Stress markers in relation to job strain in human service organizations

Background. Workers in human service organizations are often confronted wit h conflicting demands in providing care or education. The aim of this cross -sectional study was to relate levels of endocrine stress markers to percei ved job strain in two human service organizations. Methods: Employees in tw o local units of the social insurance organization and two local units of t he individual and family care sections of the social welfare in Sweden were selected and 103 employees participated (56% participation rate). The perc eived job strain was assessed with a standardized questionnaire containing questions of the demand-control model. Questions specially designed to meas ure emotional demands were also included. The stress markers cortisol, prol actin, thyroid-stimulating hormone, testosterone and IgA and IgG were analy sed in blood samples. Results: The main finding was an association between high emotional strain and increased levels of prolactin. The levels of cort isol, but none of the other four stress markers, increased slightly with em otional strain. Conclusions: Emotional strain experienced in human service work may cause psychological stress. The increase in prolactin was modest b ut consistent with findings in other published studies on stress-related en docrine alterations. Copyright (C) 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel.