Social
Job strain
Definition
Job strain denotes the stress experienced when psychological job demands are high while the worker's decision latitude — control over task pace, methods and decisions — is low. The combination defines the "high strain" quadrant of Robert Karasek's demand–control model (1979), which predicts that control buffers the health impact of demands.
References
Supports definition and framing.
Supports definition and framing.
Overview
What it means
The same workload is less harmful when the worker can decide how to meet it; strain peaks where heavy demands meet minimal autonomy, as on a fast production line with fixed pace and method. Chronic job strain is associated with cardiovascular disease, depression and musculoskeletal problems, and it hinders return to work after illness.
Later extensions (demand–control–support, job demands–resources) add social support and resources as further buffers.
How it is used
The model underpins psychosocial risk assessment in occupational health, workplace stress surveys, return-to-work programmes and organisational design aimed at increasing autonomy, and is referenced in social-sustainability reporting on working conditions.
Why it matters
It identifies a modifiable organisational cause of ill health — job design — making prevention an employer responsibility rather than an individual failing.