The effect of working conditions on psychological disorders in bank workers in Romania

Abstract

Working conditions may affect employees’ lifestyles by triggering certain psychological symptoms like depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, and others. This study intends to provide an in-depth insight to the risk factors involved in triggering the aforementioned manifestations, therefore, adding new facts to the current literature about the topic. Thus, we intend to assess the associations between workplace factors and minor psychological disorders in a sample of Romanian bank employees. This research is quantitative in nature using a structured questionnaire filled in by 349 respondents belonging to two banking networks active in various regions of Northern Romania. The questionnaires were administered in person with full instructions for the completion. Upon completion, the questionnaires were retrieved for collection of data and statistical analysis. Our study showed statistically significant associations between various psychological conditions (anxiety, depression, sleep disorders) with factors such as: relationships with superiors (for respondents  with no history of psychological complaints; p=0.04), exposure to workplace related toxins (for respondents  with history of psychological complaints; p<0.001), work rhythm (for responders with history of  psychological complaints; p=0.001), decision making power (for people without history of psychological complaints; p=0.047) and several other similar factors. This study highlights quantitatively selected stressors and their effects on a population of Romanian bank employees, justifying the need for implementing protocols at work in order to prevent psychological distress and physical illness.

Keywords: Banking environment, psychological distress, anxiety, bank, Romania