Work-related stress is a major public health concern across occupations and may be linked to increased consumption of psychoactive substances (notably alcohol, tobacco and cannabis) and use of psychoactive medications. Such substance use can reflect coping strategies and is associated with adverse outcomes including burnout, depression, anxiety and sleep-related problems such as excessive daytime sleepiness. TraPsyCOL aims to investigate these associations among early childhood professionals in France and to quantify substance-related risk or dependence alongside mental health and sleep outcomes.
The primary objectives are to examine whether professionals exposed to job strain have higher odds of psychoactive substance and medication use and to evaluate associated substance-related risk or dependence. Secondary objectives include assessing associations between job strain and burnout, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and excessive daytime sleepiness.
The study focuses on three groups of early childhood personnel working in nursery and elementary schools across participating territories in the Axe ligérien region of France:
These professionals play a central role in children’s care and education and are reported to experience high levels of occupational stress related to the emotionally demanding nature of their work.
The protocol states the primary hypothesis that exposure to job strain will be associated with:
Comparisons will be made between professionals classified as exposed to job strain and those not exposed.
TraPsyCOL is a cross-sectional epidemiological study conducted among early childhood professionals working in nursery and elementary schools in participating territories of the Axe ligérien in France. The design is observational and descriptive, intended to assess cross-sectional associations between work-related stress and specified outcomes.
Data are collected anonymously using a self-administered online questionnaire. Access to the questionnaire is provided via a QR code displayed on study posters located in staff rooms and other shared areas in participating schools, and on flyers distributed among staff containing identical study information and the QR code. The QR code also links to an information sheet indicating that the study follows ethical guidelines and that proceeding to the questionnaire indicates non-objection to participation. Participation is voluntary and responses are collected without identifying information to preserve anonymity.
A sample size of 234 participants was estimated using BiostaTGV. Analyses will begin with descriptive statistics to characterise the sample and distribution of exposures and outcomes. Associations between work-related stress, operationalised as job strain, and categorical outcomes will be examined using Pearson’s chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test where appropriate. Subsequent multivariable analyses will be performed according to the nature of each outcome variable to adjust for potential confounders.
Results will be presented using appropriate measures of association with 95% confidence intervals. The protocol does not report specific covariates or modelling strategies beyond stating that multivariable analyses will be used as appropriate for each outcome.
The study evaluates multiple outcome domains captured in the questionnaire:
The source text states that work-related stress will be operationalised as job strain but does not specify the exact scales or cut-offs used for each outcome within the protocol summary provided.
Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire d'Orléans (reference number: CERO 2511-02). Participation is voluntary and anonymous; the QR-linked information sheet explains ethical compliance and indicates that moving forward to the questionnaire constitutes non-objection to participation.
The investigators plan to disseminate findings through peer-reviewed, open-access publications and presentations at scientific conferences. The protocol states that studying these associations is important to inform the development of targeted interventions and preventive strategies for early childhood professionals.