Workplace trauma exposure, emotional imbalance and work ability

Introduction: Exposure to workplace robbery is a very common and traumatic event among workers dealing with the public. Data is scarce about the association between exposure to robbery, robbery-related Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and work ability. Objective: Toassess the association between workplace robbery, robbery-related PTSD, emotional imbalance and work ability in a sample of pharmacy workers. Methods: 136 pharmacy workers - 90 robbery victims and 46 non victims - were recruited from the Milan metropolitan area. They completed a self-report questionnaire including sociodemographic characteristics, history of robberies, a self-report version of the CAPS-I, General Health Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, Work Ability Index. Results: No differences were found between victims and non victims for GHQ and BDI; WAI scores of victims were significantly lower than non-victims. Exposure to robberies was associated with lower WAI in a multivariate analysis. Ten victims reported Full or Partial PTSD following the robbery. Victims with PTSD reported a lower WAI and a higher GHQ and BDI than non-PTSD victims. Conclusions: Workplace robbery may have a mild but long-lasting effect on workers' work ability. This effect is higher for those developing PTSD following robbery. Further research and early intervention programs are needed to promote recovery of psychophysical health, well-being and work ability after a traumatic event in the workplace.