MOST workers will experience job
stress at some point in their lives. But what effect does it have on our
health?
According to new research, work stress damages our health just as much
as exposure to secondhand cigarette smoke.
Workers with high job demands are
50% more likely to be diagnosed with a medical condition, according to the
findings of the study.
Researchers from Harvard Business
School in Boston, MA, and Stanford University, CA, publish their findings in
the journal Behavioral Science & Policy Association.
Earlier this year, a Spotlight from
Medical News Today revealed some of the surprising implications stress can have
for health, including increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s
disease.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, this year’s
“Stress in America” survey from the American Psychological Association (APA)
found that money is the primary cause of stress in the US. A close second,
however, is work, with 60 per cent of Americans reporting this as a main cause
of stress.
According to the authors of this
latest study – including Joel Goh of Harvard Business School – there has been
extensive research into the causes of workplace-induced stress.
“However, policy efforts to tackle
the ever-increasing health costs and poor health outcomes in the United States
have largely ignored the health effects of psychosocial workplace stressors
such as high job demands, economic insecurity, and long work hours,” they add.
Policymakers need to address workplace practices that trigger stress
Policymakers need to address workplace practices that trigger stress
For their study, the team conducted
a meta-analysis of 228 studies that looked at the effects of numerous work
stressors – such as job insecurity, family-work conflict, high job demands and
long work hours – on four health outcomes: the presence of a diagnosed medical
condition, self-reported poor physical health, self-reported poor mental health
and mortality.
The results of the analysis revealed
that workers with high job demands are 50 per cent more likely to be diagnosed
with a medical condition than those without this stressor. Job insecurity was
linked to a 50 per cent greater risk of poor physical and mental health, while
long work hours were associated with a 20 per cent greater mortality risk.
The team also compared the health
effects of work stressors with those of secondhand smoke exposure, finding that
the health outcomes of each factor were similar.
They write: “The health effects of
secondhand smoke exposure are widely viewed as sufficiently large to warrant
regulatory intervention. For example, secondhand smoke is recognized as a
carcinogen, and smoking in enclosed public places, including workspaces, is
banned in many states in the United States and in many other countries.
“The results of our meta-analysis
show that workplace stressors generally increased the odds of poor health
outcomes to approximately the same extent as exposure to secondhand smoke.”
As such, Goh and colleagues say that
as well as focusing on improving health behaviors – such as increasing exercise
and reducing smoke exposure – in the workplace, policymakers should address
workplace practices that contribute to job-induced stress.
“For example,” they add, “possible
job redesigns could involve limiting working hours, reducing shift work and
unpredictable working hours, and encouraging flexible work arrangements that
help employees to achieve a better balance between their work life and their
family life.”
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