HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS REGISTER		Author Keyword(s) Vol Page [Advanced]

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this link to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Add article to my folders Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by van Amelsvoort, L G P M Articles by Swaen, G M H Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by van Amelsvoort, L G P M Articles by Swaen, G M H

Need for recovery after work and the subsequent risk of cardiovascular disease in a working population

Department of Epidemiology, Maastricht University, Netherlands

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr Ir LGPM van Amelsvoort, Department of Epidemiology, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, Netherlands;
lgpm.vanamelsvoort{at}epid.unimaas.nl

Background: A high need for recovery after work can be regarded as a short term adverse effect of working day stressors and the person’s inability to cope and recover. Consequently, it might be an intermediate factor between job stressors and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Aim: To investigate, in a longitudinal study, the relation between need for recovery and subsequent CVD.

Methods: Data from the Maastricht Cohort Study of 12 140 workers were used, with 42 incident self reported CVD cases during 32 months of follow up. Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to calculate age, gender, smoking status, and educational level adjusted relative risks.

Results: The adjusted relative CVD risk for the second compared to the first tertile of the need for recovery score was 1.22 (95% CI: 0.49 to 3.04), and for the third compared to the first tertile was 3.16 (95% CI: 1.34 to 7.48). When need for recovery was entered as continuous score, an adjusted relative risk per SD increase of 1.54 (95% CI: 1.15 to 2.03) was found. Additional adjustment for several work related factors as job demands, did not notably change the observed relation between need for recovery and CVD. Moreover, the increased risk for subjects reporting high job demands (1.38 per SD increase; 95% CI: 1.02 to 3.92) decreased substantially after adjustment for need for recovery.

Conclusion: The results show that need for recovery is a strong predictor of subsequent cardiovascular disease and might be an intermediate factor between job stressors and cardiovascular disease.

Keywords: cardiovascular disease; need for recovery; job stress; fatigue

Abbreviations: CVD, cardiovascular disease; GHQ, General Health Questionnaire; JCQ, Job Content Questionnaire; RR, relative risk

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. Kivimaki, P. Leino-Arjas, L. Kaila-Kangas, R. Luukkonen, J. Vahtera, M. Elovainio, M. Harma, and J. Kirjonen Is Incomplete Recovery From Work a Risk Marker of Cardiovascular Death? Prospective Evidence From Industrial Employees Psychosom Med, May 1, 2006; 68(3): 402 - 407. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E M de Croon, J K Sluiter, and M H W Frings-Dresen Psychometric properties of the Need for Recovery after work scale: test-retest reliability and sensitivity to detect change. Occup. Environ. Med., March 1, 2006; 63(3): 202 - 206. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Kivimaki, J. Head, J. E. Ferrie, H. Hemingway, M. J. Shipley, J. Vahtera, and M. G. Marmot Working While Ill as a Risk Factor for Serious Coronary Events: The Whitehall II Study Am J Public Health, January 1, 2005; 95(1): 98 - 102. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F J H van Dijk and G M H Swaen Fatigue at work Occup. Environ. Med., June 1, 2003; 60 (2008): i1 - i2. [Full Text] [PDF]