Work, Stress, and Health: Help Us Plan the Next 25 Years

July 1st, 2015 12:45 pm ET - Jessica Streit, MS; Steven Sauter,PhD; Naomi Swanson, PhD; and Jeannie A. S. Nigam, ABD, MS

In May, NIOSH, the American Psychological Association (APA), and the Society for Occupational Health Psychology (SOHP) hosted the 11th International Conference on Occupational Stress and Health. “Work, Stress, and Health 2015: Sustainable Work, Sustainable Health, Sustainable Organizations” marks 25 years of efforts to advance research and intervention on work-related stress through the conference series. Planning for the 12th International Conference on Occupational Stress and Health—“Work, Stress, and Health 2017: Contemporary Challenges and Opportunities”—is already underway. The event will take place June 7-10, 2017 in Minneapolis, MN. More details, including the official call for papers, will soon be available athttp://www.apa.org/wsh

Research and public attention to work-related stress have clearly increased over the last 25 years. We know that employers and workers deal on a daily basis with issues related to new technologies, the ever-changing organization of work, precarious employment situations, shiftwork and long work hours, work-life integration, workplace violence and bullying, and other stressful situations on a daily basis. NIOSH has been at the forefront of research and prevention efforts related to occupational stress, and we continue to maintain a strong research program in this area. Examples of NIOSH stress-related products are listed below.

We have learned a great deal about what occupational factors contribute to work-related stress and affect employee health and safety. While we have more knowledge about promising intervention strategies to prevent occupational stress, many challenges remain. For example, the continually changing landscape of work brings new risks and necessitates fresh approaches to prevention. As we begin to look ahead and strategize for the next 25 years of workplace stress research and practice, we want your help. What aspects of work-related stress are of particular interest to you? What do you see as the emerging issues for this field? Help us shape the future of stress research and prevention by providing your input below. Your comments will be helpful in identifying new research priorities and planning content for the upcoming Work, Stress, and Health conference. Thank you in advance for sharing your thoughts.

Jessica Streit, MS; Steven Sauter,PhD; Naomi Swanson, PhD; and Jeannie A. S. Nigam, ABD, MS

Ms. Streit is the Assistant Coordinator for the NIOSH Work Organization and Stress-Related Disorders Research Program.

Dr. Sauter is a consultant to the NIOSH Total Worker Health Program.

Dr. Swanson is Chief of the Organizational Science and Human Factors Branch in the NIOSH Division of Applied Research and Technology and the Coordinator for the Work Organization and Stress-Related Disorders Cross-Sector Program.

Ms. Nigam is a Program Advisor in the NIOSH Office for Total Worker Health