Scand J Work Environ Health

Interested to learn more about the Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health? Watch this introductory video and see how you can collaborate with the premier journal in the field of #occupationalhealth

🚨 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 & 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡: 𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞-𝐮𝐩 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 A recent Swedish registry study from Amanda Aronsson and colleagues sheds light on an alarming issue: adolescents with parents in precarious employment are at higher risk of developing mental health disorders, such as depression and anxiety. 📉💔 🔍 Adolescents with fathers in precarious jobs faced a 22% higher risk, while those with mothers in similar conditions had an 11% higher risk of mental health disorders. The impact was persistent even after adjusting for factors like parental mental health and socioeconomic conditions. The study underscores the intergenerational transmission of health disadvantages due to low-quality employment. 👨👩👧👦 ⚠️ Precarious employment is more than an individual challenge – it has far-reaching consequences for families and future generations. As precarious work becomes increasingly common worldwide, policymakers and employers must take action to mitigate its negative effects, promoting job stability, fair wages, and better work-life balance. 🌍⚖️ 💡 This study highlights the urgent need for workplace policies that protect not only workers but also their families' well-being. Read the full study 👇🏼 https://lnkd.in/d4q9Vc5w #MentalHealth #OccupationalHealth #Employment #WorkplaceWellbeing

🚨 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 Balancing work, private life, and informal caregiving can be an overwhelming challenge for many employees. A recent randomized controlled trial by Eline Vos and colleagues investigated the effectiveness of a workplace participatory approach (PA) to support working caregivers and found some insightful results! 📊f 🔑 Key Findings: The PA did not significantly reduce work-life imbalance, distress, or perceived burden of caregiving. However, the intervention did improve perceived social support from supervisors, showing positive effects at both 4 and 7 months. 👍 The study highlights the crucial role of supervisor support in helping employees navigate caregiving responsibilities while staying engaged at work. 💡With one-third of the EU's working population juggling caregiving duties, organizations need to step up in supporting their workforce. Stronger supervisor support mechanisms could be a game-changer in preventing work-life conflicts and fostering sustainable employability. 📣 Further research is needed to understand how supervisor involvement can drive long-term improvements and to tailor interventions for caregivers with varying levels of work-life balance challenges. Organizations have a unique opportunity to create a care-friendly workplace that acknowledges employees' multiple responsibilities and provides the necessary tools to thrive both at work and at home. 🏢❤️ #OccupationalHealth #WorkLifeBalance #EmployeeWellbeing Read the full study 👇🏼 https://lnkd.in/d8BusZcy

🌟 A new study by Christian Tolstrup Wester and colleagues on balancing workloads in eldercare highlights the significant link between the organization of eldercare work and workers' health. They found: 🔹 Higher workloads = more back pain. Caring for more residents daily over a 14-month period increases the risk of low-back pain—a leading cause of sick leave in eldercare. 🔹 Even workload distribution is key. Maintaining consistent and balanced workloads for workers across months can prevent periods of overload and reduce the risk of back pain. ‼️ With an aging population and growing care demands, we need sustainable organizational strategies to protect workers' health while ensuring quality care for residents. Adopting strategies like distributing residents evenly across workers and time periods could not only improve employee well-being but also enhance the quality of care delivered. Read the full study 👇 https://lnkd.in/eieeMRAA #OccupationalHealth #Eldercare

Check out this study on job insecurity’s long shadow on health by Małgorzata Mikucka, Christof Wolf and Oliver Arranz-Becker published in Scand J Work Environ Health. 🔹 Short- and long-term effects: Experiencing job insecurity leads to immediate declines in both mental and physical health. What’s alarming is the incomplete recovery—health doesn’t fully bounce back after job security is restored. 🔹 Cumulative impact: The more instances of job insecurity a person experiences, the worse the long-term health effects. These impacts accumulate over time, leaving a lasting "scar" on health trajectories. 🔹 Disproportionate effects: People with lower education levels experience more severe health impacts from job insecurity, highlighting socioeconomic disparities in workplace health risks. 🔹 Germany as a case study: Even in a well-protected labor market like Germany, where social and healthcare systems are robust, the health risks from job insecurity are significant. This suggests the potential for even greater risks in less secure systems. This study is a wake-up call for policymakers and employers. With flexible labor markets on the rise, job insecurity is becoming more common—affecting 80% of the study’s participants at least once. Addressing this issue isn’t just a matter of worker well-being; it’s a critical step toward sustainable and equitable work environments. 📘 Read more in the link below 👇 https://lnkd.in/esvDdBtB

We couldn't agree more! Great idea on the Annual Review Prize.

How can participatory workplace interventions impact long-term care workers' well-being in self-managing teams? A recent randomized controlled trial by Ceciel Heijkants and colleagues provides some answers! 🔍 Key findings: Need for recovery: No significant effect was observed between intervention and control groups over one year. Satisfaction of needs: The intervention had a positive impact on relatedness, fostering stronger team connections. While the control group reported declining relatedness over time, the intervention group showed slight improvement. No significant changes were found in autonomy or competence. 💡 In an industry where burnout and high recovery needs are prevalent, fostering team connection and collaboration is crucial. Even without addressing recovery directly, this intervention demonstrated the value of creating opportunities for workers to come together and support one another, especially post-isolation periods. 📈 Future studies should explore larger samples, focus on teams with higher recovery needs, and include process evaluations to better understand the nuances of these results. Read the full story 👇 https://lnkd.in/ejbwTNWs #WorkplaceWellbeing #Teamwork #LongTermCare #ParticipatoryApproach #HealthcareResearch #EmployeeSatisfaction

🌍 Advancing occupational health with gender-specific insights: introducing the #EuroJEM How do physical job demands affect musculoskeletal health across Europe? A research group has developed a gender-specific European job exposure matrix (EuroJEM) for assessing occupational physical workload and its links to musculoskeletal pain—pioneering tools to advance occupational health studies. 🔎 Key findings: Harmonized exposures: EuroJEM includes 5 key physical workload factors: ✔️ Heavy lifting ✔️ Faster breathing due to heavy workload ✔️ Kneeling/squatting ✔️ Forward bent posture ✔️ Working with hands above shoulder level Robust predictive power: associations between these exposures and low back, shoulder, and knee pain were observed across four European cohorts (Finland, France, Norway, and Sweden). Heavy lifting, forward bending, and faster breathing showed significant associations with low-back pain in both men and women across all cohorts Gender-specific insights: The study highlights the importance of tailored approaches, with some variations in exposure-pain links, such as knee pain for women in Finland. 💡 EuroJEM offers a semi-quantitative, standardized framework for assessing job-related physical demands across European countries. It addresses gender differences and harmonizes data for large-scale epidemiological studies, helping policymakers, employers, and researchers better understand and mitigate risks for musculoskeletal disorders. Access the study 👇 https://lnkd.in/d8DKT3uW #OccupationalHealth #WorkplaceSafety #MusculoskeletalHealth #Research #PublicHealth

🚒 Key insights into prostate cancer risk among firefighters 🔍 A recent study by Niki Marjerrison and colleagues using the Norwegian Fire Departments Cohort (N=4251) sought to unravel the relationship between prostate cancer (PC) risk and specific firefighting exposures—while addressing the potential influence of medical surveillance bias. Here are the findings: 📊Examined prostate cancer cases (1960–2021) using data from the Cancer Registry of Norway. 📊Analyzed firefighting exposure indicators (e.g., fire exposure and inhalation scores). 📊Adjusted for age and birth cohort using advanced statistical models. Key findings: 1️⃣ No strong evidence linking firefighting exposures to increased prostate cancer risk. 2️⃣ Modest increases in hazard ratios (HR = 1.31) were observed for: - Aggressive PC in the highest fire exposure tertile. - Indolent PC in the highest inhalation exposure tertile. 3️⃣ More diagnoses of indolent/unclassifiable PC were observed at younger ages after 1990—potentially due to heightened medical surveillance. 🧭 Challenges and recommendations: Exposure characterization remains complex in occupational settings like firefighting. Medical surveillance bias may contribute to the higher diagnosis rates observed in recent decades. Future studies should prioritize improved exposure assessment and investigate bias mechanisms further. 📌While the study found limited evidence of a direct association, it underscores the importance of continued research into occupational health risks faced by firefighters. Let’s keep striving for healthier and safer work environments for our first responders! 🙌 Read the full study 👇 https://lnkd.in/eayAYjrY #OccupationalHealth #ProstateCancer #Firefighters

🌟 Burnout, work-home conflict & flexible hours: the hidden costs of after-hours work Working from home offers flexibility, but a new study highlights its darker side: after-hours work. 📊 Researchers in Norway tracked 1,465 employees over two years, exploring how four types of after-hours work affect health and well-being. Here's what they found: 🕒 Long Hours: Long daily (>10 hours) and weekly (>40 hours) work is linked to burnout and work-home conflict, with employees struggling to detach. 🌙 Late-Night Work: Working past 21:00H increases work-home conflict and hampers detachment. ⏳ Quick Returns: Less than 11 hours between shifts affects burnout, especially when employees have little control over their schedules. 🧘 Work-Time Control Matters: High control helps buffer some negative effects, but it's not a cure-all. While flexibility can support family-friendly policies, overwork risks outweigh these benefits. Employers must: 1️⃣ Monitor after-hours work patterns. 2️⃣ Promote true detachment to ensure recovery. 3️⃣ Avoid policies that blur boundaries between work and home. Let’s rethink flexible work policies to make them healthier and truly family-friendly. 💡 Access the full study 👇 https://lnkd.in/edqkDGkn #OccupationalHealth