SLOSH – the nationally representative psychosocial survey of the Swedish working population
1/1/06 - 12/31/11
Person photo Prof Töres Theorell
Stress Research Institute

Description:

Svensk sammanfattning

Studien Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH) är en unik longitudinell studie om arbetslivets förändringar, arbetsmiljö, stress och välbefinnande. Studien förväntas ge underlag till ett effektivare arbetsmiljöarbete och till ökad förståelse för den arbetsrelaterade ohälsan i Sverige och övriga världen.

Studien påbörjades under 2006 av Stressforskningsinstitutet på Stockholms universitet och syftar till att studera komplexa samband mellan arbetsorganisation, arbetsmiljö, arbetsmarknadsdeltagande och hälsa. SLOSH bygger på 2003, 2005 och delvis 2007 års arbetsmiljöundersökningar (AMU). Den första uppföljningen gjordes i mars 2006 genom utskickande av frågeformulär till samtliga 9 200 personer som besvarade AMU 2003. Under 2008 genomfördes den andra uppföljningen, då även de som besvarade 2005 års AMU inbjöds att medverka. Frågeformulären skickades då ut till sammanlagt 18 915 personer. Under 2010 genomfördes en tredje uppföljning där även 2 553 deltagare från AMU 2007 bosatta i Stockholms eller Västra Götalands län inbjöds att delta i SLOSH. Fortsatta uppföljningar är planerade till vartannat år.

Frågeformuläret finns i två versioner, en för arbetande och en för icke arbetande. Formuläret för arbetande är delat i tre delar. Den första delen innehåller frågor från AMU men också nya frågor som handlar om förändringar i arbetslivet, krav och kontroll, ansträngning och belöning, organisatorisk rättvisa, ledarskap med mera. Andra delen handlar om hälsa och välmående och den tredje delen belyser den allmänna livssituationen. Också formuläret för icke-arbetande (de som tillfälligt eller permanent lämnat arbetslivet) är delat i tre delar, där andra och tredje delen är närmast identiska med enkäten för arbetande. Första delen behandlar frågor om den aktuella situationen på arbetsmarknaden, anledningen till varför man inte arbetar samt positiva och negativa aspekter av att vara utan arbete. Svaren från enkäterna kopplas till registerdata om anställning, sjukskrivning, slutenvård med mera. Före leverans från Statistiska centralbyrån avidentifieras alla data.

I jämförelse med vanliga enkätstudier gör SLOSH det möjligt att studera hur arbetslivet påverkar hälsa och välbefinnande (och tvärtom) över en längre tidsperiod. SLOSH är även basen för ett flertal andra projekt. Just nu studeras bland annat betydelsen av konflikter på arbetsplatsen på hälsan, såväl som sambandet mellan arbete och depression, sjuknärvaro, och hälsa samt stressrelaterade hörselproblem i arbetslivet och obalans mellan arbete och privatliv. I ett nytt projekt kommer vi att studera hälsoeffekter av pensionering och bestämmelsefaktorer för arbete efter 65 års ålder. I ett annat projekt studerar vi betydelsen av olika kontorslösningar på hälsa och effektivitet.

Resultaten från den första uppföljningen presenteras i rapporten "SLOSH 2006 - en riksrepresentativ studie av arbetsmiljö och hälsa". Rapporten kan laddas ner från SLOSH webbplats. Ett flertal artiklar har även publicerats (se publikationslista nedan).

Frågor om studien skickas med e-post till slosh-studie@stressforskning.su.se. Forskare som är intresserade av att arbeta med data från SLOSH-studien är varmt välkomna att höra av sig.

 

English summary

The Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH) is a unique prospective study on work environment and health. It is expected to provide a basis for improvements of work environment and to contribute to a better understanding of work-related ill-health in Sweden and other countries.

SLOSH was initiated by the Stress Research Institute at Stockholm University in 2006 and aims to study the complex relationships between work organization, work environment, labour market participation and health. SLOSH is based on the Swedish Work Environment Surveys of 2003 and 2005 (SWES). The first follow-up was conducted in March 2006, when all the 9,200 participants of the SWES 2003 were mailed self-completion questionnaires. In 2008, the second follow-up was realized, where also participants of the 2005 SWES were invited to participate.

The questionnaires were sent out to a total of 18,915 persons. In 2010, we conducted the third follow-up which additionally included 2,553 participations from Stockholm and Västra Götaland who had responded to SWES 2007. Continued follow-up are planned for every other year for many years to come.

The survey is available in two versions, one for participants in gainful employment and one for non-working participants. The survey for those in gainful employment is divided into three parts with the first part containing questions from SWES, but also new questions about changes in employment, demand and control at work, effort and reward, organizational justice, leadership etc. The second part is about health and wellbeing and the third section highlights the general life situation. Also the survey for those who have temporarily or permanently left the labour market is divided into three parts, where the second and third part is almost identical to the survey for workers. The first part deals with questions about current labour market status -, reasons why for not working and the positive and negative aspects of being without work. In order not to burden the participants with too many questions, questionnaire data is linked to register data on employment, sick leave, hospitalisation etc. both prospectively and back in time. All data is delivered by Statistics Sweden in de-identified form. In comparison with cross-sectional surveys SLOSH makes it possible to study how work affects health and well-being over time and vice veca. SLOSH is the basis for a number of other projects, including studies on the health impact of conflicts in the workplace, as well as of the relationship between work and depression, sickness presence, stress-related hearing problems and work-family imbalance. A new project will investigate the health effects of retirement as well as determinants of work beyond 65. Another project will investigate how different open.plan office environments on health and productivity.

Responses from the first follow-up were presented in the report "SLOSH 2006 - a nationally representative psychosocial survey of the Swedish working population", which can be downloaded from the SLOSH homepage. Several articles based on SLOSH were published (see below) and more will follow. The full potential, however, will increase and be fully shown with future follow-ups of SLOSH. Inquiries can be sent by e-mail to slosh-studie@stressforskning.su.se and researchers interested in working with data from SLOSH are very welcome to contact us.

 

Publications

1. Kinsten A, Magnusson Hanson L, Hyde M, Oxenstierna G, Westerlund H & Theorell T. SLOSH 2006 - en riksrepresentativ studie av arbetsmiljö och hälsa. Stockholm: Institutet för psykosocial medicin, 2007.

2. Kinsten A, Magnusson Hanson L, Hyde M, Oxenstierna G, Westerlund H, & Theorell T. Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH): a nationally representative psychosocial survey of the Swedish working population. Stockholm: Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, 2007.

3. Nyberg A, Westerlund H, Magnusson Hanson LL, Theorell T. Managerial leadership is associated with self-reported sickness absence and sickness presenteeism among Swedish men and women. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 2008; 36:803-311.

4. Magnusson Hanson LL, Theorell T, Oxenstierna G, Hyde M, Westerlund H. Demand, control, and social climate as predictors of emotional exhaustion symptoms in working Swedish men and women. Scand J Public Health, 2008; 36(7):737-743.

5. Magnusson Hanson LL, Theorell T, Bech P, Rugulies R, Burr H. Hyde M, Oxenstierna G, Westerlund H. Psychosocial working conditions and depressive symptoms among Swedish employees. International Archives of Occcupational and Environmental Health, 2009; 82(8):951-960. Epub 2009 Feb 24, DOI: 10.1007/s00420-009-0406-9.

6. Theorell T, Andreeva E, Leineweber C, Hanson Magnusson L, Oxenstierna G, Westerlund H (2009) Restructuring and Employee Health. In: Grassbauer M, Sakalauskas L, Zavadskas E.K (Eds.). 5th international Vilnius Conference, Knowledge-Based Technologies and OR Methodologies for Strategic Decisions of Substainable Development, pp. 331-336 - P2758

7. Hasson D, Theorell T, Westerlund H, Canlon B. Prevalence and characteristics of hearing problems in a working and non-working Swedish population. J Epidemiol Community Health 2010, 64(5):453-460. Epub 2009 Aug 19.

8. Leineweber C, Wege N, Westerlund H, Theorell T, Wahrendorf M, Siegrist J. How valid is a short measure of effort-reward imbalance at work? A replication study from Sweden. Occup Environ Med 2010; 67 (8):526-531. Epub 2010 Jun 23, DOI: 10.1136/oem.2009.050930

9. Hasson D, Theorell T, Benka Wallén M, Leineweber C, Canlon B. Stress and prevalence of hearing problems in the Swedish working population. Submitted.

10. Odéen M, Westerlund H, Theorell T, Leineweber C, Eriksen HR, Ursin H. Cognitive Activation theory of Stress in relation to socioeconomic status and self-rated health - A Swedish population study. Submitted.

11. Leineweber C, Westerlund H, Hagberg J, Svedberg P, Alexanderson K. Sickness presenteeism in relation to sickness absence, self-rated health, work incapacity, and disease. Submitted.

12. Miyakava M, Magnusson Hanson L, Theorell T, Westerlund H. Subjective social status and health measures and its predictors in Swedish men and women (the SLOSH study). Submitted.

13. Magnusson Hanson LL, Åkerstedt T, Näswall K, Leineweber C, Theorell T, Westerlund H. Direct, reverse or reciprocal causation in the relation between workplace demand, control, support and sleep problems? Submitted.



Web address:
http://www.slosh.se
  
Researchers (8)
Research fields (1)
Contracts (1)
  
Dr Martin Hyde
PositionResearcherBackground/EducationI was awarded my PhD in the Sociology of Ageing from UCL in 2012. Prior to this I received my BSc Sociology & Politics (1st class) and my MSc Sociology (Distinction) from the University of Bristol in 1998 and 1999 respectively.Research profile/ Current workI am ...
Dr Göran Kecklund
PositionDeputy Division Manager, ResearcherBackground/educationPhD in Psychology in 1997, accredited sleep specialist 2009Research profile/current workI work as a sleep-and stress researcher and my research profile is working hours, health, safety and fatigue. I am also an accredited sleep ...
Dr Constanze Leineweber
PositionResearcher, Data ManagerBackground/EducationDegree in Psychology (Diplom-Psychologe)Research profile/Current workOne of my main interests is the interaction between work and private life and how this interaction affects health. I am the PI of a study highlighting this issue both ...
Dr Linda Magnusson Hanson
Dr Walter Osika
PositionResearcherBackground/EducationPhD in medicine 2007, specialist in internal medicine 2002, cardiology 2004, psychiatry 2008Research profile/Current workI work as a stress researcher and my research profile is "neuropsychiatric and cardiovascular measures in childhood and adulthood". I have ...
Prof Magnus Sverke
Department of Psychology
Prof Hugo Westerlund
Prof Torbjörn Åkerstedt
PositionDirector of the Stress Research InstituteBackground/EducationPhD in PsychologyResearch profile/Current workI am a professor and director of the Stress Research Institute, where I also lead a research group that focuses on stress, sleep and recovery, in particular on the role of sleep in ...