The Whitehall study

The Whitehall II study, Work, stress and health (2004) (also known as the stress and health study) was set up to explore the relationship between socio-economic status, stress and cardiovascular disease. It is a long-term study of the health and well-being of several thousand civil servants, who are being monitored to help health professionals identify the underlying causes of long-term ill health and the differences in health between different social groups. More than 10,000 participants, some 3,400 women and around 7,000 men, were recruited from the civil service in 1985 and information is collected from them every two to five years.

The study has provided important insights into the causes of stress.

Work continues on the Whitehall II project, with data collection intended to continue until 2030.

The study found that it was a combination of high demand and low control that caused stress-related illness. Workers in jobs characterised by low control had higher rates of sickness absence, mental illness, heart disease and pain in the lower back.

The PCS points out that the study also found evidence of the negative effect of job uncertainty; problems linked to poor work/life balance; the impact that poor job design and control can have on workers; and the difficulties that can arise when the rewards do not match the efforts that workers put into their jobs.