Work-related Dermatoses in Greece

Alexopoulos, Evangelos C. Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute 2014 Safety and health at work Vol.5 No.1

Suicide Mortality Across Broad Occupational Groups in Greece: A Descriptive Study

Alexopoulos, Evangelos C.,Kavalidou, Katerina,Messolora, Fani Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute 2016 Safety and health at work Vol.7 No.1

Background: Several studies have investigated the relationship between specific occupations and suicide mortality, as suicide rates differ by profession. The aim of this study was to investigate suicide mortality ratios across broad occupational groups in Greece for both sexes in the period 2000-2009. Methods: Data of suicide deaths were retrieved from the Hellenic Statistical Authority and comparative mortality ratios were calculated. Occupational classification was based on the International Classification of Occupations (ISCO-88) and the coding for Intentional self-harm (X60-X84) was based on the international classification of diseases (ICD-10). Results: Male dominant occupations, mainly armed forces, skilled farmers and elementary workers, and female high-skilled occupations were seen as high risk groups for suicide in a period of 10 years. The age-productive group of 30-39 years in Greek male elementary workers and the 50-59 age-productive group of Greek professional women proved to have the most elevated number of suicide deaths. Conclusion: Further research is needed into the work-related stressors of occupations with high suicide mortality risk and focused suicide prevention strategies should be applied within vulnerable working age populations.

Reliability and Validity of the Greek Version of the Job Content Questionnaire in Greek Health Care Workers

Alexopoulos, Evangelos C.,Argyriou, Evangelia,Bourna, Virginia,Bakoyannis, Giorgos Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute 2015 Safety and health at work Vol.6 No.3

Background: The Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ), which is based on the Demand-Control-Support model, is designed to measure the psychosocial characteristics of the respondent's work, and has been identified to predict health and psychological outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of this instrument and the subsequent adaptation of its scales to the population of Greek health workers. Methods: The Greek version of the JCQ was developed by using forward- and back-translation in accordance with the JCQ policy. The reliability and validity of the measure were investigated in a sample of health workers working in a hospital in Athens, Greece. The internal consistency of the scales was examined based on Cronbach ${\alpha}$ coefficients, and the validity was evaluated subjecting the items of the three main scales of the JCQ (decision latitude, psychological job demands, and social support) to exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Results: The reliability of the scales was found to be acceptable for all the scales, except for the skill discretion subscale. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a slightly modified version of the original construct including several items to more than one factor. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the Greek JCQ is reliable and valid for investigating psychosocial job characteristics among Greek health workers.

Exploring Stress Levels, Job Satisfaction, and Quality of Life in a Sample of Police Officers in Greece

Alexopoulos, Evangelos C.,Palatsidi, Vassiliki,Tigani, Xanthi,Darviri, Christina Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute 2014 Safety and health at work Vol.5 No.4

Background: The ongoing economic crisis in Greece has affected both stress and quality of life (QoL) at all socioeconomic levels, including professionals in the police force. The aim of this study was to examine perceived stress, job satisfaction, QoL, and their relationships in a sample of police officers in Greece. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted during the first trimester of 2011 in 23 police stations in the greater Athens area. A total of 201 police officers agreed to participate (response rate 44.6%). The General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) was used to assess general health, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF Questionnaire and Perceived Stress Scale-14 (PSS-14) questionnaires were used to assess QoL and perceived stress, respectively. Results: The PSS and GHQ subscales and total scores exhibited strong, positive, and significant correlations coefficients (r): 0.52 for somatic disturbances, 0.56 for stress and insomnia, 0.40 for social dysfunction, and 0.37 for depression, yielding an r equal to 0.57 for the total GHQ score. A higher level of perceived stress was related to a lower likelihood of being satisfied with their job; in this regard, male participants and higher ranked officers reported lower job satisfaction. The PSS and GHQ scores were inversely, consistently, and significantly related to almost all of the QoL aspects, explaining up to 34% of their variability. Parenthood had a positive effect on QoL related to physical health, and women reported lower QoL related to psychological health. Conclusion: Higher levels of stress are related to an increased risk of reporting suboptimal job satisfaction and QoL. The magnitude of these associations varied depending on age, gender, and rank, highlighting the need for stress-management training.

Pursuit and Evasion in a Recursive Nested Behavioral Control Structure for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Alexander Alexopoulos,Tobias Schmidt,Essameddin Badreddin 제어로봇시스템학회 2014 제어로봇시스템학회 국제학술대회 논문집 Vol.2014 No.10

This work tackles the problem of integrating a pursuit-evasion game (PEG) in a recursive nested behavioral control (RNBC) structure for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). The UAV agents’ architecture is the RNBC structure, considering that the collision avoidance, velocity control and attitude control are already implemented behaviors in this structure. The new high-level behaviors pursuit and evasion are introduced, describing the PEG and providing an appropriate reference velocity vector for the underlying layers of the RNBC structure of the pursuer and the evader, respectively. The reference velocities for the agents are determined by solving the pursuit-evasion problem in a game-theoretical manner, while collision avoidance behavior is implemented one level below. The repulsion force approach is used as collision avoidance technique and provides a velocity vector, which is added to the reference velocity vector of the upper level, if there is a collision risk. The resulting reference input is processed by the subjacent layers in the RNBC structure of the UAV. In simulations it is shown that this approach provides a collision-free pursuit-evasion between UAV agents with dynamic constraints in a general three-dimensional environment with previously unknown obstacles.

Reliability and Validity of the Greek Version of the Job Content Questionnaire in Greek Health Care Workers

Evangelos C. Alexopoulos,Evangelia Argyriou,Virginia Bourna,Giorgos Bakoyannis 한국산업안전공단 산업안전보건연구원 2015 Safety and health at work Vol.6 No.3

Background: The Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ), which is based on the DemandeControleSupport model, is designed to measure the psychosocial characteristics of the respondent’s work, and has been identified to predict health and psychological outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of this instrument and the subsequent adaptation of its scales to the population of Greek health workers. Methods: The Greek version of the JCQ was developed by using forward- and back-translation in accordance with the JCQ policy. The reliability and validity of the measure were investigated in a sample of health workers working in a hospital in Athens, Greece. The internal consistency of the scales was examined based on Cronbach a coefficients, and the validity was evaluated subjecting the items of the three main scales of the JCQ (decision latitude, psychological job demands, and social support) to exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Results: The reliability of the scales was found to be acceptable for all the scales, except for the skill discretion subscale. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a slightly modified version of the original construct including several items to more than one factor. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the Greek JCQ is reliable and valid for investigating psychosocial job characteristics among Greek health workers.

Exploring Stress Levels, Job Satisfaction, and Quality of Life in a Sample of Police Officers in Greece

Evangelos C. Alexopoulos,Vassiliki Palatsidi,Xanthi Tigani,Christina Darviri 한국산업안전보건공단 산업안전보건연구원 2014 Safety and health at work Vol.5 No.4

Background: The ongoing economic crisis in Greece has affected both stress and quality of life (QoL) at all socioeconomic levels, including professionals in the police force. The aim of this study was to examine perceived stress, job satisfaction, QoL, and their relationships in a sample of police officers in Greece. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted during the first trimester of 2011 in 23 police stations in the greater Athens area. A total of 201 police officers agreed to participate (response rate 44.6%). The General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) was used to assess general health, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF Questionnaire and Perceived Stress Scale-14 (PSS-14) questionnaires were used to assess QoL and perceived stress, respectively. Results: The PSS and GHQ subscales and total scores exhibited strong, positive, and significant correlations coefficients (r): 0.52 for somatic disturbances, 0.56 for stress and insomnia, 0.40 for social dysfunction, and 0.37 for depression, yielding an r equal to 0.57 for the total GHQ score. A higher level of perceived stress was related to a lower likelihood of being satisfied with their job; in this regard, male participants and higher ranked officers reported lower job satisfaction. The PSS and GHQ scores were inversely, consistently, and significantly related to almost all of the QoL aspects, explaining up to 34% of their variability. Parenthood had a positive effect on QoL related to physical health, and women reported lower QoL related to psychological health. Conclusion: Higher levels of stress are related to an increased risk of reporting suboptimal job satisfaction and QoL. The magnitude of these associations varied depending on age, gender, and rank, highlighting the need for stress-management training.

Suicide Mortality Across Broad Occupational Groups in Greece: A Descriptive Study

Evangelos C. Alexopoulos,Katerina Kavalidou,Fani Messolora 한국산업안전보건공단 산업안전보건연구원 2016 Safety and health at work Vol.7 No.1

Background: Several studies have investigated the relationship between specific occupations and suicide mortality, as suicide rates differ by profession. The aim of this study was to investigate suicide mortality ratios across broad occupational groups in Greece for both sexes in the period 2000-2009. Methods: Data of suicide deaths were retrieved from the Hellenic Statistical Authority and comparative mortality ratios were calculated. Occupational classification was based on the International Classification of Occupations (ISCO-88) and the coding for Intentional self-harm (X60-X84) was based on the international classification of diseases (ICD-10). Results: Male dominant occupations, mainly armed forces, skilled farmers and elementary workers, and female high-skilled occupations were seen as high risk groups for suicide in a period of 10 years. The ageproductive group of 30-39 years in Greek male elementary workers and the 50-59 age-productive group of Greek professional women proved to have the most elevated number of suicide deaths. Conclusion: Further research is needed into the work-related stressors of occupations with high suicide mortality risk and focused suicide prevention strategies should be applied within vulnerable working age populations.

Recovery and Return to Work After a Pelvic Fracture

Papasotiriou, Antonios N.,Prevezas, Nikolaos,Krikonis, Konstantinos,Alexopoulos, Evangelos C. Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute 2017 Safety and health at work Vol.8 No.2

Background: Pelvic ring fractures (PRFs) may influence the daily activities and quality of life of the injured. The aim of this retrospective study was to explore the functional outcomes and factors related to return to work (RTW) after PRF. Methods: During the years 2003-2012, 282 injured individuals aged 20-55 years on the date of the accident, were hospitalized and treated for PRFs in a large tertiary hospital in Athens, Greece. One hundred and three patients were traced and contacted; 77 who were on paid employment prior to the accident gave their informed consent to participate in the survey, which was conducted in early 2015 through telephone interviews. The questionnaire included variables related to injury, treatment and activities, and the Majeed pelvic score. Univariate and multiple regression analyses were used for statistical assessment. Results: Almost half of the injured (46.7%) fully RTW, and earning losses were reported to be 35% after PRF. The univariate analysis confirmed that RTW was significantly related to accident site (labor or not), the magnitude of the accident's force, concomitant injuries, duration of hospitalization, time to RTW, engagement to the same sport, Majeed score, and complications such as limp and pain as well as urologic and sexual complaints (p < 0.05 for all). On multiple logistic regression analysis, the accident sustained out of work (odds ratio: 6.472, 95% confidence interval: 1.626-25.769) and Majeed score (odds ratio: 3.749, 95% confidence interval: 2.092-6.720) were identified as independent predictive factors of full RTW. Conclusion: PRFs have severe socioeconomic consequences. Possible predictors of RTW should be taken into account for health management and policies.

Antiphospholipid and Antinuclear Antibodies in Children with Idiopathic Epilepsy: A 2-Year Prospective Study

Achilleas Attilakos,Lambros Fotis,Argirios Dinopoulos,Harris Alexopoulos,Aikaterini Vasileiou Theofilopoulou,Athanasios George Tzioufas,Sotiria Mastroyianni,Maria Karalexi,Anastasia Garoufi 대한신경과학회 2020 Journal of Clinical Neurology Vol.16 No.1

Background and Purpose The high prevalence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) and antinuclear antibodies (ANA) in patients with epilepsy may be associated with either the disease itself or the antiepileptic treatment. The purpose of this prospective study was to determine the prevalence of aPL and ANA in children with idiopathic epilepsy before and during treatment with antiepileptic drugs. Methods aPL, including both anticardiolipin and anti-β2-glycoprotein I antibodies, and ANA statuses were determined in 40 healthy children, 30 children treated with sodium valproate (VPA) monotherapy, and 20 children treated with carbamazepine (CBZ) monotherapy before and at 6, 12, and 24 months after treatment initiation. Results Fifteen children (50%) in the VPA-treated group and 7 (35%) in the CBZ-treated group showed positivity for aPL before treatment initiation, compared with only 4 of the 40 controls. Nine children (30%) in the VPA-treated group and 4 (20%) in the CBZ-treated group showed positivity for ANA before treatment initiation, compared with only 2 of the 40 controls. The subgroup analysis found nonsignificant associations at the different time points regarding the positivity of all of the autoantibodies. Only patients treated with VPA had a significantly decreased risk of aPL positivity after 6 months of treatment. Conclusions The increased prevalence of autoantibodies in children with idiopathic epilepsy is strongly associated with the disease itself.