Effects of noise annoyance on mental distress

Noise is one of the most harmful physical factors in the workplace that can cause annoyance. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of annoyance caused by occupational noise on employee’s mental distress.

This analytical-descriptive study was performed on 325 employees of the parts manufacturing industry in seven groups and the noise dose received for each group was measured by a dosimeter using ISO9612 standard. Then, psychosis was determined using the Kessler psychosis scale and the degree of annoyance in the face of noise in the face of noise by the standard method of ISO15666 as an individual evaluation with a one-question scale of 11 Likert options.

The results indicated that there was a positive and significant relationship between the received sound dose and noise annoyance (P <0.05). In addition, the dose received from the sound can justify 72.2% of the variable response changes, i.e. the amount of voice annoyance alone. Also, the results of the simultaneous study of four variables of age, work experience, voice exposure and voice annoyance on the state of mental distress using multiple regression indicated that these 4 variables predicted 42% of changes in mental distress. And the main variable influencing psychological distress is voice annoyance (P <0.05).

Occupational noise through noise annoyance harassment can affect the mental health of people working in industry and harassment can act as a mediator due to job noise causing mental distress in people working in industry.