Psychosocial work environment, hearing impairment and health.

This article summarizes results from a study of hearing-impaired men and women in the labour force in Sweden. A questionnaire about psychosocial work environment (in accordance with the Demand-Control Model), health and wellbeing was sent out and answered by 445 hearing-impaired people, 20-64 years of age. A large reference group had previously answered the same questionnaire. The results indicate that imbalances between demand and control (i.e. high demand and low control, so-called high stress work type) is more common among hearing-impaired people than in the reference group. The outcome of the combination high demand and low control among hearing-impaired people is (much) worse than among hearing-impaired people with other work types (passive. active, low stress). Hearing-impaired people with the high-stress work type more frequently report bad physical health status and psychological wellbeing regarding a number of indicators There is, moreover, a tendency for women to be worse off than men. Our data suggest that those involved in audiological rehabilitation should pay great attention to hearing-impaired people with jobs that can be characterized as high stress.