BACKGROUND Psychosocial work characteristics may predict cognitive functioning after retirement. However, little research has explored specific cognitive domains associated with psychosocial work environments. Our study tested whether exposure to job demands, job control and their combination during working life predicted post-retirement performance on eight cognitive tests. METHODS We used d...

OBJECTIVES To examine the association between job strain (defined in the model of job demands and job control) and social support at the workplace with levels of glycosylated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) METHODS All male employees aged 40-60 in a manufacturing firm, Japan, were invited to take part in the study. A blood sample was taken from the participants and HbA1c (%) was measured. Job strain ...

Related factors of low back pain (LBP) among school personnel were investigated. We designed a cross-sectional study employing questionnaires, which included a Japanese version of the Job Content Questionnaire. Subjects consisted of 3306 male and 3184 female school personnel in all public schools and kindergartens operated by Nagoya City, Japan. Prevalence of LBP in each work category was compa...

BACKGROUND Job crafting, an employee-initiated job design/redesign, has become important for employees' well-being. However, most studies on the relationship between job crafting and employees' well-being have been conducted in western countries; thus, it is unclear whether job crafting can be effectively applied to Asian cultures, such as Japan, which emphasizes group harmony. The aim of this ...

OBJECTIVE The present study examined the buffering effect of social support in the workplace on job strain and depressive symptoms by conducting a cross-sectional survey using a self-report. METHODS The subjects were 712 employees (male, over 40 yr old) who worked at a precision machine factory. The questionnaire determined the subjects, ages, types of occupation, scores of depressive symptom...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this research was to develop and test the psychometric properties of the Thai version of the Work Ability Index (WAI). METHODS Forward translation and back-translation of the WAI were performed by seven bilingual professionals to ensure that the Thai WAI was culturally relevant and conceptually accurate. To ensure generalizability of the Thai WAI, a sample of 2,744 Th...