Occupational stress of workers analyzed from an approach to vital events

Objectives: to identify the most common vital events related to the stress suffered by the workers of a company located in Arequipa. Methods: a sample of 100 male workers from a mining assistance and maintenance company was used. They belonged to three professional groups, that is, engineers, managers and mechanics aged 19 to 55 years. Holmes and Rahe's social readjustment evaluation scale was used. Results: the most frequent vital events were changes in the feeding and sleeping habits, in the living conditions, in the economic status and a great personal performance. Additionally, the managers pointed out the change of responsibilities at work, whereas the engineers mentioned marriage and vacations. The latter were the ones that had the highest stress scores. Conclusions: the most frequent stress-related vital events found in the sample of male workers were mainly of economic and working type. The engineers showed higher level of stress than the mechanics and the managers, due to deep crisis in their lives.