@phdthesis{Muschalla2008, author = {Muschalla, Beate}, title = {Workplace-related anxieties and workplace phobia : a concept of domain-specific mental disorders}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-20048}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2008}, abstract = {Background: Anxiety in the workplace is a special problem as workplaces are especially prone to provoke anxiety: There are social hierarchies, rivalries between colleagues, sanctioning through superiors, danger of accidents, failure, and worries of job security. Workplace phobia is a phobic anxiety reaction with symptoms of panic occurring when thinking of or approaching the workplace, and with clear tendency of avoidance. Objectives: What characterizes workplace-related anxieties and workplace phobia as domain-specific mental disorders in contrast to conventional anxiety disorders? Method: 230 patients from an inpatient psychosomatic rehabilitation center were interviewed with the (semi-)structured Mini-Work-Anxiety-Interview and the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, concerning workplace-related anxieties and conventional mental disorders. Additionally, the patients filled in the self-rating questionnaires Job-Anxiety-Scale (JAS) and the Symptom Checklist (SCL-90-R)measuring job-related and general psychosomatic symptom load. Results: Workplace-related anxieties occurred together with conventional anxiety disorders in 35\% of the patients, but also alone in others (23\%). Workplace phobia could be found in 17\% of the interviewed, any diagnosis of workplace-related anxiety was stated in 58\%. Workplace phobic patients had significantly higher scores in job-anxiety than patients without workplace phobia. Patients with workplace phobia were significantly longer on sick leave in the past 12 months (23,5 weeks) than patients without workplace phobia (13,4 weeks). Different qualities of workplace-related anxieties lead with different frequencies to work participation disorders. Conclusion: Workplace phobia cannot be described by only assessing the general level of psychosomatic symptom load and conventional mental disorders. Workplace-related anxieties and workplace phobia have an own clinical value which is mainly defined by specific workplace-related symptom load and work-participation disorders. They require special therapeutic attention and treatment instead of a "sick leave" certification by the general health physician. Workplace phobia should be named with a proper diagnosis according to ICD-10 chapter V, F 40.8: "workplace phobia".}, language = {en} } @article{Muschalla2014, author = {Muschalla, Beate}, title = {Work-related anxieties in research and practice}, series = {Zeitschrift f{\"u}r Arbeits- und Organisationspsychologie : german journal of work and organizational psychology}, volume = {58}, journal = {Zeitschrift f{\"u}r Arbeits- und Organisationspsychologie : german journal of work and organizational psychology}, number = {4}, publisher = {Hogrefe}, address = {G{\"o}ttingen}, issn = {0932-4089}, doi = {10.1026/0932-4089/a000166}, pages = {206 -- 214}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Workplaces contain by their very nature different anxiety-provoking characteristics. When workplace-related anxieties manifest, absenteeism, long-term-sick leave, and even disability pension can be the consequences. In medical-vocational rehabilitation about 30-60 \% of the patients suffer from workplace-related anxieties that are often a barrier for return to work. Even in mentally healthy employees, 5 \% said that they were prone to ask for a sick leave certificate due to workplace-related anxieties. Future research should focus on workplace-related anxieties not only in rehabilitation, but more earlier, i. e. in the workplace. The concept of workplace-related anxieties offers ideas which can be useful in mental-health-oriented work analysis, employee-workplace-fit, and job design.}, language = {de} } @article{MuschallaHeldmannFay2013, author = {Muschalla, Beate and Heldmann, Madleen and Fay, Doris}, title = {The significance of job-anxiety in a working population}, series = {Occupational medicine}, volume = {63}, journal = {Occupational medicine}, number = {6}, publisher = {Oxford Univ. Press}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0962-7480}, doi = {10.1093/occmed/kqt072}, pages = {415 -- 421}, year = {2013}, abstract = {Background Job-anxiety, as distinguished from trait-anxiety, is associated with long-term sickness absence. The prevalence of job-anxiety within a working population is not known. Identifying individuals who would benefit from intervention might be useful. Aims To investigate job-anxiety in employees not undergoing treatment for mental health illness, firstly by assessing the level of job-anxiety and work-related avoidance tendencies in a working sample, and secondly by testing whether job-anxiety is distinguishable from trait-anxiety. Methods Cross-sectional survey of a convenience sample obtained through personal contact distribution. Employees from different professional settings completed an anonymous questionnaire and provided information on their employment status. The State-Trait-Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T) was used to measure trait-anxiety and the Job-Anxiety-Scale (JAS) was used to assess job (state) anxiety. Results There was a 69\% response rate (240 responses); 188 responses were available for analysis of whom 62\% were women. There were no employees with high trait-anxiety. Ten employees (5\%) reported increased job-anxiety and of these nine employees reported high 'tendencies of avoidance and workplace absence'. Avoidance was most often accompanied by the comorbid job-anxieties 'job-related social anxiety', 'fear of changes at work' and 'fears of existence', 'anticipatory' and 'conditioned' job-anxiety and 'panic symptoms'. Conclusions In this sample, self-reported job-anxiety appeared as a specific type of anxiety as opposed to trait-anxiety. In the workplace job-anxiety can present as job-avoidance and sickness absence and should be distinguished from trait-anxiety. In practice, employers and occupational health practitioners should be aware of those employees prone to sickness absence.}, language = {en} } @article{MuschallaHenningHaakeetal.2018, author = {Muschalla, Beate and Henning, Anne and Haake, Tim Woody and Cornetz, Kathrin and Olbrich, Dieter}, title = {Mental health problem or workplace problem or something else}, series = {Disability and rehabilitation : an international, multidisciplinary journal}, volume = {42}, journal = {Disability and rehabilitation : an international, multidisciplinary journal}, number = {4}, publisher = {Routledge, Taylor \& Francis Group}, address = {Abingdon}, issn = {0963-8288}, doi = {10.1080/09638288.2018.1501099}, pages = {502 -- 509}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Purpose: Work perception is an important predictor for work ability and, therefore, of interest for rehabilitation. Until now it is unclear to which extent different psychological aspects explain work perception. This study investigates in which way workplace problems on the one hand, and mental health and coping on the other hand, contribute to work perception. Methods: A heterogeneous sample of 384 persons in working age with and without mental health problems was recruited. Participants gave self-reports on workplace problems, mental health problems, work-coping, work-anxiety, and work perception. Results: Persons with mental health problems and workplace problems (M + W) perceive the highest degree of work demands, followed by persons with workplace problems but without mental health problems (NM + W). Work-anxiety appeared as the strongest factor explaining perception of high work demands, whereas general mental health problems did not contribute significantly to variance explanation. Conclusions: Persons with specific mental health problems in terms of work-anxiety may be expected to perceive higher work demands. They may be detected when asking for work perception, e.g., within the frame of return-to-work interventions in rehabilitation, or in occupational health settings by mental hazard analysis.}, language = {en} }