Trends of psychosocial work stressors in Europe: the influence of social and labour market policies.

• Applicant: Dr. Thorsten Lunau
• Subject Area: Empirical Social Research
• Term: from 2018 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 392132829

There is solid evidence that psychosocial work stressors are related to poor health and contribute to health inequalities among the working population. It is, therefore, of interest to know if and to what extent psychosocial work stressors increased in recent years. Albeit the literature and the public debate generally assume that there is an increase, it is surprising that only few studies have investigated this topic. Especially, systematic trend analyses for Germany are missing and findings from other countries may not be transferred easily. Also, the few existing studies have important methodological limitations, as they often base their analyses on two waves only, preventing to draw any far reaching conclusions. In addition, it is unclear if specific occupational groups are more affected by changes in psychosocial work stressors than others, and finally, if trends differ between European countries with different political circumstances. The aim of this research project, therefore, is to address the three following research questions: (1) Did psychosocial work stressors change since 2000 in Germany and other European countries, and if so, in what direction? (2) Were specific occupational groups more affected by changes than others? (3) Do changes in psychosocial work stressors differ by countries with varying social and labour market policies? To answer these research questions we will use data from the German BIBB/BAuA Erwerbstätigenbefragung and the European Working Conditions Survey which covers 27 European countries. Both studies contain information on several psychosocial work stressors including psychological demands, low job control, low rewards, social conflicts and precarious work contracts. To measure national social and labour market policies we use existing indicators provided from official sources (e. g. investments in active labour market policy; OECD). As a consequence the data is well suited to answer our research questions. To analyse the data we will primarily use multilevel models.Results of our project will be instrumental, first, as they will help to identify national policies affecting changes in psychosocial work stressors, and second, because we will be able to evaluate if some occupational groups are more affected by changes in work stress than others. The latter will also help to identify promising entry-points of policy regulations to reduce health inequalities.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Ireland, Norway
• Co-Investigators: Professor Dr. Nico Dragano; Privatdozent Dr. Morten Wahrendorf
• Cooperation Partners: Agnes Parent-Thirion; Kjetil van der Wel