title: Work and home stress: associations with anxiety and depression symptoms.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In the evolving work environment of global competition, the associations between work and home stress and psychological well-being are not well understood.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the impact of psychosocial stress at work and at home on anxiety and depression.
  
  
  METHODS
  In medically healthy employed men and women (aged 30-60), serial regression analyses were used to determine the independent association of psychosocial stress at work and at home with depression symptoms, measured using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), and anxiety symptoms, measured using the Spielberger Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Psychosocial stress at work was measured using the Job Content Questionnaire to assess job psychological demands, job control, job social support and job insecurity. Psychosocial stress at home was assessed by 12 questions including stress at home, personal problems, family demands and feelings about home life.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serial regression analyses in 129 subjects revealed that job insecurity and home stress were most strongly associated with depression and anxiety symptoms. Job insecurity accounted for 9% of the variation both in BDI-II scores and in STAI scores. Home stress accounted for 13 and 17% of the variation in BDI-II scores and STAI scores, respectively. In addition, job social support was significantly and independently associated with STAI scores but not BDI-II scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Work and home stress were associated with anxiety and depression symptoms in both men and women. Both work and home stress should be considered in studies evaluating anxiety and depression in working populations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Kunming Medical University, Cheng Gong New City, Kunming, Yunnan 650500, P.R. China.
authors.forename: L-B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Blumenthal
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Watkins
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA, sherw002@mc.duke.edu.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sherwood
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D016272:Occupational Health; D012931:Social Environment; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Anxiety; depression; job stress; psychosocial stress.