Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Psychosocial work conditions, unemployment and health locus of control: A population-based study.

Ali, Sadiq Mohammad LU and Lindström, Martin LU (2008) In Scandinavian Journal of Public Health 36(4). p.429-435
Abstract
AIMS: To investigate the association between psychosocial work conditions, unemployment and lack of belief in the possibility of influencing one's own health. Design/setting/participants/measurements: The 2000 public health survey in Scania is a cross-sectional postal questionnaire study with a 59% participation rate. In total, 5180 persons aged 18-64 years who belonged to the workforce and the unemployed were included in this study. Logistic regression models were used to investigate the associations between psychosocial factors at work and unemployment, and lack of belief in the possibility of influencing one's own health (external locus of control). Psychosocial conditions at work were defined according to the Karasek-Theorell... (More)
AIMS: To investigate the association between psychosocial work conditions, unemployment and lack of belief in the possibility of influencing one's own health. Design/setting/participants/measurements: The 2000 public health survey in Scania is a cross-sectional postal questionnaire study with a 59% participation rate. In total, 5180 persons aged 18-64 years who belonged to the workforce and the unemployed were included in this study. Logistic regression models were used to investigate the associations between psychosocial factors at work and unemployment, and lack of belief in the possibility of influencing one's own health (external locus of control). Psychosocial conditions at work were defined according to the Karasek-Theorell demand-control/decision latitudes into relaxed, active, passive, and job strain categories. The multivariate analyses included age, country of birth, education, economic stress, and social participation. RESULTS: In total, 26.6% of all men and 26.9% of all women lack an internal locus of control. The passive, job strain and unemployed categories have significantly higher odds ratios of lack of internal locus of control, as compared to the relaxed reference category. No such significant differences are observed for the active category. These patterns remain in the multivariate models, with the exception of the passive and unemployed categories among men, in which the significant differences disappear. CONCLUSIONS: Psychosocial work conditions and unemployment may affect health locus of control. The control dimension in the Karasek-Theorell model seems to be of greatest importance. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Scandinavian Journal of Public Health
volume
36
issue
4
pages
429 - 435
publisher
SAGE Publications
external identifiers
  • wos:000257536300013
  • pmid:18539698
  • scopus:44849093228
ISSN
1651-1905
DOI
10.1177/1403494807088452
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
870a2666-4e39-4b0c-8695-211c3433f0ee (old id 1168999)
alternative location
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18539698?dopt=Abstract
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 09:30:22
date last changed
2022-05-01 17:43:02
@article{870a2666-4e39-4b0c-8695-211c3433f0ee,
  abstract     = {{AIMS: To investigate the association between psychosocial work conditions, unemployment and lack of belief in the possibility of influencing one's own health. Design/setting/participants/measurements: The 2000 public health survey in Scania is a cross-sectional postal questionnaire study with a 59% participation rate. In total, 5180 persons aged 18-64 years who belonged to the workforce and the unemployed were included in this study. Logistic regression models were used to investigate the associations between psychosocial factors at work and unemployment, and lack of belief in the possibility of influencing one's own health (external locus of control). Psychosocial conditions at work were defined according to the Karasek-Theorell demand-control/decision latitudes into relaxed, active, passive, and job strain categories. The multivariate analyses included age, country of birth, education, economic stress, and social participation. RESULTS: In total, 26.6% of all men and 26.9% of all women lack an internal locus of control. The passive, job strain and unemployed categories have significantly higher odds ratios of lack of internal locus of control, as compared to the relaxed reference category. No such significant differences are observed for the active category. These patterns remain in the multivariate models, with the exception of the passive and unemployed categories among men, in which the significant differences disappear. CONCLUSIONS: Psychosocial work conditions and unemployment may affect health locus of control. The control dimension in the Karasek-Theorell model seems to be of greatest importance.}},
  author       = {{Ali, Sadiq Mohammad and Lindström, Martin}},
  issn         = {{1651-1905}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{429--435}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{Scandinavian Journal of Public Health}},
  title        = {{Psychosocial work conditions, unemployment and health locus of control: A population-based study.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1403494807088452}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/1403494807088452}},
  volume       = {{36}},
  year         = {{2008}},
}