Work-related psychosocial risk factors for stress-related mental disorders: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

<jats:sec><jats:title>Objective</jats:title><jats:p>The objective was to conduct an update of a previously published review and meta-analysis on the association between work-related psychosocial risk factors and stress-related mental disorders (SRD).</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Design</jats:title><jats:p>Systematic review and meta-analysis.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Data sources</jats:title><jats:p>Medline, Embase and PsycINFO were searched for articles published between 2008 and 12 August 2019 and references of a systematic review performed for the period before 2008 were included. Primary prospective studies were included when outcome data were described in terms of SRD assessment or a dichotomous outcome, based on a validated questionnaire, and at least two levels of work-related exposure were reported (exposed vs less or non-exposed). We used GRADE to assess the evidence for the associations between risk factors and the onset of SRD.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results</jats:title><jats:p>Seventeen studies met the inclusion criteria. In total, a population of 73 874 workers from Belgium, Denmark, England, Finland, Japan, the Netherlands and Sweden were included in the meta-analysis of 14 prospective cohort studies. This meta-analysis revealed moderate evidence for associations between SRD and effort reward imbalance (OR=1.9, 95% CI 1.70 to 2.15), high job demands (OR=1.6, 95% CI 1.41 to 1.72), organisational justice (ORs=1.6 to 1.7, CIs 1.44 to 1.86), social support (ORs=1.3 to 1.4, CIs 1.16 to 1.69), high emotional demands (OR=1.6, 95% CI 1.35 to 1.84) and decision authority (OR=1.3, CI 1.20 to 1.49). No significant or inconsistent associations were found for job insecurity, decision latitude, skill discretion and bullying.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion</jats:title><jats:p>Moderate evidence was found that work-related psychosocial risk factors are associated with a higher risk of SRD. Effort-reward imbalance, low organisational justice and high job demands exhibited the largest increased risk of SRD, varying from 60% to 90%.</jats:p></jats:sec>

The relative importance of work-related and non-work-related stressors and perceived social support on perceived stress in a cross-sectional population-based sample

“…The work situation is a well-known stressor (17,19,20), which is also con rmed in our study. Different aspects of the work situation have been identi ed as predictors of stress , e.g.…”

“…Our results are in accordance with the Stress Process Model, which nds that stressors combine to produce strain (24), and with previous studies reporting that combinations of stressors from both work and non-work domains contribute to mental health (18,23) and perceived stress in particular (3,31,32,66,67). However, our results are contrary to the vast majority of studies on stress that have focused on different aspects of the work situation and have concluded that the work situation causes stress and that related negative health effects are explained solely by the work situation (5,12,17,20,61,68,69). Our results are supported by a review reporting lack of knowledge about the relationship between work and non-work domains and their contribution to mental health (18).…”

“…Different aspects of the work situation have been identi ed as predictors of stress , e.g. effort reward imbalance, high job demands, organisational justice, social support, emotional demands and decision authority (17). A study reports that stress from work-related strain may be transferred from parents to children (75).…”

“…Stress is a major public health issue and has long been a topic attracting much interest in a wide range of research elds (2,17,18). A particularly active area of research has been work-related stress (17,19,20).…”

Evalog

“…Steigenden psychischen Störungen und daraus entstehende Fehlzeiten [23] aufgrund arbeitsbedingter, negativ ausgeprägter psychischer Belastungen [25] kommt daher eine zunehmend hohe Bedeutung zu. Der Zusammenhang zwischen der Ausprägung psychischer Belastung und entsprechenden Beanspruchungen und Beanspruchungsfolgen auf Seiten von Beschäftigten ist empirisch bestätigt [3,32] und fester Bestandteil internationaler Normen.…”