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Is There an Association between Work Stress and Diurnal Cortisol Patterns? Findings from the Whitehall II Study

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  • Jing Liao
  • Eric J Brunner
  • Meena Kumari

Abstract

Objective: The evidence on whether there is work stress related dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is equivocal. This study assessed the relation between work stress and diurnal cortisol rhythm in a large-scale occupational cohort, the Whitehall II study. Methods: Work stress was assessed in two ways, using the job-demand-control (JDC) and the effort-reward-imbalance (ERI) models. Salivary cortisol samples were collected six times over a normal day in 2002–2004. The cortisol awakening response (CAR) and diurnal cortisol decline (slope) were calculated. Results: In this large occupational cohort (N = 2,126, mean age 57.1), modest differences in cortisol patterns were found for ERI models only, showing lower reward (β = −0.001, P-value = 0.04) and higher ERI (β = 0.002, P-value = 0.05) were related to a flatter slope in cortisol across the day. Meanwhile, moderate gender interactions were observed regarding CAR and JDC model. Conclusions: We conclude that the associations of work stress with cortisol are modest, with associations apparent for ERI model rather than JDC model.

Suggested Citation

  • Jing Liao & Eric J Brunner & Meena Kumari, 2013. "Is There an Association between Work Stress and Diurnal Cortisol Patterns? Findings from the Whitehall II Study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(12), pages 1-8, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0081020
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0081020
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. van Vegchel, Natasja & de Jonge, Jan & Bosma, Hans & Schaufeli, Wilmar, 2005. "Reviewing the effort-reward imbalance model: drawing up the balance of 45 empirical studies," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 60(5), pages 1117-1131, March.
    2. Pikhart, Hynek & Bobak, Martin & Pajak, Andrzej & Malyutina, Sofia & Kubinova, Ruzena & Topor, Roman & Sebakova, Helena & Nikitin, Yuri & Marmot, Michael, 2004. "Psychosocial factors at work and depression in three countries of Central and Eastern Europe," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 58(8), pages 1475-1482, April.
    3. Bosma, H. & Peter, R. & Siegrist, J. & Marmot, M., 1998. "Two alternative job stress models and the risk of coronary heart disease," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 88(1), pages 68-74.
    4. Siegrist, Johannes & Starke, Dagmar & Chandola, Tarani & Godin, Isabelle & Marmot, Michael & Niedhammer, Isabelle & Peter, Richard, 2004. "The measurement of effort-reward imbalance at work: European comparisons," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 58(8), pages 1483-1499, April.
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    1. Johannes Siegrist & Jian Li, 2017. "Work Stress and Altered Biomarkers: A Synthesis of Findings Based on the Effort–Reward Imbalance Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-18, November.
    2. Yu Jiang & Baoying Liu & Chuancheng Wu & Xiaoyan Gao & Yaoqin Lu & Yulong Lian & Jiwen Liu, 2020. "Dopamine Receptor D2 Gene (DRD2) Polymorphisms, Job Stress, and Their Interaction on Sleep Dysfunction," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-11, November.
    3. Tarani Chandola & Patrick Rouxel & Michael G Marmot & Meena Kumari, 2018. "Retirement and Socioeconomic Differences in Diurnal Cortisol: Longitudinal Evidence From a Cohort of British Civil Servants," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 73(3), pages 447-456.

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