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The findings indicate that study design and methods are adequate for the upcoming prospective analyses of aetiology and consequences of burnout and of the impact of workplace interventions.

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The demand‐control‐support model was developed by R. Karasek and his colleagues during the 1980s. The model operates with three main dimensions: job demands, job decision latitude and job social support. According to the model, workers with jobs characterized by high demands, low decision latitude and low social support (so‐called iso‐strain) have a higher risk of poor psychological well‐being and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The model has been tested in relation to CVD in 16 epidemiological studies of which only two have been negative. Moreover, the model has been used in studies with a large number of other endpoints. Recently the model and the methods used in connection with the model have been criticized by several research workers. In this article the studies on iso‐strain and CVD are reviewed and a number of methodological problems are discussed. It is recommended that future studies are prospective and use non‐representative population samples of well‐chosen occupations. Each of the key variables ‐job stressors, stress and sickness ‐ should be measured in three independent ways in order to increase the methodological and theoretical strength of the research performed.

This study examined both risk factors for the onset of work-family conflict and consequences in terms of need for recovery and prolonged fatigue for men and women separately. Two-year follow-up data from the Maastricht Cohort Study on "Fatigue at Work" (n = 12,095) were used. At baseline, the prevalence of work-family conflict was 10.8% (9.0% in women; 11.1% in men), the cumulative incidence at 1 year follow-up was 5.1%. For men, several work-related demands, shift work, job insecurity, conflicts with coworkers or supervisor, having full responsibility for housekeeping, and having to care for a chronically ill child or other family member at home were risk factors for the onset of work-family conflict, whereas decision latitude and coworker and supervisor social support protected against work-family conflict. In women, physical demands, overtime work, commuting time to work, and having dependent children were risk factors for work-family conflict, whereas domestic help protected against work-family conflict at 1 year follow-up. Work-family conflict was further shown to be a strong risk factor for the onset of elevated need for recovery from work and fatigue.