title: Contribution of psychological, social, and mechanical work exposures to low work ability: a prospective study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the contribution of specific psychological, social, and mechanical work exposures to the self-reported low level of work ability.
  
  
  METHODS
  Employees from 48 organizations were surveyed over a 2-year period (n = 3779). Changes in 16 work exposures and 3 work ability measures-the work ability index score, perceived current, and future work ability-were tested with Spearman rank correlations. Binary logistic regressions were run to determine contribution of work exposures to low work ability.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Role conflict, human resource primacy, and positive challenge were the most consistent predictors of low work ability across test designs. Role clarity and fair leadership were less consistent but prominent predictors. Mechanical exposures were not predictive.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To protect employee work ability, work place interventions would benefit from focusing on reducing role conflicts and on promoting positive challenges and human resource primacy.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Work Psychology and Physiology (Mr Emberland and Dr Knardahl), National Institute of Occupational Health; and Faculty of Medicine (Mr Emberland), University of Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Jan S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Emberland
authors.forename: Stein
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Knardahl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004526:Efficiency; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016526:Workload