SECTION V СЕКЦИЯ V
Bnouham 1 Abderrahim Ziyyat 1
2. Method
3.6. Test Resistance to Stress (TRS)
3.6.1. Stressful Stimuli According to the Number of Successful Boxes
Figure 2 presents 15 various stressing sound stimuli used in the Resistance Test to Stresses, ranged from 1 to 15: The first five sequences are regarded as not stressing, the five following ones represent moderated stresses, the last five of the severe stresses because of involving vital experiments.
Figure 2. Representation of the means of the successful boxes according to the type of the sound stimuli. Om: OM; Afri: Rythmes Africains; Wag: Wagner; Mod: Musique Mod;
Perc: Percussions; Insec: Insectes; Orag: Orage; Loups: Loups; Acc: Accident des voiture; Amb: Ambulance; Cœur: Cœur; Accou: Accouchement; Cris: Cris nx-nes;
Étouf: Etouffement; Pani: Panique.
The taxi drivers are resistant to the various stressors; of the highest scores of successful boxes: OM (228), SMOTHERING (228), MUSIC MOD (203), INSECTS (201), RATES/RHYTHMS AFRICAN (199), WAGNER (175), PERCUSSIONS (167), LOUPS (161), CHILDBIRTH (156), STORM (147), AMBULANCE (147), ACCIDENT OF the CAR (146), HEART (143), with least low score of the correct boxes: CRIES OF NEWBORNS (140).
The non-professional drivers are also resistant to the various stressors;
highest scores of successful boxes: OM (225), SUFFOCATION (219), INSECTS (210), MOD MUSIC (207), RATES/AFRICAN RHYTHMS (202), WAGNER (192), WOLVES (180), PERCUSSIONS (178), CAR ACCIDENTS (175), STORM (170), CHILDBIRTH (159), PANIC (156), AMBULANCE (153), HEART (145), to the least low score of the correct boxes: CRIES OF NEWBORNS (144).
Figure 2 presents the degrees of resistance to the stress according to the type of drivers.
Taxi drivers: One notes that 15% of the drivers have a good resistance to the stress; approximately 67% have a moderate level of resistance, while 18.33% have a low resistance to the stress.
Non-professional drivers: Approximately 17% of the Drivers have a good resistance to the stress, 70% with a moderate level of resistance and 13.33% have a low resistance to the stress.
There is no significant difference between the two populations (R =
−0.025, p = 0.947), but a slight superiority of the non-professional drivers who show less extreme results (standard deviation).
The performances of driving decrease progressively with the stressors, except for the smothering phase.
The population of the taxi drivers is more homogeneous but offers less resistance to the stresses than the non-professional drivers.
3.6.2. Stress and Accidents of the Public Road
Figure 3, on the other hand, shows that the drivers having undergone only one accident have an average score of resistance to the stress (average resistance), the drivers who did not undergo accidents have a high score (good resistance) while those who have a weak score underwent two accidents (low resistance).
Figure 3. Relationship between TRS scores and accidents of the public road
The figure below presents the score of the test resistance to the stress in relation to the occurrence of the accidents.
The analysis of variance (ANOVA) enabled us to propose a significant difference between the occurrence of accidents of the public road and some sound stimuli used in the Test Resistance to the Stress:
Taxi drivers: OM (F = 5.736, p < 0.005), AFRICAN RATES/RHYTHMS (F = 9.011 p < 0.001), WAGNER (F = 5.318, p < 0.008), MUSIC MOD (F = 4.191, p < 0.020), PERCUSSIONS (F = 4.467, p < 0.016), INSECTS (F =
10.615, p < 0.001), STORM (F = 3.196, p < 0.048), WOLVES (F = 7.674, p
< 0.001), CARS ACCIDENTS (F = 3.295, p < 0.044), CHILDBIRTH (F = 9.323, p < 0.001). In addition, CRIES OF NEWBORNS (F = 8.582, p <
0.001).
Non-professional Drivers: CHILDBIRTH (F = 4.062, p < 0.022), CRIES OF NEWBORNS (F = 3.645, p < 0.032).
However, there is no significant difference between the accidents of the public road and the other stimuli sound.
4. Discussion
The study showed that the level of stress is relatively high in this professional category of drivers compared to non-professional drivers. One can also note that the study, in spite of the fact that it is transverse and cannot claim to show a causality, allowed the description of a certain number of factors associated with this stress, like the boredom in their work, the feeling of the absence of safety, the noise of the traffic, the sound of the whistle of the policeman, the use of cellphones during driving, the occurrence of accidents in the public road, time pressure during driving, making a break, the level of study of the drivers, the disorders of sleep, the disorders of mood and the disorders of tension.
It should also be noted that few studies were interested in the evaluation of the professional stress of the population of the taxi drivers [24]
and according to the literature, no Moroccan study treated the effects of sound pollution like generating factor of the professional stress.
Organization of the Taxi Drivers’ Work
It is known that the professional stress is related to the type of activity and the organization of work. In the forefront of the announced factors as generators of stress, the time constraints appear. This concept covers the feeling which the individual has when working under pressure of time and to have to carry out too much work within a too short time [25]. In this study 78.3% of the drivers said to feel a pressure of time and 53% state not to have time necessary to work. These results also joined those of a study carried out in Japan on taxi drivers who showed that the concern of the drivers as for their daily profit increased the level of the stress and had effects on the quality of work [26]. This situation involves competitions between the taxis with harmful consequences as regards to road safety [27].
The driving of the taxis is monotonous and repetitive, inducing trouble, a lack of motivation and dissatisfaction. These feelings of boredom in work were reported by 83.3% of the drivers of our study. This observation joined a study undertaken about the workers of an assembly line in the USA showed similar results to ours [28].
Another factor is determining and is essential to the work of the drivers, it is the break time. In this connection, 65% of the taxi drivers said to have taken a break after 5 to 6 h of work. In this work one could propose a significant difference between taking a break and the score of the scale of
stress perceived (PSS), and one noticed that the increase in the score of the stress requires an increase in the hours before the break time.
Difficult working conditions also were often associated with the professional stress. In this study, the difficulty of maintaining the quality of work was reported in 57% of the cases, and the feeling of insecurity because of the absence of social security was noted at 68.3% of the drivers. The fear of losing its job is also likely to increase the psychological tension of the drivers. It is obvious that the choice of the profession, the job satisfaction and the possibility of decision constitute factors significantly protective against the stress [29]. At the international level, during these ten last years, several countries set up programs of information of group bound for the drivers or taxi drivers within the framework of action plans on the road safety (the United States, Canada). However, Morocco until now did not develop its vision on the information and application actions in the field of the road safety in the objective of decreasing the road accidents.
Test Resistance to the Stress
As it was to evoke in methodology, it acts of an automated test of Swiss origin and let us have to apply it on the Moroccan Arabic-speaking population close the occupational drivers (taxi drivers) and non- professionals. Test A was carried out for the first time in Morocco on the drivers that are professional (PD) or not professional in order to provide to the professionals of transport to work on economic and reliable tool to evaluate their resistance to the stress.
A first version paper-pencil with additive stimuli was validated on various populations of candidates to ancillary medical formations. The results obtained confirmed deduction of this technique and justified, in collaboration with Philippe Wallon, a computerized application [20]. Let us recall that the first objective this TRS is initially to measure resistance to the stress from the drivers and then to rise the most frequent anomalies or dysfunctions at the non-professional or professional drivers and to propose remedy in order to prevent the public road accidents and to maintain the quality of professional driver’s lives.
Analyze Sound Stimuli
The test is based on a corpus of 15 additive stimuli used as stressors under conventional names: OM, AFRICAN RATES/RHYTHMS, WAGNER, MUSIC MOD, PERCUSSIONS, INSECTS, STORM, WOLVES, ACCIDENT OF THE CAR, AMBULANCE, HEART, CHILDBIRTH, CRIES OF NEWBORNS, SMOTHERING and PANIC.
According to the TRS, the population of the taxi drivers is more homogeneous but offers a resistance to the stresses a little weaker than the non-professionals drivers. This aspect of variable resistors towards the sound stimuli of the TRS can be explained, on the professional drivers, by the continuous exposure on high levels of harmful sound effect and noise during their work. Moreover, the literature identified the negative impact of the distractions during driving such as the music, the noise of the traffic, the
conversation during driving, to telephone while leading, etc. [6] [29]. Cohen (1983) also mentioned the effects of the noise to work on the productivity, safety, the performance, the mental conscience and vigilance [5].
In this study, one notes that the noise of the traffic is more stressing at almost half of the nonprofessional drivers and less stressing at the professional drivers (18%) seen in continuous exposure which carries out towards the adaptation to the noise. However, the noise represented by the whistle of the policeman is more stressing for the drivers (64% of the drivers feel it), that can be explained by the fact why it represents a sanction occurring following a transgression of the highway code and law. Moreover, one also notes a significant difference between the score of the PSS and the whistle of the policeman, on the two populations of drivers. However, no significant difference is observed between the sound of the noise of the traffic and the score of the PSS on the taxi drivers.
Perceived Stress Scale
The PSS is a scale which evaluates the frequency with which the situations of the life (or work) are generally perceived like threatening (perceived control). Willams (2000) observed a relation between the perceived stress measured by the PSS, the job satisfaction and physical and mental health [30]. Thus Chang (1998) [31] found that the PSS are associated symptoms of depression and the satisfaction of life. In this study one proposed a significant difference between the score of the scale of stress perceived (PSS) and the trouble in their work, of the public road accidents and the pressure of time during driving of the taxi drivers. The stress decreases the performance, when it intense or is prolonged too much, because all the cognitive functions of the individual are then disturbed [32].
In this study one could propose a significant difference between the two populations concerning the performances of driving which decrease progressively with the stressors (auditive stimuli of test TRS) with a light superiority of the non-professional’s drivers. To date, there are no studies which explored the bond between the safety of driving and the stress in Morocco. Moreover, one observed significant difference between score PSS and the disorders of sleep, the disorders of mood, the disorders of tension, the sound of the whistle of the policeman, the noise of the traffic, and the occurrence of the accidents in the public road, on the non-professional drivers.
Indeed, the accidents of the public road constitute today a major social problem in Morocco. In this work, one observes a significant difference between the occurrence of accidents in the public road and the score of PSS, the score of the TRS and the feeling of the absence of safety during driving:
33.3% of the taxi drivers state to have had only one accident as a driver and 11.7% had two accidents of it; However, 18.3% of the non-professional drivers said to have had only one accident as drivers, 13.3% of them had two accidents.