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Job stress models, depressive disorders and work performance of engineers in microelectronics industry

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Abstract

Objectives

Microelectronic engineers are considered valuable human capital contributing significantly toward economic development, but they may encounter stressful work conditions in the context of a globalized industry. The study aims at identifying risk factors of depressive disorders primarily based on job stress models, the Demand–Control–Support and Effort–Reward Imbalance models, and at evaluating whether depressive disorders impair work performance in microelectronics engineers in Taiwan.

Methods

The case–control study was conducted among 678 microelectronics engineers, 452 controls and 226 cases with depressive disorders which were defined by a score 17 or more on the Beck Depression Inventory and a psychiatrist’s diagnosis. The self-administered questionnaires included the Job Content Questionnaire, Effort–Reward Imbalance Questionnaire, demography, psychosocial factors, health behaviors and work performance. Hierarchical logistic regression was applied to identify risk factors of depressive disorders. Multivariate linear regressions were used to determine factors affecting work performance.

Results

By hierarchical logistic regression, risk factors of depressive disorders are high demands, low work social support, high effort/reward ratio and low frequency of physical exercise. Combining the two job stress models may have better predictive power for depressive disorders than adopting either model alone. Three multivariate linear regressions provide similar results indicating that depressive disorders are associated with impaired work performance in terms of absence, role limitation and social functioning limitation.

Conclusions

The results may provide insight into the applicability of job stress models in a globalized high-tech industry considerably focused in non-Western countries, and the design of workplace preventive strategies for depressive disorders in Asian electronics engineering population.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the invaluable help of the staff in the department of psychiatry and the department of health examination in the Mackay Memorial Hospital, Hsinchu Branch.

Conflict of interest

The authors of this manuscript declare no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry in Medicine, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Hsinchu, Taiwan

    Sung-Wei Chen & Po-Chuan Wang

  2. Institute of National Development, College of Social Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Sung-Wei Chen & Ping-Lung Hsin

  3. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Hsinchu, Taiwan

    Anthony Oates

  4. Mackay Medicine, Nursing and Management College, Taipei, Taiwan

    Shen-Ing Liu

  5. Department of Psychiatry, Mackay Memorial Hospital, No. 92, Sec. 2, Chung-Shan North Rd, 10449, Taipei, Taiwan

    I-Wen Sun & Shen-Ing Liu

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  1. Sung-Wei Chen
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Correspondence to Shen-Ing Liu.

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Chen, SW., Wang, PC., Hsin, PL. et al. Job stress models, depressive disorders and work performance of engineers in microelectronics industry. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 84, 91–103 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-010-0538-y

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