Gender diffierences in effect of psychosocial work environment on health functioning in Chinese urban occupational population

Objective To examine the association between work stress measured by Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire(COPSOQ)and health functioning in Chinese working men and women,and to analyze the gender difference.Methods A survey was conducted in a sample of 2178 subjects with 1133 men and 1045 women aged 30～65 years,chosen randomly from the central area of a city.The covariance was applied to compare the scores of 5 COPSOQ scales(demands at work,influence and development,interpersonal relations and leadership,insecurity at work,and job satisfaction)and health functioning between men and women.Then the logistic regression was used to investigate the association between each scale of work stress and health functioning by gender.Results The scales of demands at work,influence and development,interpersonal relations and leadership,physical health and mental health were different significantly btween men and women(P<0.05 or P <0.01)and the women's average scores were lower than those of the men.The restults of the logistic regression indicated physical health was related to demands at work,insecurity at work,job satisfaction in men,and to demands at work,insecurity at work in women,respectively.Whereas mental health was associated with demands at work,interpersonal relationship and leadership,insecurity at work in men,and with demands at work,influence and development,insecurity at work in women,respectively(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Dose-response relationships could be observed in both men and women.Conclusion The psychosocial factors in workplace had negative effects on health functioning,and the health of working women was more vulnerable to work stress than men.