Work stress, caregiving, and allostatic load: prospective results from the Whitehall II cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Studies investigating health effects of work and family stress usually consider these factors in isolation. The present study investigated prospective interactive effects of job strain and informal caregiving on allostatic load (AL), a multisystem indicator of physiological dysregulation.

Methods

Participants were 7007 British civil servants from the Whitehall II cohort study. Phase 3 (1991-1994) served as the baseline, and Phases 5 (1997-1999) and 7 (2002-2004) served as follow-ups. Job strain (high job demands combined with low control) and caregiving (providing care to aged or disabled relatives) were assessed at baseline. AL index (possible range, 0-9) was assessed at baseline and both follow-ups based on nine cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune biomarkers.

SUBMITTER: Dich N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4471110 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature