Assessment of occupational stress and associated burnout among locomotive drivers in Iran

Abstract

Introduction: Many studies have indicated that the professional driving is as a stressful occupation in the world. Few studies explored the effect of work-related stress on burnout among locomotive drivers. This study aimed to examine the association between work-related stress and burnout among Iranian locomotive drivers. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 67 locomotive engineers of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railroad Company in 2017.Occupational stress was assessed by the standard questionnaire from health and safety executive, and burnout was assessed by the Maslach survey questionnaire. Results: More than 43% of the participants experienced high and very high levels of work-related stress. Occupational burnout dimensions were predominantly deteriorated personal efficacy (52.5%), emotional exhaustion (40.2%) and depersonalization (38.8%). The high level of occupational stress was significantly associated with emotional exhaustion (p=0.037), depersonalization (p=0.041), and personal efficacy (p=0.009). Conclusion: Considerably, our study highlighted high work-related stress among locomotive drivers. Additionally, occupational stress showed to be linked to various dimensions of burnout. It is crucial for occupational health and safety division to decrease occupational stress to improve physical and mental health of locomotive drivers.