Biological correlates of social support and pressure at work in managers |
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Authors: | P Bernin MD T Theorell MDPhD C G Sandberg MD |
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Institution: | (1) IPM National Institute for Psychosocial Factors and Health, Box 230, S-17177 Stockholm, Sweden;(2) IPM National Institute for Psychosocial Factors and Health, Box 230, S-17177 Stockholm, Sweden;(3) Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Box 230, S-17177 Stockholm, Sweden;(4) Institute of International Health, Michigan State University, B 301 West Fee Hall, 48824-1315 East Lansing, MI, USA |
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Abstract: | The aim was to explore the patterns of correlations between psychosocial stress indices and neuroendocrinological factors
in managers. Fifty-eight male managers in three Swedish companies constituted the sample. They answered two questionnaires
with 17 selected stress indices and also an organizational test. The indices have been analyzed by means of computations of
age adjusted partial correlations with nine different variables analyzed in fasting blood samples. The serum concentrations
of lipids were the variables most strongly correlated with psychosocial factors. Neither smoking nor physical activity changed
the correlations significantly. Good social support at work and in private life was consistently associated with low adverse
serum lipids and corresponding lipoproteins. On the other hand, some indices of social support were associated with indices
of high arousal levels. This may indicate a possible psychophysiological “load effect” of some aspects of social support in
managers. The analyses of corporate culture measured as “Rules of the Game” indicated that “bureaucracy” was significantly
associated with high LDL-cholesterol and low HDL-cholesterol. Managers have special conditions and therefore the patterns
of associations between psychosocial conditions and coping strategies on one hand and endocrine-biochemical state on the other
hand may be different, from those of other groups. To what extent such differences are due to individual characteristics or
environmental factors needs to be further investigated. According to the results, however, good social support is in general
health promoting also to managers, at least with regard to serum lipids. Bureaucracy, on the other hand, seems to be dangerous
to the health of managers. |
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Keywords: | lipids cortisol fibrinogen network corporate culture stress male managers |
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