Stressed at Work: Investigating the Relationship Between Occupational Stress and Salivary Cortisol Fluctuations

Details

• Personal Author:
  Gerding T ; Wang J
• Description:
  Chronic stress has been associated with a range of health disparities, but examination of occupational stress, especially in the wake of COVID-19, has been minimal for many careers. A novel methodology involving work stress diaries and collection of salivary cortisol was employed to determine correlations between occupations, occupational stressors, and how well these are related to the physiological response to stress exposure, the release of cortisol. While cortisol levels tended to follow typical circadian rhythm based on sampling times, cortisol levels also followed the subjective stress levels listed in the work stress diaries following linear regression analysis using the pooled study population data (p = 0.042). When comparing the stressors between the studied careers, participants who worked in the healthcare industry accounted for one-third of the total participants, but reported nearly half (42%) of the more severe occupational stressors listed in the diaries. Finally, the most commonly listed emotional reactions to exposures listed included feelings of stress, frustration, anger, anxiety, or overwhelm. As the workplace progresses from the pandemic, the opportunity to reduce occupational stress exposures in the workplace is at hand. Companies that work towards minimizing the stress faced by their workforce would have a healthier and more relaxed workforce. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Circadian Rhythm Communicable Diseases Endocrine System Health Personnel Mental Health Nervous System Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety Stress, Psychological
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Occupational Stress Circadian Rhythms COVID-19 Health Care Workers Healthcare Workers Hormones Job Stress Mental Health Occupational Exposure Qualitative Analysis Salivary Cortisol Salivary Glands Stress Diary Workload

  More +
• ISSN:
  1660-4601
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  19
• Issue:
  19
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20066200
• Citation:
  Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022 Oct; 19(19):12311
• Contact Point Address:
  Jun Wang, Division of Environmental and Industrial Hygiene, Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, 160 Panzeca Way, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA
• Email:
  jun.wang@uc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• Performing Organization:
  University of Cincinnati
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e940f44bbb9959932e839196835c122481654117cbb8a5934d9c5cf0cc9ec8d79f0a4700898fffa7fa73198e0d56cd192e10ea889eb00fa27ae9eb780459a4a0
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/212697/cdc_212697_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 654.99 KB ]