Association between Precarious Employment and Chronic Stress: Effect of Gender, Stress Measurement and Precariousness Dimensions—A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Precarious employment has been highlighted as a social determinant of health, given, among others, to its alleged association with chronic stress. However, few studies have been conducted analyzing such association, using both perceived stress indicators and biological markers. Accordingly, the present study analyzed the association of multidimensional (6 dimensions) precarious employment scale with perceived stress and 23 markers of adrenal and gonadal hormone production, including cortisol. The sample consisted of 255 salaried workers from Barcelona (125 men, 130 women) aged 25–60. OLS regression models stratified by sex were conducted. Results demonstrated that precarious employment increased the probabilities of having perceived stress in both sexes. In addition, the production of adrenal hormones among men is associated with precarious wages and among women with precarious contracts (“Temporariness”, “Disempowerment”, and “Rights” dimensions). Therefore, precarious employment could be embodied by workers, altering their perceived well-being and physiological characteristics. Differences between men and women in the physiological effect of precarious employment could express not just the biochemical differences inherent to biological sex, but also the social construction of gender identities, positions and roles in society and family, as well as gender inequalities in the labour market.

Gender Differences in the Indirect Effect of Psychosocial Work Environment in the Association of Precarious Employment and Chronic Stress: A Cross-Sectional Mediation Analysis

“…A cross-sectional study was conducted based on a sample of 255 employees from Barcelona, Spain, aged 25–60 years (125 men and 130 women), as described elsewhere [ 6 ]. Briefly, the sample design was non-probabilistic and based on proportional quotas determined by sex, age group, place of birth, and socioeconomic level of the district of residence.…”

“…It is recognized as a significant social determinant of workers health, both physical and mental [ 4 ]. The Precarious Employment and Stress: The Biomedical Embodiment of Social Factors (PRESSED) project, which includes this study, aims to explain the links between PE and stress [ 5 , 6 , 7 ].…”

“…A recent PRESSED-related study showed an association between PE and both subjective (PSS) and objective (adrenal and gonadal steroid production) chronic stress, although the latter showed significant differences between men and women [ 6 ]. The next step within this project is to study the pathways underlying this association that could explain the differences between men and women in physiological responses to PE.…”

Work, Health, and the Ongoing Pursuit of Health Equity

“…The authors use study designs and logics derived from epidemiology, community-based (participatory) research, and the social sciences, employing qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods approaches to gather their data and undertake their analyses. As we considered the research, we categorized it into three general but not mutually exclusive content groupings, as follows: Studies that highlight the ways in which work interacts with other social phenomena to influence health [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]; Studies that focus on the context in which work happens and emphasize the importance of that context in shaping work or health [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]; Studies that encourage us to think more expansively about work [ 10 , 11 ]. …”

“…Studies that highlight the ways in which work interacts with other social phenomena to influence health [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ];…”