Examining gender differentials in the association of low control work with cognitive performance in older workers

Abstract

Background Limited workplace control, an important dimension of job strain, can reduce occupational opportunities for problem solving and learning. Women may have fewer professional resources to mitigate effects of low control, while conversely, gender-role norms may moderate the influence of occupational psychosocial risk factors. We therefore examined whether the links between control and cognitive function were similarly gendered. Methods This observational, longitudinal study included respondents of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe who were aged 50–64 years at entry, employed and provided at least two measurements of control and cognition (n = 6697). Relationships between control and cognition, quantified with standardized scores from verbal fluency, immediate and delayed word recall tests, were explored using linear fixed-effect and random-effect models with gender interactions. Results Consistent trends of improved verbal fluency performance with high control were evident across analyses, equal to producing around three-quarters of a word more under high control conditions, with an effect size ∼0.1 SD units (fully adjusted models, range 0.077–0.104 SD), although associations with recall tests were inconsistent. We did not find evidence of clear gender differences in control–cognition relationships for any of the cognitive domains. Conclusions The cognitive health of older European workers may benefit from improved workplace control irrespective of gender. Possible sources of bias that could explain the lack of gender differences are discussed, particularly gender differences in labour force participation, response behaviour in job control ratings and implications of gender-role norms on the importance of occupational risk factors.

Consideration of sex and gender in Alzheimer's disease and related disorders from a global perspective

“… 66 However, another study reported few gender differences in the relationships between work control and ADRD. 67 Potential reasons for the discrepancies may be the use of Job Exposure Matrices, which has limited generalizability across countries, 68 and the lack of consideration of apolipoprotein E ( APOE ) genotype, which may interact with gender and work control when examining risk of ADRD. 66 …”