ORIGINAL PAPER
Mental condition and specificity
of mental disorders in a group of workers
from southern Poland: A research report
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Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Kraków, Poland
(Institute of Applied Psychology)
Online publication date: 2017-10-30
Corresponding author
Bernadetta Izydorczyk
Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Institute of Applied Psychology,
Łojasiewicza 4, 30-348 Kraków
Med Pr Work Health Saf. 2018;69(1):13-28
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ABSTRACT
Background: The aim of this work is to provide empirical evidence regarding types and increasing prevalence of mental disorders
affecting Polish working population in the years 2014–2016. The research questions concerned the specific characteristics of the
types of mental disorders and their prevalence as well as the differences between males and females. Material and Methods: Types
of mental disorders were investigated using a clinical method, a structured interview, as well as medical record data gathered in
the years 2014–2016 in one mental health treatment center. The study was conducted in the population of 1578 working individuals
aged 18–64 years old, in various forms of employment, including flexible employment (self-employment, task assignment
agreement) and contract employment. The research population consisted of 998 females and 580 males, aged 18–64 years old. The
study aimed at investigating types and the prevalence rate of mental disorders developed in the examined working Poles, also with
reference to the sex of the study participants as well as the age at which they started seeking treatment. Results: The prevailing
disorders include neurotic disorders; diagnosed according to the 10th Revision of the International Statistical Classification of
Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) classification as a range of anxiety disorders, mixed anxiety-depressive disorders,
stress-related and somatoform disorders; as well as personality disorders. The prevalence rate of the aforementioned disorders
was found to be higher among working females than in the group of working males. Conclusions: The overall study conclusions
based on the research data analysis point to the fact that the prevalence rate of various types of mental disorders displayed by the
examined working males and females increased significantly in the years 2014–2016. Med Pr 2018;69(1):13–28