The impact on mental health of the economic recession in the district of Sassuolo (Modena): opinions of local occupational physicians.

INTRODUCTION The recent economic recession and the subsequent strategy of austerity have deceased
the amount of resources devoted to health care. They may also have contributed to the deterioration of the
population health.
AIM To assess the impact on mental health of the economic recession in the district of Sassuolo (Modena),
by collecting and analyzing opinions of local Occupational Physicians.
METHODS Qualitative survey, by focus groups, conducted in Sassuolo (Modena), industrial center of
ceramics, involving 8 Occupational Physicians active in the area. Rough descriptions analyzed
independently by GU and GM using MAXQDA, with the independent supervision of a third researcher (SF),
according to the principles of the General Grounded Theory. The second focus group was intendened as
respondent validation of the first, yet it gathered further data, up to theortical saturation.
RESULTS Two focus groups, about one hour long, attended by 8 Occupational Physicians, 7 during the first
focus group, 4 during the second (of these, 3 attending both focus groups). The coding process yielded 261
segments, divided into four main areas: "changes in contemporary world" (16 coded segments), "social
area" (82 coded segments), "medical area" (94 coded segments), "working area" (69 coded segments).
CONCLUSIONS The impact of the economic crisis on health produced mainly negative consequences,
locally, consistently with national data. Psychiatrists should work together with Occupational Physicians to
develop targeted interventions, addressing social, political and medical needs. A more structured liaison
between Psychiatry and Occupational Medicine is an interesting and useful tool for future action and
advocacy.