Sergio Garbarino - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Sergio Garbarino
Frontiers in Psychology, Feb 15, 2023
PLOS ONE, Nov 30, 2016
Background Recent research has found evidence of an association between motor vehicle accidents (... more Background Recent research has found evidence of an association between motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) or near miss accidents (NMAs), and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) or its main medical cause, Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). However, EDS can also be due to non-medical factors, such as sleep debt (SD), which is common among professional truck drivers. On the opposite side, rest breaks and naps are known to protect against accidents. Study Objectives To investigate the association of OSA, SD, EDS, rest breaks and naps, with the occurrence of MVAs and NMAs in a large sample of truck drivers. Methods 949 male truck drivers took part in a cross-sectional medical examination and were asked to complete a questionnaire about sleep and waking habits, risk factors for OSA and EDS. Results MVAs and NMAs were reported by 34.8% and 9.2% of participants, respectively. MVAs were significantly predicted by OSA (
BACKGROUND Atopic dermatitis displays a relevant sleep burden sustained by clinical (i.e., itch),... more BACKGROUND Atopic dermatitis displays a relevant sleep burden sustained by clinical (i.e., itch), psychological (i.e., inadequate coping strategies) and therapeutic (i.e. frequent loss of drug response) triggers. Dupilumab, the first biologic approved for atopic dermatitis, showed excellent effects on improving pruritus and sleep after only two weeks of treatment but, in some cases, may have paradoxical effects. OBJECTIVE The rate of sleep-related side-effects remains unknown. More specifically, adverse-drug reactions (ADRs) related to dupilumab have been investigated during the safety phase of randomized clinical trials or in small retrospective epidemiological surveys, but little is known about sleep-related ADRs in real-life settings. Therefore, we took advantage of a global large-scale pharmacovigilance database, carrying out a comprehensive data mining analysis to look at different sleep-related ADRs reported among patients under anti IL-4/13 therapy. METHODS We analysed individual case study reports (ICSRs) in VigiBase, the World Health Organization (WHO) global pharmacovigilance database of ADRs collected by national drug authorities in >140 countries (>90% of the world population). We looked for patterns of potentially sleep-related ADRs and we applied a disproportionality analysis based on Bayesian Confidence Propagation Neural Network (BCPNN). A meta-analytical approach was used to synthesize the overall effect size of sleep-related ADRs potentially associated to Dupilumab administration. RESULTS From inception up to March 9, 2021, 94,065 ADRs from 37,848 unique reports were included and analyzed in the present paper: 1,294 of them (1.4%) concerned sleep disturbances (n=27). Most of sleep-related complaints were generic sleep disorders (n=630), followed by insomnia (n=312), somnolence (n=81), lethargy (n=60), night sweats (n=30), middle insomnia (n=39), hypersomnia (n=25), poor quality sleep (n=21), initial insomnia (n=17), sleep apnoea syndrome (n=13), nightmares (n=11) and sleep deficit (n=11). Interestingly, restlessness and restless leg syndrome, nocturnal dyspnoea, narcolepsy and bruxism were reported in 7, 6, 5, 4 and 3 cases, respectively. Only sleep deficit (OR 15.67 [CrI 8.61-28.51]; IC 3.24 [CrI 2.26-3.97]), generic sleep disorder (OR 6.22 [CrI 5.74-6.73]; IC 2.60 [CrI 2.48-2.71]), and nocturnal dyspnoea (OR 3.68 [CrI 1.53-8.87]; IC 1.56 [CrI 0.03-2.56]) achieved the statistical significance threshold. CONCLUSIONS In this work, we identified over 37,000 unique case-reports of Dupilumab side-effects reported on the WHO pharmacovigilance database. We specifically categorised those related to sleep issues, which were 1,294. Our findings from large numbers of cases provide data supporting the clinical observations that Dupilumab is usually effective in improving sleep quality and sleep disturbances/impairments but sometimes may impair circadian rhythm and sleep. Further work is needed to closely scrutinise the impact of Dupilumab on sleep, in terms of underlying mechanisms, and to better understand residual sleep disorders in patients with atopic dermatitis and other allergic diseases treated with Dupilumab. Thus, sleep monitoring may be helpful for dermatologists in managing atopic dermatitis patients treated with dupilumab. The limitations of spontaneous reporting systems including underreporting and reporting bias, heterogeneity of sources and impossibility to infer any causal relationship merit consideration and further research is needed.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Jan 21, 2019
Sleep disorders have reached epidemic proportions worldwide, affecting the youth as well as the e... more Sleep disorders have reached epidemic proportions worldwide, affecting the youth as well as the elderly, crossing the entire lifespan in both developed and developing countries. "Real-life" behavioral (sensor-based), molecular, digital, and epidemiological big data represent a source of an impressive wealth of information that can be exploited in order to advance the field of sleep research. It can be anticipated that big data will have a profound impact, potentially enabling the dissection of differences and oscillations in sleep dynamics and architecture at the individual level ("sleepOMICS"), thus paving the way for a targeted, "one-size-does-not-fit-all" management of sleep disorders ("precision sleep medicine").
European journal of public health, Nov 1, 2019
Screening for obstructive sleep apnea in truck drivers; frequency of driving accidents and near m... more Screening for obstructive sleep apnea in truck drivers; frequency of driving accidents and near miss accidents
Introduction: Many occupational factors disturb sleep. This can have significant consequences bec... more Introduction: Many occupational factors disturb sleep. This can have significant consequences because sleep problems mediate the relationship between work stress and health disorders. The objective of this study is to validate the Sleep Disorders Score Questionnaire (SDS-Q), a questionnaire designed to measure sleep disorders and their consequences in workers. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out. Validity was analysed by exploratory factor analyses, and reliability by Cronbach's alpha. Results: The study was conducted with 240 male police officers. Principal component analysis confirmed the existence of 3 subscales, regarding Insomnia symptoms, Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA). The Cronbach's alpha values of the subscales Insomnia symptoms (IS), Sleepiness symptoms (SS) and Apnoea symptoms (AS) were acceptable. Discussion and Conclusions: The Insomnia, Sleepiness and Apnoea subscales of SDS-Q have demonstrated good psychometric properties in terms of reliability and validity. The SDS-Q is a valid and reliable tool for assessing workers' sleep problems and disorders.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Apr 24, 2022
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
BACKGROUND Since late December, a novel, emerging coronavirus has quickly spread out from the fir... more BACKGROUND Since late December, a novel, emerging coronavirus has quickly spread out from the first epicenter, the city of Wuhan, province of Hubei, mainland China, becoming a pandemic. To contain the outbreak unprecedented public health measures have been enforced, including self-isolation, physical/social distancing, quarantine and lockdown of entire communities and territories. Despite being effective, these interventions are imposing a severe psycho-social distress. OBJECTIVE In the present investigation, we assessed the impact of behavioral non pharmacological interventions in terms of digital activities related to sleep disorders and specifically insomnia in Italy, one of the countries hit hard by the pandemic. METHODS We used a Big Data-based infodemiological approach, employing Google Trends, an open source instrument enabling real-time tracking and monitoring of web searches and digital activities. RESULTS We found that, on average, during the three months of quarantine and lockdown, searches related to COVID-19 and insomnia represented 6.8% and 12.4% of the entire search volumes related to COVID-19 and insomnia, respectively, peaking on May 17th 2020. A significant different in the geographic location of searches could be noted. The COVID-19 quarantine has caused an increase in searches related to insomnia. More in detail, the volumes correlated with the escalation of the measures adopted, decreasing during the de-escalation/re-opening phases. CONCLUSIONS Healthcare providers and other relevant stakeholders, when enforcing particularly restrictive measures, should routinely employ Big Data-based tools in order screen for sleep problems such as insomnia and other mental issues, in that sleep is a vital and integral component of human life and normal emotional functioning, and sleep disturbances can lead to or worsen pre-existing mental health diseases.
Medicina Del Lavoro, Oct 29, 2019
Parole chiave: Sindrome apnee ostruttive del sonno; idoneità al lavoro; salute pubblica summary «... more Parole chiave: Sindrome apnee ostruttive del sonno; idoneità al lavoro; salute pubblica summary «Fitness for working in a policeman being treated for OSAS». A policeman who has been ill with OSAS for 10 years is in optimal CPAP therapy. During this time, the overall assessment of his work activities was excellent and he had no traffic accidents or accidents at work. Concerning his work as a policeman, the Medical Commission of 1st instance considered him unfit to work. Conversely, the Medical Commission of 2nd instance declared him fit to work. In the adult general population, the prevalence of moderate and severe OSAS is more than 20%. It is therefore likely that there are many policemen affected by OSAS and the number of requests for assessments of fitness to work in those with OSAS will increase. It is a priority: (i) to integrate the training course of the medical staff of the Police Forces and the Armed Forces with updates on OSAS; (ii) to delete OSAS from the list of chronic diseases for which night shift work is not indicated.
PubMed, Jun 18, 2016
The operational role of the occupational health physician in the assessment and management of hea... more The operational role of the occupational health physician in the assessment and management of health risks related to night work. Night work, in the last 30-40 years, has been extended to almost all areas of employment. The potential effects on workers' health--related to the disruption of circadian rhythms--are now well defined and studied in the Literature. All issues about the protection of safety and health for night workers are governed by the Italian Legislative Decree no. 66/2003 and subsequent amendments. The management of night work hasn't been included into the main Law on Occupational Safety and Health (Italian Legislative Decree no. 81/2008 and subsequent amendments) and a coordination between the two disciplines is desirable. The occupational health physician, as a global consultant for the protection of all health issues into a company, has to evaluate the potential effects of night work on health, both individually and as a group of workers. In this way, the physician may use either traditional tools (history, physical examination, blood tests) or innovative tools (questionnaires, health promotion programs, interventions on shift schedules). In the management of night work is useful to employ schedules that respect both psychophysical integrity and social welfare of workers and the needs of the production. The occupational health physician plays a significant role in information and training of workers, both individually and as a group of workers, and in the organization of health promotion programs (whit a voluntary participation by the workers).
PubMed, Jul 1, 2011
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are common among hospital workers. This cross-sectional study on... more Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are common among hospital workers. This cross-sectional study on 1744 hospital workers showed strong interaction between temperature complaints (OR 2.73), other environmental complaints (OR 3.12) and upper limbs disorders. A significant interaction between temperature and strain for upper limbs disorders (F = 9.52, p = 0.023) was also found. Environmental and psychosocial factors can interact increasing significantly the risk of MSDs.
PubMed, Apr 20, 2000
Policemen are workers exposed to risk from both shiftwork and delicate tasks. This study aims to ... more Policemen are workers exposed to risk from both shiftwork and delicate tasks. This study aims to investigate sleep habits, prevalence of sleep disturbance, sleepiness and hypnotic drug intake in the whole population of Italian State Policemen working in the Genoa district. Italian literature is completely lacking of such data. The study has been carried out by means self administered and assisted questionnaires. Eighty-five percent of the population accepted and answered the questionnaire. Here we focus on the differences between 540 not-shiftworkers, NS, (413 males, 127 females), and 575 shiftworkers, S, (483 males, 92 females). A higher prevalence of difficulties in falling asleep, sleep-latency longer than 20 min. and early awakenings was found in S. No significative differences in daytime sleepiness and drug intake were found between the two groups. Concerning the self-evaluation of the numbers of hours slept during the night and during the 24 hours a higher quantity of sleep was reported by S. Conclusions: Data seem to indicate a low quality of sleep in S without any evidence of increased daytime sleepiness or increased hypnotic drugs assumption. Shiftworkers seem to compensate their poor quality of sleep with a greater amount of time spent sleeping in the 24 hour period. Such a condition could be the expression of a prolonged recovery from the shift effects.
PubMed, Jul 1, 2011
The recent emergence of new democracies in North Africa results in a massive wave of immigration ... more The recent emergence of new democracies in North Africa results in a massive wave of immigration in Europe with thousands landing in recent months on the coast of southern Italy. This phenomenon has caused major problems of public order (PO), worsened by the presence of ever-increasing numbers of immigrants and multiculturalism, exposing the Special Forces of the Italian State Police in periods of intense work-related stress. Aims: To explore the relationship between work context (OP routine i.e. mass migration control vs. OP extraordinary i.e. the G8 summit) of special force policemen and psychological measures of job strain (demand-control, JCQ and effort-reward imbalance, ERI) related to objective measure (sickness absences). Conclusions: data showed that in special police forces routine work as migration control is significantly more stressful than a single special event that presents a very high risk for law enforcement, probably due to positive changes in psychosocial work environment among special police force.
Springer eBooks, 2014
Police officers and the military often need to work extended shifts and long hours under highly s... more Police officers and the military often need to work extended shifts and long hours under highly stressful conditions, which results in reduced levels of safety and operational effectiveness. In numerous studies, perceived stress has been found to correlate with both subjective and objective disturbances in sleep. Consequently, excessive daytime sleepiness is one of the most frequent health and safety hazards which police officers, first responders generally and military personnel have to deal with in similar operational environments. Those who screen positive for a sleep disorder are significantly more likely to report displaying uncontrolled anger towards a citizen or suspect. Therefore, prevention of sleep loss, high levels of stress and fatigue is a key factor for consideration when assessing emergency intervention. In order to combat fatigue and sleepiness, a 1–2 h nap could be a viable option when circumstances permit.
PubMed, Jan 7, 2015
Stress in police: assessment methods. Introduction: Police work is unanimously considered stressf... more Stress in police: assessment methods. Introduction: Police work is unanimously considered stressful. Prevention of stress in police is of the utmost importance, as a distressed officer could be hazardous for third parties. There is scientific evidence that the relationship between occupational stressors and their psychological and physical consequences can be described by Karasek's demand-control-support (DCS) model and the effort / reward imbalance (ERI) model of Siegrist. Method: This study summarizes the results of surveys conducted using the DCS and ERI questionnaires.on police officers from the VI Mobile Unit of Genoa who were engaged in public order management at the G8 summit in L'Aquila in 2009. Results: In spite of the high alert due to expected threats to public order during the G8 meeting, police officers were not affected by "distress". When the policemen were compared to other categories of workers, their stress levels were in the lowest range. In most cases, the personality profile of these workers did not differ substantially from that of the general population. There was an association between personality and stress response. The levels of perceived stress were significantly associated with absence from work. The prevalence of mental disorders in police officers was significantly lower than that of the general population. Occupational stress was associated with indicators of depression, anxiety and burnout. Conclusions: The DCS and ERI models yielded complementary results and proved to be effective in assessing the effects of stress in law enforcement. The extent of perceived stress does not directly depend on external events, but on the way in which these are handled: routine work may be more stressful than a single critical event. Special police forces are particularly resilient to stress, partly due to the characteristics and personality of individual officers, but mainly on account of their training. Occupational stress is associated with a lower level of psychological well-being and an increase in the frequency of absences from work.
![Research paper thumbnail of [Sleep, stress, neurogenesis and driving performance]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/114694976/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](PubMed, Dec 12, 2012
The enormous number of traffic accidents, implying a firm place in the top three death-rate causa... more The enormous number of traffic accidents, implying a firm place in the top three death-rate causation in most industrialised countries, has inspired the development of studies of its major cause, i.e. human behaviour. Many traffic accidents are caused by, or at least related to, inadequate mental workload and, when it is either too low (vigilance, sleepiness) or too high (stress). Poor or inadequate sleep is a frequent result of being "stressed out." Professional and commuter drivers suffering from both daytime sleepiness and stress, two main factors impairment road safety mediated by behaviours including cognitive lapses, errors, and intentional traffic violations. Previous research has shown the association between stress or excessive daytime sleepiness and crash involvement but they never considered their linkage and their similar brain action: the hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex undergo stress or poor or inadequate sleep induced structural remodelling (neuroplasticity and neurogenensis), which alters behavioral and physiological responses which can be either adaptive or damaging.
Poor sleep and sleepiness in the workplace are associated with accidents. A workplace sleep healt... more Poor sleep and sleepiness in the workplace are associated with accidents. A workplace sleep health promotion program was implemented in an Italian police unit. Of the 242 police officers in the unit, 218 (90%) agreed to take part in the program. A crossover trial was made in which the police officers were divided into two groups that performed sleep health promotion activities in the first and second year, respectively. The first group of officers showed significant sleep improvements at the end of the first year, while the second group had similar or worse parameters than at baseline. At follow-up, a significant improvement in the quantity and quality of sleep was reported in both groups. Sleep improvements at follow-up were associated with a marked reduction in the frequency of accidents at work and near-misses. Before the intervention, sleepiness was the best predictor of injuries (aOR 1.220; CI95% 1.044-1.426) and near-misses (aOR 1.382; CI95% 1.182-1.615). At follow-up, when sleep conditions had improved, insomnia symptoms were the most significant predictors of work accidents (aOR 13.358; CI95% 2.353-75.818). Sleep health promotion can be useful in police officers.
Frontiers in Psychology, Feb 15, 2023
PLOS ONE, Nov 30, 2016
Background Recent research has found evidence of an association between motor vehicle accidents (... more Background Recent research has found evidence of an association between motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) or near miss accidents (NMAs), and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) or its main medical cause, Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). However, EDS can also be due to non-medical factors, such as sleep debt (SD), which is common among professional truck drivers. On the opposite side, rest breaks and naps are known to protect against accidents. Study Objectives To investigate the association of OSA, SD, EDS, rest breaks and naps, with the occurrence of MVAs and NMAs in a large sample of truck drivers. Methods 949 male truck drivers took part in a cross-sectional medical examination and were asked to complete a questionnaire about sleep and waking habits, risk factors for OSA and EDS. Results MVAs and NMAs were reported by 34.8% and 9.2% of participants, respectively. MVAs were significantly predicted by OSA (
BACKGROUND Atopic dermatitis displays a relevant sleep burden sustained by clinical (i.e., itch),... more BACKGROUND Atopic dermatitis displays a relevant sleep burden sustained by clinical (i.e., itch), psychological (i.e., inadequate coping strategies) and therapeutic (i.e. frequent loss of drug response) triggers. Dupilumab, the first biologic approved for atopic dermatitis, showed excellent effects on improving pruritus and sleep after only two weeks of treatment but, in some cases, may have paradoxical effects. OBJECTIVE The rate of sleep-related side-effects remains unknown. More specifically, adverse-drug reactions (ADRs) related to dupilumab have been investigated during the safety phase of randomized clinical trials or in small retrospective epidemiological surveys, but little is known about sleep-related ADRs in real-life settings. Therefore, we took advantage of a global large-scale pharmacovigilance database, carrying out a comprehensive data mining analysis to look at different sleep-related ADRs reported among patients under anti IL-4/13 therapy. METHODS We analysed individual case study reports (ICSRs) in VigiBase, the World Health Organization (WHO) global pharmacovigilance database of ADRs collected by national drug authorities in >140 countries (>90% of the world population). We looked for patterns of potentially sleep-related ADRs and we applied a disproportionality analysis based on Bayesian Confidence Propagation Neural Network (BCPNN). A meta-analytical approach was used to synthesize the overall effect size of sleep-related ADRs potentially associated to Dupilumab administration. RESULTS From inception up to March 9, 2021, 94,065 ADRs from 37,848 unique reports were included and analyzed in the present paper: 1,294 of them (1.4%) concerned sleep disturbances (n=27). Most of sleep-related complaints were generic sleep disorders (n=630), followed by insomnia (n=312), somnolence (n=81), lethargy (n=60), night sweats (n=30), middle insomnia (n=39), hypersomnia (n=25), poor quality sleep (n=21), initial insomnia (n=17), sleep apnoea syndrome (n=13), nightmares (n=11) and sleep deficit (n=11). Interestingly, restlessness and restless leg syndrome, nocturnal dyspnoea, narcolepsy and bruxism were reported in 7, 6, 5, 4 and 3 cases, respectively. Only sleep deficit (OR 15.67 [CrI 8.61-28.51]; IC 3.24 [CrI 2.26-3.97]), generic sleep disorder (OR 6.22 [CrI 5.74-6.73]; IC 2.60 [CrI 2.48-2.71]), and nocturnal dyspnoea (OR 3.68 [CrI 1.53-8.87]; IC 1.56 [CrI 0.03-2.56]) achieved the statistical significance threshold. CONCLUSIONS In this work, we identified over 37,000 unique case-reports of Dupilumab side-effects reported on the WHO pharmacovigilance database. We specifically categorised those related to sleep issues, which were 1,294. Our findings from large numbers of cases provide data supporting the clinical observations that Dupilumab is usually effective in improving sleep quality and sleep disturbances/impairments but sometimes may impair circadian rhythm and sleep. Further work is needed to closely scrutinise the impact of Dupilumab on sleep, in terms of underlying mechanisms, and to better understand residual sleep disorders in patients with atopic dermatitis and other allergic diseases treated with Dupilumab. Thus, sleep monitoring may be helpful for dermatologists in managing atopic dermatitis patients treated with dupilumab. The limitations of spontaneous reporting systems including underreporting and reporting bias, heterogeneity of sources and impossibility to infer any causal relationship merit consideration and further research is needed.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Jan 21, 2019
Sleep disorders have reached epidemic proportions worldwide, affecting the youth as well as the e... more Sleep disorders have reached epidemic proportions worldwide, affecting the youth as well as the elderly, crossing the entire lifespan in both developed and developing countries. "Real-life" behavioral (sensor-based), molecular, digital, and epidemiological big data represent a source of an impressive wealth of information that can be exploited in order to advance the field of sleep research. It can be anticipated that big data will have a profound impact, potentially enabling the dissection of differences and oscillations in sleep dynamics and architecture at the individual level ("sleepOMICS"), thus paving the way for a targeted, "one-size-does-not-fit-all" management of sleep disorders ("precision sleep medicine").
European journal of public health, Nov 1, 2019
Screening for obstructive sleep apnea in truck drivers; frequency of driving accidents and near m... more Screening for obstructive sleep apnea in truck drivers; frequency of driving accidents and near miss accidents
Introduction: Many occupational factors disturb sleep. This can have significant consequences bec... more Introduction: Many occupational factors disturb sleep. This can have significant consequences because sleep problems mediate the relationship between work stress and health disorders. The objective of this study is to validate the Sleep Disorders Score Questionnaire (SDS-Q), a questionnaire designed to measure sleep disorders and their consequences in workers. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out. Validity was analysed by exploratory factor analyses, and reliability by Cronbach's alpha. Results: The study was conducted with 240 male police officers. Principal component analysis confirmed the existence of 3 subscales, regarding Insomnia symptoms, Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA). The Cronbach's alpha values of the subscales Insomnia symptoms (IS), Sleepiness symptoms (SS) and Apnoea symptoms (AS) were acceptable. Discussion and Conclusions: The Insomnia, Sleepiness and Apnoea subscales of SDS-Q have demonstrated good psychometric properties in terms of reliability and validity. The SDS-Q is a valid and reliable tool for assessing workers' sleep problems and disorders.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Apr 24, 2022
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
BACKGROUND Since late December, a novel, emerging coronavirus has quickly spread out from the fir... more BACKGROUND Since late December, a novel, emerging coronavirus has quickly spread out from the first epicenter, the city of Wuhan, province of Hubei, mainland China, becoming a pandemic. To contain the outbreak unprecedented public health measures have been enforced, including self-isolation, physical/social distancing, quarantine and lockdown of entire communities and territories. Despite being effective, these interventions are imposing a severe psycho-social distress. OBJECTIVE In the present investigation, we assessed the impact of behavioral non pharmacological interventions in terms of digital activities related to sleep disorders and specifically insomnia in Italy, one of the countries hit hard by the pandemic. METHODS We used a Big Data-based infodemiological approach, employing Google Trends, an open source instrument enabling real-time tracking and monitoring of web searches and digital activities. RESULTS We found that, on average, during the three months of quarantine and lockdown, searches related to COVID-19 and insomnia represented 6.8% and 12.4% of the entire search volumes related to COVID-19 and insomnia, respectively, peaking on May 17th 2020. A significant different in the geographic location of searches could be noted. The COVID-19 quarantine has caused an increase in searches related to insomnia. More in detail, the volumes correlated with the escalation of the measures adopted, decreasing during the de-escalation/re-opening phases. CONCLUSIONS Healthcare providers and other relevant stakeholders, when enforcing particularly restrictive measures, should routinely employ Big Data-based tools in order screen for sleep problems such as insomnia and other mental issues, in that sleep is a vital and integral component of human life and normal emotional functioning, and sleep disturbances can lead to or worsen pre-existing mental health diseases.
Medicina Del Lavoro, Oct 29, 2019
Parole chiave: Sindrome apnee ostruttive del sonno; idoneità al lavoro; salute pubblica summary «... more Parole chiave: Sindrome apnee ostruttive del sonno; idoneità al lavoro; salute pubblica summary «Fitness for working in a policeman being treated for OSAS». A policeman who has been ill with OSAS for 10 years is in optimal CPAP therapy. During this time, the overall assessment of his work activities was excellent and he had no traffic accidents or accidents at work. Concerning his work as a policeman, the Medical Commission of 1st instance considered him unfit to work. Conversely, the Medical Commission of 2nd instance declared him fit to work. In the adult general population, the prevalence of moderate and severe OSAS is more than 20%. It is therefore likely that there are many policemen affected by OSAS and the number of requests for assessments of fitness to work in those with OSAS will increase. It is a priority: (i) to integrate the training course of the medical staff of the Police Forces and the Armed Forces with updates on OSAS; (ii) to delete OSAS from the list of chronic diseases for which night shift work is not indicated.
PubMed, Jun 18, 2016
The operational role of the occupational health physician in the assessment and management of hea... more The operational role of the occupational health physician in the assessment and management of health risks related to night work. Night work, in the last 30-40 years, has been extended to almost all areas of employment. The potential effects on workers' health--related to the disruption of circadian rhythms--are now well defined and studied in the Literature. All issues about the protection of safety and health for night workers are governed by the Italian Legislative Decree no. 66/2003 and subsequent amendments. The management of night work hasn't been included into the main Law on Occupational Safety and Health (Italian Legislative Decree no. 81/2008 and subsequent amendments) and a coordination between the two disciplines is desirable. The occupational health physician, as a global consultant for the protection of all health issues into a company, has to evaluate the potential effects of night work on health, both individually and as a group of workers. In this way, the physician may use either traditional tools (history, physical examination, blood tests) or innovative tools (questionnaires, health promotion programs, interventions on shift schedules). In the management of night work is useful to employ schedules that respect both psychophysical integrity and social welfare of workers and the needs of the production. The occupational health physician plays a significant role in information and training of workers, both individually and as a group of workers, and in the organization of health promotion programs (whit a voluntary participation by the workers).
PubMed, Jul 1, 2011
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are common among hospital workers. This cross-sectional study on... more Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are common among hospital workers. This cross-sectional study on 1744 hospital workers showed strong interaction between temperature complaints (OR 2.73), other environmental complaints (OR 3.12) and upper limbs disorders. A significant interaction between temperature and strain for upper limbs disorders (F = 9.52, p = 0.023) was also found. Environmental and psychosocial factors can interact increasing significantly the risk of MSDs.
PubMed, Apr 20, 2000
Policemen are workers exposed to risk from both shiftwork and delicate tasks. This study aims to ... more Policemen are workers exposed to risk from both shiftwork and delicate tasks. This study aims to investigate sleep habits, prevalence of sleep disturbance, sleepiness and hypnotic drug intake in the whole population of Italian State Policemen working in the Genoa district. Italian literature is completely lacking of such data. The study has been carried out by means self administered and assisted questionnaires. Eighty-five percent of the population accepted and answered the questionnaire. Here we focus on the differences between 540 not-shiftworkers, NS, (413 males, 127 females), and 575 shiftworkers, S, (483 males, 92 females). A higher prevalence of difficulties in falling asleep, sleep-latency longer than 20 min. and early awakenings was found in S. No significative differences in daytime sleepiness and drug intake were found between the two groups. Concerning the self-evaluation of the numbers of hours slept during the night and during the 24 hours a higher quantity of sleep was reported by S. Conclusions: Data seem to indicate a low quality of sleep in S without any evidence of increased daytime sleepiness or increased hypnotic drugs assumption. Shiftworkers seem to compensate their poor quality of sleep with a greater amount of time spent sleeping in the 24 hour period. Such a condition could be the expression of a prolonged recovery from the shift effects.
PubMed, Jul 1, 2011
The recent emergence of new democracies in North Africa results in a massive wave of immigration ... more The recent emergence of new democracies in North Africa results in a massive wave of immigration in Europe with thousands landing in recent months on the coast of southern Italy. This phenomenon has caused major problems of public order (PO), worsened by the presence of ever-increasing numbers of immigrants and multiculturalism, exposing the Special Forces of the Italian State Police in periods of intense work-related stress. Aims: To explore the relationship between work context (OP routine i.e. mass migration control vs. OP extraordinary i.e. the G8 summit) of special force policemen and psychological measures of job strain (demand-control, JCQ and effort-reward imbalance, ERI) related to objective measure (sickness absences). Conclusions: data showed that in special police forces routine work as migration control is significantly more stressful than a single special event that presents a very high risk for law enforcement, probably due to positive changes in psychosocial work environment among special police force.
Springer eBooks, 2014
Police officers and the military often need to work extended shifts and long hours under highly s... more Police officers and the military often need to work extended shifts and long hours under highly stressful conditions, which results in reduced levels of safety and operational effectiveness. In numerous studies, perceived stress has been found to correlate with both subjective and objective disturbances in sleep. Consequently, excessive daytime sleepiness is one of the most frequent health and safety hazards which police officers, first responders generally and military personnel have to deal with in similar operational environments. Those who screen positive for a sleep disorder are significantly more likely to report displaying uncontrolled anger towards a citizen or suspect. Therefore, prevention of sleep loss, high levels of stress and fatigue is a key factor for consideration when assessing emergency intervention. In order to combat fatigue and sleepiness, a 1–2 h nap could be a viable option when circumstances permit.
PubMed, Jan 7, 2015
Stress in police: assessment methods. Introduction: Police work is unanimously considered stressf... more Stress in police: assessment methods. Introduction: Police work is unanimously considered stressful. Prevention of stress in police is of the utmost importance, as a distressed officer could be hazardous for third parties. There is scientific evidence that the relationship between occupational stressors and their psychological and physical consequences can be described by Karasek's demand-control-support (DCS) model and the effort / reward imbalance (ERI) model of Siegrist. Method: This study summarizes the results of surveys conducted using the DCS and ERI questionnaires.on police officers from the VI Mobile Unit of Genoa who were engaged in public order management at the G8 summit in L'Aquila in 2009. Results: In spite of the high alert due to expected threats to public order during the G8 meeting, police officers were not affected by "distress". When the policemen were compared to other categories of workers, their stress levels were in the lowest range. In most cases, the personality profile of these workers did not differ substantially from that of the general population. There was an association between personality and stress response. The levels of perceived stress were significantly associated with absence from work. The prevalence of mental disorders in police officers was significantly lower than that of the general population. Occupational stress was associated with indicators of depression, anxiety and burnout. Conclusions: The DCS and ERI models yielded complementary results and proved to be effective in assessing the effects of stress in law enforcement. The extent of perceived stress does not directly depend on external events, but on the way in which these are handled: routine work may be more stressful than a single critical event. Special police forces are particularly resilient to stress, partly due to the characteristics and personality of individual officers, but mainly on account of their training. Occupational stress is associated with a lower level of psychological well-being and an increase in the frequency of absences from work.
PubMed, Dec 12, 2012
The enormous number of traffic accidents, implying a firm place in the top three death-rate causa... more The enormous number of traffic accidents, implying a firm place in the top three death-rate causation in most industrialised countries, has inspired the development of studies of its major cause, i.e. human behaviour. Many traffic accidents are caused by, or at least related to, inadequate mental workload and, when it is either too low (vigilance, sleepiness) or too high (stress). Poor or inadequate sleep is a frequent result of being "stressed out." Professional and commuter drivers suffering from both daytime sleepiness and stress, two main factors impairment road safety mediated by behaviours including cognitive lapses, errors, and intentional traffic violations. Previous research has shown the association between stress or excessive daytime sleepiness and crash involvement but they never considered their linkage and their similar brain action: the hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex undergo stress or poor or inadequate sleep induced structural remodelling (neuroplasticity and neurogenensis), which alters behavioral and physiological responses which can be either adaptive or damaging.
Poor sleep and sleepiness in the workplace are associated with accidents. A workplace sleep healt... more Poor sleep and sleepiness in the workplace are associated with accidents. A workplace sleep health promotion program was implemented in an Italian police unit. Of the 242 police officers in the unit, 218 (90%) agreed to take part in the program. A crossover trial was made in which the police officers were divided into two groups that performed sleep health promotion activities in the first and second year, respectively. The first group of officers showed significant sleep improvements at the end of the first year, while the second group had similar or worse parameters than at baseline. At follow-up, a significant improvement in the quantity and quality of sleep was reported in both groups. Sleep improvements at follow-up were associated with a marked reduction in the frequency of accidents at work and near-misses. Before the intervention, sleepiness was the best predictor of injuries (aOR 1.220; CI95% 1.044-1.426) and near-misses (aOR 1.382; CI95% 1.182-1.615). At follow-up, when sleep conditions had improved, insomnia symptoms were the most significant predictors of work accidents (aOR 13.358; CI95% 2.353-75.818). Sleep health promotion can be useful in police officers.