Workplace Stress Flashcards
Who proposed the idea of the job demands-control model?
Karasek
What does the jobs demands-control model suggest?
The stressful demands of a job can lead to poor health, dissatisfaction and absenteeism.
Who conducted research into the effects of control in workplace stress?
Bosma
What was the procedure used in Bosma’s prospective study of over 10,000 civil servants in a wide range of job grades?
Used a detailed questionnaire to measure various aspects of workload and job control. Participants also examined for symptoms of CHD, and followed up 5 years later.
What did Bosma find in the study of workplace stress?
No correlation between workload and illness, so job demands appeared not to be a significant workplace stressor. Employees who reported having low degree of control at start of study were more likely to have CHD 5 years later. Status and support given to higher grade civil servants did not offset risk of developing CHD, if jobs lacked control.
Who conducted research into the effects of workload and control?
Johannson
What type of experiment did Johannson use?
Natural experiment
What was the procedure used in Johannson’s study into the effects of workload and control?
One group of 14 wood ‘finishers’, who prepared timber that came out the sawmill. Job was repetitive and not sociable. Wages of everyone were dependent on finishers’ productivity.
Second group was cleaners. More control, greater flexibility, more contact with other workers, and less responsibility.
Measured levels of employee illness and absenteeism from personal records. Measured levels of adrenaline and noradrenaline in workers’ urine, once before leaving home and three times during work.
What were the findings of Johannson’s study into workplace stress?
Higher levels of stress hormone in finishers group overall. First samples of each day showed finishers already had higher hormone levels than cleaners. Finishers’ hormone levels increased, cleaners’ decreased. More stress-related illnesses among finishers and absenteeism.
Both demands and lack of control create chronic physiological arousal, leads to production of stress hormones and development of stress-related illnesses.
