Demand-Control-Support or Effort-Reward Imbalance? Which Model of Stress Assessment is More Effective in Office Workers?

Background:The Demand-Control-Support (DCS) and Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) models are well-known occupational stress assessment models which aid in identifying factors that may contribute to stress in the workplace.This study aimed to explore the function of the DCS and ERI models in an ergonomic quasi-randomized control trial study. Materials & Methods:This study was a quasi-randomized control trial with two parallel groups.A total of 332 office workers participated.The intervention involved an individualized ergonomic training.Measurements were performed at baseline as well as after 1, 3 and 6 months.The effect of the interventions for each model and its indicators along the follow-up periods were measured with a repeated measures ANOVA test.Results: The overall interaction effect of time and group was significant (P value < 0.001) for social support.A significant difference was found for control at all three follow-ups (P value < 0.001), and a partially significant difference was observed for social support at the 6-month follow-up (P value = 0.002).The impact of time on reward (P value = 0.005) and effort-reward imbalance (P value = 0.008) was significant in the intervention group.Conclusions: Depending on the nature of the job being assessed and the type of ergonomic intervention, each model measures different aspects of the effect of the intervention on job stress, but the combination of two models can also cover broader aspects of job stress.This study was performed only on office staff.It would be better to undertake studies on line staff as well to verify the accuracy of the results.