Relationship among Noise Exposure, Noise Annoyance, Emotional Intelligence, and Cognitive Emotional Regulation: AGeneralized Structural Equation Modeling

Rohollah Fallah Madvari; Arghavan Abrchi; Reyhane Sefidkar; Fereydoon Laal; Hamideh Bidel; Mahdi Jafari Nodoushan

doi:10.18502/avr.v33i2.14816

Rohollah Fallah Madvari Occupational Health Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
Arghavan Abrchi Occupational Health Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
Reyhane Sefidkar Center for Healthcare Data Modeling, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
Fereydoon Laal Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
Hamideh Bidel Department of Occupational Health and Safety, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mahdi Jafari Nodoushan Occupational Health Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/avr.v33i2.14816

Abstract

Background and Aim: There is evidence of associations between noise exposure and psychological outcomes from noise annoyance. This study aims to examine the mediating role of noise annoyance in the relationship of noise exposure with Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Cognitive Emotion Regulation (CER).

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that was conducted on 58 male workers of a lead mine in Yazd, Iran. Noise exposure was determined based on ISO 9612:2009. Noise annoyance was assessed using the ISO/TS 15666:2003’s numerical rating scale. The Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test (modified version) and the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) were used for data collection. Mann-Whitney U test, correlation test, and Generalized Structural Equation Modeling (GSEM) were used to analyze the data.

Results: The mean age of workers was 35.78±7.10 years. A significant relationship was found between noise annoyance and noise exposure, such that a unit increase in noise exposure had a multiplicative effect on the odds of experiencing more annoyance (p<0.001). Also, for every one-unit increase in noise annoyance, mean scores for EI and CER decreased by 0.192 and 0.172, respectively.

Conclusion: Noise exposure is directly related to noise annoyance and indirectly related to EI and CER. Further studies in this area are recommended to clarify the issue and the relationships between these variables.

Keywords: Noise; noise exposure; emotional intelligence; cognitive psychology