Effort-Reward Imbalance in Police Work: Associations with the Cortisol Awakening Response

Details

• Personal Author:
  Allison P ; Andrew, Michael E. ; Fekedulegn D ; Gu JK ; Mnatsakanova A ; Tinney-Zara C ; Violanti JM
• Description:
  Purpose: We hypothesized that effort-reward imbalance (ERI) is associated with an atypical cortisol response. ERI has been associated with higher job stress. Stress triggers cortisol secretion via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and significant deviation from a typical cortisol pattern can indicate HPA axis dysfunction. Methods: 176 police officers participated from the Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress (BCOPS) Study. ERI was the exposure variable. Outcome variables were saliva-based peak and mean cortisol values, total area under the curve ground (AUCG) and baseline (AUCI); linear regression line fitted to log-transformed cortisol. Regression analyses were used to examine linear trend between ERI and cortisol parameters. Repeated measures analysis examined whether the pattern of cortisol over time differed between low ERI (< median) and high ERI (= median). Results: Mean age was 46 years (SD = 6.6). After adjustment for potential confounders, there was a significant inverse association between ERI and peak cortisol (beta = - 0.20, p = 0.009), average cortisol (beta = - 0.23, p = 0.003), and total area under the curve (beta = - 0.21, p = 0.009). ERI was not significantly associated with AUCI (beta = - 0.11, p = 0.214); slope of the regression line fitted to the cortisol profile (beta = - 0.009, p = 0.908). Repeated measures analyses showed that the cortisol pattern did not vary significantly between high and low ERI using the median as a cut point (interaction p value = 0.790). Conclusions: ERI was inversely associated with the magnitude of awakening cortisol over time, indicating HPA axis dysregulation and potential future health outcomes. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aging Law Enforcement Occupational Health Safety Stress, Psychological Workplace
• Keywords:
  Age Groups Author Keywords: Awakening Cortisol Effort Reward Imbalance HPA Axis Dysregulation Job Stress Law Enforcement Workers Police Police Officers Regression Analysis Statistical Analysis Stress Work Environment

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• ISSN:
  0340-0131
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Contract ; Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  HELD - Health Effects Laboratory Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  91
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20051191
• Citation:
  Int Arch Occup Environ Health 2018 Jul; 91(5):513-522
• Contact Point Address:
  John M. Violanti, Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Health Professions, The State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260-1660
• Email:
  violanti@buffalo.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• NORA Priority Area:
  Public Safety
• Performing Organization:
  State University of New York at Buffalo
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20100901
• Source Full Name:
  International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health
• End Date:
  20150831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f4af6a74450cfb4011ff0b15f667347ceb3400b21c8901c212fee4c20e2994f9bf41e38eaaf4e2887edd8df72f49232e0e495fd494e704241cb1d26c5744d0fe
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/211274/cdc_211274_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 651.41 KB ]