Effort-Reward Imbalance, Over-Commitment and Depressive Episodes at Work: Evidence from the ELSA-Brasil Cohort Study

Tânia Maria de Araújo, Johannes Siegrist, Arlinda B. Moreno, Maria de Jesus Mendes da Fonseca, Sandhi M. Barreto, Dóra Chor and Rosane Härter Griep
Additional contact information
Tânia Maria de Araújo: Health Department, State University of Feira de Santana, Bahia 44036-900, Brazil
Johannes Siegrist: Institute of Medical Sociology, Centre for Health and Society, Medical Faculty, University of Dusseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
Arlinda B. Moreno: Department of Epidemiology and Quantitative Methods in Health, National School of Public Health Sérgio Arouca, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21041-210, Brazil
Maria de Jesus Mendes da Fonseca: Department of Epidemiology and Quantitative Methods in Health, National School of Public Health Sérgio Arouca, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21041-210, Brazil
Sandhi M. Barreto: Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais 30130-100, Brazil
Dóra Chor: Department of Epidemiology and Quantitative Methods in Health, National School of Public Health Sérgio Arouca, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21041-210, Brazil
Rosane Härter Griep: Laboratory of Health and Environment Education, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, Brazil

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 17, 1-13

Abstract: A growing burden of mental illness, and in particular depression, among workers is a concern of occupational public health. Scientific evidence has revealed consistent associations of work-related stress, as measured by theoretical models, with depression, but mostly so in developed countries. This contribution explores these associations in a developing Latin American country, Brazil, by applying an internationally established work stress model, the effort-reward imbalance (ERI). This model focuses on the work contract where unjust exchange between high efforts spent and low rewards received in turn contributes to stress-related disorders. The model’s extrinsic (‘effort’, ‘reward’) and intrinsic components (‘over-commitment’), as well as their combination, are hypothesized to be related to a higher risk of depressive episodes (DE). Using cross-sectional data from the ELSA-Brasil study, including 10,034 workers from the public sector, we observed increased prevalence ratio (PR) of DE according to ERI scales. The quartiles of highest ‘effort’ (PR = 1.85; 1.44–2.37), highest ‘over-commitment’ (PR = 3.62; 2.80–4.70) and lowest ‘reward’ (PR = 3.44; 2.55–4.64) were associated with DE, on adjusted models, as well was the E–R ratio (PR = 2.47; 1.92–3.17). An additive interaction was identified between the E–R ratio and ‘over-commitment’. The results support the use of ERI as a screening tool for work stress in the Brazilian context and will offer guidance for worksite health promotion programs.

Keywords: Brazil; work stress; effort-reward imbalance; over-commitment; depressive episodes; ELSA-Brasil (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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