The structuring of occupational stressors in a Post-Fordist work environment. Moving beyond traditional accounts of demand, control and support.

In this study, the traditional components of the Demand-Control-Support-Model are extended with a broad number of occupational stressors, while investigating associations with persistent fatigue, musculoskeletal complaints and emotional well-being. Furthermore, it is assessed how these stressors are structured into distinct dimensions within a population of wage-earners. In a representative cross-sectional sample of 11,099 Flemish (Belgian) employees a range of loglinear techniques is used: logit modelling, latent class analysis and Modified LISREL-modelling. Quantitative, emotional and physical demands, repetitive movements, types of work schedules, problematic autonomy, task variation, social relationships with superiors, job insecurity and bullying behaviour are associated with at least one of the health outcomes, while sudden schedule changes are not. These occupational stressors constitute five dimensions: immaterial demands, physical demands, control over the work environment, social relationships at work and employment uncertainty. These latent dimensions are all significantly related with at least one of the health outcomes - with immaterial demands having the strongest effects. Contemporary work is characterised by a complex combination of stressors, structured within the population into a number of dimensions. More research on the interrelatedness of occupational stressors is needed.