The relationship between occupational stress, musculoskeletal disorders and the mental health of coal miners: The interaction between BDNF gene, TPH2 gene polymorphism and the environment

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Mental disorders are prevalent among the population and seriously endanger people's working ability as well as their physical and mental health. This study employed stratified cluster random sampling to examine occupational stress, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and the mental health status of 1675 coal miners in Xinjiang. METHODS: A cross-sectional investigation was carried out, and BDNF (rs6265, rs10835210) gene polymorphism and TPH2(rs4570625, rs4131347) gene polymorphism were identified in 30% of the study's participants. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between mental disorders, occupational stress and MSDs, and to explore the role of gene-gene and gene-environment interactions in respect to the incidence of psychological disorders. On this basis, the risk prediction model of mental disorders was constructed. RESULTS: The study identified the following risk factors for mental disorders among coal miners: Female, age, four shifts, coal miners, college education or above, single, occupational stress, and MSDs. MSDs, BDNF gene (rs6265) and TPH2 gene (rs4570625) are directly related to mental disorders, and interactions were found between MSDs and BDNF gene (rs6265),TPH2 gene (rs4570625), affecting the incidence of mental disorders. The Bayesian network model of mental disorders showed that MSDs, educational level, TPH2 gene (rs4570625) and marital status had a higher influence on mental disorders. Monthly income and educational level can indirectly affect mental disorders through occupational stress. BDNF gene (rs6265) and TPH2 gene (rs4570625) can indirectly affect mental disorders through MSDs. There may be an interaction between MSDs and educational level. CONCLUSIONS: Besides demographic characteristics, occupational stress and musculoskeletal disorders are also factors affecting the mental health of coal miners. It was found that BDNF rs10835210, TPH2 rs4570625 and TPH2 rs4131347 interact with each other, increasing the risk of mental disorders among coal miners.