Background: Salivary cortisol as a physiological measure of stress has attracted great interest in recent years.
Method: A 55 women and 28 men, all healthy volunteers, were included in a study on psychosocial factors at work and at home and salivary cortisol. General linear models, univariate and repeated measures, respectively, were used to evaluate the associations between psychosocial factors and cortisol excretion measured six times during a working day. Age, physical activity, tobacco use and the time of the first saliva sample were used as covariates.
Results: In the women, high degrees of time pressure, effort and effort reward imbalance were significantly associated with higher levels of cortisol. In the men, high degrees of effort, effort reward imbalance and overcommitment were significantly associated with higher levels of cortisol.
Conclusion: Psychosocial factors are of significance to the level of salivary cortisol. The study emphasises the benefits of taking physiological measurements of stress in epidemiological studies.