Importance of work versus nonwork among socially and occupationally stratified groups.

The importance of work-related versus nonwork-related factors as opportunities for satisfaction was compared among low-, medium-, and high-status groups, and between white-collar and blue-collar occupational groups by analysis of questionnaire responses from 1,468 Civil Service resident employees of a Government community. The value hierarchy, in terms of increasing importance, was recreation, education, church, work-context, and work-content factors Significant differences were found between the value systems of white-collar and blue-collar groups However, no significant differences were found between low-, medium-, and high-status groups unless the occupational group of the employee was simultaneously considered. Then, differences between white-collar and blue-collar values were marked in the high-status level. Results are discussed in terms of the opportunities that various environmental stimuli present to contrasting occupational and status groups for effective and competent interaction with their environment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Disorders of the back and spine in construction workers. Prevalence and prognostic value for disability

STUDY DESIGN: A cohort study on back-related morbidity and its impact on early retirement resulting from disability among employees in the construction industry. OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence of back-related morbidity according to different measures in various occupational groups and to assess the prognostic value of these measures for early retirement resulting from disability. METHODS: The results of occupational health examinations conducted in 1986-1988 among 4,958 employees of the German construction industry aged 40-64 years were analyzed. Active follow-up evaluation was carried out between October 1992 and July 1994 to ascertain employment status. RESULTS: Compared with that of white-collar employees, no excess risk for self-reported back pain or sciatica was seen for any of the manual professions. In contrast, the age-adjusted prevalence of clinical findings of the spine was elevated among all employees in manual professions, and the prevalence of a recorded diagnosis related to disorders of the back and spine (ICD-9 position 720-724) was elevated among bricklayers compared with white-collar employees. The relative risk of being granted a disability pension in the follow-up period was 1.6 (95% Confidence Interval [Cl], 1.3-2.1) for persons reporting back pain or sciatica, 1.8 (95% Cl, 1.4-2.2) for persons with an abnormal clinical finding of the spine, and 1.5 (95% Cl, 1.2-1.8) for persons with a recorded medical diagnosis related to disorders of the back or spine (ICD-9 720-724). CONCLUSION: Patterns of morbidity varied according to the evaluated morbidity measure. All three measures qualified as significant predictors of disability and helped to identify high-risk occupations and high-risk employees.     

Effects of psychological hardiness, job demands, and job control on sickness absence: A prospective study.

This study prospectively investigated the effects of psychological hardiness, job control, and job demands on medically certified sickness absence. Data from a questionnaire survey were combined with archival data for sickness absence among 7,239 civilian and military employees of the Norwegian Armed Forces (84.3% male, 69.8% military). A 2-component hurdle regression was used in the statistical analyses of the sickness absence data. After controlling for age, sex, and baseline absence, hardiness predicted both the likelihood of having any sickness absence (odds ratio = 0.97) and the number of absence spells (a 6.5% decrease in the expected count for 1 standard deviation change in hardiness). In addition, an interaction was found among hardiness, job control, and psychological demands. When demands were high, high job control was associated with more absence among employees with low levels of hardiness. Together, these findings point to hardiness as an important individual resource in relation to health, and that it is necessary to consider individual differences when examining the effects of work characteristics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychosocial factors predicting employee sickness absence during economic decline

Psychosocial factors such as work characteristics, life events, social support, and personality were examined as predictors of the change in medically certified sickness absence observed during a period of severe economic decline. Longitudinal data, derived from self-reports and register-based information relating to 763 local government employees, were collected at 3 points during a 5-year period: before the economic decline, during the nadir of that decline, and immediately after the nadir. After the effects of prior absence and demographic and lifestyle variables had been partialed out, the results of multiple Poisson regression analyses showed that work characteristics play a major role in forthcoming sickness absences. Negative life events and the personality trait sense of coherence (in women) also predicted forthcoming absence rate. Social support did not relate to absences either in men or in women.     

Psychophysiological reactions to telework in female and male white-collar workers.

Information technology has created greater flexibility and mobility for employees, such as teleworkers. However, research on stress and health is limited. This study investigated psychophysiological arousal in 26 highly educated white-collar workers (12 women and 14 men) while (a) working at the office, (b) working at home (telework), and (c) relaxing at home. Blood pressure was significantly higher during work at the office than when teleworking at home, and men had significantly elevated epinephrine levels in the evening after telework at home. It was assumed that the lower cardiovascular arousal during telework is due to different work tasks and that elevated epinephrine levels in men after telework are caused by continued work after normal working hours. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychosocial work environment and sickness absence among British civil servants: the Whitehall II study

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to examine the association between the psychosocial work environment and subsequent rates of sickness absence. METHODS: The analyses were based on a cohort of male and female British civil servants (n=9072). Rates of short spells (7 days) of sickness absence were calculated for different aspects of the psychosocial work environment, as measured by self-reports and personnel managers' ratings (external assessments). RESULTS: Low levels of work demands, control, and support were associated with higher rates of short and long spells of absence in men and, to a lesser extent, in women. The differences were similar for the self-reports and external assessments. After adjustment for grade of employment, the differences were diminished but generally remained significant for short spells. The combination of high demands and low control was only associated with higher rates of short spells in the lower grades. CONCLUSIONS: The psychosocial work environment predicts rates of sickness absence. Increased levels of control and support at work could have beneficial effects in terms of both improving the health and well-being of employees and increasing productivity.     

Predicting educational attainment, occupational achievement, intellectual skill, and personal adjustment among gifted men and women.

The cognitive potential of many gifted children goes unfulfilled. This study was designed to isolate factors, other than cognitive skill, that might predict adult achievements and personal adjustment among the gifted. Subjects were 1,069 gifted men (n?=?595) and women (n?=?474) who have been followed for 60 years as part of the Terman Genetic Studies of Genius. Childhood personality traits, parental education, and early home environment variables were examined as predictors of educational and occupational achievement among adults. The final model depicted five longitudinal relationships that predicted educational attainment, intellectual skill, and personal adjustment among both men and women. Two additional paths explained occupational achievement. The implications of this final model are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Working in a Context of Hostility Toward Women: Implications for Employees' Well-Being.

This study examined how working in an organizational context perceived as hostile toward women affects employees' well-being, even in the absence of personal hostility experiences. Participants were 289 public-sector employees who denied any personal history of being targeted with general or gender-based hostility at work. They completed measures of personal demographics, occupational and physical well-being, and perceptions of the organizational context for women. Results showed that 2 contextual indices of hostility toward women related to declines in well-being for male and female employees. The gender ratio of the workgroup moderated this relationship, with employees in male-skewed units reporting the most negative effects. These findings suggest that all employees in the workplace can suffer from working in a context of perceived misogyny. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Breast Cancer Screening among Employed American Women

From the 1990 National Health Interview Survey Health Promotion and Disease Prevention supplement, the authors estimated the 1990 baseline prevalence of breast cancer screening among employed U.S. women aged 50-70 years. Proportions of women screened for breast cancer were calculated by occupational category and demographic characteristics, and were compared with the Healthy People 2000 objective that 60% of women aged 50 and older have had mammography and a clinical breast examination within the preceding two years. The objective was exceeded for white-collar workers (61.8%) and workers with some college (64.1%), but was not met by any blue-collar/service workers (40.8%); or any workers with only a high school diploma (54.7%) or less than a high school diploma (38.5%). Identification of occupational categories and demographic subgroups among working women will be helpful to those planning breast cancer screening programs, in both the public and the private sectors.     

Some psychological correlates of motion sickness susceptibility

Four groups of 37 subjects each (highly susceptible men, highly susceptible women, nonsusceptible men, and nonsusceptible women) were obtained from a population of 2,432 college students ranging in age from 18 to 39 years. Susceptibility to motion sickness was determined by scores on a motion sickness questionnaire (MSQ); only individuals with extreme scores were considered for inclusion in the experimental groups. The following tests were administered: Floor Ataxia Test Battery, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Menstrual Distress Questionnaire, Cornell Medical Index, Cornell Work Form, Eysenck Personality Inventory, Rotter Internal-External Locus of Control Scale, and the 16 Personality Factors test. Each subject was tested on at least three, but not more than six, of the eight tests. Significant sex differences were obtained on the ataxia battery and the Cornell Medical Index. Susceptible subjects did not differ significantly from nonsusceptibles on the ataxia battery but did differ significantly on all personality tests except the Menstrual Distress Questionnaire (administered only to women) and the Rotter Scale. The generally consistent and significant patterns of results from the psychological tests probably reflect the selection factors used in defining the subject groups; certain personality characteristics are associated with a high degree of susceptibility to motion sickness.     

Monogenic determinants of familial Alzheimer''s disease: presenilin-2 mutations

An industry-wide pulmonary morbidity study was undertaken to evaluate the respiratory health of employees manufacturing refractory ceramic fibers at five US sites between 1987 and 1989. Refractory ceramic fibers are man-made vitreous fibers used for high temperature insulation. Of the 753 eligible current employees, 742 provided occupational histories and also completed the American Thoracic Society respiratory symptom questionnaire; 736 also performed pulmonary function tests. Exposure to refractory ceramic fibers was characterized by classifying workers as production or nonproduction employees and calculating the duration of time spent in production employment. The risk of working in the production of refractory ceramic fibers and having one or more respiratory symptoms was estimated by adjusted odds ratios and found to be 2.9 (95 percent confidence interval 1.4-6.2) for men and 2.4 (95 percent confidence interval 1.1-5.3) for women. The effect of exposure to refractory ceramic fibers on forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), the ratio of the two (FEV1/FVC), and forced expiratory flow (liters/second) between 25 percent and 75 percent of the FVC curve (FEF(25-75)) was evaluated by multiple regression analysis using transformed values adjusted for height, by dividing by the square of each individual's height. For men, there was a significant decline in FVC for current and past smokers of 165.4 ml (p < 0.01) and 155.5 ml (p = 0.04), respectively, per 10 years of work in the production of refractory ceramic fibers. For FEV1, the decline was significant (p < 0.01) only for current smokers at 134.9 ml. For women, the decline was greater and significant for FVC among nonsmokers, who showed a decrease of 350.3 ml (p = 0.05) per 10 years of employment in the production of refractory ceramic fibers. These findings indicate that there may be important sex differences in response to occupational and/or environmental exposure.     

Objective and subjective work monotony: Effects on job satisfaction, psychological distress, and absenteeism in blue-collar workers.

The relation of objective work conditions (work underload, repetitive or varied work) and subjective monotony to job satisfaction, psychological distress, and sickness absence was examined in 1,278 male and female workers. Subjective monotony was moderately related to the objective work conditions. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that the effects on all outcomes were partially mediated by subjective monotony and were also directly related to repetitive work and work underload. Job satisfaction and psychological distress were mainly related to subjective monotony, whereas sickness absence was equally related to the work conditions and subjective monotony. The highest impact was observed for short-cycle repetitive work. Testing sex interactions revealed that sickness absence was related to the work conditions in women but not in men. The findings highlight the significance of noting the actual work conditions in predicting employee outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Lung cancer mortality in Casale Monferrato (Italy) and attributable risk to occupations in the asbestos-cement production

The study presents mortality rates for lung cancer in the town of Casale Monferrato, where the largest Italian asbestos cement-plant was located. Cases of lung cancer dying in 1989-94 were exhaustively searched for in the register of deaths. Each case of lung cancer has been identified as ever or never employed in the factory with a linkage to the rosters of employees in the plant. Women were also identified as ever or never married to an asbestos-cement worker. The number of person-years at risk for asbestos cement workers and their wives was measured on the basis of the most recent follow-up. Mortality rates were computed separately for those exposed (workers and wives of workers) and for those with no evidence of exposure. Mortality rates for non-exposed were similar to rates in Piedmont (the region where Casale is located). The relative risk (ever exposed vs. never exposed) was 2.8 among men and 2.1 among women. Attributable risk among the exposed was 64.5% for men and 53.1% for women while among the general population it was 18.1% for men and 13.2% for women. The study confirms the dramatic effect of occupational asbestos exposure in Casale Monferrato but does not suggest an increase in lung cancer mortality among people with no occupational activity in the asbestos-cement production.     

The Job Stress Survey: Assessing perceived severity and frequency of occurrence of generic sources of stress in the workplace.

In this article, the authors respond to comments in the October 1998 issue of the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology (Vol. 3, No. 4) in regard to measuring occupational stress with the Job Stress Survey (JSS). The authors are pleased that (a) the need to assess the perceived severity and frequency of occurrence of specific sources of occupational stress was acknowledged and (b) job pressure and lack of organizational support were recognized as key dimensions of stress in the workplace. In addressing concerns about the independence of JSS severity and frequency ratings and the utility of the JSS for assessing jobs with extensive person-machine interactions, the authors noted that correlations among JSS severity and frequency scores were relatively low, and that person-focused stressor items were relevant for employees with person-machine jobs because most workers are required to deal with supervisors and fellow employees. It was concluded that the JSS provides important information about sources of occupational stress that can adversely affect the health and productivity of men and women employed in a wide variety of work settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Long-term cost and life-expectancy consequences of hypertension

OBJECTIVE: To estimate hypertension's long-term cost and impact on life expectancy. DESIGN: A 19-year individual follow-up study. Subjects were categorized according to their baseline (1972) diastolic blood pressure (DBP) level into three groups: normotensive (DBP < 95 mmHg), mildly hypertensive (DBP 95-104 mmHg), and severely hypertensive (DBP > 104 mmHg). By using their social security identification numbers, we linked the subjects to a set of national registers covering hospital admissions, use of major drugs, absence due to sickness, disability pensions, and deaths. SUBJECTS: A random population sample of 10 284 men and women aged 25-59 years from the provinces of Kuopio and North Karelia in eastern Finland. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The numbers of years of life and years of work lost, the cost of drugs and hospitalization, and the value of productivity lost due to disability and premature mortality. RESULTS: The difference in life expectancy between normotensive and severely hypertensive men was 2.7 years, of which 2.0 years was due to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Among women the corresponding differences were 2.0 and 1.5 years. Severely hypertensive men lost 2.6 years of work more than did normotensive men, of which 1.7 years was due to CVD. Among women the differences were 2.2 and 1.3 years. The mean undiscounted total costs (USA dollars at 1992 prices) were $132 500 among normotensive, $146 500 among mildly hypertensive, and $219 300 among severely hypertensive men, of which CVD accounted for 28, 39, and 43%, respectively. More than 90% of the total costs were indirect productivity losses. Among women the total costs were lower for all DBP categories, as were the shares of CVD-related costs. The proportional increase in costs on going from the lowest to the highest DBP category was, however, somewhat larger among women. CONCLUSIONS: On the population level, severe hypertension leads to considerable losses in terms of years of life lost, years of work lost, and costs. However, the overall impact of mild hypertension is much more limited.     

Socioeconomic incidences and prognostic factors of low back pain caused by occupational injuries among the hospital personnel of Grenoble University Hospital Center

Low back pain is generally believed to be common among hospital employees. This cross-sectional, retrospective study was carried out to determine the annual incidence of low back pain ascribable to occupational injuries in hospital employees and to evaluate factors influencing the prognosis of these injuries. In 1989, 70 employees working at the Grenoble Teaching Hospital (GTH) reported an occupational injury responsible for low back pain. Each of these employees filled out an epidemiological questionnaire during a routine evaluation by a rheumatologist. Overall annual incidence of occupational injuries with subsequent low back pain was 1.9% among GTH employees. Higher incidences were seen among employees whose occupations involved patient transfer, as well as among nursing assistants. Activities associated with an increased risk of low back pain included handling of patients or objects and work requiring prolonged periods in uncomfortable positions or in the standing position. A previous history of low back disease and a longer period of time in the current work were also associated with an increased risk of low back pain. Characteristic clinical profiles of patients with low back pain subsequent to occupational injury were determined by occupation and type of hospital department. The analysis of long-duration absence from work and long-term consequences on career confirmed the significant adverse socioeconomic impact of these injuries.     

High school students' occupational interest as a function of projected sex ratios in male-dominated occupations.

To demonstrate that the sexual composition of a field influences a woman's career interests and preferences, a study was designed to determine the effects of projected shifts in the sexual composition of 2 occupations presently dominated by males. 144 male and female high school students were led to believe that the proportion of women in one of those occupations would be 10% (token), 30% (minority), or 50% (equal) in 15 yrs. Results indicate that, as predicted, projections of more-balanced sex ratios encouraged greater occupational interest among women; however, a totally balanced sex ratio was shown to reduce the degree of occupational interest expressed by men. (6 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social class differences in health and functional disability among older men and women

The aims of the study were to describe the health of older men and women and to investigate the social patterning of health and functional disability among older men and women, with special reference to social class differences. The data were derived from the 1994 nationwide Finnish Survey on Living Conditions (N = 1,448). Functional disability, limiting long-standing illness, and self-assessed health were used as health measures. Sociodemographic measures were social class, marital status, and urbanization. The age-adjusted social class differences were clear. Farmers and workers reported more functional disability and poorer health than did the white-collar class. Differences were somewhat smaller among women than among men. Social class was a stronger determinant than urbanization and marital status of functional disability and health.