Correlation Analysis Of Noise-induced Hearing Loss And Mental Health Among Noise-exposed Coal Miners Based On Propensity Score Matching

Objective:The primary purpose of the current study was to investigate the prevalence of Noise-induced hearing loss(NIHL),depression,anxiety,stress,loneliness and ego-strength among noise-exposed coal miners in Shanxi Province,China.The secondary aim was to evaluate the correlation between NIHL and mental health based on Propensity Score Matching(PSM).So as to provide new references for coal mining enterprises to effectively promoting the physical and mental health of coal mine workers.Methods:481 noise-exposed coal miners from May 2019 to May 2022 who were recruited a coal-mining area of Shanxi Province were included as the subjects.General demographic information and pure-tone audiometry data was collected;Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression(CES-D),Self-rating Anxiety Scale(SAS),Adult Psychology Stress Scale(APSS),UCLA Loneliness Scale(UCLA-LS)and Ego-Strength Scale(ESS)were used to evaluate the depression,anxiety,stress,loneliness and ego-strength in the sample of noise-exposed coal miners.Then 481 coal miners were further divided into NIHL group(n=230)and non-NIHL group(n=251),PSM design was adopted and matched according to the 1:1 nearest neighbor method.After effectively balancing confounding factors:age,gender,marital status,education level,smoking,drinking,physical exercise,working years,shift system,workplace,type of environment consolidation,BMI,DBP/SBP,tinnitus/earache,the Spearman rank correlation and Cochran Armitage trend test were used to analyze the association between NIHL and mental health among noise-exposed coal miners after PSM.Results:1.There were 481 noise-exposed coal miners before the PSM,of which the prevalence of NIHL was 47.82%(230 cases),and the detection rates of depression,anxiety,stress,high loneliness and weak ego-strength were 40.33%(194 cases),34.51%(166cases),72.35%(348 cases),55.30%(266 cases)and 34.93%(168 cases),respectively.2.After PSM,a total of 358 cases were approximately matched successfully and the included covariates had a good balance between the NIHL group(n=179)and the non-NIHL group(n=179),and the differences were not statistically significant(P>0.05).3.The results of Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that the NIHL was correlated with mental health,and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05),including strong positive correlation with depression and anxiety(r_s=0.867,r_s=0.754,P<0.001),moderate positive correlation with loneliness(r_s=0.564,P<0.001),weak positive correlation with stress(r_s=0.220,P<0.001),weak negative correlation with ego-strength(r_s=-0.285,P<0.001).4.The results of Cochran Armitage trend test showed that with the increase of the severity of NIHL in noise-exposed coal miners,the detection rate of mental health problems showed an upward trend(P<0.001),and the scores of CES-D,SAS,APSS and UCLA-LS showed an upward trend,while the ESS score showed a downward trend(P<0.001).Conclusion:The detection rate of NIHL among noise-exposed coal miners is higher,and the mental health level is lower than the normal in China.And there is a correlation between NIHL and mental health among noise-exposed coal miners.With the increase of the severity of NIHL,the detection rate and severity of mental health problems increases.Coal mining enterprises should regularly carry out hearing examination and provide psychological health screening and evaluation services,so as to improve the physical and mental health level of coal miners.