Job strain

Last updated

Job strain is a form of psychosocial stress that occurs in the workplace. One of the most common forms of stress, it is characterized by a combination of low salaries, high demands, and low levels of control over things such as raises and paid time off. [1] Stresses at work can be eustress, a positive type of stress, or distress, a negative type of stress. [2] Job strain in the workplace has proved to result in poor psychological health, and eventually physical health. Job strain has been a recurring issue for years and affects men and women differently. [3]

Contents

Causes of work stress

Eustress causes

Examples of positive causes of stress in the workplace include starting a new job and receiving a raise. Both of these situations improve performance. [2]

Distress causes

On the negative side, one cause of job strain is low salaries. [4] Low pay causes job strain due to living expenses. Housing expenses are extremely high, which makes it difficult for minimum wage workers to afford housing. As the minimum wage increases, the cost of living increases as well. [5]

The second cause of job strain comes from excessive workloads. Being exhausted from overworking is a common stressor in the workplace and can often lead to poor communication between coworkers. [6] A 2019 survey by Cartridge People identified workload as the main cause of occupational stress. [7]

A lack of support from employers and employees may also cause stress. Making decisions and participating is a way of support from employers and employees. [8]

Health effects

When experiencing job strain in the form of distress at work, people are subject to headaches, stomachaches, sleep disturbances, short temper, and difficulty concentrating. Anxiety, insomnia, high blood pressure, a weakened immune system, and heart disease may occur if stress at work becomes more persistent. [4] A 2012 meta-analysis found a positive association between job strain and coronary heart disease risk. [1] A 2015 meta-analysis found a similar association between job strain and stroke; the association was especially strong for women. [9] Time poverty has been found to heighten the risk for depression, inflated BMI, and cardiovascular disease in women. [10] Job strain has been found to increase the risk of higher blood pressure, [11] but not obesity. [12]

Gender differences

Men and women react differently when exposed to work situations involving stress. A survey was taken by Canadian Community Health in 2012 that showed women experience higher job strain than men. It also showed that women feel they have lower levels of control, yet experience more coworker support, than men. [13] Because women have lower levels of control at work, they experience more mental health risks such as depression and anxiety. Men tend to suffer from physical risks such as heart disease from carrying higher roles at work.

A 2022 study by McKinsey & Company concluded that women are 41% more likely to be subjected to a toxic workplace culture and that their risk of burnout is elevated. [14] [15]

A 2021 WHO study concluded that working 55+ hours a week raises the risk of stroke by 35% and the risk of dying from heart conditions by 17%, when compared to a 35-40 hour week. [16]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karoshi</span> Sudden death from overwork

Karoshi, which can be translated into "overwork death", is a Japanese term relating to occupation-related sudden death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardiovascular disease</span> Class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is any disease involving the heart or blood vessels. CVDs constitute a class of diseases that includes: coronary artery diseases, heart failure, hypertensive heart disease, rheumatic heart disease, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmia, congenital heart disease, valvular heart disease, carditis, aortic aneurysms, peripheral artery disease, thromboembolic disease, and venous thrombosis.

An occupational disease or industrial disease is any chronic ailment that occurs as a result of work or occupational activity. It is an aspect of occupational safety and health. An occupational disease is typically identified when it is shown that it is more prevalent in a given body of workers than in the general population, or in other worker populations. The first such disease to be recognised, squamous-cell carcinoma of the scrotum, was identified in chimney sweep boys by Sir Percival Pott in 1775. Occupational hazards that are of a traumatic nature are not considered to be occupational diseases.

Presenteeism or working while sick is the act or culture of employees continuing to work as a performative measure, despite having reduced productivity levels or negative consequences. Reduced productivity during presenteeism is often due to illness, injury, exhaustion, or other conditions, but presenteeism can also describe working while contagiously sick, which has the added risk of creating a workplace epidemic.

Health promotion is, as stated in the 1986 World Health Organization (WHO) Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, the "process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve their health."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupational hazard</span> Hazard experienced in the workplace

An occupational hazard is a hazard experienced in the workplace. This encompasses many types of hazards, including chemical hazards, biological hazards (biohazards), psychosocial hazards, and physical hazards. In the United States, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conduct workplace investigations and research addressing workplace health and safety hazards resulting in guidelines. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) establishes enforceable standards to prevent workplace injuries and illnesses. In the EU, a similar role is taken by EU-OSHA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Musculoskeletal disorder</span> Pain in the muscular or skeletal systems

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are injuries or pain in the human musculoskeletal system, including the joints, ligaments, muscles, nerves, tendons, and structures that support limbs, neck and back. MSDs can arise from a sudden exertion, or they can arise from making the same motions repeatedly, or from repeated exposure to force, vibration, or awkward posture. Injuries and pain in the musculoskeletal system caused by acute traumatic events like a car accident or fall are not considered musculoskeletal disorders. MSDs can affect many different parts of the body including upper and lower back, neck, shoulders and extremities. Examples of MSDs include carpal tunnel syndrome, epicondylitis, tendinitis, back pain, tension neck syndrome, and hand-arm vibration syndrome.

Technostress has been defined as the negative psychological relationship between people and the introduction of new technologies. Where ergonomics is the study of how humans physically react to and fit into machines in their environment, technostress is a result of altered behaviors brought about by the use of modern technologies at office and home environments.

Occupational health psychology (OHP) is an interdisciplinary area of psychology that is concerned with the health and safety of workers. OHP addresses a number of major topic areas including the impact of occupational stressors on physical and mental health, the impact of involuntary unemployment on physical and mental health, work-family balance, workplace violence and other forms of mistreatment, psychosocial workplace factors that affect accident risk and safety, and interventions designed to improve and/or protect worker health. Although OHP emerged from two distinct disciplines within applied psychology, namely, health psychology and industrial and organizational psychology, for a long time the psychology establishment, including leaders of industrial/organizational psychology, rarely dealt with occupational stress and employee health, creating a need for the emergence of OHP. OHP has also been informed by other disciplines, including occupational medicine, sociology, industrial engineering, and economics, as well as preventive medicine and public health. OHP is thus concerned with the relationship of psychosocial workplace factors to the development, maintenance, and promotion of workers' health and that of their families. The World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization estimate that exposure to long working hours causes an estimated 745,000 workers to die from ischemic heart disease and stroke in 2016, mediated by occupational stress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupational burnout</span> Type of occupational stress

The ICD-11 of the World Health Organization (WHO) describes occupational burnout as an occupational phenomenon resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed, with symptoms characterized by "feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and reduced professional efficacy." It is classified as a mismatch between the challenges of work and a person's mental and physical resources, but is not recognized by the WHO as a medical condition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupational stress</span> Tensions related to work

Occupational stress is psychological stress related to one's job. Occupational stress refers to a chronic condition. Occupational stress can be managed by understanding what the stressful conditions at work are and taking steps to remediate those conditions. Occupational stress can occur when workers do not feel supported by supervisors or coworkers, feel as if they have little control over the work they perform, or find that their efforts on the job are incommensurate with the job's rewards. Occupational stress is a concern for both employees and employers because stressful job conditions are related to employees' emotional well-being, physical health, and job performance. The World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization conducted a study. The results showed that exposure to long working hours, operates through increased psycho-social occupational stress. It is the occupational risk factor with the largest attributable burden of disease, according to these official estimates causing an estimated 745,000 workers to die from ischemic heart disease and stroke events in 2016.

Workplace health promotion is the combined efforts of employers, employees, and society to improve the mental and physical health and well-being of people at work. The term workplace health promotion denotes a comprehensive analysis and design of human and organizational work levels with the strategic aim of developing and improving health resources in an enterprise. The World Health Organization has prioritized the workplace as a setting for health promotion because of the large potential audience and influence on all spheres of a person's life. The Luxembourg Declaration provides that health and well-being of employees at work can be achieved through a combination of:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupational safety and health</span> Field concerned with the safety, health and welfare of people at work

Occupational safety and health (OSH) or occupational health and safety (OHS) is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the safety, health, and welfare of people at work. OSH is related to the fields of occupational medicine and occupational hygiene and aligns with workplace health promotion initiatives. OSH also protects all the general public who may be affected by the occupational environment.

Metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) is a disputed medical condition characterized by obesity which does not produce metabolic complications.

A psychosocial hazard or work stressor is any occupational hazard related to the way work is designed, organized and managed, as well as the economic and social contexts of work. Unlike the other three categories of occupational hazard, they do not arise from a physical substance, object, or hazardous energy.

Occupational cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are diseases of the heart or blood vessels caused by working conditions, making them a form of occupational illness. These diseases include coronary heart disease, stroke, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmia, and heart valve or heart chamber problems. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and worldwide. In the United States, cardiovascular diseases account for one out of four deaths. The 6th International Conference on Work Environment and Cardiovascular Diseases found that within the working age population about 10-20% of cardiovascular disease deaths can be attributed to work. Ten workplace stressors and risk factors were estimated to be associated with 120,000 U.S. deaths each year and account for 5-8% of health care costs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Effects of overtime</span> Effects caused by overtime

Employees who work overtime hours experience numerous mental, physical, and social effects. In a landmark study, the World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization estimated that over 745,000 people died from ischemic heart disease or stroke in 2016 as a result of having worked 55 hours or more per week. Significant effects include stress, lack of free time, poor work-life balance, and health risks. Employee performance levels could also be lowered. Long work hours could lead to tiredness, fatigue, and lack of attentiveness. As a result, suggestions have been proposed for risk mitigation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psychological stress and sleep</span> Effects of stress on sleep patterns

Sleep is a naturally recurring state of mind and body, characterized by altered consciousness, relatively inhibited sensory activity, reduced muscle activity, and inhibition of nearly all voluntary muscles during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and reduced interactions with surroundings. An essential aspect of sleep is that it provides the human body with a period of reduced functioning that allows for the systems throughout the body to be repaired. This time allows for the body to recharge and return to a phase of optimal functioning. It is recommended that adults get 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. Sleep is regulated by an internal process known as the circadian rhythm. This 24-hour cycle regulates periods of alertness and tiredness that an individual experiences. The correlation between psychological stress and sleep is complex and not fully understood. In fact, many studies have found a bidirectional relationship between stress and sleep. This means that sleep quality can affect stress levels, and stress levels can affect sleep quality. Sleep change depends on the type of stressor, sleep perception, related psychiatric conditions, environmental factors, and physiological limits.

Archana Singh-Manoux is a research professor and director at the French Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), Université de Paris, Paris, France, and an honorary professor at the Institute of Epidemiology & Health, Faculty of Population Health Science at the University College London (UCL), London, UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overwork</span> Excessive work

Overwork, also known as excessive work or work overload, is an occupational condition characterized by working excessively, frequently at the expense of the worker's physical and mental health. It includes working beyond one's capacity, leading to fatigue, stress, and potential health complications.

References

  1. 1 2 Kivimäki, Mika; Nyberg, Solja T; Batty, G David; Fransson, Eleonor I; Heikkilä, Katriina; Alfredsson, Lars; Bjorner, Jakob B; Borritz, Marianne; Burr, Hermann; Casini, Annalisa; Clays, Els; De Bacquer, Dirk; Dragano, Nico; Ferrie, Jane E; Geuskens, Goedele A; Goldberg, Marcel; Hamer, Mark; Hooftman, Wendela E; Houtman, Irene L; Joensuu, Matti; Jokela, Markus; Kittel, France; Knutsson, Anders; Koskenvuo, Markku; Koskinen, Aki; Kouvonen, Anne; Kumari, Meena; Madsen, Ida EH; Marmot, Michael G; Nielsen, Martin L; Nordin, Maria; Oksanen, Tuula; Pentti, Jaana; Rugulies, Reiner; Salo, Paula; Siegrist, Johannes; Singh-Manoux, Archana; Suominen, Sakari B; Väänänen, Ari; Vahtera, Jussi; Virtanen, Marianna; Westerholm, Peter JM; Westerlund, Hugo; Zins, Marie; Steptoe, Andrew; Theorell, Töres (October 2012). "Job strain as a risk factor for coronary heart disease: a collaborative meta-analysis of individual participant data". The Lancet. 380 (9852): 1491–1497. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60994-5. PMC   3486012 . PMID   22981903.
  2. 1 2 "Types of Stressors (Eustress vs. Distress)". MentalHelp.net. COPYRIGHT © 2019 MENTALHELP.NET. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  3. ↑ Berkman, Lisa F.; Treder, Kathryn (2020), Theorell, Töres (ed.), "Work and Health", Handbook of Socioeconomic Determinants of Occupational Health: From Macro-level to Micro-level Evidence, Handbook Series in Occupational Health Sciences, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 53–70, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-31438-5_31, ISBN   978-3-030-31438-5 , retrieved 2024-02-06
  4. 1 2 "Coping With Stress at Work". American Psychological Association. American Psychological Association. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  5. ↑ Imbert, Fred. "Cost of living is increasingly out of reach for low-wage workers". CNBC. CNBC LLC. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  6. ↑ Picincu, Andra. "The Effects of a Heavy Workload on Employees". bizfluent. Leaf Group LTD. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  7. ↑ "What's Causing UK Workers Stress in 2019". www.cartridgepeople.com. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  8. ↑ "Stress at the Workplace". World Health Organization. WHO. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  9. ↑ Huang, Y; Xu, S; Hua, J; Zhu, D; Liu, C; Hu, Y; Liu, T; Xu, D (10 November 2015). "Association between job strain and risk of incident stroke: A meta-analysis". Neurology. 85 (19): 1648–54. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000002098. PMID   26468409. S2CID   8477786.
  10. ↑ "Time Poverty Is The Health Issue We're Not Paying Attention To But Should Be". Women's Health. 2021-09-02. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  11. ↑ Landsbergis, Paul A.; Dobson, Marnie; Koutsouras, George; Schnall, Peter (March 2013). "Job Strain and Ambulatory Blood Pressure: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review". American Journal of Public Health. 103 (3): e61–e71. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2012.301153. PMC   3673518 . PMID   23327240.
  12. ↑ Kivimäki, M; Singh-Manoux, A; Nyberg, S; Jokela, M; Virtanen, M (November 2015). "Job strain and risk of obesity: systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies". International Journal of Obesity. 39 (11): 1597–600. doi:10.1038/ijo.2015.103. PMC   4579559 . PMID   26041697.
  13. ↑ "Gender differences in the link between psychosocial work exposures and stress". Institute for Work and Health. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  14. ↑ McKinsey, & Company (2022). "Women in the Workplace" (PDF).
  15. ↑ Sull, Donald; Sull, Charles (2023-03-14). "The Toxic Culture Gap Shows Companies Are Failing Women". MIT Sloan Management Review.
  16. ↑ Pega, Frank; Náfrádi, Bálint; Momen, Natalie C.; Ujita, Yuka; Streicher, Kai N.; Prüss-Üstün, Annette M.; Descatha, Alexis; Driscoll, Tim; Fischer, Frida M.; Godderis, Lode; Kiiver, Hannah M.; Li, Jian; Magnusson Hanson, Linda L.; Rugulies, Reiner; Sørensen, Kathrine (2021-09-01). "Global, regional, and national burdens of ischemic heart disease and stroke attributable to exposure to long working hours for 194 countries, 2000–2016: A systematic analysis from the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work-related Burden of Disease and Injury" (PDF). Environment International. 154: 106595. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106595 . ISSN   0160-4120.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.