Evidence mapPaperPMID 41485243Full record

ReviewScandinavian journal of work, environment & health2026

Effort-reward imbalance at work and health: Review and critical appraisal of three decades of research.

Johannes Siegrist

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Effort-reward imbalance and common mental disorders among firefighters.Revista brasileira de medicina do trabalho : publicacao oficial da Associacao Nacional de Medicina do Trabalho-ANAMT
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

1 author.

Johannes SiegristInstitute of Medical Sociology, Centre for Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Moorenstraße 5, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany. siegrist@uni-duesseldorf.de.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveThis paper discusses the contribution of a widely used theoretical model of the psychosocial work environment, effort-reward imbalance (ERI), to occupational health research. It highlights the development of this approach, its measurement, and its main findings over the past three decades, focusing on epidemiological investigations. Furthermore, several limitations and challenges in view of far-reaching changes of modern work are discussed.

methodsBased on systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and an extended search for key publications, this discussion paper sets out the main evidence of associations of the model`s measures with health risks, prioritizing prospective investigations. Complementing results addressing psychobiological markers as potential pathways underlying these associations, as well as findings on the model`s expansion beyond paid work, are briefly summarized.

resultsCurrently available findings document consistent, moderately elevated related risks of ischemic heart disease (IHD) and depression following exposure to ERI. Quasi-experimental findings on physiological parameters as potential mediators of the link with IHD support this evidence. Results on a range of other disorders, in particular metabolic diseases, drug-related disorders, and indicators of reduced health functioning, while supportive, are less robust.

conclusionsThis paper synthesizes three decades of international research on ERI as a parsimonious model of adverse psychosocial working conditions. At the same time, conceptual and methodological limitations-particularly in light of rapid changes in modern work and employment-point to priorities for future refinement and application of the model.

Indexed as

Occupational HealthRewardWorkloadWorkplaceHumansJob SatisfactionOccupational Stress

Identifiers

PMID41485243
PMCPMC12966989

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.