TITLE:
Do Sex Differences in the Association between Work Exposure and Health in the Manufacturing Industry Depend on Work Context? Results from the WOLF-Study
AUTHORS:
Maria Nordin, Malin Bolin
KEYWORDS:
Psychosocial Work Factors, Work Overcommitment, Fatigue, Pain, Gender
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.5 No.8,
June
19,
2014
ABSTRACT: The aim
of this study is to investigate the associations between work exposure such as
psychosocial work factors and work posture, and health in men and women with
the same type of occupation in the manufacturing industry. Two follow-ups with
a follow-up rate of 67% from the WOrk, Lipids and Fibrinogen (WOLF) cohort from
the Northern Sweden were used. The database included 1589 men and 286 women,
which is representative of the proportions between men and women in the Swedish
manufacturing industry. To be able to understand the importance of work
context, the participants were categorized according to work tasks (working
with things or symbols). Logistic regression was used for interaction analyses
between sex and psychosocial work factors (such as demand, control, social
support, role conflict, and work-family conflict) as well as physical work
factors (such as work posture), and health outcomes (work overcommitment,
fatigue, and neck and back pain). The results showed contextually different
patterns of sex different associations between psychosocial work factors and
health outcomes. For instance, women were at larger risk of ill-health (in the
form of work overcommitment) when working with things, whereas men were at
larger risk of both work overcommitment and fatigue when working with symbols.
Women working with symbols had a larger risk of neck and back pain due to work-family
conflict. The health outcome that was most sensitive to the sex different
associations was work overcommitment. In conclusion, the work context matters
for sex differences in the association between psychosocial work factors and
health and since work overcommitment is a predictor of disease, it should be of
interest for the Occupational Health Services and personnel departments to
survey.