An inquiry into the relationship between job strain and blood pressure in male white-collar workers

Type A and type behaviors and factors related to job satisfaction among male white-collar workers

Numerous studies have examined the health effects of Type A behavior and job satisfaction/dissatisfaction, but we know very little about the relationship between aspects of the work environment related to job satisfaction and the Type A behavior pattern. In the present study, we analyzed data concerning work Stressors, private aspects of life, and job satisfaction among male white-collar workers (n=657) in a large steel company, and identified the respective aspects of the work environment related to job satisfaction among groups divided by Type A/B behavior patterns.We found that the nature of predictors for job satisfaction varied with the behavior type. "Being not busy at work" (p<0.001) and "working more than 10 hours per day" (p<0.05) were significant predictors of job satisfaction among the Type A workers while "working less than 10 hours per day" (p<0.05) and "can learn new things at work" (p<0.01) were significant predictors of job satisfaction among the Type workers. "Work performance is evaluated" was a significant predictor of job satisfaction among all three behavior types (A, B, and A/B).Our results can provide information useful for the creation of programs to lower the level of job dissatisfaction and mental stress depending upon the behavior type of employees.

Persistent insomnia is a predictor of hypertension in Japanese male workers

Insomnia is one of the most common complaints at worksites, as well as in the general population. This study aims to assess the effect of insomnia on the development of hypertension in Japanese male workers. Using the annual health examination database of a Japanese telecommunication company, eligible middle-aged male participants in the 1994 health examination were followed up until 1998 or the development of hypertension (either initiation of antihypertensive therapy or a systolic blood pressure > or = 140 mmHg and/or a diastolic blood pressure > or = 90 mmHg). The effect of difficulty initiating sleep (DIS) was assessed with a DIS dataset (n=4,794), which included non-DIS (n=4,602) and persistent-DIS (n=192) subjects. That of difficulty maintaining sleep (DMS) was assessed with a DMS dataset (n=4,443), which included non-DMS (n=4,157) and persistent-DMS (n=286) subjects. The incidence of hypertension among persistent-DIS (40.1%; 130.7 per 1,000 person-yr) was significantly higher than that among non-DIS (30.6%; 89.9 per 1,000 person-yr). The incidence of hypertension among persistent-DMS (42.3%; 136.7 per 1,000 person-yr) was significantly higher than that among non-DMS (30.7%; 90.8 per 1,000 person-yr). After adjusting for potential confounding factors (i.e. age, body mass index, smoking, alcohol drinking, and job stress), persistent complaints of DIS and DMS were significantly associated with an increased risk of hypertension (OR=1.96; 95%CI: 1.42-2.70 and OR=1.88; 95%CI: 1.45-2.45, respectively). Persistent insomnia may be a useful predictor of hypertension in Japanese male workers.

Association between job strain and prevalence of hypertension: a cross sectional analysis in a Japanese working population with a wide range of occupations: the Jichi Medical School cohort study

OBJECTIVES

To explore the association between the prevalence of hypertension in a Japanese working population and job strain (a combination of low control over work and high psychological demands), and to estimate this association in different sociodemographic strata.

METHODS

From a multicentre community based cohort study of Japanese people, sex specific cross sectional analyses were performed on 3187 men and 3400 women under 65 years of age, all of whom were actively engaged in various occupations throughout Japan. The baseline period was 1992-95 [corrected]. The association between job characteristics--measured with a Japanese version of the Karasek demand-control questionnaire--and the prevalence of hypertension defined by blood pressure and from clinical diagnoses were examined. Adjustments were made for possible confounders. The analyses were repeated for stratified categories of occupational class, educational attainment, and age group.

RESULTS

In men, the level of job strain (the ratio of psychological job demands to job control) correlated with the prevalence of hypertension. In a multiple logistic regression model, job strain was significantly related to hypertension (odds ratio 1.18; 95% confidence interval 1.05 to 1.32), after adjustment for age, employment (white collar v blue collar), marital status, family history of hypertension, cigarette smoking, alcohol intake, physical activity, and body mass index. The stratified analyses showed significant excess risks in the subordinate groups compared with managers, blue collar workers, less educated workers, and the older age groups. This association was not significant in women. Multiple linear regression analyses, with systolic and diastolic blood pressures as dependent variables, did not show any significant association.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings provided limited proof that job strain is related to hypertension in Japanese working men. Older men in a lower social class may be more vulnerable to the hypertensive effects of job strain.

An investigation into the effects of vacations on the health status in male white-collar workers

There are many stress factors in occupational settings, and the lack of vacations could be one of factors in the context of work stress. The authors have been studying the relationship between workload and employee health. This time, an investigation into the effects of leisure vacations on worker health status using male white-collar employees aged 20-60 years engaged in a manufacturing company was conducted. The subjects were questioned on work stress factors including vacations and modifiers in their occupational settings, and on psychological and physiological stress reactions; that is, how often they were able to take leisure vacations every year, their average working hours a day and work stress factors from the Demand-Control-Support model. The questions also examined other factors concerning the employees such as type-A behavior and lifestyles as modifiers, diseases of the employees, physical complaints, feelings about sleep, perceived stress, job and life satisfaction, and stress reactions as measured by physiological examination. Correlation and logistic regression analysis were conducted with the 551 eligible subjects. The results were as follows: Leisure vacation was decreasingly related to some of psychological stress reactions after adjustment was made for working hours and for modifiers. Less vacation was increasingly related to the workers' diseases especially among the employees aged 20-34, though the association was not statistically significant. Vacations did not show obvious association with physiological measures. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness and possibility of leisure vacation in controlling fatigue and maintaining the health of workers. Vacation should always be taken into consideration as a stress factor in a survey of the health problems of white-collar workers.

Assessment of job stress dimensions based on the job demands- control model of employees of telecommunication and electric power companies in Japan: reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Job Content Questionnaire

To investigate the reliability and validity of 4 selected scales from the Japanese version of the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ. Karasek, 1985)-decision latitude, psychological demand, supervisor support, and coworker support-a survey was conducted on a total of 626 employees of telephone and electric companies in Japan. The survey questionnaire was composed of 22 items. Data from 472 male and 108 female respondents were analyzed. Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the four JCQ scales ranged from .61 to .89 for men and from .65 to .87 for women. Scree plots based on factor analyses of scale items indicated that one major factor explained 30% to 75% of each scale variance in men and women. Factor structures of the 22 items for men and women were consistent with those theoretically expected Distributions of the decision latitude scores among occupations for men and women were similar to those in the U.S. national samples; the scores significantly and positively correlated with occupational class. It is suggested that the JCQ scales are reliable and valid instruments for assessing job stressors in a Japanese working population.