Evaluation of psychosocial risks and general health of employees in a faculty of dentistry

Aim: In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the psychosocial risks, general health status of the employees and related factors, and also to determine the relationship between the psychosocial risks and the general health status of the employees in a dental faculty of a public university. Materials and Methods: In the cross-sectional type of research, no sample was selected, and the population consisted of 380 employees working at the faculty of dentistry of a public university between November 2021 and January 2022, and 303 people (79.7%) were included in the study. The data collection form consists of sociodemographic and health characteristics, working life characteristics and COVID-19 information form; Turkish Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ-TR), which consists of 25 dimensions adapted to Turkish by Şahan and the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), adapted to Turkish by Kılıç. Both scales are scored in Likert type, and according to the median value, the scores obtained by the participants from the COPSOQ-TR dimensions indicate low/high psychosocial risk in the relevant dimension; their scores from GHQ-12 were categorized as good/poor mental health status. Data were collected by survey method under observation in the participant's working environment. Data analysis was done using SPSS©-25 program. Descriptive statistics are given as mean, standard deviation, median, interquartile range, percentage, minimum and maximum values. Chi-Square, Fisher's Exact, Spearman correlation tests and Logistic Regression analysis were applied in statistical analysis. Ethical approval from Ankara University Rectorate Ethics Committee and other necessary permissions were obtained. Results: The mean age of the participants is 38.36 (±11.18), 54.1% are women, 62.5% are married, 54.8% have children, 79.5% are higher education graduates and 18.3% are reported having a chronic disease/disability. While 54.1% of the participants are dentists, 0.3% are physicians, 6.9% are nurses, 5.3% are health technicians, 33.3% are not healthcare professionals. 58.3% of the employees work on academic duties in academic units, 22.9% work on administrative duties in academic units, and 18.8% work on administrative duties in administrative units. 23.1% of the participants stated that they were assigned to a unit related to COVID-19, and 19.2% stated that they had COVID-19. The percentage of participants with high psychosocial risk scores is highest in the dimensions of lack of job satisfaction (56.7%), insecurity over working conditions (55.0%), and work pace (54.5%). It was found that there was a significant relationship between the age, gender, education level, marital status, having children, chronic disease/disability status, occupational group, status as a healthcare professional, unit, duty, academic title, total/faculty working time, assignment to the unit related to COVID-19, having access to adequate and appropriate personal protective equipment, having the opportunity to work flexibly/remotely during the pandemic, and the scores obtained from various dimensions of the COPSOQ-TR scale (p<0.05). According to GHQ-12, 51.9% of the participants have a poor mental health condition. Those who do not have a chronic disease/disability (p=0.042), dentists (p=0.037), those who work in academic units (p=0.012), those who work academically (p=0.027), and those who state that they cannot access adequate and appropriate personal protective equipment (p<0.001), and those with high risk scores in most dimensions of COPSOQ-TR (p<0.05) have significantly poorer mental health status. In logistic regression analysis, the probability of poor mental health was 63% lower in non-healthcare professionals than in dentists; It was found to be 2.05 times higher in those who stated that they could not access sufficient and appropriate personal protective equipment, 3.16 times in those with a high risk of lack of predictability, and 7.15 times in those with a high risk of burnout. Conclusions: In this study, it was found that the most important psychosocial hazards in the faculty of dentistry are lack of job satisfaction, insecurity over working conditions and work pace; It has been demonstrated that psychosocial hazards and risks are related to the mental health status of the participants. It is recommended to have an effective and fair reward system, to ensure time management, to avoid uncertainties by notifying the employee of changes in working conditions as soon as possible and training them when necessary, to include all employees in the risk assessment process, and to develop and maintain occupational health and safety practices. Key Words: occupational health, psychosocial factors, risk assessment, dentistry, COVID-19