JOB STRAIN AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS IN WHITE-COLLAR WORKERS

Objectives In line with Karasek's job strain model, the objective of t he study was to determine whether workers submitted to high job strain , a combination of high psychological demand and low decision latitude , develop more psychological distress than workers not submitted to hi gh job strain. A second objective was to determine whether social supp ort at work modifies the association between job strain and psychologi cal distress. Methods The design was cross-sectional and included whit e-collar workers in the Quebec city area. A self-administered 26-item questionnaire (the Job Content Questionnaire) measured psychological d emand, decision latitude, and social support at work. Psychological di stress was measured by the Psychiatric Symptom Index, a 14-item self-a dministered instrument. Results Among the 2889 participants, the preva lence of psychological distress was 27.8%. High job strain was present in 20.5% of the subjects. The crude odds ratio (OR) of high job strai n with psychological distress was 3.52 [95% confidence interval (95% C I) 2.54-4.88]. The OR adjusted for age, gender, employment status, occ upation, social support at work, nonwork social support, cynicism, hos tility, domestic load, and stressful life events during the last 12 mo nths was still significant (OR 2.45, 95% CI 1.66-3.62). Conclusions Ou r results support the association between job strain and psychological distress. Social support at work, although significantly associated w ith psychological distress, did not modify the association between job strain and psychological distress.