![Sample our Social Sciences journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/110822/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Social-Sciences.jpg"})
ABSTRACT
Psychosocial working conditions have been linked to mental health outcomes, but their association with well-being is poorly studied. We aimed to investigate the association between psychosocial working conditions and well-being before retirement, and to explore the role of gender and leisure activities in the association. From the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen, 598 community dwellers aged 60–65 years were included in the cross-sectional study. Lifelong occupational history was obtained through an interview. Job demands and job control in the longest-held occupation were graded with job exposure matrices. Psychosocial working conditions were classified into high strain (high demands, low control), low strain (low demands, high control), passive job (low demands, low control), and active job (high demands, high control). Well-being was assessed with the 10-item version of positive and negative affect schedule, and scored using confirmatory factor analysis. Engagement in leisure activities was categorized as low, moderate, and high. Data were analyzed using linear regression. Both high job control and high job demands were dose-dependently associated with higher well-being. Overall, compared to active jobs, passive jobs were associated with lower well-being (β −0.19, 95% CI −0.35 to −0.02, P = 0.028). Passive (β −0.28, 95% CI −0.51 to −0.04, P = 0.020) and high strain (β −0.31, 95% CI −0.52 to −0.10, P = 0.004) jobs were associated with lower well-being in men, but not in women. The association between passive jobs and well-being was attenuated by high leisure activities, while the association between high strain and well-being was magnified by low leisure activities. In conclusion, negative psychosocial working conditions are associated with poor well-being, especially in men. Leisure activities may modulate the association. Our study highlights that promoting favorable working conditions can be a target to improve well-being among employees and active participation in leisure activities is encouraged to cope with work-related stress for better well-being.
Acknowledgments
We thank the SNAC-K participants and the SNAC-K Group for their collaboration in data collection and management.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Author contribution
KP contributed to the conception and design of the study. YZ and WY contributed to drafting of the manuscript. YZ did the analyses with support from WY. WX obtained funding. KP and WX were responsible for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. All authors contributed to interpretation of data, critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content, and final approval of the version to be published. All authors had full access to the data in the study and had final responsibility for the decision to submit for publication. YZ and WY contributed equally as first authors.
Data availability statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Role of the funder/sponsor
The funding source had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication.