Objectives Telomere length and its relationship to job stress among workers in the health sector in Indonesia, especially in Bali, have never been studied. The purpose of the study was to analyze the correlation of the telomere length and serotonin levels to job stress and the type of locus of control (LOC) among nurses who were running shift work.
Internal-External Control ; Occupational Stress ; Serotonin ; Telomere Shortening

Objective: Current evidence has shown academic stress to be associated with student maladaptive behavior. This study aimed to investigate the effect of a problem-focused coping stress management program on first-year medical students’ self-efficacy, psychological distress and find its effect on salivary cortisol. Method: Forty students who scored high on academic stress and external locus of control were randomly selected as the intervention (n = 26) and control group (n = 14). An intervention in the form of a problem-focused coping stress management program was organized. The intervention was a 1½-hour training class conducted once a week for four weeks. Results: There was a significant difference in self-efficacy between the intervention and control groups (p-value = 0.029). The self-efficacy score was significantly higher after the intervention (19.31 ± 2.396 vs 21.27 ± 2.677, p = 0.005). Likewise, a significant difference in the psychological distress between the two groups was found after the intervention (control group = 40.14 ± 3.860; intervention group = 37.12 ± 4.537, p < 0.05). We also found a significant decrease in salivary cortisol after the intervention among this group (0.68262 μg/dl ± 0.367 to 0.43304 μg/dl ± 0.231, p < 0.05), but there was no significant difference in cortisol between intervention and control group after the intervention (0.49479 μg/dl ± 0.264 and 0.43304 μg/dl ± 0.231, p = 0.448). Conclusion The problem-focused coping stress management program improved self-efficacy and decreased the psychological distress and salivary cortisol of first-year medical students in this research
Hydrocortisone ; Psychological Distress ; Adaptation, Psychological

Objectives: This study examined the association between irrational beliefs and psychological distress among female office workers in Bali, and formulate general equation to predict psychological distress from the irrational belief scores. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 111 female office workers in Bali. The irrational beliefs were measured by the Smith Irrational Belief Inventory (SIBI) questionnaire and the psychological distress was assessed by a questionnaire quoted from the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (BJSQ). Multivariable linear regression was performed to evaluate the role of irrational beliefs on psychological distress scores. Results: There was a moderate, positive correlation between irrational beliefs and psychological distress, which was statistically significant (r = 0.451, n = 111, p = 0.000). The R squared was 0.205, indicating that 20.5% of psychological distress variance can be explained by irrational beliefs. The F-ratio in the ANOVA test shows that the independent variables statistically significantly predict the dependent variable, F(3,107) = 9.187, p < 0.0005. The general form of the equation to predict psychological distress from irrational belief scores is: Predicted psychological distress (Y) = 17.909 + (0.392 x Irrational belief scores). Conclusion Irrational beliefs are significantly associated with psychological distress among female office workers in Gianyar, Bali. This finding suggests the need for strategies anticipating better health and productivity among female workers.
Psychological Distress ; Female