The relationship between worker-occupation fit and cortisol concentration of hair and plasma among medical workers

Abstract

Background With the transformation of job characteristics, Worker-occupation fit (WOF) is a significant protective factor for stress of workers. Cortisol is an essential hormone secreted by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and can fluctuate in the body under stress. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between WOF and cortisol among medical workers. Methods A total of 161 medical workers take part in this cross-sectional study and 156 data were finally included in the analysis. Occupational stress was measured by the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and WOF was surveyed by the Worker-Occupation Fit Inventory. The detection of hair and plasma cortisol concentration was carried out by automated Electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Spearman correlation analysis and linear regression models after log transformation of data were used to analysis association between WOF and cortisol concentration of hair plasma among 156 Chinese medical workers. Results In this study, the hair cortisol concentration of female with high fit level was lower than that of women with low fit level (p = 0.025). The correlation analyses show that WOF was negative related to hair cortisol concentration (r=-0.185, p = 0.021), but not with plasma cortisol concentration (p > 0.05). The linear regression analysis show that WOF was negative associated with hair cortisol concentration in crude model (β=-0.192, p = 0.016) and adjusted model (β=-0.181, p = 0.022), but not with plasma cortisol concentration (p > 0.05). Conclusion WOF is negative correlated with hair cortisol concentration, but not with plasma cortisol concentration. The causal relationship between WOF and cortisol needs further exploration in future prospective study.