8182242 Burden and distribution of psychosocial exposures in the USA workforce: the role of occupational segregation

<h3>Objective</h3> Psychosocial work exposures contribute to leading causes of death and disability in the United States (USA). Disparities in the morbidity and mortality from these conditions have been consistently identified across sociodemographic strata. Here, we explore how occupational segregation, and exposure to work-related psychosocial hazards, could contributes to the uneven distribution of disease burden in the USA. <h3>Materials and Methods</h3> We merged 2022 USA census data with occupational characteristic data from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) to estimate the number and proportion of USA workers exposed to 19 psychosocial hazards in broad categories of job demand and control, social environment, and work schedule/wage. We estimated the number and proportion of USA workers over- or underrepresented in exposure burden by sociodemographic group (race, ethnicity, sex, educational attainment, nativity, age). <h3>Results</h3> USA workers were most commonly employed in occupations with high time pressure (67.5 million USA workers; 43.2% workers), high emotional labor (57.1 million; 36.6%), and low wages (47.8 million; 30.6%). 49.4% of workers were employed in occupations with at least three psychosocial hazards. Exposures were uneven across sociodemographic strata, attributable to occupational segregation, with racial and ethnic minoritized workers, workers with less education, and foreign-born workers more likely to be employed in occupations with psychosocial hazards. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Work-related psychosocial exposures are ubiquitous, and unevenly distributed. Given the high societal cost of work-related stress and the changing nature of work, work-related psychosocial hazards should be considered in occupational and public health research, policy, interventions, and surveillance. Findings show workplace factors influence the uneven distribution of chronic disease in the USA.