Female executives are particularly prone to the sleep‐disturbing effect of isolated high‐strain jobs: a cross‐sectional study in German‐speaking executives

Abstract

SUMMAR Y This study assessed the main, curvilinear, interactive and gender-dependent effects of job demands, job control and social support in the prediction of sleep quality. Participants were 348 male and 76 female executives and managers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. A multiple regression controlling for age, occupational hierarchy and various health behaviors was computed. On the level of the main effects of the Job-Demand-Control-Support (JDCS) model, the results indicate a sleeppromoting effect of social support. A significant three-way interaction of job demands, job control and social support was observed. This interaction confirms the buffering effect of high job control and high social support on high job demands. Further, this three-way interaction of the JDCS dimensions is moderated by gender as indicated by a significant four-way interaction. The directions of the significant interactions suggest that female executives are especially prone to react with impaired sleep quality when exposed to isolated high-strain jobs. The study seems to imply that the JDCS model is a suitable framework for the prediction of sleep quality among executives and managers. The results suggest that the JDCS model might contribute to a better understanding of the higher prevalence of poor sleep amongst female executives. Further, the results imply that high job control and high social support might help executives to maintain good sleep quality despite experiencing high job demands.k e y w o r d s gender, industrial psychology, sleep, stress

Sleep quality in treatment-seeking veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom: The role of cognitive coping strategies and unit cohesion

“…These results suggest that OEF-OIF veterans who perceive higher levels of unit cohesion, irrespective of whether they meet screening criteria for PTSD, report fewer sleep difficulties. This finding replicates previous research demonstrating that social support is negatively associated with sleep difficulties in both civilian [19][20][21] and military [22,23] samples. It extends this literature to suggest that greater perceptions of perceived unit member support in OEF-OIF veterans may help mitigate sleep difficulties following return from deployment.…”

“…Increased social support may also have a protective effect on sleep, even after controlling for psychological distress [18][19][20][21]. For example, high social support was associated with improved sleep quality in individuals in highly stressful life roles or occupations, including caregivers [18], executives [19], and office workers [20]. Social support may also protect against sleep difficulties in military personnel.…”

“…Adaptive cognitive coping strategies, such as reappraisal and cognitive distraction, may help promote sleep quality, while maladaptive strategies, such as worry, self-punishment, and fear of loss of vigilance, may increase sleep difficulties [12][13][14][15][16][17]. Increased social support may also have a protective effect on sleep, even after controlling for psychological distress [18][19][20][21]. For example, high social support was associated with improved sleep quality in individuals in highly stressful life roles or occupations, including caregivers [18], executives [19], and office workers [20].…”

REM Sleep Rebound as an Adaptive Response to Stressful Situations

“…On the other hand, insomnia (Vgontzas et al, 1998, 2001) and sleep apnea patients (Carneiro et al, 2008), who are chronically sleep-deprived, exhibit dysregulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and the sympathetic nervous system, the main physiological stress response systems (Joels and Baram, 2009). Chronic psychosocial stressors represent powerful sleep disrupting stimuli as can be seen in studies with divorcees (Cartwright and Wood, 1991), with people who experience lack of social support in the work environment (Gadinger et al, 2009; Nomura et al, 2009), with children and adolescents exposed to traumatic events (Charuvastra and Cloitre, 2009) and in burnout patients (Armon et al, 2008). Interestingly, women who suffer from chronic burnout and report being more anxious and having more problems to sleep also exhibit lower prolactin levels (Grossi et al, 2003), a hormone that, later in this review, will be discussed as a sleep-inducing factor under stressful situations.…”

Cigarette Smoking Trends and Social Disparities Among South African Adults, 2003–2011

“…5 While social empowerment and economic factors (i.e., increased disposable income) may partly explain this increased smoking observed among highly educated females, research has also shown that social influences could also play a role. For example, female executives have been shown to be particularly prone to the impact of high-strain jobs, and may start smoking as a coping mechanism, 22 and industry may target women through the promotion of cigarette design features such as the introduction of slim cigarettes that might appeal specifically to women. The increase in smoking among the most educated women in South Africa is of concern not only because it could potentially erode economic development gains if these women succumb to tobaccoinduced diseases, but considering the central role women play in households this may also negatively influence children smoking and increase exposure of household members to second hand smoke.…”