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Relationships between impact on employment, working conditions, socio-occupational categories and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder after the industrial disaster in Toulouse, France

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Abstract

Objectives

The aims of this paper were (1) to analyze the prevalence of symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (S-PTSD) in a population of workers 1 year after an industrial disaster; and (2) to assess the role of factors of vulnerability such as the occupational impact of a disaster and economic conditions.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey assessing the relationships between socio-occupational category, impact on employment and S-PTSD was conducted by the self-administered impact of event scale-revised.

Results

The prevalence of S-PTSD in workers in the peripheral zone (<3 km around the explosion site) was 12% in men and 18% in women. Factors significantly associated with S-PTSD in men were non-managerial socio-occupational category: employees (ORa = 4.3; [2.3; 7.8]), factory workers/laborers (ORa = 3.7; [1.8; 7.6]), intermediate professions (ORa = 3.3; [1.9; 5.9]), and artisans (ORa = 3; [1.3; 7.7]); and layoff (ORa = 2.6; [1.5; 4.5]) or unusable workplace after the explosion (ORa = 1.8; [1.1; 2.8]). In women, factors significantly associated with S-PTSD were the socio-occupational categories of employees and factory workers (ORa = 2.2; [1.4; 3.5]), artisans (ORa = 2.7; [1.3; 5.7]) and intermediate professions, (ORa = 1.5; [1; 2.3]) and reporting of an occupational accident (ORa = 1.5; [1.1; 2.2]).

Conclusion

Impact on the workplace and socioeconomic conditions were associated with S-PTSD. The epidemiological approach in disaster situations needs to be improved, particularly in the social and occupational dimension when economically active populations are involved. Vulnerable subgroups, defined by occupational impact and low socioeconomic category, should be taken into account.

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Abbreviations

IES-R:

Impact of event-revised scale

ORa:

Adjusted odds ratio

PTSD:

Post-traumatic stress disorder

S-PTSD:

Symptoms of PTSD

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank the Working Group on Employees which developed the self-administered questionnaire: Dr. Guillebaud, Dr. Espagno, Dr. Imbernon, Dr. Ehster, Dr. Jacques, Dr. Diène, Prof. Lang, Dr. Chades, Mme Lapierre-Duval, Dr. Carton, Dr. Moura Rouanne, Dr. Binot, Dr. Warret, Dr. Arcier, Dr. Chaumont, Prof. Goldberg, Dr. Rochas, Dr. Guinard, Dr. Muratet and Mr. Martin, and all the occupational physicians of the various occupational health services who tested the questionnaire or contributed to the study.

We also thank the scientific committee and the operational committee for organizing the follow-up of the impact of the explosion and Mme Aouïcha Abid for collating the survey data. We wish to thank Nina Crowte and Dominique Renwick for the translation of this paper.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests. This study was funded by the Institut de Veille Sanitaire (InVS).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Département Santé Travail, Institut de Veille Sanitaire (InVS), 12 rue du Val d’Osne, 94415, Saint Maurice, France

    Eloi Diene

  2. Département d’Epidémiologie et d’Evaluation Clinique, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nancy, 54000, Nancy, France

    Nelly Agrinier

  3. Dépistage Organisé du Cancer, 31000, Toulouse, France

    Artus Albessard

  4. Cellule de l’InVS en région Antilles Guyane, 97200, Fort-de-France, France

    Sylvie Cassadou

  5. Cellule de l’InVS en région Midi-Pyrénées, 31000, Toulouse, France

    Valerie Schwoebel

  6. Service d’Epidémiologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse, 31000, Toulouse, France

    Thierry Lang

  7. INSERM UMR1027, 31000, Toulouse, France

    Thierry Lang

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  1. Eloi Diene
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  2. Nelly Agrinier
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  4. Sylvie Cassadou
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Scientific and Operational Committees

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Correspondence to Eloi Diene.

Appendices

Scientific Committee

T. Lang, S. Cassadou, F. Cayla, G. Choisnard, M. Combier, J.L. Ducassé, M. Fabre, B. Fraysse, O. Deguine, J.P. Raynaud, L. Schmitt, J.M. Soulat, M. Goldberg, C. Gourier-Frery, E. Imbernon, P. Malfait, B. Helynck, B. Thélot.

Operational Committee

V. Schwoebel, E. Diène, S. Dasté, A. Guinard, K. Lapierre-Duval, C. Hemery, C. Ricoux, E. Bauvin, E. Garrigue, S. Rivière.

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Diene, E., Agrinier, N., Albessard, A. et al. Relationships between impact on employment, working conditions, socio-occupational categories and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder after the industrial disaster in Toulouse, France. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 47, 1309–1319 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-011-0439-8

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