Psychosocial work factors of the job strain` model and all-cause mortality

Aims: The aim of the present study was to investigate associations between occupational gender composition, psychosocial work factors and mild to severe depression in Swedish women and men with various educational backgrounds. Methods: The study included 5560 participants from two waves of the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health, an approximately representative sample of the Swedish working population. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals of mild to severe depression in 2014 were estimated for five strata of occupational gender composition with >20–40%, >40–60%, >60–80% and >80–100% women, using 0–20% women as the reference. Analyses were stratified by gender and education. Job strain, organisational injustice, poor social support and effort–reward imbalance in 2012 were added in separate models, and changes in OR of mild to severe depression for strata of occupational gender composition were evaluated. Results: Among women, the odds of mild to severe depression did not vary by occupational gender composition. Among men with low to intermediate education, the odds were higher in the stratum with >80–100% women, and among men with high education, the odds were higher in strata with >20–40% and >60–80% women. Psychosocial work factors affected the odds ratios of mild to severe depression, but most of the variation remained unexplained. Conclusions: Odds of mild to severe depression appeared to vary by occupational gender composition among Swedish men but not women. This variation seemed only to a small extent to be explained by psychosocial work factors.

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O7B.4 Are psychosocial working conditions associated with suicide and intentional self-harm? a register-based study of 420,895 norwegians

Occupational and Environmental Medicine ◽

10.1136/oem-2019-epi.170 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 76 (Suppl 1) ◽

pp. A63.2-A63

Author(s):

Ingrid Sivesind Mehlum ◽

Therese N Hanvold ◽

Lars Mehlum ◽

Rachel L Hasting ◽

Suzanne L Merkus ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Working Conditions ◽

Job Strain ◽

Job Demands ◽

Annual Rate ◽

Psychosocial Work Factors ◽

Psychosocial Work ◽

Psychosocial Working Conditions ◽

Leader Support ◽

Work Factors ◽

Self Harm

ObjectivesPoor psychosocial working conditions are associated with increased risk of mental health disorders. Some studies suggest that work factors may also increase the risk of suicidal behaviour. However, these studies mostly measured suicidal ideation, rarely completed suicides, and hardly ever used longitudinal data. We aimed to examine the relationship between selected psychosocial work factors and death by suicide, as well as hospital treatment for intentional self-harm and similar diagnoses.MethodsData on all persons born in Norway 1967–1976, employed in 2007 (n=420,895), were retrieved from national registers. Binary psychosocial work exposures were obtained from a job-exposure matrix for job demands, job control and leader support. Based on these, we constructed job strain (high demands, low control), and isostrain (high demands, low control, low support) exposure variables. These were linked to occupation in 2007 (ISCO88 four-digit codes). We estimated associations (Risk Ratios, RRs) between the psychosocial work factors and four-year risk of intentional self-harm and suicide in binomial regression models, adjusted for year of birth, education level, marital history and current family pattern.ResultsDuring 2008–2011, 884 had diagnoses of intentional self-harm (annual rate 53 per 100,000; women 56, men 49), while 164 suicided (annual rate 9.7; women 4.5, men 14.5). Intentional self-harm was associated with all work factors, except job demands and leader support among men. Associations were strongest for high isostrain, adjusted RR 1.5 (95% confidence interval 1.2–1.7) and high job strain RR 1.3 (1.2–1.5), similar in women and men. Associations with suicide were positive only among men, with strongest associations for high job strain, RR 1.5 (1.0–2.1).ConclusionsPsychosocial work factors were associated with intentional self-harm in both sexes, but only in men for suicide. High isostrain and high job strain showed the strongest associations. Reasons other than a causal relationship cannot be excluded, particularly health selection.

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