Psychosocial and clinical risk factor profiles in managers

Objectives: Over the past 10 years the IAS Foundation has performed more th an 15,000 PREVENT check-ups on managers. In addition to a comprehensive cli nical program of preventive examinations, the main emphasis is placed on ex tensive counseling. This counseling centres not only on personal behaviour patterns affecting the individual's health, but also on the psychomental ca pabilities of the patient within the context of the psychosocial stresses i n managerial positions. Methods: Three cross-sectional studies examined: (1 ) the major cardiovascular risk factors (n = 974), (2) the psychosocial str ucture (n = 2800) and (3) the relationships between clinical risk factors a nd psychological structural features (n = 200). Results: According to expec tations, managers showed somewhat lower cardiovascular risk levels than did other professional groups. However, nearly 70% of them reported various un specific, psychovegetative complaints. Managers were subdivided into four p sychological types, each representing roughly one quarter of the series: Ty pe I: anxiety, tension (20.5%); Type 2: repression, lack of self-control (2 2.2%); Type 3. challenge, ambition, self-control (27.6%); Type 4: healthy l iving, with self-control (29.7%). Type 3 resembles most closely classic typ e A behaviour and is seen in a good quarter of the overall cohort. This may indicate that not only people showing type A behaviour are predestined to occupy managerial positions, but that people with a type B structure also t ake up managerial positions. It is, however, in particular the type B behav ioural patterns that are also associated with increased psychovegetative co mplaints. The relationships between psychosocial structural variables and c linical risk factors such as hypercholesteremia and high blood pressure are not very strong. Conclusions: Occupational health measures in organisation s should also be established for managers, as they present an important emp loyee group within the enterprise. In addition to examining them for cardio vascular risks, counseling and coaching programmes on preventive measures a nd recommended behaviour at work should be a primary concern.