title: Work and life stressors and psychological distress in the Canadian working population: a structural equation modelling approach to analysis of the 1994 National Population Health Survey.
abstract: Work stressors are increasingly recognized as potentially important determinants of mental health status. We examined such relationships using a structural equation modelling approach with data on adult, working Canadians who participated in the first wave of the National Population Health Survey (NPHS). Work stressors formed a composite construct with paths from psychological demands, decision latitude, work social support and job insecurity, each measured through a reduced version of the Job Content Questionnaire. Life stressors also formed a composite construct composed of chronic stressors and recent life events. Psychological distress was the outcome, mediated by the latent effect constructs of mastery and self-esteem. Work stressors had consistently positive total effects on distress (sum of standardized path coefficients from 0.004 to 0.153 across gender-occupation strata), with all of these effects mediated through reduced self-esteem and mastery (work stressors to these mediators: -0.188 to -0.413). Life stressors had larger positive total effects on distress (0.462 to 0.536), with the majority of these effects direct.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Work Health, 481 University Avenue, Ste 800, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 2E9. dcole@iwh.on.ca
authors.forename: Donald C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Cole
authors.forename: Selahadin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
authors.forename: Harry S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Shannon
authors.forename: Fran E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Eyles
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009790:Occupations; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology*