Der Internist
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Review
[Psychosocial stress at work and disease risks : Scientific evidence and implications for practice].
The modern working world makes a significant contribution to the development of diseases, which goes far beyond the field of traditional occupational diseases. Despite technological progress and successful medical healthcare, distinct widely disseminated psychosocial working conditions contribute to a remarkable burden of work-related diseases. By inducing chronic activation of psychobiological stress reactions, they promote the development of various physical and mental disorders. ⋯ Two theoretical concepts received particular attention, the demand-control and the effort-reward imbalance models. Results derived from meta-analyses indicate increased relative risks of these disorders in the range of 35-80% among those exposed to these stressors compared to nonexposed groups. Finally, practical implications of this scientific evidence for worksite screening and health promoting activities are discussed.