past year by the self-rating method with scoring from 0 to 100 (marriage=50). The scores of the stressors experienced during the year were summed up. The average score of the maladjustment syndrome group was 882,in contrast to 382 in the normal group. The percentage of more than 600 was 75.2% in the maladjustment syndrome group in comparison with that of 21.1% in the normal group. As the results, we found that the scores above 600 were among the indicators to find the one's level of adjustment and stress. We considered that the scores more than 600 indicate a high stress level. It was found that 21.1% of the normal group was under the high stress level. Next, we analyzed the frequencies of the high stress level with χ^2-test based on sex, age, occupation and work position. The stress levels at the ages over thirty were higher than twenties. Section heads and leaders were under greater stress than the employees. 2) From the investigation of about 10,000 company employees, we found that the workers who received tranquilizers rose from 6.4% in 1963 to l2% in 1987. The 74% of tranquilizers medicated people in 1987 had stress-related diseases. At the same company in 1963,the percentage of treatment with tranquilizers was almost the same between the younger (below 29 years) and the ages of over 30. In 1987,the percentage of the younger age group decreased to 2% from 5.8% in 1963,while the percentage in the older age group (over 40 years) showed the increase to 27.9% from 6% in 1963,a 4.6-fold increase compared with the figure in 1963. From the above-mentioned results, we considered that it is important for us not only to treat the patients with mental disorders but also to cope with the workers with the higher stress level of occupational mental health to prevent the stress-related diseases.
