A new study has found a strong link between workplace stress and the development of atrial fibrillation, also known as AFib, a serious heart condition that can lead to heart disease and strokes. Job strain is defined as suffering from demands including a heavy workload, tight deadlines, and little control over job duties. Effort-reward imbalance refers to employees perceiving the work they perform as not adequately rewarded by pay, job security, or recognition.
The people who reported that they suffered from job strain were 83 percent more likely to develop AFib than those who did not, according to the study results. Also, workers who said they experienced effort-reward imbalance were 44 percent more likely to contract AFib. Employees who complained of both forms of stress had a 97 percent higher rate of AFib than those who did not complain of workplace stress.
The study was conducted by researchers from the Hospital Research Center of Québec‐Université Laval Research, Québec City, Canada. “Workers are in a state of harmful imbalance when high efforts come with low reward and thus more susceptible to health problems,” the researchers wrote. AFib is the most common type of arrhythmia, an abnormal heartbeat in time or force.
It affects about 3 to 6 million Americans each year, with about 450,000 hospitalizations. In that previous study, which included 2,156 participants, Trudel’s research team successfully reduced workplace stressors by implementing strategies suc.