The mental health of young workers: A pilot study

The aim of the study was to evaluate the distribution of psychological symptoms in young workers, and the relationship with regard to sociodemographic characteristics using the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI; Derogatis, 1992), in İzmir Apprenticeship Training Center, Turkey, with 203 randomly selected apprentices aged 15-21, 31 (15.3%) females and 172 (84.7%) males. The mean age was 17.48± 1.24 years. The apprentices were from four different occupational groups: Metalwork (21.7%), Auto repair (29.6%), Electric repair (20.7%) and Hairdressing (28.1%). Results showed that apprentices who are female, who come from single-parent families, who reported low socioeconomic status, who had lost one of their parents or siblings, whose fathers had no stable job, and who work in hairdressing are at risk for psychological problems. In conclusion, those "at risk" apprentices should receive psychosocial support and counseling for coping with problems. © Society for Personality Research (Inc.)