Over 100 thousand Norwegians suffer from work-related anxiety, reports the International Journal of Stress Management. The main factors that cause work-related anxiety include: mobbing, conflict between work and private life, as well as lack of autonomy in performing tasks.
Working in Norway is usually perceived as advantageous due to high earnings, labor market stability and good social conditions. Meanwhile, as shown by scientists from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 11.2 percent people in Norway have reduced ability to work due to related anxiety.
“Looking at the changes over the last decades, the number of sick leaves has been quite stable. We have become better at physically protecting people, and the number of people who are dying or suffering serious physical injuries is lower. Despite this optimistic picture, the percentage of sick leaves due to mental health problems is trending upwards, which requires attention,” noted Associate Professor Renzo Bianchi from NTNU in a commentary.
Work-related anxiety is not just about stress. It's a worry that steals your sleep and meets you again the next day at work, said Leon De Beer, an assistant professor at NTNU.
Leoni Van der Vaart, an assistant professor in the same department, pointed out: “If your job is like an alarm that you can't turn off, it's not stress or a hectic pace, but anxiety.” And Renzo Bianchi added: “Anxiety is about feeling unsafe and trapped in an intolerable situation at work.”
The three, in collaboration with other researchers, examined the prevalence of work-related anxiety in four countries. They developed and used a new tool to identify work-related anxiety. England achieved the best result – 3.6%. Norway achieved 4.2 percent. In the USA, the rate reached 5.7 percent, the worst was in South Africa – 9.4 percent.
According to Statistics Norway, almost three million people work in Norway. The NTNU study suggests that more than 120,000 Norwegians may struggle with anxiety in the form of sleep disturbances, muscle pain, memory loss or concentration problems caused by work. Some people develop somatic diseases.
The study found that work-related anxiety is associated with many factors, including sickness absence, pre-existing anxiety disorders, use of anti-anxiety medications, poor general health and reduced work capacity.
“Work-related anxiety can result from anxiety in all areas of life, including work. But it often first appears at work. It can be caused by mobbing from a supervisor, sexual harassment, traumatic events that threaten life, or a serious failure related to a work task,” Bianchi explained.
In the case of Norway, the authors identified five main factors influencing work-related anxiety. These are: mobbing and a culture characterized by lack of respect, work-life conflict, lack of autonomy in carrying out tasks, lack of psychological support from superiors and uncertainty about the future standard of living due to uncertainty in the workplace.
Some people take sick leave because of work-related anxiety. Others continue to go to work despite anxiety, but feel its effects.
“The problem with anxiety is that you become afraid of the fear itself. It's a vicious cycle that's hard to break. If you feel unsafe at work, you're less likely to take on responsibility. You may start to avoid situations that trigger anxiety – for example, turning down a promotion because it involves public speaking or conducting meetings,” Bianchi explained.
He believes that anxiety can also lead to people not leaving their jobs and looking for new opportunities that could involve more satisfying challenges and higher pay.
Bianchi also encouraged people to seek help if they experience work-related anxiety. “Dealing with anxiety alone is often very difficult. Psychotherapy may be necessary – with intensive work, results can be achieved relatively quickly,” Bianchi said.
He warns against managers and employers who downplay work-related anxiety. “Having a job is often described as a factor in good mental health, but it turns out that the picture is more complex. For many people, the same workplace can lead to debilitating mental disorders. It is very important that we talk more about this so that people know that they are not alone,” he concluded.
Paweł Wernicki (PAP)
pmw/bar/
