Workload, control, and social support effects on serum lipids: A longitudinal study among apparently healthy employed adults.

The authors investigated the direct and interactive effects of the job demand– control–support (JDC-S) model’s components on subsequent changes in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides (TRI) separately for male and female employees. In contrast to all 14 past studies on these relationships, the authors used a longitudinal design. Study participants (N = 1,137, 66% men) were all apparently healthy employees who underwent a routine health check at 2 points in time (Time 1 and Time 2) about 22 months apart. In these analyses, the authors controlled for the Time 1 level of each criterion and for other confounders. Most of the direct and moderating effects found did not support the predictions of the JDC-S model; this finding is in agreement with the majority of past cross-sectional studies. The authors did not find any evidence supporting the existence of a reverse causation for either of the components of the JDC-S model. The authors suggest that serum lipids may not be a physiological mechanism mediating the effects of the JDC-S model on atherosclerotic diseases. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Overload, autonomy, and burnout as predictors of physicians' quality of care.

A model in which perceived overload and burnout mediated the relations of workload and autonomy with physicians' quality of care to their patients was examined. The study was based on data from 890 specialists representing six medical specialties. Including global burnout as well as its three first-order facets of physical fatigue, cognitive weariness, and emotional exhaustion improved the fit between the structural model and the data relative to an alternative model that included only global burnout. Workload (number of work hours) indirectly predicted quality of care through perceived overload. Additionally, the authors found that the paths from the first order factors of emotional exhaustion, physical fatigue, and cognitive weariness predicted quality of care negatively, positively, and nonsignificantly, respectively. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Shirom.

Reports an error in the original article by Shirom (Journal of Applied Psychology. Vol 67(1) Feb 1982, 45-52). a percentage was incorrectly reported. On page 45, the fourth line from the bottom of the abstract, the value 21% should read 12%. In addition, one of the values in Table 2 (page 50) was incorrectly labeled significant. The asterisk for the value .21 (the adjusted mean for R2) should be deleted. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1982-10870-001.) Management perceptions of advantageous settlements of strikes were predicted by the extent to which the struck plant was kept in operation, the extent to which a mediator was involved, frequency of strikes in the plant in the past, duration of the strike and its breadth. Data from 51 chief management negotiators show that past frequency, duration, and a mediator's involvement were not significant as predictors. The management's perception of strike settlement as advantageous was found to be positively affected either by large breadth of the strike or by the management's success in keeping the plant in operation during the strike. Results indicate that management's power to resist strikes by operating the struck plant is a significant predictor. Findings cast doubt on the notion that unions are successful in identifying as strike targets employers who are vulnerable to the costs imposed by a strike. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Burnout and risk of cardiovascular disease: Evidence, possible causal paths, and promising research directions.

Burnout is characterized by emotional exhaustion, physical fatigue, and cognitive weariness, resulting from prolonged exposure to work-related stress. The authors review the accumulated evidence suggesting that burnout and the related concept of vital exhaustion are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular-related events. The authors present evidence supporting several potential mechanisms linking burnout with ill health, including the metabolic syndrome, dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis along with sympathetic nervous system activation, sleep disturbances, systemic inflammation, impaired immunity functions, blood coagulation and fibrinolysis, and poor health behaviors. The association of burnout and vital exhaustion with these disease mediators suggests that their impact on health may be more extensive than currently indicated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Aroused versus calm positive affects as predictors of lipids.

Objective: The authors hypothesized that high-pleasure low-arousal (HPLA) would predict a subsequent decrease of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglycerides (TRI), as well as a subsequent increase of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). The authors also hypothesized that high-pleasure high-arousal (HPHA) would have the opposite effects on these blood lipids, predicting a subsequent increase of LDL-C and TRI, and a decrease of HDL-C. Design: Participants were 990 male and 595 female apparently healthy employees who underwent a routine periodic health examination at two points in time, Time 1 (T1) and Time 2 (T2), about 24 months apart. Data were analyzed separately for the men and women, and the authors controlled for possible confounders shown in past research to be implicated with hyperlipidemia. Main Outcome Measures: HPHA and HPLA were assessed based on the Job-Related Affective Well-Being Scale, while LDL-C, TRI, and HDL-C were assessed based on fasting blood samples. Results: For the men, support for our hypotheses was found relative to HDL-C and TRI. The authors did not find support for our hypotheses for thee women. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that for men, the two types of positive affects may have opposite physiological consequences with respect to subsequent changes in blood lipid levels. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of work overload and burnout on cholesterol and triglycerides levels: The moderating efffects of emotional reactivity among male and female employees.

The effects of objective and subjective overload, and of physical and emotional burnout, on cholesterol and triglycerides levels were studied in a quasiprospective design. The possible moderating effects of emotional reactivity on these relationships were also investigated. The study's hypotheses were tested separately for male and female employees. Time I (T1) data were collected from 665 healthy employees (30% women) while they were undergoing periodic health examinations in a health-screening center Time 2 (T2) measures of cholesterol and triglycerides were collected 2 to 3 years after T1. The hypotheses were tested by regressing each T2 criterion on its T1 level; the control variables of age, obesity, diet, alcohol consumption, and smoking; and the other predictors. For female employees, the T2-T1 changes in the serum lipids were positively predicted by emotional burnout, as expected, but negatively predicted by physical fatigue. For male employees, both types of T1 burnout were positive predictors of the T2-T1 change in total cholesterol. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Elevated burnout predicts the onset of musculoskeletal pain among apparently healthy employees.

Musculoskeletal (MS) pain is highly prevalent in the working population, often resulting in chronic disability. Burnout represents accumulated exposure to work-related stresses and therefore could predict the incidence of MS pain. We investigated prospectively the extent to which changes in the levels of burnout over time predict new cases of MS pain. Participants were 1,704 apparently healthy employed men and women who underwent periodic health examination at three points of time (T1, T2, and T3), over a period of about three years. We used the T1 to T2 changes in the levels of burnout, depressive symptoms, and anxiety to predict the onset of new cases of MS pain between T2 and T3, while controlling for possible confounders. Logistic regression results indicated that the T1–T2 change in burnout levels was associated with a 2.09-fold increased risk of MS pain (95% confidence interval = 1.07–4.10). No support was found for the possibility of reverse causation; that is, that MS pain predicts subsequent elevations of burnout levels. It was concluded that burnout might be a risk factor in the development of MS pain in apparently healthy individuals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of physical fitness and feeling vigorous on self-rated health.

Objective: We prospectively studied the hypothesized beneficial effects of feeling vigorous and of objective physical fitness (gauged based on functional capacity) on subsequently assessed self-rated health (SRH), controlling for possible confounders known to be precursors of SRH and of our predictors. We also investigated the reverse-causation hypothesis that SRH predicts subsequent vigor and functional capacity. Design: Participants were apparently healthy employees (N = 779) who underwent a routine health check at two points of time, Time 1 (T1) and Time 2 (T2), about 18 months apart. We used regression analysis, predicting T2 SRH by T1 SRH, the control variables, and T1vigor and functional capacity. Main Outcome Measures: Vigor was assessed using the Shirom-Melamed Vigor Measure; objective physical fitness was indicated by functional capacity following a treadmill exercise, and self-rated health was measured by a single item. Results: As hypothesized, we found that the change in T2 SRH was positively predicted by T1 vigor, functional capacity, and their interactive term. Testing the reverse causation paths, we found that T1 SRH did not predict subsequent functional capacity and was a relatively weak predictor of subsequent vigor. Conclusion: The affective state of vigor and objectively assessed functional capacity interact to predict subsequent changes in self-rated health. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationships among objective and subjective environmental stress levels and serum uric acid: The moderating effect of perceived control.

This study was designed to investigate the effects of objective and subjective stress levels and perceived control on serum uric acid (SUA). Respondents were 2,504 male and 1,176 female manufacturing employees. Objective job-related stress was assessed by the Ergonomic Stress Level (ESL) inventory (S. Melamed, D. Yekutieli, P. Froom, E. Kristal-Boneh, & J. Ribak, 1999). As expected, ESL was positively associated with SUA, but among male respondents only. The measure of subjective stress, environmental annoyance, was negatively related with SUA for male respondents, thus not confirming the hypothesis. Perceived control was not found to have a direct effect on SUA, after controlling for the ESL measure. For male respondents only, perceived control moderated the relationship between ESL and SUA: This relationship was negative for those reporting above-average control and positive for those reporting below-average control. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Work-based predictors of mortality: A 20-year follow-up of healthy employees.

Objectives: This study investigated the effects of the Job-Demand-Control-Support (JDC-S) model's components, workload, control, peer and supervisor social support, on the risk of all-cause mortality. Also examined was the expectation that the above work-based components interact in predicting all-cause mortality. The study's hypotheses were tested after controlling for physiological variables and health behaviors known to be risk factors for mortality. Main Outcome Measure: The design used was prospective. Baseline data were obtained from healthy employees (N = 820) who underwent periodic health examinations in 1988. Follow-up data on all-cause mortality were obtained from the participants' computerized medical file, kept by their HMO, in 2008. The baseline data covered socioeconomic, behavioral, and biological risk factors in addition to the components of the JDC-S model. During the period of follow-up, 53 deaths were recorded. Data were analyzed using Cox regressions. Results: Only one main effect was found: the risk of mortality was significantly lower for those reporting high levels of peer social support. The study found two significant interactions. Higher levels of control reduced the risk of mortality for the men and increased it for the women. The main effect of peer social support on mortality risk was significantly higher for those whose baseline age ranged from 38 to 43 but not for the older than 43 or the younger than 38 participants. Conclusion: Peer social support is a protective factor, reducing the risk of mortality, while perceived control reduces the risk of mortality among men but increases it among women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)