The Protective Role of Job Control/Autonomy on Mental Strain of Managers: A Cross-Sectional Study among Wittyfit’s Users

Rémi Colin-Chevalier, Bruno Pereira, Amanda Clare Benson, Samuel Dewavrin, Thomas Cornet and Frédéric Dutheil
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Rémi Colin-Chevalier: CNRS, LaPSCo, Physiological and Psychosocial Stress, University Hospital of Clermont-Ferrand, Preventive and Occupational Medicine, Université Clermont Auvergne, Wittyfit, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
Bruno Pereira: Biostatistics Unit, Clinical Research and Innovation Direction, University Hospital of Clermont-Ferrand, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
Amanda Clare Benson: Department of Health and Biostatistics, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia
Samuel Dewavrin: Wittyfit, 75000 Paris, France
Thomas Cornet: Wittyfit, 75000 Paris, France
Frédéric Dutheil: CNRS, LaPSCo, Physiological and Psychosocial Stress, University Hospital of Clermont-Ferrand, Preventive and Occupational Medicine, Université Clermont Auvergne, Wittyfit, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 4, 1-10

Abstract: Background: Karasek’s Job Demand-Control-Support model is the gold standard to assess the perception of work; however, this model has been poorly studied among managers. We aimed to explore the perception of work (job demand, control, and support) in managers, and to quantify their risk of job strain (high job demand and low job control) and isostrain (job strain with low job support). Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on workers from various French companies using the Wittyfit software. Job demand, control, and support were evaluated by self-reported questionnaires, as well as sociodemographic data. Results: We included 9257 workers: 8488 employees (median age of 45 years, median seniority of 10 years, 39.4% women) and 769 managers (463 were more than 45 years old, 343 with more than 10 years of service, 33.3% women). Managers had higher mean ± SD levels than employees in job control (79.2 ± 14.9 vs. 75.4 ± 16.9) and job support (25.2 ± 5.1 vs. 24.0 ± 6.1) ( p < 0.001). Compared to employees, managers had a 37% decreased risk of job strain (OR = 0.63, 95% CI 0.52 to 0.77) and a 47% decreased risk of isostrain (OR = 0.53, 95% CI 0.40 to 0.69) ( p < 0.001). Workers over age 45 (OR = 1.26, 95% CI 1.14 to 1.40, p < 0.001) and women (OR = 1.12, 95% CI 1.01 to 1. 25, p = 0.03) were at greater risk of job strain. Furthermore, workers over age 45 (OR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.32 to 1.73, p < 0.001), workers with over 10 years of service (OR = 1.35, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.56, p < 0.001), and women (OR = 1.15, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.31, p = 0.04) were at greater risk of isostrain. Conclusions: Managers seem to have higher autonomy and greater social support and therefore are less at risk of job strain or isostrain than employees. Other factors such as age, seniority, and sex may influence this relationship. Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02596737.

Keywords: job demand; job control; job support; job strain; isostrain; manager; Karasek’s model; work (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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