Does workplace social capital buffer the effects of job stress? A cross-sectional, multilevel analysis of cigarette smoking among U.S. manufacturing workers.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether workplace social capital buffers the association between job stress and smoking status.


METHODS
As part of the Harvard Cancer Prevention Project's Healthy Directions--Small Business Study, interviewer-administered questionnaires were completed by 1740 workers and 288 managers in 26 manufacturing firms (84% and 85% response). Social capital was assessed by multiple items measured at the individual level among workers and contextual level among managers. Job stress was operationalized by the demand-control model. Multilevel logistic regression was used to estimate associations between job stressors and smoking and test for effect modification by social capital measures.


RESULTS
Workplace social capital (both summary measures) buffered associations between high job demands and smoking. One compositional item--worker trust in managers--buffered associations between job strain and smoking.


CONCLUSIONS
Workplace social capital may modify the effects of psychosocial working conditions on health behaviors.
Sapp
Amy L
AL
Department of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115-6096, USA. asapp@post.harvard.edu
Kawachi
Ichiro
I
Sorensen
Glorian
G
LaMontagne
Anthony D
AD
Subramanian
S V
SV
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055361:Multilevel Analysis; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult