We wanted to investigate the relationship between job stress and liver dysfunction in Korean male white collar workers.

A total of 700 male white collar workers who worked at one electronic institute and who participated in an annual surveillance program were recruited: 664(94.9%) workers were initially recruited and the data for 36 workers was excluded due to poor responses and a past history of liver disease. The questionnaire survey included the participants' general characteristics, the job-related factors, the health-related behaviors and job stress. Job stress was assessed using the Korean Occupational Stress Scale-Short Form (KOSS-SF). We merged the job stress data with the individual liver function results by conducting annual surveillance. Multiple logistic regression analysis with adjusting it for the confounding variables, including alcohol drinking and the body mass index (BMI), was used to evaluate the relationship between job stress and liver dysfunction.

After adjustment for the confounding variables, the proportion of liver dysfunction cases was significantly higher in the groups with a high level of job stress, as assessed by the ‘job demands and total score’. After conducting a stratified analysis with considering alcohol drinking and the BMI, the prevalence odds ratio of liver dysfunction was higher in the groups with a high level of job stress, as assessed by the ‘job demands and total score’.

The results of this study suggest that the level of job stress (and especially that assessed by the job demands and total score) is related to liver dysfunction. Thus, further preventive efforts and studies are needed to reduce job stress and address liver dysfunction.