Year: 2024
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: Introduction The majority of research and clinical care for coal miners focuses on physical health with little attention to mental health, despite substantial socioeconomic, work-related, and health-related stressors in the industry. Methods Using coal miners’ medical records from a West Virginia, U.S. clinic between 2004-2015, we extracted demographic, occupational, and clinical data and calculated the prevalence of depression/anxiety using a systematic keyword search for indications of these conditions. Additionally, we calculated the proportion of miners prescribed antidepressant and anxiolytic medications, and those prescribed opioids. Results This population of miners (n = 6,776) was overwhelmingly male (>99%) and non-Hispanic white (>98%). Mean age was 63 years with mean coal mine employment of 27 years. While <10% of miners reported anxiety and/or depression, 27% were taking antidepressant and anxiolytic medications. Thirty percent of miners reported current opioid use. Those prescribed these medications commonly reported experienced or witnessed trauma, loss of physical function, loss of ability to financially support their family, and financial precarity. Discussion This study is only the second study of mental health conditions among U.S. coal miners and suggests high rates of depression and anxiety in this population. The rate of prescription opioid use among this cohort is higher than the opioid dispensing rate among U.S. men aged 55 years and older from a similar time period (2008-2018), potentially a reflection of the high levels of chronic pain among former coal miners. Conclusion There is a need to fully address mental health in coal miners.
Source: Occupational Medicine
Authors: Kirsten S Almberg, Brett Shannon, Alissa DeVaughn, Leonard H T Go, Tessa Bonney, Cecile Rose, Lauren Zell-Baran, Robert A Cohen
Institutions: University of Illinois Chicago, National Jewish Health
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4400352730