Occupational Stress and Mental Health of Employees of a Petrochemical Company before and after Privatization

Many countries make many of their governmental sectors private. This transition, however, may affect their employees in numerous ways. To determine the level of occupational stress and mental health of employees of a petrochemical company in Isfahan, Central Iran, before and 3 months after privatization. Out of the 700 employees of the studied company, using a stratified random sampling technique, 140 persons were selected. We used Steinmetz occupational stress and GHQ-28 questionnaires to determine the level of stress and mental health status of participants. The reliability of the questionnaires used was acceptable (Chronbach alpha coefficients: 0.85 and 0.86, respectively). Job stress level was significantly increased 3 months after privatization; the mean±SD job stress score before and after privatization were 22.9±10.43 and 28.3±12.25, respectively (p<0.001). The mean±SD mental health score after privatization (17.57±11.63) was also significantly (p<0.001) higher than that before the privatization (13.8±6.0). There was a significant (p<0.001) positive correlation between the mental health status score and job score (r=0.476). After privatization, the job stress of employees increased significantly. This increase was associated with a decrease in mental health. To lessen the side effects of privatization, the process should be performed cautiously