Subjective Assessment Of Mental Health In Bank Employees With A Potentially Traumatic Experience In The Workplace

Background Bank employees (BE) can be exposed to potentially traumatic events when working in a bank branch office. In addition to impairments of mental health it is possible that BE can suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which can lead to increased inability to work, illness and early retirement. The aim of the work was to document the work-related burdens of BE, to make an estimation of the frequency of potentially traumatic events and to investigate the mental health of potentially traumatized BE. Material and methods A total of 104 German BE from different banks in Magdeburg were surveyed by work psychological questionnaires about work-related burdens, mental health (general health questionnaire 12, GHQ-12), physical, mental and social symptoms (KOEPS) and the experience of a traumatic events (impact of event scale revised version, IES-R). Persons who had experienced a potentially traumatizing event were assigned to the group T and those without trauma to the group kT. Results At the workplace BE are exposed to numerous daily burdens. Nearly one quarter of the BE experienced a potentially traumatic event (n= 28). In these BE the physical and mental symptoms were subjectively different and were evaluated with different intensities (KOEPS). A PTSD has a negative effect on the mental health of BE. Conclusion Each BE feels individually impaired to varying degrees by different workloads. After experiencing a traumatic event the BE suffer from various symptoms and mental health impairments. In the case of suspected PTSD the affected BE should be quickly referred to a medical specialist, which should be initiated by the occupational physician. Until then, consultations and conversations should take place in order to avoid a mental disorder.