Associations Between Workplace Factors and Depression and Anxiety in Australian Heavy Vehicle Truck Drivers

Abstract

Abstract Introduction A number of health issues have been identified as prevalent within the Australian heavy vehicle driving population. Mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety, are among those disorders that have been regularly reported, however, the contributing factors are yet to be elucidated. Methods This study aimed to assess the associations between workplace factors such as years of employment, social interaction and shift length, with depressive and anxious symptomology in a cohort of 60 Australian heavy vehicle drivers. Results Significant positive associations were identified between depression and alcohol use (P = 0.044), coffee consumption (P = 0.037), number of accidents during career (P = < 0.004), and number of hours driving per shift (P ≤ 0.001). Anxiety was found to be positively associated with a number of hours driving per week (P ≤ 0.001), and the number of accidents or near misses during a driving career (P = 0.039). Conclusion Several workplace factors were identified as being correlated to depression or anxiety within this cohort, suggesting potential changes to rostering systems and education regarding alcohol use may benefit the mental health of this driver population.