Positive Work Environment May Prolong Life

People who have a good peer support system at work may live longer than people who don’t have such a support system, and this effect of peer social support on the risk of mortality was most pronounced among those between the ages of 38 and 43 years. Arie Shirom, from Tel Aviv University (Israel), and colleagues reviewed the medical records of 820 adults who were followed for 20 years, from 1988 to 2008. The workers came from some of Israel’s largest firms in finance, insurance, public utilities, health care and manufacturing, reported working on average 8.8 hours a day, who had been referred to an HMO’s screening center in Israel for routine examinations. The researchers controlled for confounding health factors, and obtained data on the control variables from each person’s periodic health examinations, including tests of physiological risk factors and a questionnaire completed during the examinations by all participants.  In addition, participants were administered another questionnaire that measured job demands, control at work and peer and supervisor support. The researchers rated peer social support as being high if participants reported that their co-workers were helpful in solving problems and that they were friendly. Control and decision authority were rated high if participants said they were able to use their initiative and had opportunities to decide how best to use their skills, and were free to make decisions on how to accomplish the tasks assigned to them and what to do in their jobs. The team reported that “the risk of mortality was significantly lower for those reporting high levels of peer social support,” explaining that: “Peer social support is a protective factor, reducing the risk of mortality.”