lamontagne-alongitudial-2015.pdf (160.67 kB)
A longitudinal analysis of changes in job control and mental health
journal contribution
posted on 2015-08-15, 00:00 authored by R J Bentley, A Kavanagh, L Krnjacki, Tony LaMontagneTony LaMontagneDeteriorating job control has been previously shown to predict poor mental health. The impact of improvement in job control on mental health is less well understood, yet it is of policy significance. We used fixed-effects longitudinal regression models to analyze 10 annual waves of data from a large Australian panel survey (2001-2010) to test within-person associations between change in self-reported job control and corresponding change in mental health as measured by the Mental Component Summary score of Short Form 36. We found evidence of a graded relationship; with each quintile increase in job control experienced by an individual, the person's mental health increased. The biggest improvement was a 1.55-point increase in mental health (95% confidence interval: 1.25, 1.84) for people moving from the lowest (worst) quintile of job control to the highest. Separate analyses of each of the component subscales of job control-decision authority and skill discretion-showed results consistent with those of the main analysis; both were significantly associated with mental health in the same direction, with a stronger association for decision authority. We conclude that as people's level of job control increased, so did their mental health, supporting the value of targeting improvements in job control through policy and practice interventions.
History
Journal
American journal of epidemiologyVolume
182Issue
4Pagination
328 - 334Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)Location
Cary, N.C.Publisher DOI
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ISSN
1476-6256Language
engPublication classification
C Journal article; C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2015, Oxford University Press (OUP)Usage metrics
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No categories selectedKeywords
fixed effectsjob controljob stressorslongitudinal studiesmental healthpsychosocial working conditionsScience & TechnologyLife Sciences & BiomedicinePublic, Environmental & Occupational HealthPSYCHOSOCIAL WORK-ENVIRONMENTWORKPLACE REORGANIZATIONCONTEXT MATTERSDEPRESSIONSTRAINRISKINTERVENTIONSINEQUALITIESPOPULATIONSTRESS
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