Organisational injustice and impaired cardiovascular regulation among female employees.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the relation between perceived organisational justice and cardiovascular reactivity in women.


METHODS
The participants were 57 women working in long term care homes. Heart rate variability and systolic arterial pressure variability were used as markers of autonomic function. Organisational justice was measured using the scale of Moorman. Data on other risk factors were also collected.


RESULTS
Results from logistic regression models showed that the risk for increased low frequency band systolic arterial pressure variability was 3.8-5.8 times higher in employees with low justice than in employees with high justice. Low perceived justice was also related to an 80% excess risk of reduced high frequency heart rate variability compared to high perceived justice, but this association was not statistically significant.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that cardiac dysregulation is one stress mechanism through which a low perceived justice of decision making procedures and interpersonal treatment increases the risk of health problems in personnel.
Elovainio
M
M
National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health, PO Box 220, FIN-00531 Helsinki, Finland. marko.elovainio@stakes.fi
Kivimäki
M
M
Puttonen
S
S
Lindholm
H
H
Pohjonen
T
T
Sinervo
T
T
D000328:Adult; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002319:Cardiovascular System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology; D006339:Heart Rate; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D015279:Organizational Culture; D012935:Social Justice; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology