Exhaustion, psychological stressors in the work environment, and acute myocardial infarction in adult men

• Published in: Journal of psychosomatic research Vol. 36; no. 8; pp. 777 - 786
• Main Authors: Falger, Paul R.J., Schouten, Erik G.W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 01.12.1992; New York, NY Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Cardiology. Vascular system; Career Mobility; Case-Control Studies; Coronary heart disease; Fatigue - psychology; Heart; Humans; Job Satisfaction; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Myocardial Infarction - psychology; Occupational Diseases - psychology; Personality Inventory; Risk Factors; Sick Role; Social Environment; Stress, Psychological - complications; Workload - psychology; Human; Infarct; Tobacco smoking; Cardiovascular disease; Male; Coronary heart disease; Stress; Occupational burnout; Occupational environment; Environment personality relation; Risk factor; Myocardium; Adult; Antecedent
• ISSN: 0022-3999; 1879-1360
• DOI: 10.1016/0022-3999(92)90136-P

In a case-control study in adult men from The Netherlands, the associations of work stressors with both exhaustion prior to first acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and with first AMI itself were explored. The 133 AMI-cases reported more exhaustion, work stressors, and smoking than the controls (i.e. 133 neighborhood controls and 192 hospital controls). After controlling for smoking, exhaustion constituted a firm risk indicator for first AMI; it was also positively associated with work stressors, in particular conflicts at work. Work stressors that may disrupt one's occupational career, and increased responsibility (in younger AMI-cases), were directly associated with elevated risk for the first AMI. Conflicts at work were conductive to first AMI through their associations with exhaustion.