Job strain and pregnancy-induced hypertension

In a case control study we assessed whether exposure to high job strain dur ing the first 20 weeks of pregnancy increases the risk of preeclampsia and gestational hypertension. Cases (128 with preeclampsia and 201 with gestati onal hypertension) and controls (N = 401) were primiparous women who had a paid occupation for at Lease 1 week during the first 20 weeks of their preg nancy and who delivered between 1984 and 1986 in 10 hospitals of Quebec, Ca nada. Based on their job title, we assigned women scores of psychological d emand and decision latitude derived from the National Population Health Sur vey and classified these women as exposed to high (high demand, low latitud e) versus low (low demand, high latitude) job strain. Women exposed to high job strain were mure likely to develop preeclampsia [adjusted odds ratio ( aOR) = 2.1; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.1-4.1] than women exposed to l ow job strain. The risk was quite similar for women exposed to a full-time, high strain job (greater than or equal to 35 hours per week) (aOR = 2.0) t han in a part-time, high strain job (aOR = 1.8). High job strain increased the risk of gestational hypertension slightly (aOR = 1.3; 95% CI = 0.8-2.2) . These results; indicate that women exposed to high job strain are at high er risk of developing preeclampsia and, to a lesser extent, gestational hyp ertension.