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Bodin Danielsson C, Theorell T. Office Design's Impact on Psychosocial Work Environment and Emotional Health. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2024; 21:438. [PMID: 38673349 PMCID: PMC11050261 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph21040438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2024] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
This study explores the association between office design and (a) the psychosocial work environment and (b) the emotional health among 4352 employees in seven different office designs. A multivariate linear regression analysis was performed with adjustments for age and educational level for men and women separately. Results show that psychosocial factors and emotional exhaustion differ between both office designs and between genders, with best outcomes in cell offices, except for psychological demands that are rated the most favourable in shared-room offices. Cell offices and small open-plan offices show a strong beneficial association with emotional exhaustion in women. Among men, hot-desking is most problematic regarding psychosocial work environment and emotional exhaustion. Women rate the psychosocial environment low in combi-office and report emotional exhaustion in small open offices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Bodin Danielsson
- Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, 412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden
- The Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), School of Architecture and Built Environment, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Töres Theorell
- Department of Psychology, Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden;
- Department of Global Health, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
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Holmgren R, Grotta A, Farrants K, Magnusson Hanson LL. Bidirectional associations between workplace bullying and sickness absence due to common mental disorders - a propensity-score matched cohort study. BMC Public Health 2024; 24:744. [PMID: 38459468 PMCID: PMC10921817 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-18214-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The link between workplace bullying and poor mental health is well-known. However, little is known about the prospective and potentially reciprocal association between workplace bullying and mental health-related sickness absence. This 2-year prospective study examined bidirectional associations between exposure to workplace bullying and sickness absence due to common mental disorders (SA-CMD) while controlling for confounding factors from both work and private life. METHODS The study was based on propensity score-matched samples (N = 3216 and N = 552) from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health, using surveys from years 2012, 2014 and 2016. Self-reported exposure to workplace bullying was linked to registry-based information regarding medically certified SA-CMD (≥ 14 consecutive days). The associations were examined by means of Cox proportional hazards regression and via conditional logistic regression analysis. Hazard ratios and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were estimated. RESULTS Exposure to workplace bullying was associated with an increased risk of incident SA-CMD (HR: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.0-1.8), after accounting for the influence of job demands, decision authority, previous SA-CMD, as well as other sociodemographic covariates. However, we found no statistically significant association between SA-CMD and subsequent workplace bullying (OR 1.2, 95% CI 0.7-1.9). CONCLUSIONS The results support an association between self-reported workplace bullying and SA-CMD, independent of other sociodemographic factors and workplace stressors. Preventing workplace bullying could alleviate a share of the individual and societal burden caused by SA globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecka Holmgren
- Stress Research Institute, Division of Psychobiology and Epidemiology, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Alessandra Grotta
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Stockholm University, Sweden & Centre for Health Equity Studies, Stockholm University/Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kristin Farrants
- Division of Insurance Medicine, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Linda L Magnusson Hanson
- Stress Research Institute, Division of Psychobiology and Epidemiology, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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3
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Albrecht SC, Leineweber C, Kecklund G, Tucker P. Prospective effects of work-time control on overtime, work-life interference and exhaustion in female and male knowledge workers. Scand J Public Health 2024; 52:205-215. [PMID: 36732910 PMCID: PMC10913321 DOI: 10.1177/14034948221150041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 12/04/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
AIMS Employee-based flexible working hours are increasing, particularly among knowledge workers. Research indicates that women and men use work-time control (WTC; control over time off and daily hours) differently: while men work longer paid hours, women use WTC to counteract work-life interference. In a knowledge-worker sample, we examined associations between WTC and overtime, work-life interference and exhaustion and tested whether gender moderates the mediating role of overtime. METHODS The sample contained 2248 Swedish knowledge workers. Employing hierarchical regression modelling, we examined effects of control over time off/daily hours on subsequent overtime hours, work-life interference and exhaustion in general and in gender-stratified samples. Using conditional process analysis, we tested moderated mediation models. RESULTS Control over time off was related to less work-life interference (βmen= -0.117; 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.237 to 0.003; βwomen= -0.253; 95% CI: -0.386 to -0.120) and lower exhaustion (βmen= -0.199; 95% CI: -0.347 to -0.051; βwomen= -0.271; 95% CI: -0.443 to -0.100). For control over daily hours, estimates were close to zero. While men worked more overtime (42 min/week), we could not confirm gender moderating the indirect effect of control over time off/daily hours on work-life interference/exhaustion via overtime. Independent of gender, effects of control over time off on work-life interference were partly explained by working fewer overtime hours. CONCLUSIONS Control over time off was related to lower exhaustion and better work-life balance (in particular for women). We found no evidence for men's work-life interference increasing with higher WTC owing to working more overtime. Knowledge workers' control over time off may help prevent work-life interference and burnout.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie C. Albrecht
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Sweden
| | - Constanze Leineweber
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Sweden
| | - Göran Kecklund
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Sweden
| | - Philip Tucker
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Sweden
- School of Psychology, Swansea University, UK
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Plückelmann C, Gustafsson Sendén M, Bernhard-Oettel C, Leineweber C, Sczesny S. Women's and men's experiences with participative decision-making at workplace and organizational levels. Front Psychol 2024; 14:1240117. [PMID: 38362525 PMCID: PMC10867161 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1240117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction The concept of participative decision-making (PDM) has been well established as a positive organizational factor, and has recently gained attention as a measure of gender inclusivity in the workplace. However, findings regarding gender differences in the experiences of PDM are inconclusive. This study hypothesized that women perceive themselves as less influential than men at the organizational level rather than at the workplace level. Furthermore, the study explored whether these assumed gender differences depend on the gender typicality of occupational positions and professions. We expected gender differences to be more pronounced for male-typed positions and professions (e.g., leadership, engineer) compared to non-male-typed occupational positions and professions (e.g., non-leadership, nurse). Methods Data on experiences with participative decision-making at the workplace and organizational levels were drawn from a large representative Swedish survey (N = 10,500; 60% women). Results Results showed that women experienced being less influential than men at the organizational level, whereas the experiences of women and men did not differ at the workplace level. The gender difference at the organizational level was not related to the gender typicality of position and profession. Discussion The findings highlight the importance of the inclusion of both women and men in strategic, large-scale decisions for achieving gender equality at work.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Sabine Sczesny
- Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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Kolaja CA, Belding JN, Boparai SK, Castañeda SF, Geronimo-Hara TR, Powell TM, Tu XM, Walstrom JL, Sheppard BD, Rull RP. Survey response over 15 years of follow-up in the Millennium Cohort Study. BMC Med Res Methodol 2023; 23:205. [PMID: 37689640 PMCID: PMC10492282 DOI: 10.1186/s12874-023-02018-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patterns of survey response and the characteristics associated with response over time in longitudinal studies are important to discern for the development of tailored retention efforts aimed at minimizing response bias. The Millennium Cohort Study, the largest and longest running cohort study of military personnel and veterans, is designed to examine the long-term health effects of military service and experiences and thus relies on continued participant survey responses over time. Here, we describe the response rates for follow-up survey data collected over 15 years and identify characteristics associated with follow-up survey response and mode of response (paper vs. web). METHOD Patterns of follow-up survey response and response mode (web, paper, none) were examined among eligible participants (n=198,833), who were initially recruited in four panels from 2001 to 2013 in the Millennium Cohort Study, for a follow-up period of 3-15 years (2004-2016). Military and sociodemographic factors (i.e., enrollment panel, sex, birth year, race and ethnicity, educational attainment, marital status, service component, service branch, pay grade, military occupation, length of service, and time deployed), life experiences and health-related factors (i.e., military deployment/combat experience, life stressors, mental health, physical health, and unhealthy behaviors) were used to examine follow-up response and survey mode over time in multivariable generalized estimating equation models. RESULTS Overall, an average response rate of 60% was observed across all follow-up waves. Factors associated with follow-up survey response over time included increased educational attainment, married status, female sex, older age, military deployment (regardless of combat experience), and higher number of life stressors, mental health issues, and physical health diagnoses. CONCLUSION Despite the challenges associated with collecting multiple waves of follow-up survey data from members of the U.S. military during and after service, the Millennium Cohort Study has maintained a relatively robust response rate over time. The incorporation of tailored messages and outreach to those groups least likely to respond over time may improve retention and thereby increase the representativeness and generalizability of collected survey data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire A Kolaja
- Deployment Health Research Department, Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, CA, USA.
- Leidos, Inc, San Diego, CA, USA.
| | - Jennifer N Belding
- Deployment Health Research Department, Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Satbir K Boparai
- Deployment Health Research Department, Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, CA, USA
- Leidos, Inc, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Sheila F Castañeda
- Deployment Health Research Department, Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Toni Rose Geronimo-Hara
- Deployment Health Research Department, Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, CA, USA
- Leidos, Inc, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Teresa M Powell
- Leidos, Inc, San Diego, CA, USA
- Army Resilience Directorate, Headquarters United States Department of the Army, Deputy Chief of Staff G-1, Arlington, VA, USA
| | - Xin M Tu
- Clinical and Translational Research Institute, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Jennifer L Walstrom
- Deployment Health Research Department, Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, CA, USA
- Leidos, Inc, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Beverly D Sheppard
- Deployment Health Research Department, Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, CA, USA
- Leidos, Inc, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Rudolph P Rull
- Deployment Health Research Department, Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, CA, USA
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Peristera P, Stengård J, Eib C, Bernhard-Oettel C, Leineweber C. Organizational injustice and sickness absence: The moderating role of locked-in status. SSM Popul Health 2023; 23:101427. [PMID: 37215400 PMCID: PMC10199417 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Organizational injustice is known to negatively affect employees' health and to increase the risk for sickness absence. The negative health effects are also known to be more pronounced in uncontrollable, strain increasing, situations at the workplace. This study tests whether locked-in status, i.e., being stuck in a non-preferred workplace, modifies the associations between injustice perceptions and frequent (≥2 times/yr) and long (≥ 8 days/yr) sickness absence. The sample contained 2631 permanent employees from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health in 2018 and 2020. Multigroup structural equation modelling was used to compare the proposed relationships between employees who are locked-in in their workplace and employees who are not. We found a positive association between higher overall organizational injustice and long sickness absence two years later, with the association being stronger for the locked-in group. Also, higher injustice was associated with more frequent sickness absence, but only for those not being locked-in. Employees being locked-in seem to have higher risk of long-term sickness absence which might indicate more serious health problems. Employees not being locked-in more often take short sickness absence, which could indicate a coping behaviour to handle high strain. This study adds knowledge to the role of locked-in status as a moderator in the much-studied relationship between organizational justice and health as well as to the multiple reasons underlying sickness absence.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Johanna Stengård
- Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Constanze Eib
- Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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Griep Y, Hanson LM, Leineweber C, Geurts SA. Feeling stressed and depressed? A three-wave follow-up study of the beneficial effects of voluntary work. Int J Clin Health Psychol 2023; 23:100363. [PMID: 36605772 PMCID: PMC9800247 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2022.100363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
While symptoms of stress are a major risk factor in the onset of depressive symptoms and major depression, a better understanding of intervening mechanisms in breaking down this positive association is urgently required. It is within this literature that we investigate (1) how symptoms of stress are associated with depressive symptoms and the onset of major depression, and (2) the buffering effect of hours spent on voluntary work on the stress-depression relationship. Using 3-wave longitudinal data, we estimated a direct and reverse auto-regressive path model. We found both cross-sectional and longitudinal support for the positive association between symptoms of stress and depressive symptoms. Next, we found that individuals who experienced more symptoms of stress at T1, T2, and T3 were 1.64 (95%CI [1.46;1.91]), 1.49 (95%CI [1.24;1.74]), and 1.40 (95%CI [1.21;1.60]) times more likely to be prescribed an anti-depression treatment at T3, respectively. Moreover, we found that the number of hours spent volunteering mitigated the (1) longitudinal-but not cross-sectional-stress-depression relationship, and (2) cross-sectional-but not the longitudinal-association between symptoms of stress at T3 and the likelihood of being prescribed an anti-depression treatment. These results point toward the pivotal role of voluntary work in reducing the development of depressive symptoms and major depression in relation to the experience of symptoms of stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yannick Griep
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | | | - Sabine A.E. Geurts
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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Prolonging working life among blue-collar workers: The buffering effect of psychosocial job resources on the association between physically demanding and hazardous work and retirement timing. SSM Popul Health 2023; 22:101372. [PMID: 36891500 PMCID: PMC9986637 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The need to delay retirement timing has been acknowledged in Western countries due to demographic ageing. The aim of the present study was to examine the buffering effects of job resources (decision authority, social support, work-time control, and rewards) on the association of exposures to physically demanding work tasks and physically hazardous work environment with non-disability retirement timing. Results from discrete-time event history analyses, in a sample of blue-collar workers (n = 1741; 2792 observations) from the nationwide longitudinal Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH), supported that decision authority and social support may buffer the negative impact of heavy physical demands on working longer (continuing working vs retiring). Stratified analyses by gender showed that the buffering effect of decision authority remained statistically significant for men, while that of social support remained statistically significant for women. Moreover, an age effect was displayed, such that a buffering effect of social support on the association of heavy physical demands and high physical hazards with working longer were found among older men (≥64 years), but not younger (59-63 years). The findings suggest that heavy physical demands should be reduced, however, when not feasible physical demands should be accompanied by social support at work for delaying retirement.
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Blomqvist S, Högnäs RS, Virtanen M, LaMontagne AD, Magnusson Hanson LL. Job loss and job instability during the COVID-19 pandemic and the risk of depression and anxiety among Swedish employees. SSM Popul Health 2023; 22:101424. [PMID: 37159634 PMCID: PMC10158169 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 04/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic led to permanent and temporary job losses but the mental health consequences of different types of employment transitions are not well-understood. In particular, knowledge is scarce concerning furloughs, which was a common job protection strategy in many high- and upper middle-income countries during this crisis. This study focuses on how different types of job instability and job loss during the pandemic influences depression and anxiety in the context of Sweden. A subset of participants from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health were contacted in February 2021 and again in February 2022. A total of 1558 individuals participated in either or both waves and worked before the pandemic. We examined whether i) workplace downsizing, ii) furlough, or iii) unemployment/job loss were associated with depression and anxiety over this one-year period during the pandemic. Logistic regression models with cluster-robust standard errors were estimated, adjusting for sociodemographic factors and prior mental health problems. Effect modification by sex and prior mental health problems was also examined. In comparison to stable employment, being furloughed was unrelated to mental health, while experiencing workplace downsizing during the pandemic was associated with an increased risk of anxiety (adjusted Odds Ratio (OR) = 2.09, 95% Confidence interval (CI) = 1.08-4.05). Job loss/unemployment increased the risk of depression (OR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.02-3.57) compared to being stably employed, but the risk estimate crossed unity when considering prior mental health status. No effect modification by sex or by prior mental health problems was found. This study found that while job loss and downsizing during the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with depression and anxiety, respectively, being furloughed was not. These findings thus suggest that job retention schemes in the form of short-time work allowances, as implemented in Sweden during the COVID-19 pandemic, may prevent mental health problems among employees during economic crises.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Blomqvist
- Stress Research Institute at Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Robin S. Högnäs
- Stress Research Institute at Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marianna Virtanen
- School of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Anthony D. LaMontagne
- Institute for Health Transformation, and School of Health & Social Development, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
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Xu T, Rugulies R, Vahtera J, Stenholm S, Pentti J, Magnusson Hanson LL, Kecklund G, Mathisen J, Nordentoft M, Kivimäki M, Rod NH. Workplace Psychosocial Resources and Risk of Sleep Disturbances Among Employees. JAMA Netw Open 2023; 6:e2312514. [PMID: 37159197 PMCID: PMC10170336 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.12514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Importance Workplace psychosocial resources naturally tend to cluster in some work teams. To inform work-related sleep health promotion interventions, it is important to determine the associations between clustering of workplace resources and sleep disturbances when some resources are high while others are low and to mimic an actual intervention using observational data. Objective To examine whether clustering of and changes in workplace psychosocial resources are associated with sleep disturbances among workers. Design, Setting, and Participants This population-based cohort study used data from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (2012-2018), the Work Environment and Health in Denmark study (2012-2018), and the Finnish Public Sector Study (2008-2014), collected biennially. Statistical analysis was conducted from November 2020 to June 2022. Exposure Questionnaires were distributed measuring leadership quality and procedural justice (ie, vertical resources) as well as collaboration culture and coworker support (ie, horizontal resources). Resources were divided into clusters of general low, intermediate vertical and low horizontal, low vertical and high horizontal, intermediate vertical and high horizontal, and general high. Main Outcomes and Measures Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs were reported from logistic regression models for the associations between the clustering of resources and concurrent and long-term sleep disturbances. Sleep disturbances were measured by self-administered questionnaires. Results The study identified 114 971 participants with 219 982 participant-observations (151 021 [69%] women; mean [SD] age, 48 [10] years). Compared with participants with general low resources, other groups showed a lower prevalence of sleep disturbances, with the lowest observed in the general high group concurrently (OR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.37-0.40) and longitudinally after 6 years (OR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.48-0.57). Approximately half of the participants (27 167 participants [53%]) experienced changes in resource clusters within 2 years. Improvements in vertical or horizontal dimensions were associated with reduced odds of persistent sleep disturbances, and the lowest odds of sleep disturbances was found in the group with improvements in both vertical and horizontal dimensions (OR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.46-0.62). A corresponding dose-response association with sleep disturbances was observed for decline in resources (eg, decline in both dimensions: OR, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.54-1.97). Conclusions and Relevance In this cohort study of workplace psychosocial resources and sleep disturbances, clustering of favorable resources was associated with a lower risk of sleep disturbances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianwei Xu
- Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- National Research Centre of the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Reiner Rugulies
- Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- National Research Centre of the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jussi Vahtera
- Department of Public Health, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- The Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Sari Stenholm
- Department of Public Health, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- The Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Jaana Pentti
- Department of Public Health, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Clinicum, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Göran Kecklund
- Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jimmi Mathisen
- Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Mads Nordentoft
- Formerly with National Research Centre of the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Novo Nordisk, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Mika Kivimäki
- Clinicum, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland
- UCL Brain Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Naja Hulvej Rod
- Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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11
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Platts LG, Sacco LB, Hiyoshi A, Westerlund H, Cahill KE, König S. Job Quality in the Late Career in Sweden, Japan and the United States. Res Aging 2023; 45:259-279. [PMID: 35588492 PMCID: PMC10021131 DOI: 10.1177/01640275221075985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Increasing numbers of older workers continue to work after being eligible to claim a state pension, yet little is known about the quality of these jobs. We examine how psychosocial and physical job quality as well as job satisfaction vary over the late career in three contrasting national settings: Sweden, Japan and the United States. Analyses using random effects modelling drew on data from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (n = 13,936-15,520), Japanese Study of Ageing and Retirement (n = 3704) and the Health and Retirement Study (n = 6239 and 8002). Age was modelled with spline functions in which two knots were placed at ages indicating eligibility for pensions claiming or mandatory retirement. In each country, post-pensionable-age jobs were generally less stressful, freer and more satisfying than jobs held by younger workers, results that held irrespective of gender or education level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loretta G Platts
- Department of Psychology, Stress Research Institute, 123910Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lawrence B Sacco
- Department of Psychology, Stress Research Institute, 123910Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ayako Hiyoshi
- Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medical Sciences, 6233Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Hugo Westerlund
- Department of Psychology, Stress Research Institute, 123910Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kevin E Cahill
- 6019Center on Aging & Work at Boston College, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Stefanie König
- Department of Psychology, and Centre for Ageing and Health, 3570University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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12
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Holmgren R, Sørensen K, Dalsager L, Rugulies R, Östberg V, Magnusson Hanson LL. Workplace bullying, symptoms of anxiety and the interaction with leadership quality - a longitudinal study using dynamic panel models with fixed effects. Scand J Work Environ Health 2023; 49:64-74. [PMID: 36191297 PMCID: PMC10549915 DOI: 10.5271/sjweh.4060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Workplace bullying has been suggested to increase symptoms of anxiety. A reverse relationship has also been proposed. However, so far only few earlier studies have investigated this topic and the reported associations might partly be explained by unmeasured individual characteristics. In this study, we aim to examine the temporality and directionality between workplace bullying and anxiety symptoms, taking time-invariant characteristics into account. Furthermore, we aim to examine whether leadership quality modifies these associations. METHODS We included 13 491 individuals from two nationwide cohort studies in Sweden and Denmark. Using cross-lagged structural equation models (SEM) and dynamic panel models with fixed effects, we examined contemporaneous and lagged associations between self-reported workplace bullying and anxiety. Cohort-specific results were estimated and combined using fixed-effect meta-analysis. RESULTS The cross-lagged SEM models supported contemporaneous and lagged relationships in both directions (from workplace bullying to symptoms of anxiety and vice versa). In contrast, only contemporaneous relationships remained statistically significant and of considerable magnitude in the dynamic panel models with fixed effects. Specifically, exposure to workplace bullying was related to a concurrent increase in anxiety symptoms (b=0.61, 95% confidence interval 0.32-0.90). No support of interaction with leadership quality was found. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that onset of workplace bullying is associated with an immediate or short-term increase in anxiety symptoms. This study provides novel insights regarding temporal aspects and causal inference of the bullying-anxiety relationship useful for managing psychological hazards and preventing mental illness at work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecka Holmgren
- Stress Research Institute at Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
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13
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Asplund S, Lindgren BM, Åström S, Hedlund M, Åhlin J. Organizational and psychosocial environmental work factors associated with self-rated exhaustion disorder among municipal employees in rural northern Sweden. Work 2023; 75:1215-1229. [PMID: 36776096 PMCID: PMC10473146 DOI: 10.3233/wor-220225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Research indicates that good organizational and psychosocial environments are vital to well-functioning workplaces and employee health. Working in the municipal sector and in the rural context may contribute to more health problems, poorer organizational and psychosocial work environments, and higher sick-leave rates. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to explore organizational and psychosocial environmental work factors among municipal employees with or without self-rated exhaustion disorder (s-ED) in rural northern Sweden. METHODS The Modern Work Life Questionnaire and the Self-Rated Exhaustion Disorder Scale were used among 1093 municipal employees. RESULTS The results showed that there were significant differences between the s-ED and the non-s-ED group in all but one of the organizational and psychosocial environmental work factors. Various demands, i.e. quantitative, emotional, intellectual, and IT demands were some factors associated with the s-ED group. Social support, resources, and time for work and reflection were some factors associated with the non-s-ED group. Both the s-ED and the non-s-ED groups assessed significantly higher emotional demands and less resources compared to national reference values. CONCLUSION Findings from this study are relevant to a better understanding what organizational and psychosocial work environmental work factor the employer need to pay extra attention to. Addressing risk and protective factors in the work environment could tribute to promote occupational well-being, preventing exhaustion disorder and long-term sick leave among municipal employees in rural northern Sweden.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Asplund
- Department of Nursing, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | | | - Sture Åström
- Department of Nursing, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Mattias Hedlund
- Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Johan Åhlin
- Department of Nursing, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
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14
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Wijkander M, Farrants K, Magnusson Hanson LL. Exposure to work-related violence and/or threats of violence as a predictor of certified sickness absence due to mental disorders: a prospective cohort study of 16,339 Swedish men and women in paid work. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 2023; 96:225-236. [PMID: 36070001 PMCID: PMC9905169 DOI: 10.1007/s00420-022-01917-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The aim of this prospective cohort study was to investigate if exposure to work-related violence and/or threats of violence predict certified sickness absence due to mental disorders. METHODS Information on work-related exposure to violence and/or threats of violence were derived from the biannual Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH) study 2012-2016, including individuals in paid work across Sweden and from different occupations/sectors (n = 16,339). Certified sickness absence due to mental disorders were ascertained from register data from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency. Odds ratios of certified sickness absence due to mental disorders according to exposure to work-related violence were estimated using multiple logistic regression. Several potential confounding variables, such as demographic and socio-economic factors, age, sex, cohabitation, children living at home, socio-economic status, educational level, as well as other types of psychosocial work environmental factors, were adjusted for in the analyses. RESULTS In the total study sample, 9% reported exposure to violence and/or threats of violence and the prevalence of sickness absence due to mental disorders was 5%. Exposure to work-related violence and/or threats of violence was associated prospectively with certified sickness absence due to mental disorders (odds ratio 1.46, 95% confidence interval 1.17-1.82, p < 0.01). Analysis of possible interaction showed no difference in association when comparing women to men and different age groups. CONCLUSIONS Exposure to work-related violence and/or threats of violence appear to increase the odds of certified sickness absence due to mental disorders. Preventive measures aiming to lower the risk of exposure is thus of great importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Wijkander
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, 10691, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kristin Farrants
- Division of Insurance Medicine, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Linda L Magnusson Hanson
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, 10691, Stockholm, Sweden.
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15
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Mensah A, Toivanen S, Diewald M, Ul Hassan M, Nyberg A. Workplace gender harassment, illegitimate tasks, and poor mental health: Hypothesized associations in a Swedish cohort. Soc Sci Med 2022; 315:115520. [PMID: 36413856 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Workers exposed to gender harassment and illegitimate tasks may experience adverse mental health outcomes such as depression and burnout. However, the longitudinal effects and the complex interrelationships between these variables remain largely unexplored. We investigated the cross-lagged relationships between gender harassment, illegitimate tasks, and mental health outcomes among working adults in Sweden over a period of two years, as well as the gender differences in the cross-lagged effects. Additionally, the study examined whether illegitimate tasks mediated the relationship between gender harassment and negative mental health outcomes over time. Data were drawn from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH), covering 2796 working men and 4110 working women in a two-wave analysis from 2018 to 2020. We employed a structural equation model to examine the cross-lagged effects and the mediating effect between gender harassment, illegitimate tasks, and mental health outcomes over time. Furthermore, we applied a multigroup analysis to determine gender differences in the cross-lagged effects. The results showed statistically significant cross-lagged relationships (forward, reverse, and reciprocal) between gender harassment, illegitimate tasks, and mental ill-health. There were statistically significant gender differences in these cross-lagged relationships (burnout: △χ2(47)=106.21, p < 0.01; depression: △χ2(47)=80.5, p < 0.01). Initial illegitimate tasks mediated the relationship between gender harassment and mental ill-health outcomes over time. The gender differences in the interrelationships between gender harassment, illegitimate tasks, and mental ill-health outcomes among workers in Sweden indicate that policies, regulations, and interventions that address these exposures in organisations must be tailored to benefit both men and women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aziz Mensah
- Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology (BGHS), Bielefeld University, Germany; School of Health, Care, and Social Welfare, Mälardalen University, Sweden.
| | - Susanna Toivanen
- School of Health, Care, and Social Welfare, Mälardalen University, Sweden
| | - Martin Diewald
- Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology (BGHS), Bielefeld University, Germany
| | | | - Anna Nyberg
- Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Health Equity and Working Life, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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16
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Raza A, Pulakka A, Hanson LLM, Westerlund H, Halonen JI. Distance to sports facilities and low frequency of exercise and obesity: a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health 2022; 22:2036. [DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-14444-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Little research has investigated the associations between proximity to physical activity facilities and behavior-related health and the majority have focused on proximity from home address. We add to the literature by examining proximity of these facilities to work and home address and including a wide range of physical activity facilities. We assess the associations for proximity of physical activity facilities from home and work address with self-reported frequency of exercise and obesity.
Methods
Our analytical sample of 7358 participants was from the 2018 wave of the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health. We used logistic binomial regression adjusting for age, sex, education, civil status, individual socioeconomic status, neighborhood socioeconomic status, number of children under 12 years of age, work strain, and chronic disease.
Results
Longer distance from home to paid outdoor and paid indoor physical activity facilities was associated with low frequency of exercise (fully adjusted Relative Risk for both 1.01, 95% CI 1.01–1.02). Associations of any or free outdoor facility with low frequency of exercise were not robust. Findings also indicated associations between long distance from workplace to any and paid outdoor facility and low frequency of exercise. Results for obesity were in the similar direction, however, these were not statistically significant.
Conclusion
Increased distance of paid outdoor and paid indoor physical activity facilities from home and of paid outdoor facilities from work was associated with low frequency of exercise. Longitudinal and larger studies are needed to confirm our findings, particularly regarding obesity.
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17
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Xu T, Rugulies R, Vahtera J, Pentti J, Mathisen J, Lange T, Clark AJ, Magnusson Hanson LL, Westerlund H, Ervasti J, Virtanen M, Kivimäki M, Rod NH. Workplace psychosocial resources and risk of cardiovascular disease among employees: a multi-cohort study of 135 669 participants. Scand J Work Environ Health 2022; 48:621-631. [PMID: 35752989 PMCID: PMC10546613 DOI: 10.5271/sjweh.4042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE In terms of prevention, it is important to determine effects on cardiovascular disease (CVD) when some workplace psychosocial resources are high while others are low. The aim of the study was to assess the prospective relationship between clustering of workplace psychosocial resources and risk of CVD among employees. METHODS We pooled data from three cohort studies of 135 669 employees (65% women, age 18-65 years and free of CVD) from Denmark, Finland and Sweden. Baseline horizontal resources (culture of collaboration and support from colleagues) and vertical resources (leadership quality and procedural justice) were measured using standard questionnaire items. Incident CVD, including coronary heart and cerebrovascular disease, was ascertained using linked electronic health records. We used latent class analysis to assess clustering (latent classes) of workplace psychosocial resources. Cox proportional hazard models were used to examine the association between these clusters and risk of CVD, adjusting for demographic and employment-related factors and pre-existing physical and mental disorders. RESULTS We identified five clusters of workplace psychosocial resources from low on both vertical and horizontal resources (13%) to generally high resources (28%). High horizontal resources were combined with either intermediate [hazard ratio (HR) 0.84, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.74-0.95] or high (HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.78-1.00) vertical resources were associated with lower risks of CVD compared to those with generally low resources. The association was most prominent for cerebrovascular disease (eg, general high resources: HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.67-0.96). CONCLUSIONS Individuals with high levels of workplace psychosocial resources across horizontal and vertical dimensions have a lower risk of CVD, particularly cerebrovascular disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianwei Xu
- Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- National Research Centre of the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Reiner Rugulies
- Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- National Research Centre of the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jussi Vahtera
- Department of Public Health, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- The Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Jaana Pentti
- Department of Public Health, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Clinicum, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland
- Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jimmi Mathisen
- Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Theis Lange
- Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Alice J Clark
- Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Novo Nordisk A/S, Søborg, Denmark
| | | | - Hugo Westerlund
- Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jenni Ervasti
- Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Marianna Virtanen
- School of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
- Division of Insurance Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mika Kivimäki
- Clinicum, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland
- Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College, London, UK
| | - Naja H Rod
- Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Brulin E, Leineweber C, Peristera P. Work–Life Enrichment and Interference Among Swedish Workers: Trends From 2016 Until the COVID-19 Pandemic. Front Psychol 2022; 13:854119. [PMID: 35910960 PMCID: PMC9328076 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.854119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has altered workers' possibilities to combine work and private life. Work and private life could either interfere with each other, that is, when conflicting demands arise, or enrich, that is, when the two roles are beneficial to one another. Analyzing data from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health through individual growth models, we investigated time trends of interference and enrichment between work and private life from 2016 through March to September 2020, which is during the first wave of the pandemic. The sample included workers who had remained in the same workplace throughout the study period and worked at least 30% of full time, reaching 5,465 individuals. In addition, we examined trends in level of interference and enrichment across gender and industries. Results showed that Life-to-work interference increased over time in the Swedish working population, but neither did work-to-life interference nor enrichment. We observed only marginal differences across gender. Also, in the industries of fine manufacturing and real-estate activities, a decrease in interference, work-to-life interference, and life-to-work interference, respectively, was observed. In the human health and social care industry, an increase in interference and life-to-work interference was seen. Our conclusion is that overall changes to the possibilities to balance work and private life have occurred for workers in Sweden during the first period of the pandemic. Further studies are needed to study development time trends throughout the pandemic and across different occupations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Brulin
- Department of Psychology, Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Unit of Occupational Medicine, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Solna, Sweden
- *Correspondence: Emma Brulin
| | - Constanze Leineweber
- Department of Psychology, Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Paraskevi Peristera
- Department of Psychology, Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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Stengård J, Virtanen M, Leineweber C, Westerlund H, Wang HX. The Implication of Physically Demanding and Hazardous Work on Retirement Timing. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19138123. [PMID: 35805780 PMCID: PMC9265406 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19138123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
The need to retain individuals longer in the workforce is acknowledged in many high-income countries. The present study therefore aimed to examine the importance of physically demanding work tasks (PDWT) and physically hazardous work environment (PHWE) in relation to retirement timing among pensionable workers (≥61 years). A particular question was whether PDWT and PHWE increased in importance with age. Six waves (2008–2018) of the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH) were used (n = 5201; 56% women and 44% men; mean age at first survey was 61.0 (SD 2.0) years). Discrete time-event history analysis, stratified by socioeconomic position and gender, showed that among blue-collar workers, PDWT and PHWE were associated with an increased likelihood of retiring within the next two years. With increasing age, high-level PHWE was associated with higher probability of retiring among blue-collar men, whereas heavy PDWT was associated with lower probability of retiring among blue-collar women. Among white-collar workers, having at least some PDWT compared to no PDWT was associated with a lower likelihood of retiring within the next two years. With increasing age, exposure to PHWE was associated with higher probability of retiring among white-collar women. These results suggest that to delay retirements, organizations could offer their older employees, especially blue-collar workers and the oldest white-collar women, alternatives to PDWT and PHWE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Stengård
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, 11419 Stockholm, Sweden; (C.L.); (H.W.); (H.-X.W.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Marianna Virtanen
- School of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Eastern Finland, 80101 Joensuu, Finland;
- Division of Insurance Medicine, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Constanze Leineweber
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, 11419 Stockholm, Sweden; (C.L.); (H.W.); (H.-X.W.)
| | - Hugo Westerlund
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, 11419 Stockholm, Sweden; (C.L.); (H.W.); (H.-X.W.)
| | - Hui-Xin Wang
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, 11419 Stockholm, Sweden; (C.L.); (H.W.); (H.-X.W.)
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20
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Residential Greenspace Is Associated with Lower Levels of Depressive and Burnout Symptoms, and Higher Levels of Life Satisfaction: A Nationwide Population-Based Study in Sweden. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19095668. [PMID: 35565069 PMCID: PMC9100967 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19095668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Population-based studies of individual-level residential greenspace and mental health outcomes are still limited. Thus, the present study investigates greenspace–mental health associations—including depressive symptoms, burnout symptoms, and life satisfaction—in a population-based sample of adults, the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health, in 2016 (n = 14,641). High-resolution land cover of greenspace and green–blue-space was assessed at 50, 100, 300 and 500 m buffers around residential addresses. Higher residential greenspace and green–blue-space were associated with lower levels of depressive and burnout symptoms among non-working individuals and with higher life satisfaction in the whole study population, after controlling for age, sex, individual income, and neighborhood socioeconomics. The immediate residential-surrounding environment (50 m) consistently showed the strongest associations with the outcomes. Having a partner was associated with better mental health outcomes and with having more residential greenspace, and adjusting for this rendered greenspace–health associations mostly statistically non-significant. In conclusion, higher levels of greenspace and green–blue-space in the immediate residential-surrounding environment were associated with better mental health outcomes in the present study, which contributes additional nuances to prior studies. The importance of residential greenspace for public health, urban planning, and development is discussed.
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21
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Hagqvist E, Lidwall U, Leineweber C. Is work-life interference a risk factor for sickness absence? A longitudinal study of the Swedish working population. Eur J Public Health 2022; 32:398-401. [PMID: 35357468 PMCID: PMC9159337 DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckac028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background While there is increasing literature on the health effects of work–life interference, few studies have investigated the relationship between a direct measure of work–life interference and objective sickness absence measures. The aim of this study is to investigate whether work–life interference is a risk factor for subsequent long-term sickness absence (LTSA). Methods Data were derived from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016. Data were linked to register data on LTSA (having at least one continuous period of medically certified sick leave exceeding 14 days) the following 2 years after each data collection wave. We applied generalized estimating equations, odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The sample included 15 244 individuals (43.1% men and 56.9% women). Nearly a fifth of the sample (18.7%, n = 1110) started at least one period of LTSA at any point between 2010 and 2018. Results Work–life interference was found to be a risk factor for subsequent LTSA (OR = 1.55; 95% CI = 1.44–1.67) even when adjusting for relevant factors including general health (OR = 1.39; 95% CI = 1.29–1.51). We found no significant moderating effect of gender. Conclusion The results of this study indicate that work–life interference is a risk factor for subsequent LTSA for working men and women in Sweden.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Hagqvist
- Department of Psychology, Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Unit of Occupational Medicine, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ulrik Lidwall
- Division of Insurance Medicine, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Official Statistics Unit, Department for Analysis, Swedish Social Insurance Agency, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Constanze Leineweber
- Department of Psychology, Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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22
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It's giving me the blues: A fixed-effects and g-formula approach to understanding job insecurity, sleep disturbances, and major depression. Soc Sci Med 2022; 297:114805. [DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.114805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2021] [Revised: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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23
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Van Vianen AEM, Van Laethem M, Leineweber C, Westerlund H. Work changes and employee age, maladaptive coping expectations, and well-being: a Swedish cohort study. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 2022; 95:1317-1330. [PMID: 34997325 PMCID: PMC9273551 DOI: 10.1007/s00420-021-01824-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Purpose Older workers are expected to suffer more from work changes than younger ones, but empirical evidence is lacking. Negative responses to work changes may result rather from maladaptive coping expectations. This study examined possible age differences in job and life satisfaction, and sleep disturbances, after work changes (voluntary and involuntary job changes, reorganizations) and the moderating role of maladaptive coping expectations. Methods Four biennial waves from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH) including respondents who participated in all four waves (n = 3084). We used multilevel path analyses to estimate direct and moderated relationships between work changes and outcomes. Results Involuntary job changes were associated with lower job and life satisfaction and more sleep disturbances. Reorganizations were only associated with lower job satisfaction. Older employees were more satisfied with their jobs and lives than younger employees and experienced more sleep disturbances. After involuntary job changes, older employees had similar (lower) levels of well-being as younger ones, but they reported more sleep disturbances when having experienced reorganizations. Maladaptive coping expectations were related to lower job and life satisfaction and more sleep disturbances. Employees with maladaptive coping expectations reported more sleep disturbances after involuntary job changes and reorganizations. Conclusion Our results suggest that there are few age differences in well-being after work changes. Employee well-being seems to mostly depend on maladaptive coping expectations. Organizations aiming to prepare employees for job changes and reorganizations could focus their efforts on employees with maladaptive expectations rather than on older ones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annelies E M Van Vianen
- Department of Work and Organizational Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Postbox 15919, 1001 NK, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
| | - Michelle Van Laethem
- Department of Work and Organizational Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Postbox 15919, 1001 NK, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Constanze Leineweber
- Department of Psychology, Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm,, Sweden
| | - Hugo Westerlund
- Department of Psychology, Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm,, Sweden
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24
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Hagqvist E, Ekberg K, Lidwall U, Nyberg A, Landstad BJ, Wilczek A, Bååthe F, Sjöström M. The Swedish HealthPhys Study: Study Description and Prevalence of Clinical Burnout and Major Depression among Physicians. CHRONIC STRESS 2022; 6:24705470221083866. [PMID: 35402760 PMCID: PMC8984863 DOI: 10.1177/24705470221083866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Objectives The study purpose was to describe the Swedish HealthPhys cohort. Using data from the HealthPhys study, we aimed to describe the prevalence of clinical burnout and major depression in a representative sample of Swedish physicians across gender, age, worksite, hierarchical position, and speciality in spring of 2021, during the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Method The HealthPhys questionnaire was sent to a representative sample of practising physicians (n = 6699) in Sweden in February to May of 2021 with a 41.3% response rate. The questionnaire included validated instruments measuring psychosocial work environment and health including measurements for major depression and clinical burnout. Results Data from the HealthPhys study showed that among practising physicians in Sweden the prevalence of major depression was 4.8% and clinical burnout was 4.7%. However, the variations across sub-groups of physicians regarding major depression ranged from 0% to 10.1%. For clinical burnout estimates ranged from 1.3% to 14.5%. Emergency physicians had the highest levels of clinical burnout while they had 0% prevalence of major depression. Prevalence of exhaustion was high across all groups of physicians with physicians working in emergency departments, at the highest (28.6%) and anaesthesiologist at the lowest (5.6%). Junior physicians had high levels across all measurements. Conclusions In conclusion, the first data collection from the HealthPhys study showed that the prevalence of major depression and clinical burnout varies across genders, age, hierarchical position, worksite, and specialty. Moreover, many practising physicians in Sweden experienced exhaustion and were at high risk of burnout.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Hagqvist
- Unit of Occupational Medicine, Institute of environmental medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm Sweden
| | - Kerstin Ekberg
- Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences, Linköping University, Sweden
| | - Ulrik Lidwall
- Division of Insurance Medicine, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Official statistics Unit, Department for Analysis, Swedish Social Insurance Agency, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anna Nyberg
- Unit of Occupational Medicine, Institute of environmental medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm Sweden
- Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala Sweden
| | - Bodil J. Landstad
- Department of Health Sciences, Mid Sweden University, Sweden
- Unit of Research, Education and Development, Östersund Hospital, Östersund, Sweden
| | - Alexander Wilczek
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Danderyd Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm Sweden
| | - Fredrik Bååthe
- Institute for Studies of the Medical Profession LEFO - Legeforskningsinstituttet, Oslo, Norway
- Institute of Stress Medicine at Region VGR, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Institute of Health and Care Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg University, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Malin Sjöström
- Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
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25
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Nyberg A, Peristera P, Toivanen S, Johansson G. Does Exposure to High Job Demands, Low Decision Authority, or Workplace Violence Mediate the Association between Employment in the Health and Social Care Industry and Register-Based Sickness Absence? A Longitudinal Study of a Swedish Cohort. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 19:53. [PMID: 35010313 PMCID: PMC8744622 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19010053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Revised: 12/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The aim of this paper was to investigate if job demands, decision authority, and workplace violence mediate the association between employment in the health and social care industry and register-based sickness absence. METHODS Participants from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health who responded to questionnaires in 2006-2016 (n = 3951) were included. Multilevel autoregressive cross-lagged mediation models were fitted to the data. Employment in the health and social care industry at one time point was used as the predictor variable and register-based sickness absence >14 days as the outcome variable. Self-reported levels of job demands, decision authority, and exposure to workplace violence from the first time point were used as mediating variables. RESULTS The direct path between employment in the health and social care industry and sickness absence >14 days was, while adjusting for the reverse path, 0.032, p = 0.002. The indirect effect mediated by low decision authority was 0.002, p = 0.006 and the one mediated by exposure to workplace violence was 0.008, p = 0.002. High job demands were not found to mediate the association. CONCLUSION Workplace violence and low decision authority may, to a small extent, mediate the association between employment in the health and social care industry and sickness absence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Nyberg
- Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, P.O. Box 564, SE-751 22 Uppsala, Sweden
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, SE-113 65 Stockholm, Sweden;
| | - Paraskevi Peristera
- Department of Psychology, Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden;
| | - Susanna Toivanen
- School of Health, Care and Social Welfare, Mälardalen University, P.O. Box 883, SE-721 23 Vasteras, Sweden;
| | - Gun Johansson
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, SE-113 65 Stockholm, Sweden;
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Stengård J, Leineweber C, Virtanen M, Westerlund H, Wang HX. Do good psychosocial working conditions prolong working lives? Findings from a prospective study in Sweden. Eur J Ageing 2021; 19:677-688. [PMID: 36052189 PMCID: PMC9424473 DOI: 10.1007/s10433-021-00672-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to an ageing population, governments in European countries are striving to keep older workers longer in the workforce. Remarkably few studies have paid attention to the influence of psychosocial working conditions on timing of retirement for older workers in and beyond normative retirement age. The aim of the present study was to examine whether good psychosocial working conditions contribute to prolonged working lives among older workers (59 years and above). A particular question was whether such conditions increase in importance with age. Seven waves (2006–2018) of the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH) were used (N = 6000, observations = 10,632). Discrete-time event history analyses showed that higher levels of job resources (decision authority [OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.06–1.22], skill use [OR 1.17, 95% CI 1.07–1.29], learning opportunities [OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.13–1.31], social support [OR 1.29 (95% CI 1.16–1.42], work-time control [OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.01–1.13], and reward [OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.24–1.57])—but not lower levels of job demands (quantitative and emotional demands or effort)—were associated with working longer (continued work two years later). Also, low effort-reward imbalance (OR 0.84 [95% CI 0.73–0.96]) was associated with working longer. In addition, skill use, work-time control, reward, and low effort-reward imbalance increased in importance with age for continued work. These results suggest that providing older workers with control over their work tasks, giving opportunities for learning and using their skills, as well as rewarding and acknowledging their achievements, may keep them in the workforce longer. Especially, job resources may grow in importance with age.
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Gender Differences in the Work and Home Spheres for Teachers, and Longitudinal Associations with Depressive Symptoms in a Swedish Cohort. SEX ROLES 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11199-021-01261-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe high level of stress among teachers is a frequently reported problem globally but less is known about how demands and resources among teachers affect depressive symptoms, and to what extent gender differences in these conditions can explain potential differences in depressive symptoms. The present study investigated gender differences in teachers’ self-reported depressive symptoms, and differences in their demands and resources in both work and home spheres. Associations between demands and resources, respectively, and depressive symptoms as well as gender differences in these associations were examined. Results from univariate and parallel growth modelling (N = 1,022), using data from six time points (2008 to 2018), found higher levels of depressive symptoms, higher emotional and quantitative work demands, and more time doing unpaid work among female teachers, whereas male teachers reported more time on leisure activities. Emotional and quantitative work demands were associated with depressive symptoms at baseline, and these associations also developed in parallel over time. Leisure time had a negative association with depressive symptoms at baseline. There were no gender differences in the strength of these associations. Findings suggest that gender differences in teachers’ depressive symptoms could be attributable to women’s greater demands in the work sphere and fewer resources in the home sphere than men as opposed to their being more vulnerable to workplace stressors.
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28
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Stengård J, Peristera P, Johansson G, Nyberg A. The role of managerial leadership in sickness absence in health and social care: antecedent or moderator in the association between psychosocial working conditions and register-based sickness absence? A longitudinal study based on a swedish cohort. BMC Public Health 2021; 21:2215. [PMID: 34863139 PMCID: PMC8642919 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-021-12236-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The prevalence of sickness absence is particularly high among employees in health and social care, where psychosocial work stressors are pertinent. Managerial leadership is known to affect sickness absence rates, but the role leadership plays in relation to sickness absence is not fully understood; that is, whether poor leadership (i) is associated with sickness absence directly, (ii) is associated with sickness absence indirectly through the establishment of poor psychosocial working conditions, or (iii) whether good leadership rather has a buffering role in the association between work stressors and sickness absence. METHODS Four biennial waves from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH, 2010-2016, N=2333) were used. Autoregressive cross-lagged analyses within a multilevel structural equation modelling (MSEM) framework were conducted to test hypotheses i)-iii), targeting managerial leadership, register-based sickness absence and psychosocial work stressors (high psychological demands, poor decision authority and exposure to workplace violence). RESULTS A direct association was found between poor leadership and sickness absence two years later, but no associations were found between leadership and the psychosocial work stressors. Finally, only in cases of poor leadership was there a statistically significant association between workplace violence and sickness absence. CONCLUSIONS Poor managerial leadership may increase the risk of sickness absence among health and social care workers in two ways: first, directly and, second, by increasing the link between workplace violence and sickness absence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Stengård
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Paraskevi Peristera
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Gun Johansson
- Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.,Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anna Nyberg
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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29
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Garefelt J, Gershagen S, Kecklund G, Westerlund H, Platts LG. How does work impact daily sleep quality? A within-individual study using actigraphy and self-reports over the retirement transition. J Sleep Res 2021; 31:e13513. [PMID: 34734447 DOI: 10.1111/jsr.13513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
This study examined how the cessation of work at retirement affects daily measures of actigraphy-measured and self-rated sleep quality. Time in bed or asleep and stress at bedtime were examined as potential mechanisms. In total 117 employed participants who were aged 60-72 years and planned to retire soon were recruited to the Swedish Retirement Study. Sleep quality was measured in a baseline week using accelerometers, diaries, and questionnaires. Subjective sleep measures were sleep quality, restless sleep, restorative sleep, getting enough sleep, estimated wake after sleep onset, difficulties falling asleep, too early final awakening, and difficulties waking up. Actigraphy measures were sleep efficiency, wake after sleep onset, and average awakening length. After 1 and 2 years, the measurements were repeated for the now retired participants. Daily variations in sleep quality before and after retirement were analysed using multilevel modelling, with time in bed or asleep and stress at bedtime as potential mediators. We found that several self-reports of sleep improved (e.g., +0.2 standard deviations for sleep quality and +0.5 standard deviations for restorative sleep) while objective sleep quality remained unchanged or decreased slightly with retirement (e.g., -0.8% for sleep efficiency). Increased time in bed or asleep and stress at bedtime accounted partially for the improvements in self-rated sleep quality at retirement. In conclusion, actigraph-measured and self-reported sleep quality do not change in concert at retirement, highlighting the interest of studying both outcomes. The main effects of retirement from work concern subjective experiences of recovery more than sleep quality per se.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Garefelt
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sara Gershagen
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Göran Kecklund
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hugo Westerlund
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Loretta G Platts
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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How to Measure Retirement Age? A Comparison of Survey and Register Data. JOURNAL OF POPULATION AGEING 2021; 14:143-161. [PMID: 34721725 PMCID: PMC8549985 DOI: 10.1007/s12062-019-09254-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Due to an increasing heterogeneity in retirement transitions, the measurement of retirement age constitutes a major challenge for researchers and policymakers. In order to better understand the concept of retirement age, we compare a series of measures for retirement age assessed on the basis of survey and register data. We use data from Sweden, where flexible retirement schemes are implemented and register data are available. We link survey data from the Swedish Level of Living Survey with register data from the Swedish Longitudinal Integration Database for Health Insurance and Labour Market Studies. We create four measures of retirement age based on these datasets, applying approaches that have been used in previous literature. We analyse the means and distributions of these measures and evaluate the correlations between them. Finally, we regress common predictors of retirement age such as gender or education on the four measures of retirement age to examine potential differences in size, direction and statistical significance of the associations. We find that the survey measure of retirement age resembles the following two ways of defining retirement age in the register data: first, the age at which people receive more than half their income from old-age or disability pension and, second, the age at which they were not gainfully employed for at least 2 years. This insight gives us a better understanding of when in the retirement transition process, individuals identify with retirement. Moreover, it provides decision support for researchers working with register data to determine which measure to use.
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31
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Occupation and Sickness Absence in the Different Autonomous Communities of Spain. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph182111453. [PMID: 34769969 PMCID: PMC8583026 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182111453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
The occupation of a worker is a determining factor of sickness absence (SA) and can influence both the beginning and continuation of the latter. This study describes SA in Spain, separately in the different Autonomous Communities (AC) in relation to the occupation of workers, with the aim of determining the possible differences in its frequency and duration, relating it also to the diagnosis. A total of 6,543,307 workers, aged 16 years and older, who had at least one episode of SA in the year 2019, constituted the study sample. The obtained results indicate that SA is more frequent and shorter in more elemental occupations. The average duration increases with age and is longer in women, except in technical and administrative occupations, where there is no gender divide. Sickness absences caused by musculoskeletal and mental disorders are more frequent in the lower occupational classes, although their average duration is shorter than in other, more qualified groups. The ACs with shorter duration in almost all the occupational groups are Madrid, Navarre and the Basque Country. In conclusion, SA is more frequent and shorter in lower occupational classes.
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Abstract
Abstract
Ever more people are in paid work following the age of state pension availability, and yet the experience of working in this phase of the late career has been little studied. We interviewed a purposive sample of 25 Swedish people in their mid- to late sixties and early seventies, many of whom were or had recently been working while claiming an old-age pension. The data were analysed with constant comparative analysis in which we described and refined categories through the writing of analytic memos and diagramming. We observed that paid work took place within a particular material, normative and emotional landscape: a stable and secure pension income decommodifying these workers from the labour market, a social norm of a retired lifestyle and a looming sense of contraction of the future. This landscape made paid work in these years distinctive: characterised by immediate intrinsic rewards and processes of containing and reaffirming commitments to jobs. The oldest workers were able to craft assertively the temporal flexibility of their jobs in order to protect the autonomy and freedom that retirement represented and retain favoured job characteristics. Employed on short-term (hourly) contracts or self-employed, participants continually reassessed their decision to work. Participation in paid work in the retirement years is a distinctive second stage in the late career which blends the second and third ages.
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Peristera P, Nyberg A, Magnusson Hanson LL, Westerlund H, Platts LG. How consistently does sleep quality improve at retirement? Prospective analyses with group-based trajectory models. J Sleep Res 2021; 31:e13474. [PMID: 34474505 DOI: 10.1111/jsr.13474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Growing evidence indicates that retiring from paid work is associated, at least in the short-term, with dramatic reductions in sleep difficulties and more restorative sleep. However, much is still not known, in particular how universal these improvements are, how long they last, and whether they relate to the work environment. A methodological challenge concerns how to model time when studying abrupt changes such as retirement. Using data from Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (n = 2,148), we studied difficulties falling asleep, difficulties maintaining sleep, premature awakening, restless sleep, a composite scale of these items, and non-restorative sleep. We compared polynomial and B-spline functions to model time in group-based trajectory modelling. We estimated variations in the individual development of sleep difficulties around retirement, relating these to the pre-retirement work environment. Reductions in sleep difficulties at retirement were sudden for all outcomes and were sustained for up to 11 years for non-restorative sleep, premature awakening, and restless sleep. Average patterns masked distinct patterns of change: groups of retirees experiencing greatest pre-retirement sleep difficulties benefitted most from retiring. Higher job demands, lower work time control, lower job control, and working full-time were work factors that accounted membership in these groups. Compared to polynomials, B-spline models more appropriately estimated time around retirement, providing trajectories that were closer to the observed shapes. The study highlights the need to exercise care in modelling time over a sudden transition because using polynomials can generate artefactual uplifts or omit abrupt changes entirely, findings that would have fallacious implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paraskevi Peristera
- Department of Psychology, Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anna Nyberg
- Department of Psychology, Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - Hugo Westerlund
- Department of Psychology, Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Loretta G Platts
- Department of Psychology, Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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34
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Raza A, Pulakka A, Magnusson Hanson LL, Westerlund H, Halonen JI. Commuting distance and behavior-related health: A longitudinal study. Prev Med 2021; 150:106665. [PMID: 34081935 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2020] [Revised: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/29/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Health benefits of active commuting and short commuting time are well-documented; however, limited evidence exists on the effects of commuting distance. We examined longitudinal associations between commuting distance and behavior-related health. Participants were from four survey waves of the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018). Analytical sample included 11,023 individuals and 21,769 observations. Random effects method used binomial logistic regression with generalized estimating equations. The outcomes were self-reported physical inactivity, overweight, smoking, problem drinking, and disturbed sleep. Models were adjusted for age, sex, occupational position, civil status, chronic disease, work strain, number of children under 12, and home/workplace neighborhood socioeconomic status. Using continuous measure, long commuting distance was associated with a higher odds of physical inactivity (OR 1.06; 95% CI, 1.04-1.09 per doubling of distance), overweight (OR 1.02; 95% CI, 1.00-1.04), and disturbed sleep (OR 1.03; 95% CI, 1.00-1.05) in fully adjusted models. Using categorized measure, individuals who commuted longer distance had a higher odds of physical inactivity compared to those with the shortest commute (3.1 km - <7.9 km vs. <3.1 km: OR 1.15; 95% CI, 1.04-1.28 and 7.9 km - <20 km vs. <3.1 km: OR 1.18; 95% CI, 1.06-1.32, fully adjusted model). Such dose-response associations were not observed for overweight or disturbed sleep. Our results suggest short commuting distance may be beneficial for behavior-related health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Auriba Raza
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anna Pulakka
- Department of Public Health Solutions, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, P.O. Box 30, FI-00271 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Linda L Magnusson Hanson
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hugo Westerlund
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jaana I Halonen
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Health Security, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, P.O. Box 30, FI-00271, Helsinki, Finland.
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Eib C, Peristera P, Bernhard-Oettel C, Leineweber C. Trajectories of Procedural and Interactional Justice as Predictors of Retirement among Swedish Workers: Differences between Three Groups of Retirees. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18126472. [PMID: 34203918 PMCID: PMC8296311 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18126472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Organizational justice is an important aspect of the psychosocial work environment, but there is a lack of studies on whether justice perceptions also predict retirement decisions. The aim of this study is to examine trajectories of procedural and interactional justice perceptions prior to retirement of three groups of retirees while considering self-rated health and important demographics. Data from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (2006–2018, N = 3000) were used. Respondents were grouped into early retirement, normative retirement and late retirement. Latent growth curve models and multinomial logistic regressions were conducted to test whether trajectories of justice perceptions prior to retirement differed between retirement groups while controlling for self-rated health development and demographic variables. Late retirees had higher intercept levels of interactional justice and higher intercept levels of self-rated health prior to retirement, compared to early retirees. Late retirees also showed a slower decrease in procedural justice compared to early retirees. Only intercept levels of self-rated health differed between early retirees and normative retirees, such that early retirees had lower levels of self-rated health prior to retirement. Keeping employees in the workforce is a major challenge for any aging society. Organizational justice perceptions in the years prior to retirement seem particularly influential for delaying retirement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Constanze Eib
- Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, 752 37 Uppsala, Sweden
- Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, 114 19 Stockholm, Sweden; (P.P.); (C.L.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Paraskevi Peristera
- Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, 114 19 Stockholm, Sweden; (P.P.); (C.L.)
| | | | - Constanze Leineweber
- Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, 114 19 Stockholm, Sweden; (P.P.); (C.L.)
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36
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What is Number of Days in Number of Times? Associations Between, and Responsiveness of, Two Sickness Presenteeism Measures. J Occup Environ Med 2021; 62:e180-e185. [PMID: 32097288 DOI: 10.1097/jom.0000000000001843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To examine the associations between sickness presenteeism (SP) reported as number of days with SP reported as number of times and to evaluate their responsiveness. METHODS The study population (n = 454) consisted of employed individuals, at risk of long-term sickness absence. Correlation analyses were performed to examine associations between the two SP measures and external constructs such as work performance, general health, and registered sick leave. Both SP constructs were measured several times to examine responsiveness. RESULTS The SP measures are moderately correlated. They moderately correlated with work performance and health status measures. SP reported as number of times seems to be more sensitive than number of days in detecting changes after rehabilitation. CONCLUSIONS Numerical or categorical constructs are valid sources of data on SP. However, categorized SP seems to be more responsive.
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Ramberg J, Låftman SB, Nilbrink J, Olsson G, Toivanen S. Job strain and sense of coherence: Associations with stress-related outcomes among teachers. Scand J Public Health 2021; 50:565-574. [PMID: 33977811 PMCID: PMC9203657 DOI: 10.1177/14034948211011812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Background: Teachers constitute an occupational group experiencing high levels of stress and with high sick-leave rates. Therefore, examining potentially protective factors is important. While prior research has mainly focused on the link between teachers’ own experiences of their work environment and stress-related outcomes, it is also possible that colleagues’ perception of the work environment and their possibilities for dealing with work-related stress contribute to influencing individual teachers’ stress. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate how teachers’ reports of high job strain (i.e. high demands and low control) and sense of coherence (SOC), as well as the concentration of colleagues reporting high strain and high SOC, were associated with perceived stress and depressed mood. Methods: The data were derived from the Stockholm Teacher Survey, with information from two cross-sectional web surveys performed in 2014 and in 2016 (N=2732 teachers in 205 school units). Two-level random intercept linear regression models were performed. Results: High job strain at the individual level was associated with higher levels of perceived stress and depressed mood, but less so for individuals with high SOC. Furthermore, a greater proportion of colleagues reporting high SOC was associated with lower levels of perceived stress and depressed mood at the individual level. Conclusions: High SOC may be protective against work-related stress among teachers. Additionally, the proportion of colleagues reporting high SOC was related to less individual stress, suggesting a protective effect of school-level collective SOC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joacim Ramberg
- Department of Special Education, Stockholm University, Sweden
| | - Sara Brolin Låftman
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Centre for Health Equity Studies (CHESS), Stockholm University/Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
| | - Jannike Nilbrink
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Centre for Health Equity Studies (CHESS), Stockholm University/Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
| | - Gabriella Olsson
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Centre for Health Equity Studies (CHESS), Stockholm University/Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
| | - Susanna Toivanen
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Centre for Health Equity Studies (CHESS), Stockholm University/Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.,School of Health, Care and Social Welfare, Mälardalen University, Sweden
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Sousa-Ribeiro M, Bernhard-Oettel C, Sverke M, Westerlund H. Health- and Age-Related Workplace Factors as Predictors of Preferred, Expected, and Actual Retirement Timing: Findings from a Swedish Cohort Study. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18052746. [PMID: 33800492 PMCID: PMC7967469 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18052746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
To address the challenges of demographic aging, governments and organizations encourage extended working lives. This study investigates how individual health- and age-related workplace factors contribute to preferred, expected and actual retirement timing, as well as to the congruency between preferences vs. expectations, and preferences vs. actual retirement. We used data from a representative Swedish longitudinal sample comprising 4058 workers aged 50-64, with follow-up data regarding actual retirement timing available for 1164 respondents. Multinomial logistic regression analyses suggest that later preferred, expected, and actual retirement timing were, to different extent, influenced by better health, an age-friendly workplace and feeling positive regarding the future at work. Emotional exhaustion, age-related inequalities at work and experiencing aging as an obstacle increased the likelihood of preferring to retire earlier than one expected to, over retiring at the time one expected to. Those with better health and positive work prospects were less likely to prefer retiring earlier than they expected to, and more likely to being "pulled toward working until 65 and beyond", compared to being "pulled toward early retirement". Experiencing aging as an obstacle decreased the chances of being "pulled toward working until 65 and beyond". The results provide insights on how to facilitate extended working lives.
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39
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Heming M, Xu T, Nyberg A, Magnusson Hanson LL. The relationship between onset of workplace violence and onset of sleep disturbances in the Swedish working population. J Sleep Res 2021; 30:e13307. [PMID: 33655594 DOI: 10.1111/jsr.13307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Revised: 01/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The study investigated the association between onset of workplace violence and onset of sleep disturbances. We used self-reported data from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH) collected in 2014, 2016, and 2018. A two-wave design was based on participants who had no exposure to workplace violence or sleep disturbances at baseline (n = 6,928). A three-wave design was based on participants who in addition were unexposed to sleep disturbances in the second wave (n = 6,150). Four items of the Karolinska Sleep Questionnaire were used to measure sleep disturbances and one question was used to measure the occurrence of workplace violence or threats of violence. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed. In the two-wave approach, onset of workplace violence was associated with onset of sleep disturbances after adjustment for sex, age, occupational position, education, and civil status (adjusted odds ratio 1.41, 95% confidence interval 1.02-1.96). The association was no longer statistically significant after further adjustment for night/evening work, demands, control, and social support at work. In the three-wave approach, results were only suggestive of an association between onset of workplace violence and subsequent onset of sleep disturbances after adjustment for sex, age, occupational position, education, and civil status. Onset of frequent exposure to workplace violence was associated with subsequent onset of sleep disturbances in the adjusted analyses, but these analyses were based on few individuals (13 exposed versus 5,907 unexposed). The results did not conclusively demonstrate that onset of workplace violence predicts development of sleep disturbances. Further research could elucidate the role of other working conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meike Heming
- Stress Research Institute at Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Tianwei Xu
- Stress Research Institute at Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anna Nyberg
- Stress Research Institute at Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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Interrelationships between job demands, low back pain and depression: A four-way decomposition analysis of direct and indirect effects of job demands through mediation and/or interaction. J Affect Disord 2021; 282:219-226. [PMID: 33418370 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.12.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Revised: 11/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Psychosocial work stressors may lead to low back pain (LBP) through depressive symptoms or to depression through LBP. Depressive symptoms or LBP may also modify these associations. METHODS We examined prospective interrelationships between job demands, LBP and depressive symptoms. We used comparable data from three consecutive biennial surveys in 2010-2016, from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH) and the Work Environment and Health in Denmark (WEHD) cohorts, broadly representative of the working populations in Sweden and Denmark. We conducted multivariate counterfactual based mediation analyses allowing for four-way decomposition of the total effect of job demands, on incident LBP (N=2813, 2701) and incident major depression (N=3707, 5496). The four components estimated direct and indirect effects through mediation and/or interaction. RESULTS We observed no association between job demands and incident LBP four years later, but job demands was associated with later major depression (relative risks=1.88, 95% confidence interval=1.45-2.31 in SLOSH and 1.64, 1.18-2.11 in WEHD, adjusted for age, sex, panel (SLOSH data), education, cohabitation, physically strenuous work and chronic diseases. About 37% of the association was attributed to interaction between job demands and LBP in SLOSH. No interaction was found in WEHD. LBP partly mediated the relationship, by 14% in SLOSH and 2%, while statistically insignificant in WEHD. LIMITATIONS Possible limitations include lack of comparable data on disabling low back pain, different scales for depressive symptoms, misclassification and residual confounding. CONCLUSIONS This suggests mainly a direct effect of job demands on major depression, or through other pathways than LBP.
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Bergman LE, Bernhard-Oettel C, Bujacz A, Leineweber C, Toivanen S. Comparing Depressive Symptoms, Emotional Exhaustion, and Sleep Disturbances in Self-Employed and Employed Workers: Application of Approximate Bayesian Measurement Invariance. Front Psychol 2021; 11:598303. [PMID: 33603692 PMCID: PMC7884631 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.598303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies investigating differences in mental health problems between self-employed and employed workers have provided contradictory results. Many of the studies utilized scales validated for employed workers, without collecting validity evidence for making comparisons with self-employed. The aim of this study was (1) to collect validity evidence for three different scales assessing depressive symptoms, emotional exhaustion, and sleep disturbances for employed workers, and combinators; and (2) to test if these groups differed. We first conducted approximate measurement invariance analysis and found that all scales were invariant at the scalar level. Self-employed workers had least mental health problems and employed workers had most, but differences were small. Though we found the scales invariant, we do not find them optimal for comparison of means. To be more precise in describing differences between groups, we recommend using clinical cut-offs or scales developed with the specific purpose of assessing mental health problems at work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise E Bergman
- Section for Work and Organizational Psychology, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Claudia Bernhard-Oettel
- Section for Work and Organizational Psychology, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Aleksandra Bujacz
- Division of Psychology, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Constanze Leineweber
- Department of Psychology, Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Susanna Toivanen
- School of Health, Care and Social Welfare, Mälardalen University, Västerås, Sweden
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Leineweber C, Bernhard‐Oettel C, Eib C, Peristera P, Li J. The mediating effect of exhaustion in the relationship between effort-reward imbalance and turnover intentions: A 4-year longitudinal study from Sweden. J Occup Health 2021; 63:e12203. [PMID: 33543549 PMCID: PMC7862986 DOI: 10.1002/1348-9585.12203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Earlier studies suggest that imbalance between effort and reward at work associates with exhaustion. Others have found that exhaustion increases turnover intentions; an important precursor of actual turnover that also associates with counterproductive work behaviors. Few, however, have studied the associations between effort-reward imbalance (ERI) and employees' intentions to leave their current employment, and whether exhaustion is underpinning that relationship. Here, we investigate the mediating role of exhaustion in the effort-reward imbalance - turnover intentions relationship. METHODS Data from three waves covering a time span of four years from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH) were analysed using structural equation modeling. Cross-lagged mediation analyses were conducted to estimate if associations from ERI to subsequent turnover intentions were mediated by exhaustion. Other causal directions (direct and reversed direct effects, reversed mediation) were also examined. RESULTS A direct path from ERI T1 to turnover intentions T2 was found, but not from ERI T2 to turnover intentions T3. Additionally, results showed that ERI at time points T1/T2 associated significantly with exhaustion two years later (T2/T3). Also, exhaustion at T1 showed a small but statistically significant direct association with turnover intentions at T2 (no association was found between exhaustion T2 and turnover intentions T3). A small, but statistically significant indirect effect from ERI to turnover intentions was found (estimate 0.005; 95% CI 0.002-0.010). CONCLUSIONS Providing a good balance between effort and reward for workers is essential to protect employee health and help retain employees in the organization.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Constanze Eib
- Department of PsychologyUppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
| | | | - Jian Li
- Department of Environmental Health SciencesFielding School of Public HealthSchool of NursingUniversity of CaliforniaLos Angeles (UCLA)CAUSA
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Sex-Dependent Aggregation of Tinnitus in Swedish Families. J Clin Med 2020; 9:jcm9123812. [PMID: 33255712 PMCID: PMC7760080 DOI: 10.3390/jcm9123812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2020] [Revised: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Twin and adoption studies point towards a genetic contribution to tinnitus; however, how the genetic risk applies to different forms of tinnitus is poorly understood. Here, we perform a familial aggregation study and determine the relative recurrence risk for tinnitus in siblings (λs). Four different Swedish studies (N = 186,598) were used to estimate the prevalence of self-reported bilateral, unilateral, constant, and severe tinnitus in the general population and we defined whether these 4 different forms of tinnitus segregate in families from the Swedish Tinnitus Outreach Project (STOP, N = 2305). We implemented a percentile bootstrap approach to provide accurate estimates and confidence intervals for λs. We reveal a significant λs for all types of tinnitus, the highest found being 7.27 (95% CI (5.56-9.07)) for severe tinnitus, with a higher susceptibility in women (10.25; 95% CI (7.14-13.61)) than in men (5.03; 95% CI (3.22-7.01)), suggesting that severity may be the most genetically influenced trait in tinnitus in a sex-dependent manner. Our findings strongly support the notion that genetic factors impact on the development of tinnitus, more so for severe tinnitus. These findings highlight the importance of considering tinnitus severity and sex in the design of large genetic studies to optimize diagnostic approaches and ultimately improve therapeutic interventions.
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Xu T, Magnusson Hanson LL, Clark AJ, Ersbøll AK, Westerlund H, Madsen IEH, Rugulies R, Pentti J, Stenholm S, Vahtera J, Sørensen JK, Nordentoft M, Westendorp RGJ, Hansen ÅM, Oksanen T, Virtanen M, Kivimäki M, Rod NH. Onset of Workplace Bullying and Risk of Weight Gain: A Multicohort Longitudinal Study. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2020; 28:2216-2223. [PMID: 32929892 DOI: 10.1002/oby.22956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Revised: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study aimed to examine the onset of workplace bullying as a risk factor for BMI increase. METHODS Repeated biennial survey data from three Nordic cohort studies were used, totaling 46,148 participants (67,337 participant observations) aged between 18 and 65 who did not have obesity and who were not bullied at the baseline. Multinomial logistic regression was applied for the analysis under the framework of generalized estimating equations. RESULTS Five percent reported onset of workplace bullying within 2 years from the baseline. In confounder-adjusted models, onset of workplace bullying was associated with a higher risk of weight gain of ≥ 1 BMI unit (odds ratio = 1.09; 95% CI: 1.01-1.19) and of ≥ 2.5 BMI units (odds ratio = 1.24; 95% CI: 1.06-1.45). A dose-response pattern was observed, and those exposed to workplace bullying more frequently showed a higher risk (Ptrend = 0.04). The association was robust to adjustments, restrictions, stratifications, and use of relative/absolute scales for BMI change. CONCLUSIONS Participants with exposure to the onset of workplace bullying were more likely to gain weight, a possible pathway linking workplace bullying to increased long-term risk of type 2 diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianwei Xu
- Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- National Research Center for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Alice J Clark
- Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Annette K Ersbøll
- National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Hugo Westerlund
- Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ida E H Madsen
- National Research Center for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Reiner Rugulies
- Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- National Research Center for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jaana Pentti
- Clinicum, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Public Health, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Sari Stenholm
- Department of Public Health, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Jussi Vahtera
- Department of Public Health, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Jeppe K Sørensen
- National Research Center for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Mads Nordentoft
- National Research Center for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Rudi G J Westendorp
- Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Åse M Hansen
- Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- National Research Center for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Tuula Oksanen
- Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki and Turku, Finland
| | - Marianna Virtanen
- Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- School of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Mika Kivimäki
- Clinicum, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Naja H Rod
- Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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Cost, Gain, and Health: Theoretical Clarification and Psychometric Validation of a Work Stress Model With Data From Two National Studies. J Occup Environ Med 2020; 61:898-904. [PMID: 31490898 DOI: 10.1097/jom.0000000000001696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to test nonsymmetric effects of cost/gain imbalance at work on depression, based on the effort-reward imbalance (ERI) model. METHODS Study participants were derived from two large national studies from Germany and Sweden. Associations between the ERI scales, including the effort-reward (E-R) ratio in 2016 and depression (in 2016 for German sample, and in 2018 for Swedish sample) were examined by multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS In both samples, high cost/low gain, but not low cost/high gain, is associated with depression, with a 3- to 5-fold elevated risk in the highest decile of the E-R ratio. CONCLUSIONS The short version of the ERI questionnaire is a psychometrically useful tool for epidemiological research. The finding demonstrating nonsymmetric effects of cost/gain imbalance contributes to a theoretical clarification of this stress-theoretical model.
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Åhlin JK, Peristera P, Westerlund H, Magnusson Hanson LL. Psychosocial working characteristics before retirement and depressive symptoms across the retirement transition: a longitudinal latent class analysis. Scand J Work Environ Health 2020; 46:488-497. [PMID: 32091111 PMCID: PMC7737805 DOI: 10.5271/sjweh.3889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives Retirement is a major life transition. However, previous evidence on its mental health effects has been inconclusive. Whether retirement is desirable or not may depend on pre-retirement work characteristics. We investigated trajectories of depressive symptoms across retirement and how a number of psychosocial working characteristics influenced these trajectories. Methods We included 1735 respondents from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH), retiring during 2008-2016 (mean retirement age 66 years). They had completed biennial questionnaires reporting job demands, decision authority, workplace social support, efforts, rewards, procedural justice and depressive symptoms. We applied group-based trajectory modelling to model trajectories of depressive symptoms across retirement. Multinomial logistic regression analyses estimated the associations between -psychosocial working characteristics and depressive symptom trajectories. Results We identified five depression trajectories. In four of them, depressive symptoms decreased slightly around retirement. In one, the symptom level was initially high, then decreased markedly across retirement. Perceptions of job demands, job strain, workplace social support, rewards, effort-reward imbalance and procedural justice were associated with the trajectories, while perceptions of decision authority and work efforts were only partly related to the trajectories. Conclusions We observed a rather positive development of depressive symptoms across retirement in a sample of Swedish retirees. For a small group with poor psychosocial working characteristics, symptoms clearly decreased, which may indicate that a relief from poor working characteristics is associated with an improvement for some retirees. However, for other retirees poor working characteristics were associated with persistent symptoms, suggesting a long-term effect of these work stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia K Åhlin
- The Division for Epidemiology, Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm SE-106 91, Sweden.
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Garefelt J, Gershagen S, Kecklund G, Westerlund H, Platts LG. How does cessation of work affect sleep? Prospective analyses of sleep duration, timing and efficiency from the Swedish Retirement Study. J Sleep Res 2020; 30:e13157. [PMID: 32815209 DOI: 10.1111/jsr.13157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Revised: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Several strands of research indicate that work competes for time with sleep, but to what extent the timing and duration of sleep is affected by work is not known. Retirement offers a quasi-experimental life transition to study this in a within-individual study design. The few existing studies report that people sleep longer and later after retirement but mainly rely on self-reported data or between-individual analyses. We recruited 100 participants aged 61-72 years who were in paid work but would soon retire and measured them in a baseline week with accelerometers, diaries and questionnaires. After 1 and 2 years, the measurements were repeated for the now retired participants. Changes in sleep duration, timing, efficiency, chronotype and social jetlag were analysed using multilevel modelling. Gender, chronotype at baseline and partner's working status were analysed as potential effect modifiers. Sleep duration increased by 21 min, whereas sleep efficiency remained similar. Time of sleep onset and final awakening were postponed by 26 and 52 min, respectively, pushing midsleep forward from 03:17 to 03:37 hours. Changes in duration and timing of sleep were driven by weekday sleep, whereas weekend sleep stayed about the same. Social jetlag decreased but still occurred after retirement. Changes at retirement in sleep duration and timing were smaller for participants with a later chronotype and who had full-time working partners. These findings indicate that paid work generates sleep loss and hinders people from sleeping in line with their biological time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Garefelt
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sara Gershagen
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Göran Kecklund
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hugo Westerlund
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Loretta G Platts
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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Workplace Violence and Long-term Sickness Absence: Assessment of the Potential Buffering Effect of Social Support in Two Occupational Cohort Studies. J Occup Environ Med 2020; 62:830-838. [PMID: 32769792 DOI: 10.1097/jom.0000000000001975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We aimed to determine the effect of workplace violence on long-term sickness absence, and whether social support from supervisors and colleagues buffer this effect. METHODS Information on workplace violence and social support were derived from the Danish Work Environment Cohort Study in 2000, 2005, and 2010 and the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health in 2006 and 2008. Individual- and joint-effects on register-based long-term sickness absence were determined using logistic regression models for repeated measurements. Cohort-specific estimates were combined in random effect meta-analyses. RESULTS Workplace violence and low social support were independently associated with a higher risk of long-term sickness absence, and we did not find evidence of an interaction. CONCLUSION Exposure to workplace violence is a risk factor for long-term sickness absence while social support is associated with a lower risk of long-term sickness absence.
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Törnroos M, Salin D, Magnusson Hanson L. High-involvement work practices and conflict management procedures as moderators of the workplace bullying–wellbeing relationship. WORK AND STRESS 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/02678373.2020.1801887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
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Tan EC, Pan KY, Magnusson Hanson LL, Fastbom J, Westerlund H, Wang HX. Psychosocial job strain and polypharmacy: a national cohort study. Scand J Work Environ Health 2020; 46:589-598. [PMID: 32662868 PMCID: PMC7737808 DOI: 10.5271/sjweh.3914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives: Psychosocial job strain has been associated with a range of adverse health outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine the association between psychosocial job strain and prospective risk of polypharmacy (the prescription of ≥5 medications) and to evaluate whether coping strategies can modify this risk. Methods: Cohort study of 9703 working adults [mean age 47.5 (SD 10.8) years; 54% female] who participated in the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH) at baseline in 2006 or 2008. Psychosocial job strain was represented by job demands and control, and measured by the Swedish version of the demand–control questionnaire. The outcome was incidence of polypharmacy over an eight-year follow-up period. Information on dispensed drugs were extracted from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register. Logistic regression was used to estimate the association of job strain status with polypharmacy, adjusted for a range of confounders. Results: During the follow-up, 1409 people developed polypharmacy (incident rate: 20.6/1000 person-years). In comparison to workers with low-strain jobs (high control/low demands), those with high-strain jobs (low control/high demands) had a significantly higher risk of incident polypharmacy (OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.04–1.89). The impact of high-strain jobs on developing polypharmacy remained among those with covert coping strategies (ie, directed inwards or towards others) but not among those with open coping strategies (ie, primarily directed toward the stressor). Conclusions: Workers in high-strain jobs may be at an increased risk of polypharmacy. Open coping strategies may reduce the negative impact of psychosocial job strain on risk of polypharmacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin Ck Tan
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
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