Gesundheitswesen 2016; 78 - A48
DOI: 10.1055/s-0036-1586558

Associations between work stress and suicidal ideation: pooled findings from six cross-sectional studies

A Loerbroks 1, 2, SI Cho 3, M Dollard 4, J Zou 5, JE Fischer 2, Y Jiang 6, P Angerer 7, R Herr 1, 2, J Li 1
  • 1Institute of Occupational and Social Medicine, Centre for Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf
  • 2Mannheim Institute of Public Health, Social and Preventive Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim
  • 3Graduate School of Public Health and Institute of Health and Environment, Seoul National University, Seoul
  • 4Asia Pacific Centre for Work Health and Safety, School of Psychology, Social Work and Social Policy, University of South Australia, Adelaide
  • 5Shandong Academy for Occupational Health & Occupational Medicine, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan
  • 6School of Nursing, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi
  • 7Institute of Occupational and Social Medicine, Centre for Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf

Purpose: There is epidemiological evidence to suggest that work stress is associated with suicidal ideation (SI). However, only few studies in this field have drawn on well-established theoretical work stress models (i.e., the job-demand-control [JDC] model, the effort-reward-imbalance [ERI] model, and the model of organizational injustice [OJ]). Utilization of such models allows though for theory-based assessments and workplace interventions. Since evidence on those models' relationship with suicide-related outcomes is currently inconclusive (JDC), markedly sparse (OJ) or lacking (ERI), we aimed to provide additional or initial evidence.

Methods: We drew on data from six cross-sectional studies, which were conducted in four countries (i.e., South Korea, China, Australia, and Germany). Work stress was measured by established questionnaires and was categorized into tertiles. In each study, SI was assessed by either one or two items taken from validated scales. Associations of work stress with SI were estimated for each study and were pooled across studies using multivariate random-effects logistic modelling.

Results: In the pooled analyses (n = 12,422) all three work stress models were significantly associated with SI with odds ratios mostly ranging between 2 and 3. Patterns of associations were largely consistent across the individual studies.

Conclusions: Our study provides robust evidence of a positive association between work stress and SI. Workplace interventions to reduce work stress, as conceptualized by theory-based models, may contribute to the prevention of SI provided that our observations are confirmed by longitudinal studies.