Linda L Magnusson Hanson1, Marianna Virtanen2, Naja H Rod3, Andrew Steptoe4, Jenny Head5, G D Batty5, Mika Kivimäki6, Hugo Westerlund7. 1. Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: linda.hanson@su.se. 2. Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden. 3. Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden; Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. 4. Research Department of Behavioural Science and Health, University College London, London, UK. 5. Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK. 6. Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK; Clinicum, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. 7. Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Inflammation may underlie the association between psychological stress and cardiometabolic diseases, but this proposition has not been tested longitudinally. We investigated whether the circulating inflammatory markers interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) mediate the relationship between psychosocial work characteristics and diabetes. METHODS: We used three phases of data at 5 years intervals from the Whitehall II cohort study, originally recruiting 10,308 civil service employees aged 35-55 years. The data included repeat self-reports of job demands, control and social support, IL-6 from plasma samples, CRP from serum samples, and diabetes, ascertained through oral glucose tolerance test, medications, and self-reports of doctor-diagnosed diabetes. RESULTS: Structural equation models with age, sex and occupational position considering men and women combined, showed that low social support at work, but not high job demands or low job control, was prospectively associated with diabetes (standardized ß = 0.05, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.01-0.09) and higher levels of IL-6 (ß = 0.03, CI 0.00-0.06). The inflammatory markers and diabetes were bidirectionally associated over time. A mediation model including workplace social support, IL-6 and diabetes further showed that 10% of the association between social support and diabetes over the three repeat examinations (total effect ß = 0.08, CI 0.01-0.15) was attributable to a weak indirect effect through IL-6 (ß = 0.01, CI 0.00-0.02). A similar indirect effect was observed for CRP in men only, while job control was prospectively associated with IL-6 among women. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates an association between poor workplace support and diabetes that is partially ascribed to an inflammatory response.
OBJECTIVE: Inflammation may underlie the association between psychological stress and cardiometabolic diseases, but this proposition has not been tested longitudinally. We investigated whether the circulating inflammatory markers interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) mediate the relationship between psychosocial work characteristics and diabetes. METHODS: We used three phases of data at 5 years intervals from the Whitehall II cohort study, originally recruiting 10,308 civil service employees aged 35-55 years. The data included repeat self-reports of job demands, control and social support, IL-6 from plasma samples, CRP from serum samples, and diabetes, ascertained through oral glucose tolerance test, medications, and self-reports of doctor-diagnosed diabetes. RESULTS: Structural equation models with age, sex and occupational position considering men and women combined, showed that low social support at work, but not high job demands or low job control, was prospectively associated with diabetes (standardized ß = 0.05, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.01-0.09) and higher levels of IL-6 (ß = 0.03, CI 0.00-0.06). The inflammatory markers and diabetes were bidirectionally associated over time. A mediation model including workplace social support, IL-6 and diabetes further showed that 10% of the association between social support and diabetes over the three repeat examinations (total effect ß = 0.08, CI 0.01-0.15) was attributable to a weak indirect effect through IL-6 (ß = 0.01, CI 0.00-0.02). A similar indirect effect was observed for CRP in men only, while job control was prospectively associated with IL-6 among women. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates an association between poor workplace support and diabetes that is partially ascribed to an inflammatory response.
Authors: Tianwei Xu; Alice J Clark; Jaana Pentti; Reiner Rugulies; Theis Lange; Jussi Vahtera; Linda L Magnusson Hanson; Hugo Westerlund; Mika Kivimäki; Naja H Rod Journal: Diabetes Care Date: 2022-01-01 Impact factor: 19.112
Authors: Helena C Kaltenegger; Linda Becker; Nicolas Rohleder; Dennis Nowak; Matthias Weigl Journal: Scand J Work Environ Health Date: 2021-09-15 Impact factor: 5.492
Authors: Helena C Kaltenegger; Matthias Weigl; Linda Becker; Nicolas Rohleder; Dennis Nowak; Caroline Quartucci Journal: PLoS One Date: 2022-09-15 Impact factor: 3.752