Bad Bosses Are Hard on the Heart

TUESDAY, Nov. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Burdeed !y a over!ear"# !oss$ Your heart %ay &ay the
&r"'e, a''ord"# to ew resear'h.
The Swed"sh study (oud that wor)ers* r"s)s (or a#"a, heart atta') ad death rose alo# w"th the
re&orted "'o%&ete'e o( the"r !osses.
+Th"s study "s the ("rst to &rov"de ev"de'e o( a &ros&e't"ve, dose-res&ose relat"osh"& !etwee
'o'rete %aa#er"al !ehav"ors ad o!,e't"vely assessed heart d"sease a%o# e%&loyees,+ sa"d lead
resear'her Aa Ny!er#, (ro% the de&art%et o( &u!l"' health s'"e'es at the -arol"s)a .st"tute, ad
Stress /esear'h .st"tute at Sto')hol% U"vers"ty.
+Eha'"# %aa#ers* s)"lls -- re#ard"# &rov"d"# e%&loyees w"th "(or%at"o, su&&ort, &ower "
relat"o to res&os"!"l"t"es, 'lar"ty " e0&e'tat"os, ad (eed!a') -- 'ould have "%&ortat stress-redu'"#
e((e'ts o e%&loyees ad eha'e the health at wor)&la'es,+ Ny!er# sa"d.
The re&ort was &u!l"shed " the Nov. 25 ol"e ed"t"o o( Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
A''ord"# to the resear'hers, !e"# a #ood !oss "'ludes 'os"derat"o (or e%&loyees, sett"# 'lear
#oals, sett"# real"st"' e0&e'tat"os, 'o%%u"'at"# ad #"v"# (eed!a'), %aa#"# 'ha#e, "'lud"#
&eo&le " de'"s"o-%a)"# ad dele#at"# author"ty.
1or the study, Ny!er#*s tea% 'olle'ted data o %ore tha 2,344 Swed"sh %e who &art"'"&ated " the
5or), 6"&"ds, ad 1"!r"o#e Sto')hol% study. The %e, 37 to 84 years o( a#e, had the"r hearts
'he')ed at wor) !etwee 3772 ad 3775. The resear'hers the %at'hed these %e w"th hos&"tal
re'ords (or heart d"sease "lless ad death u& to 2442.
Dur"# the (ollow-u& &er"od, there were 89 'ases o( (atal ad o(atal heart atta')s or a#"a or death
(ro% heart d"sease, the resear'hers (oud.
Ny!er#*s #rou& (oud that the %ore 'o%&etet the %e thou#ht the"r !osses were, the lower the"r r"s) o(
develo&"# heart d"sease. . 'otrast, the &oorer %e rated the"r !oss*s leadersh"& a!"l"ty, the h"#her the
r"s) (or heart d"sease. . (a't, the r"s) "'reased the lo#er so%eoe wor)ed " the sa%e stress(ul
ev"ro%et.
+Stress-related d"seases are a lar#e &ro!le% " our so'"ety,+ Ny!er# sa"d. +The wor)&la'e "s oe area "
wh"'h stress o''urs ad thus 'a !e redu'ed. Th"s study su##ests that %aa#ers have )ey roles "
deter%""# stress-related (a'tors at wor), wh"'h %eas that &sy'hoso'"al wor) ev"ro%et
"tervet"os 'ould !e d"re'ted towards %aa#ers " order to redu'e stress " e%&loyees,+ she sa"d.
Dr. :re## ;. 1oarow "s a &ro(essor o( 'ard"olo#y at the U"vers"ty o( ;al"(or"a, 6os A#eles. He sa"d a
u%!er o( stud"es have su##ested that stress(ul wor) ev"ro%ets !oost wor)ers* r"s) (or
'ard"ovas'ular evets.
+However, oe o( these stud"es have de%ostrated 'ausal"ty, ad "t re%a"s et"rely u)ow whether
%a)"# these ty&es o( 'ha#es " the wor)&la'e would &rodu'e (avora!le e((e'ts o 'ard"ovas'ular
health,+ 1oarow sa"d.
A related re&ort -- th"s t"%e " the Nov. 25 ol"e ed"t"o o( the Journal of Epidemiology and Community
Health -- ("ds that ta)"# s"') leave (ro% your ,o! (or %etal health ra"ses your r"s) o( a early death.
+<eo&le who ta)e %ed"'ally 'ert"("ed a!se'e s&ells o( oe wee) or %ore have a =4 &er'et e0'ess r"s)
o( early death,+ sa"d lead resear'her >ae 1err"e, (ro% the De&art%et o( E&"de%"olo#y ad <u!l"'
Health at U"vers"ty ;olle#e 6odo, U.-. +Th"s e0'ess r"s) "s asso'"ated w"th so%e o( the 'o%%oest
d"a#oses (or s"')ess a!se'e, " &art"'ular %etal d"sorders,+ she sa"d.
1or the study, 1err"e*s #rou& 'olle'ted data o %ore tha 37,444 1re'h &u!l"' ut"l"ty wor)ers, a#ed 28
to 53, who too) &art " the :A?E6 study.
The resear'hers (oud that (ro% 3772 to 2448, 742 &eo&le d"ed, 399 o( the% wo%e. 1ro% 3774 to
3772, there were a!out 32,544 %ed"'ally 'ert"("ed s"') leaves last"# seve or %ore wor)"# days,
"volv"# 93 &er'et o( the e%&loyees. These e%&loyees were =4 &er'et %ore l")ely to d"e early, 1err"e
oted.
5o%e too) s"') leave %ore (re@uetly tha %e. The data showed that, (or !oth %e ad wo%e,
%etal "ll health ad d"#est"ve ad '"r'ulatory d"seases " %e were asso'"ated w"th the r"s) o( dy"#
early.
+5or)ers w"th %ed"'ally 'ert"("ed a!se'e (or %etal d"a#oses should !e 'os"dered a &o&ulat"o at a
h"#her r"s) o( (atal d"sease,+ 1err"e 'o'luded. +These d"a#oses "'lude %etal health &ro!le%s, o(te
v"ewed as the d"a#os"s %ost l")ely to !e used as a e0'use (or s)"v"#.+
But Dr. Dav"d 6. -atA, d"re'tor o( the <revet"o /esear'h ;eter at Yale U"vers"ty S'hool o( Bed"'"e
oted a#a" that th"s resear'h d"d ot &rove 'ausal"ty.
+.t %ay !e that wor)ers who are "ll are less a&t to !e sat"s("ed,+ -atA sa"d. +But "t "s ot ureasoa!le that
d"ssat"s(a't"o at wor) 'ould traslate "to #reat r"s) (or "ll health, ad eve &re%ature death,+ he sa"d.
.t stads to reaso that how we "tera't w"th others " the wor)&la'e "s "%&ortat to our health ad
@ual"ty o( l"(e, -atA sa"d. +:"ve how %u'h t"%e we s&ed at wor), relat"osh"&s there 'learly 'out.
.tervet"o stud"es that a"% to o&t"%"Ae the "tera't"o !etwee e%&loyee ad %aa#er ad test (or
health out'o%es would 'learly %a)e sese,+ he sa"d.
More information
1or %ore o wor) stress, v"s"t the U.S. ;eters (or D"sease ;otrol ad <revet"o .
SCU/;ESD Aa Ny!er#, de&art%et o( &u!l"' health s'"e'es, -arol"s)a .st"tute, ad Stress
/esear'h .st"tute, Sto')hol% U"vers"ty, SwedeE >ae 1err"e, <h.D., De&art%et o( E&"de%"olo#y ad
<u!l"' Health, U"vers"ty ;olle#e 6odo, U.-.E :re## ;. 1oarow, B.D., &ro(essor, 'ard"olo#y,
U"vers"ty o( ;al"(or"a, 6os A#elesE Dav"d 6. -atA, B.D., B.<.H., d"re'tor, <revet"o /esear'h ;eter,
Yale U"vers"ty S'hool o( Bed"'"e, New Have, ;o.E Nov. 25, 244F, ol"e ed"t"o, Occupational and
Environmental MedicineE Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
Online Medical Reviewer: Sylv"a Byrd, /N, BSN, BBA
Online Medical Reviewer: Da&he <"er'e-S%"th, /N, BSN, 1N<, ;;/;
Last Annual Review Date: 33G25G244F
<r"ted (ro% S"erra Nevada Be%or"al Hos&"tal
http://sierranevada.staywellsolutionsonline.com/Relatedtems/!"!#$!%&