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Annals of Behavioral Medicine
Published in: Annals of Behavioral Medicine 1/2009

01-02-2009 | Original Article

Overcommitment but not Effort–Reward Imbalance Relates to Stress-Induced Coagulation Changes in Teachers

Authors: Roland von Känel, M.D., Silja Bellingrath, Ph.D., Brigitte M. Kudielka, Ph.D.

Published in: Annals of Behavioral Medicine | Issue 1/2009

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Abstract

Background

Stress-related hypercoagulability might link job stress with atherosclerosis.

Purpose

This paper aims to study whether overcommitment, effort–reward imbalance, and the overcommitment by effort–reward imbalance interaction relate to an exaggerated procoagulant stress response.

Methods

We assessed job stress in 52 healthy teachers (49 ± 8 years, 63% women) at study entry and, after a mean follow-up of 21 ± 4 months, when they underwent an acute psychosocial stressor and had coagulation measures determined in plasma. In order to increase the reliability of job stress measures, entry and follow-up scores of overcommitment and of effort–reward imbalance were added up to total scores.

Results

During recovery from stress, elevated overcommitment correlated with D-dimer increase and with smaller fibrinogen decrease. In contrast, overcommitment was not associated with coagulation changes from pre-stress to immediately post-stress. Effort–reward imbalance and the interaction between overcommitment and effort–reward imbalance did not correlate with stress-induced changes in coagulation measures.

Conclusions

Overcommitment predicted acute stress-induced hypercoagulability, particularly during the recovery period.
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Metadata
Title
Overcommitment but not Effort–Reward Imbalance Relates to Stress-Induced Coagulation Changes in Teachers
Authors
Roland von Känel, M.D.
Silja Bellingrath, Ph.D.
Brigitte M. Kudielka, Ph.D.
Publication date
01-02-2009
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
Annals of Behavioral Medicine / Issue 1/2009
Print ISSN: 0883-6612
Electronic ISSN: 1532-4796
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-009-9082-y

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