Healthguider’s Stressbusters
Job Strain In Perspective
Recent news published in the British Medical Journal: women
in jobs with high demands, low control and low social support
are at the greatest risk of ill health.
A paper in the journal summarised a long-term study which
assessed the impact of job strain on the health of 21,290
female nurses in the United States using a series of questionnaires.
The results showed that women in the highest third of job
demands and the lowest third of job control (high strain
job) had the worst health status, whereas those in jobs
with the highest control and lowest demands (low strain
job) had the best health status.
Furthermore the study revealed that the declines in health
associated with job strain are as large as those associated
with smoking and sedentary lifestyles.
The results are a lesson for employers: if you want to
reduce stress levels in your staff look not just at individual
therapies e.g. relaxation techniques but also the environment
in which employees work and the degree of support they receive
on a daily basis.
© Healthguider 2004
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