Psychosocial factors at work and subsequent depressive symptoms in the Gazel cohort.
OBJECTIVE
This study attempted to establish whether psychosocial factors at work are predictors of depressive symptoms in a prospective cohort of men and women employed in a wide variety of occupations by the French national company Electricité De France - Gaz De France (EDF-GDF).


METHODS
This prospective cohort study followed the Gazel cohort by means of annual self-administered questionnaires and independent data obtained from the medical and personnel departments of the company. The self-administered questionnaire, in 1995, provided information about the psychosocial work environment characteristics, psychological job demands, decision latitude, and social support at work. Depressive symptoms were assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale in the 1996 questionnaire. Potential confounding variables were age, marital status, and number of children, assessed in the 1995 questionnaire, stressful personal and occupational events during the previous 12 months, assessed in the 1996 questionnaire, and educational level, occupation and previous absenteeism for mental disorders, assessed from the independent data provided by EDF-GDF. The subjects were 11 552 workers (8422 men aged 46-56 years in 1995 and 3130 women aged 41-56 years) who answered the 1995 and 1996 questionnaires and were working during this period.


RESULTS
High levels of psychological demands, low levels of decision latitude, and low levels of social support at work were significant predictors of subsequent depressive symptoms in both the men and the women. These results were unchanged after adjustment for potential confounding variables.


CONCLUSIONS
The results strongly support the possibility that psychosocial factors at work are predictive of depressive symptoms.
INSERM (National Research Institute on Health and Medicine), Unit 88, Hôpital National de Saint-Maurice, France. i.niedhammer@st-maurice.inserm.fr
I
I
Niedhammer
M
M
Goldberg
A
A
Leclerc
I
I
Bugel
S
S
David
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009790:Occupations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011584:Psychology; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology