Synergistic interaction between job control and social support at work on depression, burnout, and insomnia among Japanese civil servants

• Published in: International archives of occupational and environmental health 2015-02, Vol.88 (2), p.143-152
• Main Authors: Saijo, Yasuaki, Chiba, Shigeru, Yoshioka, Eiji, Nakagi, Yoshihiko, Ito, Toshihiro, Kitaoka-Higashiguchi, Kazuyo, Yoshida, Takahiko
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Burnout; Burnout, Professional - epidemiology; Burnout, Professional - psychology; Civilians; Depressive Disorder - epidemiology; Depressive Disorder - psychology; Earth and Environmental Science; Environment; Environmental Health; Female; Humans; Insomnia; Japan - epidemiology; Job Satisfaction; Local Government; Logistic Models; Male; Mental depression; Middle Aged; Occupational health; Occupational Medicine/Industrial Medicine; Original Article; Rehabilitation; Sex Distribution; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders - epidemiology; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders - psychology; Social Support; Stress, Psychological - epidemiology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Workload - psychology; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0340-0131; 1432-1246
• DOI: 10.1007/s00420-014-0945-6

Purpose To elucidate whether low job control and low social support at work have synergistic interaction on mental health. The synergistic interaction was also analyzed after stratification by high and low job demands. Methods Participants were 2,121 local government employees in Asahikawa city, Japan. The Brief Job Stress Questionnaire was used to assess job demands, job control, and social support. Depression was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey was used to assess burnout. Insomnia was assessed using the Athens Insomnia Scale. Possible confounder-adjusted logistic regression analyses were performed to obtain odds ratios for depression, burnout, and insomnia, and synergy indices between job control and social support at work were assessed. Results The synergy indices among men and women, respectively, were 2.08 (80 % confidence interval: 1.01, 4.27) and 1.98 (0.67, 5.89) for depression, 1.79 (1.28, 2.51) and 2.62 (1.07, 6.40) for burnout, and 1.92 (1.22, 3.02) and 2.77 (0.43, 18.01) for insomnia. Men with high job demands had higher synergistic interaction on depression and burnout, compared to men with low job demands, and women with low job demands had higher synergistic interaction between job control and social support at work on burnout and insomnia, compared to women with high job demands. Conclusions There were more-than-additive interactions of job control and social support at work on depression, burnout, and insomnia. After stratification by job demands, the synergistic interaction may be different between men and women. To assess job stress, it is necessary to consider the interactive effect of not only job demands and job control but also job control and social support at work.