Effects of the Physical Work Environment on Physiological Measures of Stress (original) (raw)
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The physical work environment and its relationship to stress
Organizational Behaviour and the Physical Environment, 2019
How we work and the environments in which we do it are changing rapidly. At the same time, workplace stress is rising, with high costs for individuals and organizations. In this chapter, we review research findings about the relationship between the physical work environment and stress to summarize the current state of knowledge. Using this summary, we propose evidencebased recommendations of ways in which the physical environment might be adjusted to reduce stress for employees.
Stress Management at the Worksite: Reversal of Symptoms Profile and Cardiovascular Dysregulation
Hypertension, 2006
Work stress may increase cardiovascular risk either indirectly, by inducing unhealthy life styles, or directly, by affecting the autonomic nervous system and arterial pressure. We hypothesized that, before any apparent sign of disease, work-related stress is already accompanied by alterations of RR variability profile and that a simple onsite stress management program based on cognitive restructuring and relaxation training could reduce the level of stress symptoms, revert stress-related autonomic nervous system dysregulation, and lower arterial pressure. We compared 91 white-collar workers, enrolled at a time of work downsizing (hence, in a stress condition), with 79 healthy control subjects. Psychological profiles were assessed by questionnaires and autonomic nervous system regulation by spectral analysis of RR variability. We also tested a simple onsite stress management program (cognitive restructuring and relaxation training) in a subgroup of workers compared with a sham subgroup (sham program). Workers presented an elevated level of stress-related symptoms and an altered variability profile as compared with control subjects (low-frequency component of RR variability was, respectively, 65.2Ϯ2 versus 55.3Ϯ2 normalized units; PϽ0.001; opposite changes were observed for the high-frequency component). These alterations were largely reverted (low-frequency component of RR variability from 63.6Ϯ3.9 to 49.3Ϯ3 normalized units; PϽ0.001) by the stress management program, which also slightly lowered systolic arterial pressure. No changes were observed in the sham program group. This noninvasive study indicates that work stress is associated with unpleasant symptoms and with an altered autonomic profile and suggests that a stress management program could be implemented at the worksite, with possible preventive advantages for hypertension. (Hypertension. 2007;49:291-297.)
Heart rate variability: New perspectives on assessment of stress and health risk at the workplace
2018
Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases are the highest cause of death in the world. Many of these deaths may be workplace related. Long hours at work seem to be influencing the increased risks of heart diseases. Workplace stress can be defined as the “discrepancies between the physiological demands within a workplace and the inability of employees to either manage or cope with such work demands.” The varied nature and perception of stress are exemplified from literature that shows stress being either a stimulus, or a response, or a stimulus–response combination, also known as a transactional relationship between one or more individuals and the environment, leading to an initiative toward a physiological standpoint. Methods: This research opted for a correlational study which involves 85 full-time employees who were working at least 40 h per week in a large corporation participated in this study. The Personal and Organizational Quality Assessment and Perceived Stress Scale were used t...
Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 1990
An international course on the behavioral and psychophysiological effects of the physical work environment was held in Stockho lm, Sweden, in April 1988 by the Nordic Institute of Ad vanced Training in Occupat ional Health and the Swedish National Institute of Occupational Health. It dealt primarily with the behavioral and psychophysiological responses to aspects of the physical work environment and was devoted to neural and behavioral functions. The increasing interest in these functions is mainly motivated by the involvement of the central nervous system in the adver se effects induced by unfavorable environmental conditions of the workpl ace and by the need for more sensitive indica tor s than those based solely on recognized occupational disease and pathology. By describing the main aspects of the research strategies and the measurement methods used in this field of research, this paper pro vides a background for the assessment and evaluation of the early beha vioral and psychoph ysiological indices of potential occupa tional hazard s.
Heart Rate Variability and Occupational Stress: Future Directions
The aim of this systematic review was to explore studies regarding association between occupational stress and heart rate variability (HRV) during work. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Cinahl and PsycINFO for peer-reviewed articles published in English between January 2005 and September 2017. A total of 10 articles met the inclusion criteria. The included articles were analyzed in terms of study design, study population, assessment of occupational stress and HRV, and the study limitations. Among the studies there were cross-sectional (n=9) studies and one longitudinal study design. Sample size varied from 19 to 653 participants and both females and males were included. The most common assessment methods of occupational stress were the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) and the Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) questionnaire. HRV was assessed using 24 h or longer Holter ECG or HR monitoring and analyzed mostly using standard time-domain and frequency-domain parameters. The main finding was that heightened occupational stress was found associated with lowered HRV, specifically with reduced parasympathetic activation. Reduced parasympathetic activation was seen as decreases in RMSSD and HF power, and increase in LF/HF ratio. The assessment and analysis methods of occupational stress and HRV were diverse.
2019
Occupational health hazard is a very common term in every emerging country. Along with the unorganized sector, most organized sectors including government industries are suffering from this affliction. In addition to workload, the seasonal changes also have some impacts on working environment. With this focus in mind, one hundred male industrial workers, who are directly involved to the task of Periodic Overhauling (POH) in a fabricating workshop in the public domain are selected for this research work. They have been studied during work periods throughout different seasons in a year. For each and every season, the participants working heart rate (WHR) is measured and compared with the standards given by different national and internationally recognized agencies i.e., World Health Organization (WHO) and American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) etc. The different environmental parameters i.e. dry bulb temperature (DBT), wet bulb temperature (WBT), globe tempe...
The role of physical activity and heart rate variability for the control of work related stress
Frontiers in Physiology, 2014
Physical activity (PA) and exercise are often used as tools to reduce stress and therefore the risk for developing cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Meanwhile, heart rate variability (HRV) has been utilized to assess both stress and PA or exercise influences. The objective of the present review was to examine the current literature in regards to workplace stress, PA/exercise and HRV to encourage further studies. We considered original articles from known databases (PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge) over the last 10 years that examined these important factors. A total of seven studies were identified with workplace stress strongly associated with reduced HRV in workers. Longitudinal workplace PA interventions may provide a means to improve worker stress levels and potentially cardiovascular risk with mechanisms still to be clarified. Future studies are recommended to identify the impact of PA, exercise, and fitness on stress levels and HRV in workers and their subsequent influence on cardiovascular health.
Stress Management at the Worksite
Hypertension, 2007
Work stress may increase cardiovascular risk either indirectly, by inducing unhealthy life styles, or directly, by affecting the autonomic nervous system and arterial pressure. We hypothesized that, before any apparent sign of disease, work-related stress is already accompanied by alterations of RR variability profile and that a simple onsite stress management program based on cognitive restructuring and relaxation training could reduce the level of stress symptoms, revert stress-related autonomic nervous system dysregulation, and lower arterial pressure. We compared 91 white-collar workers, enrolled at a time of work downsizing (hence, in a stress condition), with 79 healthy control subjects. Psychological profiles were assessed by questionnaires and autonomic nervous system regulation by spectral analysis of RR variability. We also tested a simple onsite stress management program (cognitive restructuring and relaxation training) in a subgroup of workers compared with a sham subgro...
Psychophysiological biomarkers of workplace stressors
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 2010
Workplace stressors are associated with greater coronary heart disease risk, although there is debate over the psychophysiological consequences of work stress. This study builds on recent reviews and examines the literature linking work stress with sympatho-adrenal biomarkers (plasma catecholamines and heart rate variability) and HPA axis biomarkers-the post-morning profile of cortisol. Methods-Relevant studies using appropriate search terms were searched using the bibliographic databases PubMed, Embase, Biosys and Toxline. Four studies on plasma catecholamines, ten studies on heart rate variability, and sixteen studies on post-morning cortisol were reviewed. Results-In the majority of studies that examined the association of HRV and work stress, greater reports of work stress is associated with lower heart rate variability. The findings for plasma catecholamines and cortisol secretion are less clear cut and suffer from poorer quality of studies in general. Conclusion-There is evidence that work stress is related to elevated stress responses in terms of sympatho-adrenal and HPA axis biomarkers.