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The effect of chronic and cumulative exposure to psychosocial work factors such as psychological demands, work control, and social support on cardiovascular disease mortality risk among Swedish men was investigated. Information from a randomly chosen sample of 12,517 currently or previously employed males aged 25 to 74 years identified in the national birth registry, who were surveyed between 1977 and 1981, were obtained. All deaths from arteriosclerotic disease, cerebrovascular disease, and peripheral vascular disease were analyzed for the determination of cardiovascular mortality. Work environment exposure was measured by assigning lifetime occupational histories with a job exposure matrix consisting of work control, psychological work demands, work social support, physical job demands, and work hazards. The data were analyzed by a nested case control design. A relative risk of 1.60 to 1.83 for cardiovascular mortality was calculated for workers with low work control. The combination of low work control and low support for 25 years gave a relative risk of 2.62. The authors conclude that, compared to those with high work control, males in lower control occupations have a significantly elevated risk for cardiovascular disease.
American Journal of Public Health, 86(3):324-331, 1996. (66 references)
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