Marmot sought to test the job strain model proposing that workplace creates stress/illness into 2 ways: High demand and Low contro. This was done in the context of civil servant employees where high demand= higher grades and lower demand=lower grades.
Method: 7,373 civil servants who took part in a questionairre and health check. Then 5 years later, reassesed for cardiovascular disease, coronary risk factors, employment grades, sense of job control and the amount of social support, over 5 years.
Findings: P's in higher grades had fewer cardiovascular problems than those in lower grades. P's in lower grades expressed less control and social support, and were more likely to be smokers or overweight.
Conclusion: Low control is linked to cardiovasular disease unlike high control, proving the job-strain model wrong.
Evaluation: The socioeconomic status of employees means some are more likely to smoke, have unhealthy diets and drink excessive alcohol. This is a variable affecting stress and illness.
There is also a biased sample, as civil servants are more likely to live in urbans areas, and live job orientated lives. Caplan found that abitious individuals are more likely to be affected by workplace stress.
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