Jenny Head
Biographic Data
| ID | 3916081 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Jenny Head |
| GIVEN NAMES | Jenny |
| FAMILY NAME | Head |
| SIGNATURE | HEAD J |
| AFFILIATIONS | Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 34 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 133 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 34 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1995 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2023 |
| H-INDEX | 7 |
Estimating Working Life Expectancy
Increases in retirement ages make it particularly pressing to better understand how long people will work. Working life expectancy (WLE) is a useful measure for this and the current paper assesses the tools, that is, software packages, available to assess it. We do this using data from the English Longitudinal Survey on Ageing (ELSA, 2003–2018) and multistate models to estimate WLE stratified by sex and socioeconomic status. Men’s versus women’s …
Does it matter how we measure the health of older people in places for associations with labour market outcomes? A cross-sectional study
Improving health of older populations may lead to wider economic benefits for all
Changes in Emotional Vitality as a Predictor of Levels and Change in Allostatic Load
OBJECTIVE: Increasing evidence has shown an association between reduced psychological well-being and long-term morbidity. However, longitudinal studies addressing potential biobehavioral mechanisms, such as physiological function, are lacking. The aim of this study is to examine the association between changes in emotional vitality on levels and changes in allostatic load (AL), a measure of multisystem physiological dysregulation, as well as its …
Mental Health Before and After Retirement—Assessing the Relevance of Psychosocial Working Conditions
Retirement was generally beneficial for health. The association between retirement and mental health was dependent on the context individuals retire from
Inequalities in time from stopping paid work to death
BACKGROUND: UK state pension eligibility ages are linked to average life expectancy, which ignores wide socioeconomic disparities in both healthy and overall life expectancy. OBJECTIVES: Investigate whether there are occupational social class differences in the amount of time older adults live after they stop work, and how much of these differences are due to health. METHODS: Participants were 76 485 members of the Office for National Statistics …
Work-Family Conflict and Work Exit in Later Career Stage
FIW makes women more likely to become a homemaker at later career stage but reduces the risk of leaving work for men, which may reinforce gender inequality in work participation
Changes in autonomy, job demands and working hours after diagnosis of chronic disease
BACKGROUND: Modifications in working conditions can accommodate changing needs of chronically ill persons. The self-employed may have more possibilities than employees to modify their working conditions. We investigate how working conditions change following diagnosis of chronic disease for employed and self-employed older persons. METHODS: We used waves 2-7 from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). We included 1389 participants aged …
Late Life Employment Histories and Their Association With Work and Family Formation During Adulthood
To extend research on workforce participation beyond age 50 by describing entire employment histories in later life and testing their links to prior life course conditions. We use data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, with retrospective information on employment histories between age 50 and 70 for 1,103 men and 1,195 women (n = 2,298). We apply sequence analysis and group respondents into eight clusters with similar histories. Using…
The Association Between Informal Caregiving and Exit From Employment Among Older Workers
This study highlights the onset of caregiving as a key period for older workers. Ensuring that caregiving responsibilities are adequately recognized and supported may help extend working life
Dynamic Longitudinal Associations Between Social Support and Cognitive Function
This empirical study provides some evidence for the health selection mechanism, such that cognition modified changes in social support. The hypothesized neuroprotective effect of social support was not detectable
Role of psychosocial work factors in the relation between becoming a caregiver and changes in health behaviour
BACKGROUND: The present study tested the effects of becoming a caregiver combined with adverse working conditions on changes in health behaviours. METHODS: Participants were 5419 British civil servants from the Whitehall II cohort study who were not caregivers at baseline (phase 3, 1991-1994). Psychosocial work factors were assessed at baseline. Phase 4 questionnaire (1995-1996) was used to identify participants who became caregivers to an aged o…
Socioeconomic gradient in work disability in diabetes
BACKGROUND: The role of socioeconomic status in work disability among employees with diabetes is not well known. We examined the association between socioeconomic status and work disability among employees with and without diabetes taking into account comorbid conditions. METHODS: We used individual participant data from three occupational cohorts from Finland, France and the UK (employees with diabetes, n=2170, age-matched and sex-matched contro…
Work Stress, Caregiving, and Allostatic Load
OBJECTIVES: Studies investigating health effects of work and family stress usually consider these factors in isolation. The present study investigated prospective interactive effects of job strain and informal caregiving on allostatic load (AL), a multisystem indicator of physiological dysregulation. METHODS: Participants were 7007 British civil servants from the Whitehall II cohort study. Phase 3 (1991-1994) served as the baseline, and Phases 5 …
Age-related trajectories of physical functioning in work and retirement
BACKGROUND: Loss of physical functioning is an early marker of declining health in older people. The objective of this study was to examine the age-related trajectories of physical functioning among those in full-time work and retirement. METHODS: Based on the Health and Retirement Study, participants who were working full-time or were in full-time retirement and 65-85 years of age during the follow-up period from 1992 to 2010 were included (n=17…
Quality of Workplace Social Relationships and Perceived Health
Associations between the quality of social relationships at work and mental and self-reported health were examined to assess whether these associations were independent of job strain. The study was based on cross-sectional survey data from 728 employees (response rate 58%) and included the Demand-Control-(Support) (DC-S) model, six items on the quality of social relationships at the workplace, the General Health Questionnaire (30), and an item on…
Light drinking during pregnancy
BACKGROUND: This study examines the relationship between light drinking during pregnancy and the risk of socioemotional problems and cognitive deficits at age 5 years. METHODS: Data from the nationally representative prospective UK Millennium Cohort Study (N=11,513) were used. Participants were grouped according to mothers' reported alcohol consumption during pregnancy: never drinker; not in pregnancy; light; moderate; heavy/binge. At age 5 years…
Repeated Job Strain and the Risk of Depression
Objectives. We addressed whether repeated job strain and low work social support increase the risk of major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods. We used work characteristics from Karasek’s Job Strain model, measured on 3 occasions over 10 years in a cohort of 7732 British civil servants, to predict subsequent onset of MDD with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Results. Repeated job strain was associated with increased risk of MDD (…
Can social support protect bullied adolescents from adverse outcomes? A prospective study on the effects of bullying on the educational achievement and mental health of adolescents at secondary school…
This paper investigates the extent to which social support can have a buffering effect against the potentially adverse consequences of bullying on school achievement and mental health. It uses a representative multiethnic sample of adolescents attending East London secondary schools in three boroughs. Bullied adolescents were less likely to achieve the appropriate academic achievement benchmark for their age group and bullied boys (but not girls)…
All-cause and diagnosis-specific sickness absence as a predictor of sustained suboptimal health
UNLABELLED: background: Previous studies show that sickness absence predicts health, but it is unclear whether this association is persistent over time and whether specific diseases underlie long-term associations. The aim of this study was to investigate overall and diagnosis-specific sickness absences as predictors of sustained suboptimal health. METHODS: Prospective occupational cohort study of 15 320 employees (73% men) aged 37-51. Sickness a…
Social Inequality in Physical and Mental Health Comorbidity Dynamics
OBJECTIVE: To examine how socioeconomic position influences physical and mental health dynamics. METHODS: The Whitehall II study of civil servants collected questionnaires on six occasions from 1991/93 to 2006/07. Civil service grade measured socioeconomic position and Short Form 36 General Health Survey component scores rated physical and mental health. Bivariate growth curve models of physical and mental health over 15 years were estimated for …
Using Sickness Absence Records to Predict Future Depression in a Working Population
Objectives. We tested the hypothesis that sickness absence from work predicts workers' risk of later depression. Methods. Study participants (n = 7391) belonged to the French GAZEL cohort of employees of the national gas and electricity company. Sickness absence data (1996–1999) were obtained from company records. Participants' depression in 1996 and 1999 was assessed with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies–Depression (CES-D) scale. The analyse…
Impact of Coronary Heart Disease on Health Functioning in an Aging Population
OBJECTIVE: To examine differences in the effect of coronary heart disease (CHD) on health functioning according to socioeconomic position. Research on social inequality in health has tended to concentrate on differences in disease prevalence and mortality rather than on the impact of disease on functioning. As outcomes improve for those with CHD, it is important to know how their health is affected in the long term. METHODS: The analysis uses que…
Effects on Blood Pressure Do Not Explain the Association Between Organizational Justice and Coronary Heart Disease in the Whitehall II Study
OBJECTIVE: To examine whether lower BP mediates the inverse association between organizational justice and incident coronary heart disease (CHD). Previous studies suggest lower blood pressure (BP) and reduced risk of CHD among employees with high organizational justice (the perception of being treated fairly by supervisors). METHODS: Prospective occupational cohort study of 4250 men and 1812 women free of CHD and hypertension at study entry (the …
Associations of job strain and working overtime with adverse health behaviors and obesity
Diagnosis-specific sick leave as a risk marker for disability pension in a Swedish population
OBJECTIVE: To investigate diagnosis-specific sick leave as a risk marker for subsequent disability pension. DESIGN: A prospective population based cohort study. Exposure to a new medically certified sick leave episode of more than seven days by diagnosis during 1985 was examined in relation to incident cause-specific disability pension through 1996. PARTICIPANTS: The total non-retired population of one Swedish county aged 16 to 49 years, alive an…
Associations of job strain and working overtime with adverse health behaviors and obesity
Working While Ill as a Risk Factor for Serious Coronary Events
Objectives. Although sick, some people take no time off work, a phenomenon called “sickness presenteeism.” This study examined the association between sickness presenteeism and incidence of serious coronary events. Methods. The analyses were based on a cohort of 5071 male British civil servants without previous myocardial infarction. Baseline screening included measurements of health status and coronary risk factors. Absence records were assessed…
Cultural identity, acculturation, and mental health among adolescents in east London’s multiethnic community
Study objective: To investigate cultural identity as a risk factor for mental health problems among adolescents. Design: A cross sectional school based population survey. Mental health problems were measured using the strengths and difficulties questionnaire. Pupils were classified into one of four cultural identity types on the basis of friendship and clothing choices. Setting: East London. Participants: 2623 adolescents (aged 11–14) from a repr…
Organisational justice and change in justice as predictors of employee health
Objective: Organisational justice has been proposed as a new way to examine the impact of psychosocial work environment on employee health. This article studied the justice of interpersonal treatment by supervisors (the relational component of organisational justice) as a predictor of health. Design: Prospective cohort study. Phase 1 (1985–88) measured relational justice, job demands, job control, social support at work, effort-reward imbalance, …
Late Life Employment Histories and Their Association With Work and Family Formation During Adulthood
To extend research on workforce participation beyond age 50 by describing entire employment histories in later life and testing their links to prior life course conditions. We use data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, with retrospective information on employment histories between age 50 and 70 for 1,103 men and 1,195 women (n = 2,298). We apply sequence analysis and group respondents into eight clusters with similar histories. Using…
The Association Between Informal Caregiving and Exit From Employment Among Older Workers
This study highlights the onset of caregiving as a key period for older workers. Ensuring that caregiving responsibilities are adequately recognized and supported may help extend working life
Repeated Job Strain and the Risk of Depression
Objectives. We addressed whether repeated job strain and low work social support increase the risk of major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods. We used work characteristics from Karasek’s Job Strain model, measured on 3 occasions over 10 years in a cohort of 7732 British civil servants, to predict subsequent onset of MDD with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Results. Repeated job strain was associated with increased risk of MDD (…
Sickness absence for psychiatric illness
Influence of change in psychosocial work characteristics on sickness absence
Objectives: To study the influence of change in self perceived psychosocial work characteristics on subsequent rates of sickness absence. Methods: Prospective cohort study of British civil service employees. Job control, job demands, and work social supports were measured in 1985/88 and in 1991/93. Analyses included 3817 British civil servants with sickness absence records at baseline (1985–89) and for two follow up periods, early (1994–95) and l…
Light drinking during pregnancy
BACKGROUND: This study examines the relationship between light drinking during pregnancy and the risk of socioemotional problems and cognitive deficits at age 5 years. METHODS: Data from the nationally representative prospective UK Millennium Cohort Study (N=11,513) were used. Participants were grouped according to mothers' reported alcohol consumption during pregnancy: never drinker; not in pregnancy; light; moderate; heavy/binge. At age 5 years…
Diagnosis-specific sick leave as a risk marker for disability pension in a Swedish population
OBJECTIVE: To investigate diagnosis-specific sick leave as a risk marker for subsequent disability pension. DESIGN: A prospective population based cohort study. Exposure to a new medically certified sick leave episode of more than seven days by diagnosis during 1985 was examined in relation to incident cause-specific disability pension through 1996. PARTICIPANTS: The total non-retired population of one Swedish county aged 16 to 49 years, alive an…
Is attachment style a source of resilience against health inequalities at work
The Influence of Education and Family Background on Women's Earnings in Midlife
Studies which have investigated the influence of education on adult earnings are almost exclusively concerned with men and take little account of family influences on either education or later earnings. Those studies which have information on women's earnings focus on gender differentials rather than differences between women in opportunities and outcomes. This paper which examines the influence of education and family background on the midlife e…
Work-Family Conflict and Work Exit in Later Career Stage
FIW makes women more likely to become a homemaker at later career stage but reduces the risk of leaving work for men, which may reinforce gender inequality in work participation
Age-related trajectories of physical functioning in work and retirement
BACKGROUND: Loss of physical functioning is an early marker of declining health in older people. The objective of this study was to examine the age-related trajectories of physical functioning among those in full-time work and retirement. METHODS: Based on the Health and Retirement Study, participants who were working full-time or were in full-time retirement and 65-85 years of age during the follow-up period from 1992 to 2010 were included (n=17…
Mental Health Before and After Retirement—Assessing the Relevance of Psychosocial Working Conditions
Retirement was generally beneficial for health. The association between retirement and mental health was dependent on the context individuals retire from
Dynamic Longitudinal Associations Between Social Support and Cognitive Function
This empirical study provides some evidence for the health selection mechanism, such that cognition modified changes in social support. The hypothesized neuroprotective effect of social support was not detectable
Inequalities in time from stopping paid work to death
BACKGROUND: UK state pension eligibility ages are linked to average life expectancy, which ignores wide socioeconomic disparities in both healthy and overall life expectancy. OBJECTIVES: Investigate whether there are occupational social class differences in the amount of time older adults live after they stop work, and how much of these differences are due to health. METHODS: Participants were 76 485 members of the Office for National Statistics …
Role of psychosocial work factors in the relation between becoming a caregiver and changes in health behaviour
BACKGROUND: The present study tested the effects of becoming a caregiver combined with adverse working conditions on changes in health behaviours. METHODS: Participants were 5419 British civil servants from the Whitehall II cohort study who were not caregivers at baseline (phase 3, 1991-1994). Psychosocial work factors were assessed at baseline. Phase 4 questionnaire (1995-1996) was used to identify participants who became caregivers to an aged o…
All-cause and diagnosis-specific sickness absence as a predictor of sustained suboptimal health
UNLABELLED: background: Previous studies show that sickness absence predicts health, but it is unclear whether this association is persistent over time and whether specific diseases underlie long-term associations. The aim of this study was to investigate overall and diagnosis-specific sickness absences as predictors of sustained suboptimal health. METHODS: Prospective occupational cohort study of 15 320 employees (73% men) aged 37-51. Sickness a…
Sickness absence for psychiatric illness
The Influence of Education and Family Background on Women's Earnings in Midlife
Studies which have investigated the influence of education on adult earnings are almost exclusively concerned with men and take little account of family influences on either education or later earnings. Those studies which have information on women's earnings focus on gender differentials rather than differences between women in opportunities and outcomes. This paper which examines the influence of education and family background on the midlife e…
Sickness absence as a global measure of health
Objective To examine the association between sickness absence and mortality compared with associations between established health indicators and mortality. Design Prospective cohort study. Medical examination and questionnaire survey conducted in 1985-8; sickness absence records covered the period 1985-98. Setting 20 civil service departments in London. Participants 6895 male and 3413 female civil servants aged 35-55 years. Main outcome measure A…
Organisational justice and change in justice as predictors of employee health
Objective: Organisational justice has been proposed as a new way to examine the impact of psychosocial work environment on employee health. This article studied the justice of interpersonal treatment by supervisors (the relational component of organisational justice) as a predictor of health. Design: Prospective cohort study. Phase 1 (1985–88) measured relational justice, job demands, job control, social support at work, effort-reward imbalance, …
Cultural identity, acculturation, and mental health among adolescents in east London’s multiethnic community
Study objective: To investigate cultural identity as a risk factor for mental health problems among adolescents. Design: A cross sectional school based population survey. Mental health problems were measured using the strengths and difficulties questionnaire. Pupils were classified into one of four cultural identity types on the basis of friendship and clothing choices. Setting: East London. Participants: 2623 adolescents (aged 11–14) from a repr…
Working While Ill as a Risk Factor for Serious Coronary Events
Objectives. Although sick, some people take no time off work, a phenomenon called “sickness presenteeism.” This study examined the association between sickness presenteeism and incidence of serious coronary events. Methods. The analyses were based on a cohort of 5071 male British civil servants without previous myocardial infarction. Baseline screening included measurements of health status and coronary risk factors. Absence records were assessed…
Why Is Evidence on Job Strain and Coronary Heart Disease Mixed? An Illustration of Measurement Challenges in the Whitehall II Study
OBJECTIVE: Evidence regarding the status of job strain as a risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD) is mixed, including both results supporting the risk status and null findings. However, previous studies have typically assessed job strain at one point in time only. We examined whether the failure of such measurement to reflect long-term job strain could contribute to false null findings. METHODS: Job strain and its components, as stress ind…
Influence of change in psychosocial work characteristics on sickness absence
Objectives: To study the influence of change in self perceived psychosocial work characteristics on subsequent rates of sickness absence. Methods: Prospective cohort study of British civil service employees. Job control, job demands, and work social supports were measured in 1985/88 and in 1991/93. Analyses included 3817 British civil servants with sickness absence records at baseline (1985–89) and for two follow up periods, early (1994–95) and l…
Diagnosis-specific sick leave as a risk marker for disability pension in a Swedish population
OBJECTIVE: To investigate diagnosis-specific sick leave as a risk marker for subsequent disability pension. DESIGN: A prospective population based cohort study. Exposure to a new medically certified sick leave episode of more than seven days by diagnosis during 1985 was examined in relation to incident cause-specific disability pension through 1996. PARTICIPANTS: The total non-retired population of one Swedish county aged 16 to 49 years, alive an…
Is attachment style a source of resilience against health inequalities at work
Impact of Coronary Heart Disease on Health Functioning in an Aging Population
OBJECTIVE: To examine differences in the effect of coronary heart disease (CHD) on health functioning according to socioeconomic position. Research on social inequality in health has tended to concentrate on differences in disease prevalence and mortality rather than on the impact of disease on functioning. As outcomes improve for those with CHD, it is important to know how their health is affected in the long term. METHODS: The analysis uses que…
Effects on Blood Pressure Do Not Explain the Association Between Organizational Justice and Coronary Heart Disease in the Whitehall II Study
OBJECTIVE: To examine whether lower BP mediates the inverse association between organizational justice and incident coronary heart disease (CHD). Previous studies suggest lower blood pressure (BP) and reduced risk of CHD among employees with high organizational justice (the perception of being treated fairly by supervisors). METHODS: Prospective occupational cohort study of 4250 men and 1812 women free of CHD and hypertension at study entry (the …
Associations of job strain and working overtime with adverse health behaviors and obesity
Social Inequality in Physical and Mental Health Comorbidity Dynamics
OBJECTIVE: To examine how socioeconomic position influences physical and mental health dynamics. METHODS: The Whitehall II study of civil servants collected questionnaires on six occasions from 1991/93 to 2006/07. Civil service grade measured socioeconomic position and Short Form 36 General Health Survey component scores rated physical and mental health. Bivariate growth curve models of physical and mental health over 15 years were estimated for …
Using Sickness Absence Records to Predict Future Depression in a Working Population
Objectives. We tested the hypothesis that sickness absence from work predicts workers' risk of later depression. Methods. Study participants (n = 7391) belonged to the French GAZEL cohort of employees of the national gas and electricity company. Sickness absence data (1996–1999) were obtained from company records. Participants' depression in 1996 and 1999 was assessed with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies–Depression (CES-D) scale. The analyse…
All-cause and diagnosis-specific sickness absence as a predictor of sustained suboptimal health
UNLABELLED: background: Previous studies show that sickness absence predicts health, but it is unclear whether this association is persistent over time and whether specific diseases underlie long-term associations. The aim of this study was to investigate overall and diagnosis-specific sickness absences as predictors of sustained suboptimal health. METHODS: Prospective occupational cohort study of 15 320 employees (73% men) aged 37-51. Sickness a…
Can social support protect bullied adolescents from adverse outcomes? A prospective study on the effects of bullying on the educational achievement and mental health of adolescents at secondary school…
This paper investigates the extent to which social support can have a buffering effect against the potentially adverse consequences of bullying on school achievement and mental health. It uses a representative multiethnic sample of adolescents attending East London secondary schools in three boroughs. Bullied adolescents were less likely to achieve the appropriate academic achievement benchmark for their age group and bullied boys (but not girls)…
Quality of Workplace Social Relationships and Perceived Health
Associations between the quality of social relationships at work and mental and self-reported health were examined to assess whether these associations were independent of job strain. The study was based on cross-sectional survey data from 728 employees (response rate 58%) and included the Demand-Control-(Support) (DC-S) model, six items on the quality of social relationships at the workplace, the General Health Questionnaire (30), and an item on…
Light drinking during pregnancy
BACKGROUND: This study examines the relationship between light drinking during pregnancy and the risk of socioemotional problems and cognitive deficits at age 5 years. METHODS: Data from the nationally representative prospective UK Millennium Cohort Study (N=11,513) were used. Participants were grouped according to mothers' reported alcohol consumption during pregnancy: never drinker; not in pregnancy; light; moderate; heavy/binge. At age 5 years…
Repeated Job Strain and the Risk of Depression
Objectives. We addressed whether repeated job strain and low work social support increase the risk of major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods. We used work characteristics from Karasek’s Job Strain model, measured on 3 occasions over 10 years in a cohort of 7732 British civil servants, to predict subsequent onset of MDD with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Results. Repeated job strain was associated with increased risk of MDD (…
Age-related trajectories of physical functioning in work and retirement
BACKGROUND: Loss of physical functioning is an early marker of declining health in older people. The objective of this study was to examine the age-related trajectories of physical functioning among those in full-time work and retirement. METHODS: Based on the Health and Retirement Study, participants who were working full-time or were in full-time retirement and 65-85 years of age during the follow-up period from 1992 to 2010 were included (n=17…
Work Stress, Caregiving, and Allostatic Load
OBJECTIVES: Studies investigating health effects of work and family stress usually consider these factors in isolation. The present study investigated prospective interactive effects of job strain and informal caregiving on allostatic load (AL), a multisystem indicator of physiological dysregulation. METHODS: Participants were 7007 British civil servants from the Whitehall II cohort study. Phase 3 (1991-1994) served as the baseline, and Phases 5 …
The Association Between Informal Caregiving and Exit From Employment Among Older Workers
This study highlights the onset of caregiving as a key period for older workers. Ensuring that caregiving responsibilities are adequately recognized and supported may help extend working life
Dynamic Longitudinal Associations Between Social Support and Cognitive Function
This empirical study provides some evidence for the health selection mechanism, such that cognition modified changes in social support. The hypothesized neuroprotective effect of social support was not detectable
Role of psychosocial work factors in the relation between becoming a caregiver and changes in health behaviour
BACKGROUND: The present study tested the effects of becoming a caregiver combined with adverse working conditions on changes in health behaviours. METHODS: Participants were 5419 British civil servants from the Whitehall II cohort study who were not caregivers at baseline (phase 3, 1991-1994). Psychosocial work factors were assessed at baseline. Phase 4 questionnaire (1995-1996) was used to identify participants who became caregivers to an aged o…
Medicine (33 works) · Psychology (22 works) · Workplace Health and Well-being (20 works) · Gerontology (18 works) · Demography (15 works) · Employment and Welfare Studies (15 works) · Psychiatry (15 works) · Population (12 works) · Cohort (11 works) · Environmental health (11 works)