Family system and work environment predictors of employee health risk: A discriminant function analysis

Abstract

Intuitive reasoning linking family functioning and the work environment to the health status of employees, remains in need of confirmatory evidence. This study focuses on the health risk status of 117 women and 39 men who completed the Healthier People Health Risk Appraisal Inventory, received a physical examination, and completed questionnaires on family functioning and the work environment. A discriminant analysis comparing resilient (low health risk) with vulnerable (high health risk) subjects revealed for female employees, six family and eight work factors in predicting health risk with 86.3% accuracy; for male employees six family and four work factors predicted health risk with 87.2% accuracy. Implications for theory, intervention, and research are discussed.