Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The STEP trials

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2013

Open Access 01-12-2013 | Research article

Work stress and depressive symptoms in older employees: impact of national labour and social policies

Authors: Thorsten Lunau, Morten Wahrendorf, Nico Dragano, Johannes Siegrist

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2013

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Maintaining health and work ability among older employees is a primary target of national labour and social policies (NLSP) in Europe. Depression makes a significant contribution to early retirement, and chronic work-related stress is associated with elevated risks of depression. We test this latter association among older employees and explore to what extent indicators of distinct NLSP modify the association between work stress and depressive symptoms. We choose six indicators, classified in three categories: (1) investment in active labour market policies, (2) employment protection, (3) level of distributive justice.

Methods

We use data from three longitudinal ageing studies (SHARE, HRS, ELSA) including 5650 men and women in 13 countries. Information on work stress (effort-reward imbalance, low work control) and depressive symptoms (CES-D, EURO-D) was obtained. Six NLSP indicators were selected from OECD databases. Associations of work stress (2004) with depressive symptoms (2006) and their modification by policy indicators were analysed using logistic multilevel models.

Results

Risk of depressive symptoms at follow-up is higher among those experiencing effort-reward imbalance (OR: 1.55 95% CI 1.27-1.89) and low control (OR: 1.46 95% CI 1.19-1.79) at work. Interaction terms indicate a modifying effect of a majority of protective NLSP indicators on the strength of associations of effort - reward imbalance with depressive symptoms.

Conclusions

Work stress is associated with elevated risk of prospective depressive symptoms among older employees from 13 European countries. Protective labour and social policies modify the strength of these associations. If further supported findings may have important policy implications.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
1.
2.
Suhrcke M, Fumagalli E, Hancock R: Is there a wealth dividend of aging societies?. Public Health Rev. 2010, 32: 377-400.
3.
Bromet E, Andrade LH, Hwang I, Sampson NA, Alonso J, de Girolamo G, de Graaf R, Demyttenaere K, Hu C, Iwata N, Karam AN, Kaur J, Kostyuchenko S, Lepine J, Levinson D, Matschinger H, Medina Mora ME, Oakley Browne M, Posada-Villa J, Viana MC, Williams DR, Kessler RC: Cross-national epidemiology of DSM-IV major depressive episode. BMC Med. 2011, 9: 90-10.1186/1741-7015-9-90.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
4.
Üstün TB, Ayuso-Mateos JL, Chatterji S, Mathers C, Murray CJL: Global burden of depressive disorders in the year 2000. Br J Psychiatry. 2004, 184: 386-392. 10.1192/bjp.184.5.386.CrossRefPubMed
5.
Prince M, Patel V, Saxena S, Maj M, Maselko J, Phillips M, Rahman A: No health without mental health. Lancet. 2007, 370: 859-877. 10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61238-0.CrossRefPubMed
6.
Nieuwenhuijsen K, Bruinvels D, Frings-Dresen M: Psychosocial work environment and stress-related disorders, a systematic review. Occup Med (Lond). 2010, 60: 277-286. 10.1093/occmed/kqq081.CrossRef
7.
Stansfeld S, Candy B: Psychosocial work environment and mental health–a meta-analytic review. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2006, 32: 443-462. 10.5271/sjweh.1050.CrossRefPubMed
8.
Karasek R, Brisson C, Kawakami N, Houtman I, Bongers P, Amick B: The Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ): an instrument for internationally comparative assessments of psychosocial job characteristics. J Occup Health Psychol. 1998, 3: 322-355.CrossRefPubMed
9.
Siegrist J, Starke D, Chandola T, Godin I, Marmot M, Niedhammer I, Peter R: The measurement of effort-reward imbalance at work: European comparisons. Soc Sci Med. 2004, 58: 1483-1499. 10.1016/S0277-9536(03)00351-4.CrossRefPubMed
10.
Bambra C: Work, worklessness and the political economy of health inequalities. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2011, 65: 746-750. 10.1136/jech.2009.102103.CrossRefPubMed
11.
Dragano N, Siegrist J, Wahrendorf M: Welfare regimes, labour policies and unhealthy psychosocial working conditions: a comparative study with 9917 older employees from 12 European countries. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2011, 65: 793-799. 10.1136/jech.2009.098541.CrossRefPubMed
12.
Siegrist J, Wahrendorf M: Quality of Work, Health and Early Retirement: European Comparisons. The individual and the welfare state. Life histories in Europe. Edited by: Börsch-Supan A, Brandt M, Hank K, Schröder M. 2011, Heidelberg: Springer, 169-178. 1CrossRef
13.
Chung H, Muntaner C: Welfare state matters: a typological multilevel analysis of wealthy countries. Health Policy. 2007, 80: 328-339. 10.1016/j.healthpol.2006.03.004.CrossRefPubMed
14.
Navarro V, Muntaner C, Borrell C, Benach J, Quiroga A, Rodríguez-Sanz M, Vergés N, Pasarín MI: Politics and health outcomes. Lancet. 2006, 368: 1033-1037. 10.1016/S0140-6736(06)69341-0.CrossRefPubMed
15.
Lundberg O, Yngwe MA, Stjärne MK, Elstad JI, Ferrarini T, Kangas O, Norström T, Palme J, Fritzell J: The role of welfare state principles and generosity in social policy programmes for public health: an international comparative study. Lancet. 2008, 372: 1633-1640. 10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61686-4.CrossRefPubMed
16.
Esping-Andersen G: The three worlds of welfare capitalism. 1990, Cambridge: Polity Pr
17.
Eikemo TA, Bambra C: The welfare state: a glossary for public health. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2008, 62: 3-6. 10.1136/jech.2007.066787.CrossRefPubMed
18.
Cartwright S, Cooper C: The Oxford handbook of organizational well being. 2009, USA: Oxford University Press
19.
Kasl SV, Jones BA, Kasl SV, Jones BA: The impact of job loss and retirement on health. Social epidemiology. Edited by: Berkman LF, Kawachi I, Berkman LF, Kawachi I. 2000, New York, NY: Oxford Univ. Press, 118-136.
20.
Wilkinson R, Pickett K: The spirit level: why more equal societies almost always do better. 2009, London: Allen lane
21.
Siegrist J: Job control and reward: effects on well being. The Oxford handbook of organizational well being. Edited by: Cartwright S, Cooper C. 2009, USA: Oxford University Press, 109-132.
22.
Börsch-Supan A, Brugiavini A, Jürges H, Mackenbach J, Siegrist J, Weber G: Health, ageing and retirement in Europe: first results from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. 2005, Mannheim: Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Aging (MEA)
23.
Börsch-Supan A, Hank K, Jürges H, Schröder M: Introduction: empirical research on health, ageing and retirement in Europe. J Eur Soc Policy. 2009, 19: 293-10.1177/1350506809341510.CrossRef
24.
Marmot M: Health, wealth and lifestyles of the older population in England: The 2002 English longitudinal study of ageing. 2003, London: IFS
25.
Juster F, Suzman R: An overview of the Health and Retirement Study. J Hum Resour. 1995, 30: 7-56.CrossRef
26.
Siegrist J, Wahrendorf M, von dem Knesebeck O, Jürges H, Börsch-Supan A: Quality of work, well-being, and intended early retirement of older employees: baseline results from the SHARE Study. Eur J Public Health. 2007, 17: 62-68. 10.1093/eurpub/ckl084.CrossRefPubMed
27.
Leineweber C, Wege N, Westerlund H, Theorell T, Wahrendorf M, Siegrist J: How valid is a short measure of effort-reward imbalance at work? A replication study from Sweden. Occup Environ Med. 2010, 67: 526-531. 10.1136/oem.2009.050930.CrossRefPubMed
28.
Nunnally J, Bernstein I: Psychometric theory. 1994, New York: McGraw
29.
Radloff LS: The CES-D scale: a self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Appl Psychol Meas. 1977, 1: 385-401. 10.1177/014662167700100306.CrossRef
30.
Prince MJ, Reischies F, Beekman AT, Fuhrer R, Jonker C, Kivela SL, Lawlor BA, Lobo A, Magnusson H, Fichter M, van Oyen H, Roelands M, Skoog I, Turrina C, Copeland JR: Development of the EURO-D scale–a European, union initiative to compare symptoms of depression in 14 european centres. Br J Psychiatry. 1999, 174: 330-338. 10.1192/bjp.174.4.330.CrossRefPubMed
31.
Crimmins EM, Kim JK, Sole-Auro A: Gender differences in health: results from SHARE, ELSA and HRS. Eur J Public Health. 2011, 21: 81-91. 10.1093/eurpub/ckq022.CrossRefPubMed
32.
Irwin M, Artin KH, Oxman MN: Screening for depression in the older adult: criterion validity of the 10-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Arch Intern Med. 1999, 159: 1701-1704. 10.1001/archinte.159.15.1701.CrossRefPubMed
33.
Larraga L, Saz P, Dewey ME, Marcos G, Lobo A: Validation of the Spanish version of the EURO-D scale: an instrument for detecting depression in older people. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2006, 21: 1199-1205. 10.1002/gps.1642.CrossRefPubMed
34.
Avendano M, Renske K, Glymour M: Do Americans Have Higher Mortality Than Europeans at all Levels of the Education Distribution. International differences in mortality at older ages. Dimensions and sources. Edited by: Crimmins EM, Preston SH, Cohen B. 2010, Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 319-336.
35.
OECD: Education at a Glance 2010: OECD Indicators. 2010, Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
36.
37.
Rabe-Hesketh S, Skrondal A: Multilevel and longitudinal modeling using stata. 2008, College Station, Tex: Stata Press, 2
38.
Wahrendorf M, Sembajwe G, Zins M, Berkman L, Goldberg M, Siegrist J: Long-term effects of psychosocial work stress in midlife on health functioning after labor market exit–results from the GAZEL study. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2012, 67: 471-480. 10.1093/geronb/gbs045.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
39.
Levine A, Mitchell AH, El-Nahas AI, Asa B: Relative risk and odds ratio data are still portrayed with inappropriate scales in the medical literature. J Clin Epidemiol. 2010, 63: 1045-1047. 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2009.12.016.CrossRefPubMed
40.
Buis ML: Stata tip 87: interpretation of interactions in non-linear models. Stata Journal. 2010, 10: 305-308.
41.
Virtanen M, Kivimäki M, Joensuu M, Virtanen P, Elovainio M, Vahtera J: Temporary employment and health: a review. Int J Epidemiol. 2005, 34: 610-622.CrossRefPubMed
42.
Stuckler D, Basu S, Suhrcke M, Coutts A, McKee M: The public health effect of economic crises and alternative policy responses in Europe: an empirical analysis. Lancet. 2009, 374: 315-323. 10.1016/S0140-6736(09)61124-7.CrossRefPubMed
43.
Börsch-Supan A, Brugiavini A, Juerges H, Kapteyn A, Mackenbach J, Siegrist J, Weber G: First results from the survey of health, ageing and retirement in Europe (2004–2007): Starting the longitudinal dimension. 2008, Mannheim: Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Aging (MEA)
Metadata
Title
Work stress and depressive symptoms in older employees: impact of national labour and social policies
Authors
Thorsten Lunau
Morten Wahrendorf
Nico Dragano
Johannes Siegrist
Publication date
01-12-2013
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2013
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-1086

Other articles of this Issue 1/2013

BMC Public Health 1/2013 Go to the issue

Research article

Impact of a smoking ban in hospitality venues on second hand smoke exposure: a comparison of exposure assessment methods

Research article

High school dropout and long-term sickness and disability in young adulthood: a prospective propensity score stratified cohort study (the Young-HUNT study)

Research article

Physical inactivity prevalence and trends among Mexican adults: results from the National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT) 2006 and 2012

Research article

A prospective population-based cohort study of lactation and cardiovascular disease mortality: the HUNT study

Research article

Interventions for preventing diarrhea-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome: systematic review

Research article

Social determinants of health and seasonal influenza vaccination in adults ≥65 years: a systematic review of qualitative and quantitative data