Is ionizing radiation a risk factor for anxiety in employees?

Mansiroglu, Aslı Kurtar; Erer, Murat; Coşgun, Mehmet; Sincer, Isa; Güneş, Yılmaz

doi:10.1590/1806-9282.66.12.1685

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Original Article • Rev. Assoc. Med. Bras. 66 (12) • Dec 2020 • https://doi.org/10.1590/1806-9282.66.12.1685 copy

Is ionizing radiation a risk factor for anxiety in employees?

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

SUMMARY

OBJECTIVE:

Workers describe many physical and mental symptoms when working in radiation areas. This study aimed to assess these symptoms in radiation workers using the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI).

METHODS:

A total of 42 radiation workers (22 males and 20 females, mean age 34±7 years) and 47 control subjects (22 males and 27 females, mean age 31± 8 years) who work in non-radiation areas in the hospital were included in the study. All participants anonymously filled out the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) questionnaire.

RESULTS:

The demographic data of workers were not significantly different between groups. In the BAI, the dizzy or lightheaded (p =0.01), terrified (p= 0.01), unsteady (p=0.02), heart-pounding and racing (p=0.02) items were significantly higher in the radiation-exposed group compared to the control group. |The BAI score was also significantly higher in the radiation-exposed group (11.1±6.8 vs. 8.7±3.8, p =0.04)

CONCLUSION:

These results suggest the possibility that radiation may play a role in the psychometric properties of workers. The effects of radiation on the health of employees need to be further investigated and understood.

KEYWORDS:
Radiation, Ionizing; Anxiety; Psychological Tests; Stress, psychological/etiology; Occupational diseases

Baseline characteristics	Radiation exposed (N=42)	Control (N=47)	p
Age (years) (Mean ±SD)	34±7	31± 8	0.12
Male/female	22/20	22/25	0.60
Hypertension (%)	4 (9%)	2 (4%)	0.32
Smoking (%)	16 (38%)	12 (25%)	0.20
Nightshifts (%) BAI Score (Mean ±SD)	38 (90%) 11.1±6.8	34 (72%) 8.7±3.8	0.03 0.04
BAI Items
Numbness or tingling	21 (%50)	23 (49%)	0.58
Feeling hot	23 (55%)	19 (40%)	0.29
Wobbliness in legs	23 (55%)	20 (47%)	0.56
Unable to relax	18 (43%)	22 (47%)	0.32
Fear of the worst happening	13 (31%)	18 (43%)	0.39
Dizzy or lightheaded	31 (66%)	20 (48%)	0.01
Heart-pounding or racing	28 (66%)	15 (32%)	0.02
Unsteady	33 (%78)	25 (53%)	0.02
Terrified or afraid	38 (90%)	35 (74%)	0.01
Nervous	30 (71%)	39 (83%)	0.17
Feeling of choking	9 (21%)	14 (30%)	0.65
Hands trembling	17 (41%)	20 (43%)	0.88
Shaky or unsteady	8 (19%)	6 (13%)	0.48
Difficulty in breathing	9 (21%)	10 (21%)	0.56
Fear of dying	5 (12%)	8 (17%)	0.55
Scared	13 (28%)	12 (29%)	0.36
Indigestion or discomfort in the abdomen	20 (48%)	21 (66%)	0.26
Faint	8 (17%)	3 (7%)	0.11
Face flushed	20 (48%)	17 (%36)	0.50
Sweating	20 (48%)	13 (28%)	0.08
Fear of losing control	12 (25%)	8 (19%)	0.46

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[1] CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Asli Kurtar Mansiroglu Abant Izzet Baysal University Hospital, Department of Cardiology, Golkoy, 14280 , Bolu, Turkey; Phone: +903742534656 ; Fax: +903742534615 E-mail: dr.asli.kurtar@gmail.com