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. 2021 Mar;49(2):228-236.
doi: 10.1177/1403494820956451. Epub 2020 Sep 16.

Precarious employment and general, mental and physical health in Stockholm, Sweden: a cross-sectional study

Johanna Jonsson  1 , Nuria Matilla-Santander  1 , Bertina Kreshpaj  1 , Gun Johansson  1   2 , Katarina Kjellberg  1   2 , Bo Burström  3   4 , Per-Olof Östergren  5 , Karin Nilsson  2 , Susanne Strömdahl  6   7 , Cecilia Orellana  1 , Theo Bodin  1   2
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Precarious employment and general, mental and physical health in Stockholm, Sweden: a cross-sectional study

Johanna Jonsson et al. Scand J Public Health. 2021 Mar.

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the association between precarious employment and health in a sample of non-standard employees in Stockholm County, Sweden, by addressing three specific research questions: is the degree of precarious employment (low, moderate, high) associated with self-rated. . . (a) general health, (b) mental health, (c) musculoskeletal pain? Methods: Web-based respondent-driven sampling was used to recruit a sample of 415 employees in Stockholm, Sweden, during 2016-2017. Questionnaire data were collected on employment conditions (the Swedish version of the employment precariousness scale (EPRES-Se)), general health, mental health and musculoskeletal pain. EPRES-Se scores were categorised as low, moderate or high. Generalised linear models with Poisson distribution, log link functions and robust variances were applied for calculating crude and adjusted prevalence ratios (PR; aPR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for all outcomes. Results: The prevalence ratios of poor self-rated general and mental health increased with increased degree of precariousness, as indicated by estimates of moderate precarious employment (a2PRModerate 1.44 (CI 0.98-2.11); a2PRModerate 1.13 (CI 0.82-1.62)), and high precarious employment (a2PRHigh 1.78 (CI 1.21-2.62); a2PRHigh 1.69 (CI 1.25-2.28)), albeit only significantly so for high precarious employment. Conclusions: This is the first study in Sweden reporting on the association between precarious employment, as measured with a multidimensional scale, and multiple health outcomes. The results add to the evidence of an association between precarious employment and self-rated poor general and mental health. Larger, representative studies with longitudinal designs using the EPRES-Se are called for in order to strengthen these results and the already existing evidence of the harm of precarious employment.

Keywords: Precarious employment; mental health; non-standard employment; occupational health; physical health.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Prevalence (95% CIs) of health outcomes stratified by degree of precariousness.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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