The Connection Between Job Stress and Irregular Heart Rhythms

Atrial fibrillation, often abbreviated as AFib, is the most prevalent type of abnormal heart rhythm and can result in serious health issues such as stroke, heart failure, and other cardiovascular problems. The American Heart Association projects that by 2030, over 12 million individuals in the United States may be affected by AFib.

Earlier studies have connected high levels of job strain and an effort-reward imbalance at work to a greater risk of coronary heart disease. This study is groundbreaking as it is the first to investigate how these psychosocial stressors might negatively impact atrial fibrillation, according to the study’s lead author, Dr. Xavier Trudel, an occupational and cardiovascular epidemiologist and associate professor at Laval University in Quebec City, Canada.

“Our findings indicate that work-related stressors should be considered in preventive health strategies,” Trudel noted. “Identifying and managing psychosocial stressors at work is essential for creating healthy workplaces that benefit both employees and their organizations.”

Trudel and his team examined the influence of job strain, which occurs in environments where employees face excessive demands—like heavy workloads and strict deadlines—while having little control over their work processes.

The study also looked at effort-reward imbalance, a situation in which employees feel they contribute a lot but perceive the rewards—such as salary, acknowledgment, or job stability—as inadequate compared to their efforts.

The researchers analyzed medical records for nearly 6,000 white-collar workers in Canada, tracking them over 18 years. The findings revealed:

• Workers with high job strain faced an 83% increased risk of developing AFib compared to those experiencing no stressors;
• Those who sensed an effort-reward imbalance had a 44% higher risk, when compared to their counterparts who did not report feeling this way;
• The combination of high job strain and effort-reward imbalance was linked to a 97% increased risk of AFib.

“Future research should explore how effective workplace interventions can alleviate psychosocial stressors and potentially lower the risk of AFib,” Trudel suggested. “Our team previously implemented a program targeting psychosocial stressors, which successfully reduced blood pressure levels. Changes made during this program included slowing down the onset of a major project to avoid overwhelming workloads, introducing flexible work hours, and facilitating discussions between management and staff about daily challenges.”

However, the study has certain limitations, such as the participants all being white-collar workers including managers and office employees in Canada, which may mean the results aren’t applicable to other types of workers or countries.

Study specifics include:

• The data were gathered through the PROspective Quebec (PROQ) Study on Work and Health, launched in Quebec from 1991-1993 involving white-collar workers from 19 public and semi-public organizations.
• A total of 5,926 individuals participated (49% men, 51% women), with an average age of 45 at the study’s start (between 1999-2001) and 65 by the conclusion of the follow-up in December 2018. The majority of participants were white.
• Work-related stress levels were evaluated through self-reported questionnaires.
• The analysis uncovered 186 AFib cases, among which 19% of the individuals reported high job strain; 25% said they experienced an effort-reward imbalance, and 10% experienced both issues together.
• Over a third of participants had previously been diagnosed with coronary heart disease or heart failure before experiencing AFib.
• The study evaluated work-related stressors through self-reported questionnaires regarding job strain and effort-reward imbalance while considering a comprehensive range of socioeconomic factors (such as gender and education), health risks (like diabetes and high blood pressure), and lifestyle habits (including smoking and alcohol consumption).