Effects of stable and changing demand-control histories on worker health

This study examines effects of stability and change in exposure to job demands and job control (demand-control histories) in relation to the strain hypothesis of Karasek's demand-control model. The hypotheses of the model were tested with a group-by-time analysis of variance using data from a four-phase Dutch cohort study on musculoskeletal disorders, absenteeism, stress, and health. Associations between demand-control histories and job changes were tested in a log-linear analysis. The results of the study were: the hypotheses for the stable exposure groups were supported for depression and job satisfaction. Those for positive and negative changes were partially supported. There was no relation, however, between the level of stability or changes in exposure to demands and control for the registered duration and frequency of sickness absence. Finally, the results showed that workers reporting major changes in demand-control histories over time had more job changes, and those reporting job changes towards high strain jobs evaluated the changes as more distressful. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.