The psychosocial work environment is associated with risk of stroke at working age

• Main Authors: Katarina Jood, Nadine Karlsson, Jennie Medin, Hélène Pessah-Rasmussen, Per Wester, Kerstin Ekberg
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Nordic Association of Occupational Safety and Health (NOROSH) 2017-07-01
• Series: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health
• Subjects: conflict at work; job strain; risk; psychosocial work environment; stroke; case–control study; effort–reward imbalance; eri; psychosocial
• Online Access: https://www.sjweh.fi/show_abstract.php?abstract_id=3636

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the relation between the risk of first-ever stroke at working age and psychological work environmental factors. METHODS: A consecutive multicenter matched 1:2 case–control study of acute stroke cases (N=198, age 30–65 years) who had been working full-time at the time of their stroke and 396 sex- and age-matched controls. Stroke cases and controls answered questionnaires on their psychosocial situation during the previous 12 months. The psychosocial work environment was assessed using three different measures: the job–control–demand model, the effort–reward imbalance (ERI) score, and exposures to conflict at work. RESULTS: Among 198 stroke cases and 396 controls, job strain [odds ratio (OR) 1.30, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.05–1.62], ERI (OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.01–1.62), and conflict at work (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.07–2.88) were independent risk factors of stroke in multivariable regression models. CONCLUSIONS: Adverse psychosocial working conditions during the past 12 months were more frequently observed among stroke cases. Since these factors are presumably modifiable, interventional studies targeting job strain and emotional work environment are warranted.