The Role of Occupational Status in the Association between Job Strain and Ambulatory Blood Pressure during Working and Nonworking Days

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Psychosom Med
• Personal Author:
  Joseph, Nataria T. ; Muldoon, Matthew F. ; Manuck, Stephen B. ; Matthews, Karen A. ; MacDonald, Leslie A. ; Grosch, James ; Kamarck, Thomas W.
• Description:
  Objective
  
  The objectives of this study were to determine whether job strain is more strongly associated with higher ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) among blue-collar workers compared to white-collar workers; to examine whether this pattern generalizes across working and nonworking days and across sex; and to examine whether this pattern is accounted for by psychosocial factors or health behaviors during daily life.
  
  Methods
  
  480 healthy workers (mean age = 43; 53% female)in the Adult Health and Behavior Project – Phase 2 (AHAB-II)completed ABP monitoring during 3 working days and 1 nonworking day. Job strain was operationalized as high psychological demand (> sample median) combined with low decision latitude (< sample median) (Karasek model; Job Content Questionnaire).
  
  Results
  
  Covariate-adjusted multilevel random coefficients regressions demonstrated that associations between job strain and systolic and diastolic ABP were stronger among blue-collar workers compared to white-collar workers (b = 6.53, F(1, 464)= 3.89, p = .049 and b = 5.25, F(1, 464)= 6.09, p = .014, respectively). This pattern did not vary by sex but diastolic ABP findings were stronger when participants were at work. The stronger association between job strain and ABP among blue-collar workers was not accounted for by education, momentary physical activity or substance use, but was partially accounted for by covariation between higher hostility and blue-collar status.
  
  Conclusions
  
  Job strain is associated with ABP among blue-collar workers. These results extend previous findings to a mixed-sex sample and nonworking days and provide, for the first time, comprehensive exploration of several behavioral and psychosocial explanations for this finding.
  
  
• Keywords:
  Adult Ambulatory Blood Pressure Blood Pressure Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory Cardiovascular Female Humans Job Strain Male Middle Aged Occupational Diseases Occupational Stress Occupations Reserve Capacity Socioeconomic Status Stress, Psychological Time Factors

  More +
• Source:
  Psychosom Med. 78(8):940-949
• Pubmed ID:
  27359177
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC5067969
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  CC999999/Intramural CDC HHSUnited States/ ; P01 HL040962/HL/NHLBI NIH HHSUnited States/ ; T32 HL007560/HL/NHLBI NIH HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  78
• Issue:
  8
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:0886283710bc3d6eced1ad7f6a94603e80dfde1554fd2faf7cebd346a3d23141
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/42200/cdc_42200_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 886.00 KB ]