Top

International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health

Published in:

01-04-2019 | Original Article

Learning on the job, the use of selection, optimization, and compensation strategies, and their association with telomere length as an indicator of biological aging

Authors: Jeannette Weber, Rudolf Jörres, Angelika Kronseder, Andreas Müller, Matthias Weigl, Caroline Chmelar

Published in: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health | Issue 3/2019

Abstract

Purpose

Due to the increased need for retention of older workforce caused by demographic changes in industrialized countries, support of healthy aging in occupational settings is of increasing relevance. This study examines the relationship between leucocyte telomere length (LTL), a potential biomarker for biological aging, and selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC) and learning opportunities as strategies involving efficient management and gain of resources at work.

Methods

Within a cross-sectional study, blood samples were drawn from 141 geriatric care professionals to measure LTL by quantitative real-time polymerase-chain reaction. Furthermore, all participants were asked with standardized questionnaires to rate their learning opportunities at work and use of SOC strategies. Analyses were performed by multiple linear regressions.

Results

SOC use, especially compensation, tended to be negatively, and learning opportunities tended to be positively associated with LTL. Furthermore, a significant interaction was found between optimization and learning opportunities, such that LTL and learning opportunities were only positively associated when optimization was high.

Conclusions

Resources at work were weakly associated with telomere length, which is not unexpected in view of the multiplicity of factors affecting LTL. The results further suggest that a mismatch between SOC and learning opportunities may negatively affect successful aging. They also suggest that more detailed research on biological aging and its relation to resources at work is needed.

Available only for authorised users

Ahola K, Sirén I, Kivimäki M, Ripatti S, Aromaa A, Lönnqvist J, Hovatta I (2012) Work-related exhaustion and telomere length: a population-based study. PLoS One 7:e40186. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0040186 CrossRef

Bakker AB, Hakanen JJ, Demerouti E, Xanthopoulou D (2007) Job resources boost work engagement, particularly when job demands are high. J Educ Psychol 99:274CrossRef

Baltes PB, Baltes MM (1980) Plasticity and variability in psychological aging: methodological and theoretical issues. In: Gurski GE (ed) Determining the effects of aging on the central nervous system. Schering, Berlin, pp 41–66

Baltes PB, Baltes MM (1990) Psychological perspectives on successful aging: the model of selective optimization with compensation. In: Baltes PB, Baltes MM (eds) Successful aging: perspectives from the behavioral sciences. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 1–34. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511665684.003 CrossRef

Baltes BB, Wynne K, Sirabian M, Krenn D, De Lange A (2014) Future time perspective, regulatory focus, and selection, optimization, and compensation: testing a longitudinal model. J Organ Behav 35:1120–1133. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.1970 CrossRef

Beck RC (2013) Regionaler Fachkräftemangel in den Sozialen Dienstleistungen. Praxisbeispiele aus der Wirtschaftsförderung für Impulse in. Pflegeberufen Sozialer Fortschritt 62:242–246. https://doi.org/10.3790/sfo.62.8-9.242 CrossRef

Boccardi V, Pelini L, Ercolani S, Ruggiero C, Mecocci P (2015) From cellular senescence to Alzheimer’s disease: the role of telomere shortening. Ageing Res Rev 22:1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2015.04.003 CrossRef

Büssing A, Glaser J (2002) Tätigkeits- und Arbeitsanalyseverfahren für das Krankenhaus - Selbstbeobachtungsversion (TAA-KH-S). Hogrefe, Göttingen

Cawthon RM (2009) Telomere length measurement by a novel monochrome multiplex quantitative PCR method. Nucleic Acids Res 37:e21. https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkn1027 CrossRef

Chmelar C, Jorres RA, Kronseder A, Muller A, Nowak D, Weigl M (2017) Associations between age, psychosocial work conditions, occupational well-being, and telomere length in geriatric care professionals: a mixed-methods study. J Occup Environ Med 59:949–955. https://doi.org/10.1097/jom.0000000000001102 CrossRef

Dubois CA, Bentein K, Mansour JB, Gilbert F, Bedard JL (2013) Why some employees adopt or resist reorganization of work practices in health care: associations between perceived loss of resources, burnout, and attitudes to change. Int J Environ Res Public Health 11:187–201. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph110100187 CrossRef

Freitas-Simoes TM, Ros E, Sala-Vila A (2016) Nutrients, foods, dietary patterns and telomere length: update of epidemiological studies and randomized trials. Metabolism 65:406–415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.metabol.2015.11.004 CrossRef

Freund AM (2008) Successful aging as management of resources: the role of selection, optimization, and compensation. Res Hum Dev 5:94–106. https://doi.org/10.1080/15427600802034827 CrossRef

Freund AM, Baltes PB (2000) The orchestration of selection, optimization, and compensation: An action-theoretical conceptualization of a theory of developmental regulation. In: Perrig WJ, Grob A (eds) Control of human behaviour, mental processes and consciousness. Erlbaum, Mahwah, pp 35–58

Friedrich RJ (1982) In defense of multiplicative terms in multiple regression equations. Am J Polit Sci 26:797–833. https://doi.org/10.2307/2110973 CrossRef

Fujishiro K, Diez-Roux AV, Landsbergis PA, Jenny NS, Seeman T (2013) Current employment status, occupational category, occupational hazard exposure and job stress in relation to telomere length: the Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Occup Environ Med 70:552–560. https://doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2012-101296 CrossRef

Gardner M et al (2014) Gender and telomere length: systematic review and meta-analysis. Exp Gerontol 51:15–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2013.12.004 CrossRef

Glaser J, Seubert C, Hornung S, Herbig B (2015) The impact of learning demands, work-related resources, and job stressors on creative performance and health. J Pers Psychol 14:37–48. https://doi.org/10.1027/1866-5888/a000127 CrossRef

Halbesleben JRB, Neveu J-P, Paustian-Underdahl SC, Westman M (2014) Getting to the “COR”: understanding the role of resources in conservation of resources theory. J Manag 40:1334–1364. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206314527130 CrossRef

Hämel K, Schaeffer D (2013) Who cares? Fachkräftemangel in der Plege [Who cares? Skills shortage in nursing]. Zeitschrift für Sozialreform 59:413–431. https://doi.org/10.1515/zsr-2013-0401 CrossRef

Hasselhorn H-M, Mueller BH, Tackenberg P (2003) Investigating premature departure from the nursing professions in Europe—the European NEXT-Study. In: Hasselhorn H-M, Tackenberg P, Mueller BH (eds) Working conditions and intent to leave the profession among nursing staff in Europe. National Institute for Working Life, Stockholm, pp 9–18

Hobfoll SE (1989) Conservation of resources: a new attempt at conceptualizing stress. Am Psychol 44:513–524. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.44.3.513 CrossRef

Hobfoll SE (2002) Social and psychological resources and adaptation. Rev Gen Psychol 6:307CrossRef

Honig LS, Kang MS, Schupf N, Lee JH, Mayeux R (2012) Association of shorter leukocyte telomere repeat length with dementia and mortality. Arch Neurol 69:1332–1339. https://doi.org/10.1001/archneurol.2012.1541 CrossRef

Kim S, Parks CG, Xu Z, Carswell G, DeRoo LA, Sandler DP, Taylor JA (2012) Association between genetic variants in DNA and histone methylation and telomere length. PLoS One 7:e40504. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0040504 CrossRef

Kong CM, Lee XW, Wang X (2013) Telomere shortening in human diseases. FEBS J 280:3180–3193. https://doi.org/10.1111/febs.12326 CrossRef

Kooij DT (2015) Successful aging at work: the active role of employees work. Aging Retire 1:309–319. https://doi.org/10.1093/workar/wav018 CrossRef

Kushnir T, Cohen AH, Kitai E (2000) Continuing medical education and primary physicians’ job stress burnout dissatisfaction. Med Educ 34:430–436CrossRef

Mangino M et al (2012) Genome-wide meta-analysis points to CTC1 and ZNF676 as genes regulating telomere homeostasis in humans. Hum Mol Genet 21:5385–5394. https://doi.org/10.1093/hmg/dds382 CrossRef

Mathur MB, Epel E, Kind S, Desai M, Parks CG, Sandler DP, Khazeni N (2016) Perceived stress and telomere length: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and methodologic considerations for advancing the field. Brain Behav Immun 54:158–169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2016.02.002 CrossRef

Melicher D, Buzas EI, Falus A (2015) Genetic and epigenetic trends in telomere research: a novel way in immunoepigenetics. Cell Mol Life Sci CMLS 72:4095–4109. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-015-1991-2 CrossRef

Mikkelsen A, Saksvik PO, Eriksen HR, Ursin H (1999) The impact of learning opportunities and decision authority on occupational health. Work Stress 13:20–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/026783799296165 CrossRef

Moghimi D, Zacher H, Scheibe S, Van Yperen NW (2017) The selection, optimization, and compensation model in the work context: a systematic review and meta-analysis of two decades of research. J Organ Behav 38:247–275. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2108 CrossRef

Montpetit AJ et al (2014) Telomere length: a review of methods for measurement. Nurs Res 63:289–299. https://doi.org/10.1097/nnr.0000000000000037 CrossRef

Müller A, Weigl M (2015) Selection, optimization, and compensation at work in relation to age. In: Pachana N (ed) Encyclopedia of geropsychology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-080-3_28-1

O’Donovan A et al (2011) Cumulative inflammatory load is associated with short leukocyte telomere length in the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study. PLoS One 6:e19687. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0019687 CrossRef

Rehkopf DH, Dow WH, Rosero-Bixby L, Lin J, Epel ES, Blackburn EH (2014) Seasonal variation of peripheral blood leukocyte telomere length in Costa Rica: a population based observational study. Am J Hum Biol 26:367–375. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.22529 CrossRef

Riedel N, Muller A, Ebener M (2015) Applying strategies of selection, optimization, and compensation to maintain work ability—a psychosocial resource complementing the job demand-control model? Results from the representative lidA cohort study on work, age, and health in Germany. J Occup Environ Med 57:552–561. https://doi.org/10.1097/jom.0000000000000402 CrossRef

Rizvi S, Raza ST, Mahdi F (2014) Telomere length variations in aging and age-related diseases. Curr Aging Sci 7:161–167. https://doi.org/10.2174/1874609808666150122153151 CrossRef

Robertson T, Batty GD, Der G, Fenton C, Shiels PG, Benzeval M (2013) Is socioeconomic status associated with biological aging as measured by telomere length? Epidemiol Rev 35:98–111. https://doi.org/10.1093/epirev/mxs001 CrossRef

Sanders JL, Newman AB (2013) Telomere length in epidemiology: a biomarker of aging, age-related disease, both, or neither? Epidemiol Rev 35:112–131. https://doi.org/10.1093/epirev/mxs008 CrossRef

Schmitt A, Zacher H, Frese M (2012) The buffering effect of selection, optimization, and compensation strategy use on the relationship between problem solving demands and occupational well-being: a daily diary study. J Occup Health Psychol 17:139–149CrossRef

Shang L, Riedel N, Loerbroks A, Muller A, Wege N, Angerer P, Li J (2015) The association between effort-reward imbalance and depressive symptoms is modified by selection, optimization, and compensation strategy. J Occup Environ Med 57:1222–1227. https://doi.org/10.1097/jom.0000000000000546 CrossRef

Teshale SM, Lachman ME (2016) Managing daily happiness: the relationship between selection, optimization, and compensation strategies and well-being in adulthood. Psychol Aging 31:687–692. https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000132 CrossRef

Valdes AM et al (2005) Obesity, cigarette smoking, and telomere length in women. Lancet 366:662–664. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(05)66630-5 CrossRef

Van Ruysseveldt J, Verboon P, Smulders P (2011) Job resources and emotional exhaustion: the mediating role of learning opportunities. Work Stress 25:205–223. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2011.613223 CrossRef

Verhoeven JE, van Oppen P, Puterman E, Elzinga B, Penninx BW (2015) The association of early and recent psychosocial life stress with leukocyte telomere length. Psychosom Med 77:882–891. https://doi.org/10.1097/psy.0000000000000226 CrossRef

Wagner KH, Cameron-Smith D, Wessner B, Franzke B (2016) Biomarkers of aging: from function to molecular biology. Nutrients 8:338. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8060338 CrossRef

Weigl M, Hornung S, Parker SK, Petru R, Glaser J, Angerer P (2010) Work engagement accumulation of task, social, personal resources: a three-wave structural equation model. J Vocat Behav 77:140–153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2010.03.002 CrossRef

Weigl M, Müller A, Hornung S, Zacher H, Angerer P (2013) The moderating effects of job control and selection, optimization, and compensation strategies on the age–work ability relationship. J Organ Behav 34:607–628. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.1810 CrossRef

Wiese BS, Freund AM, Baltes PB (2002) Subjective career success and emotional well-being: Longitudinal predictive power of selection, optimization and compensation. J Vocat Behav 60:321–335CrossRef

Zacher H, Frese M (2011) Maintaining a focus on opportunities at work: the interplay between age, job complexity, and the use of selection, optimization, and compensation strategies. J Organ Behav 32:291–318CrossRef

Zhang X, Lin S, Funk WE, Hou L (2013) Environmental and occupational exposure to chemicals and telomere length in human studies. Occup Environ Med 70:743–749. https://doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2012-101350 CrossRef

Zhao Z, Pan X, Liu L, Liu N (2014) Telomere length maintenance, shortening, and lengthening. J Cell Physiol 229:1323–1329. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcp.24537 CrossRef

Title: Learning on the job, the use of selection, optimization, and compensation strategies, and their association with telomere length as an indicator of biological aging
Authors: Jeannette Weber
Rudolf Jörres
Angelika Kronseder
Andreas Müller
Matthias Weigl
Caroline Chmelar
Publication date: 01-04-2019
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health / Issue 3/2019
Print ISSN: 0340-0131
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1246
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-019-01408-5

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

Springer Medicine

Learning on the job, the use of selection, optimization, and compensation strategies, and their association with telomere length as an indicator of biological aging

Abstract

Purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusions

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 3/2019

Joint association of carrying HLA-B*13:01 gene and human herpesvirus-6 with occupational trichloroethylene hypersensitivity syndrome

Sleep duration mediates abdominal and lower-extremity pain after night work in nurses

Consideration of psychosocial factors in workplace risk assessments: findings from a company survey in Germany

New insights on occupational exposure and bladder cancer risk: a pooled analysis of two Italian case–control studies

Sick leave before and after a work-place targeted terror attack

Association of organic solvents and occupational noise on hearing loss and tinnitus among adults in the U.S., 1999–2004