Research Article

Below the tip of the iceberg: A qualitative perspective of psychological and social aspects of occupational diseases

Volume: 19 Number: 2 July 23, 2021
TR EN

Below the tip of the iceberg: A qualitative perspective of psychological and social aspects of occupational diseases

Abstract

Objective: The inadequacy of preventative measures to combat the harmful effects of the working environment leads to circumstances where workers develop occupational diseases. Workers lose their good health and also experience other challenges in various aspects of their daily lives such as being forced to quit their jobs or showing poor performance at work. This study was carried out to observe, understand and analyse the psychological and social consequences that occupational diseases may give rise to.
Methods: It is a quaWlitative study and involves in-depth interviews with workers who were diagnosed with occupational diseases. Interviews, that were conducted with 20 participants through the use of a voice recorder, cover both medical and legal aspects. A targeted sample, chosen to represent the full spectrum of illness, was taken from those who had received medical or legal confirmation of occupational disease. The data was generated manually by the researchers and generated through the thematic analysis technique, again, by the researchers without the use of a software.
Results: We found that the process of diagnosing occupational disease was in itself a stressor and workers experienced negative effects on their mental health, family relationships, gender roles as well as their individual, social and daily living skills.
Conclusion: These effects were manifested in the lives of participants suffering from occupational diseases as stigmatization, depression, social adjustment disorders, concerns about the future, fear of unemployment, impaired gender role and loss of status. The main contribution of this study to the available studies is to demonstrate the necessity to include “stigma related information” in the diagnosis and treatment processes of occupational diseases.

Keywords

Thanks

The authors would like to thank Professors Sibel Sakarya and Nadi Bakirci for their critical reading of the manuscript and constructive comments. We are also grateful to Professor Inci User for her valuable suggestions.

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Health Care Administration

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

July 23, 2021

Submission Date

November 11, 2020

Acceptance Date

April 19, 2021

Published in Issue

Year 2021 Volume: 19 Number: 2

APA
Usseli, T., & Yasin, Y. (2021). Below the tip of the iceberg: A qualitative perspective of psychological and social aspects of occupational diseases. Turkish Journal of Public Health, 19(2), 129-139. https://doi.org/10.20518/tjph.824601
AMA
1.Usseli T, Yasin Y. Below the tip of the iceberg: A qualitative perspective of psychological and social aspects of occupational diseases. TJPH. 2021;19(2):129-139. doi:10.20518/tjph.824601
Chicago
Usseli, Tuba, and Yesim Yasin. 2021. “Below the Tip of the Iceberg: A Qualitative Perspective of Psychological and Social Aspects of Occupational Diseases”. Turkish Journal of Public Health 19 (2): 129-39. https://doi.org/10.20518/tjph.824601.
EndNote
Usseli T, Yasin Y (July 1, 2021) Below the tip of the iceberg: A qualitative perspective of psychological and social aspects of occupational diseases. Turkish Journal of Public Health 19 2 129–139.
IEEE
[1]T. Usseli and Y. Yasin, “Below the tip of the iceberg: A qualitative perspective of psychological and social aspects of occupational diseases”, TJPH, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 129–139, July 2021, doi: 10.20518/tjph.824601.
ISNAD
Usseli, Tuba - Yasin, Yesim. “Below the Tip of the Iceberg: A Qualitative Perspective of Psychological and Social Aspects of Occupational Diseases”. Turkish Journal of Public Health 19/2 (July 1, 2021): 129-139. https://doi.org/10.20518/tjph.824601.
JAMA
1.Usseli T, Yasin Y. Below the tip of the iceberg: A qualitative perspective of psychological and social aspects of occupational diseases. TJPH. 2021;19:129–139.
MLA
Usseli, Tuba, and Yesim Yasin. “Below the Tip of the Iceberg: A Qualitative Perspective of Psychological and Social Aspects of Occupational Diseases”. Turkish Journal of Public Health, vol. 19, no. 2, July 2021, pp. 129-3, doi:10.20518/tjph.824601.
Vancouver
1.Tuba Usseli, Yesim Yasin. Below the tip of the iceberg: A qualitative perspective of psychological and social aspects of occupational diseases. TJPH. 2021 Jul. 1;19(2):129-3. doi:10.20518/tjph.824601

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