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Background: The body of evidence verifies the predictive value of certain work characteristics for mental health problems and that various levels of adaptation mechanisms are employed when dealing with adversity. Data on the relationships between employees’ mental health status, their perceptions of work, and their psychological defences are scarce.Aims: To examine the role that personal defences play in the relationship between psychiatric symptoms among working people and their working environment.Methods: Nine hundred and seventy six employees (mean age = 42.4 years, SD = 11.3) participated in a questionnaire study that included the Defence Style Questionnaire, the Symptom Checklist 90 revised, and the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire .Results: Data showed that greater maturity of psychological defences was associated with higher level of psychological functioning and there were strong associations between presence of psychopathology and the three defence clusters. Results indicated a strong positive correlation between the mature defence style and the perception of a satisfactory workplace. There was no interaction between psychopathology and defences in relation to work environment.Conclusion: Psychopathology and defences were significantly associated with work conditions, which could suggest that adaptation mechanisms and psychopathology are two independent forms of adjustment to the rapidly changing world of work. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: : Placental abruption, placenta previa, and preeclampsia are serious pregnancy complications with an increased risk of perinatal death. Smoking during pregnancy is associated with increased risk of abruption and placenta previa, and it reduces the risk of preeclampsia. We examined the association between mothers' smoking habits during pregnancy, taking the sex of the offspring into consideration, and the risk and prognosis of placental abruption, placenta previa, and preeclampsiaMethods: : We conducted the study in the County of North Jutland, Denmark. Using the 10-digit personal identification number given to every Danish citizen at birth, we linked data from the Danish Medical Birth Registry, including information on mother and child, to data from the Pharmaco-Epidemiological Prescription Database with data on all reimbursed prescriptions to use selected drugs as a proxy measure for some maternal diseases, and data from the Regional Hospital Discharge Registry, including the discharge diagnoses. Among 47,932 singleton births we included only births for which we had information about the mothers' smoking habits, leaving 46,313 births for analysis.Results: : Smoking was associated with the risk of placental abruption (OR=1.99 (95% CI 1.72-2.30)) and placenta previa (OR=1.88 (95% CI 1.15-3.07)). Smoking was inversely associated with the risk of preeclampsia (OR=0.55 (95% CI 0.48-0.62)). After stratification for the sex of the offspring the risk estimate of smoking as risk factor for placenta previa decreased for male fetuses (OR=1.63 (95% CI 0.75-3.51)) and increased for female fetuses (OR=4.82 (95% CI 1.69-13.75)).Conclusion: : Female fetuses are more vulnerable than male to the negative effect of maternal smoking on placenta previa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]