Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Sick building syndrome (SBS) and sick house syndrome (SHS) in relation to psychosocial stress at work in the Swedish workforce

  • Original Article
  • Published:
International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Medical symptoms called sick building syndrome (SBS) and sick house syndrome (SHS) are usually investigated separately: in this study, SBS and SHS were explored simultaneously. The significance of personal factors, perceptions of air quality, and psychosocial work situation in explaining SBS and SHS were investigated.

Methods

A random sample of 1,000 subjects (20–65 year) received a postal questionnaire including questions on personal factors, medical symptoms, and the psychosocial demand-control-support model. The response rate was 70 % (n = 695), of which 532 were occupationally active.

Results

In logistic regression models, atopy, poor air quality at work, and low social support, especially low supervisor support, were associated with both SBS and SHS when age, gender, smoking, and BMI were introduced. The general work-related symptoms (headache, tiredness, nausea, and sensation of a cold) were also related to low control over work.

Conclusions

The perception of poor physical environmental conditions is associated with common medical symptoms that are both work and home related. The associations between medical symptoms and poor air quality are still present, even when controlling for the psychosocial environment.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ahlberg-Hulten GK, Theorell T, Sigala F (1995) Social support, job strain and musculoskeletal pain among female health care personnel. Scand J Work Environ Health 21:435–439

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Apter A, Bracker A, Hodgson M, Sidman J, Leung WY (1994) Epidemiology of the sick building syndrome. J Allergy Clin Immunol 94:277–288

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bakke JV, Moen BE, Wieslander G, Norbäck D (2007) Gender and the physical and the psychosocial work environments are related to indoor air symptoms. J Occup Environ Med 49:641–650

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boxer PA (1990) Indoor air quality: a psychosocial perspective. JOM 32:425–428

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brasche S, Bullinger M, Morfeld M, Gebhardt HJ, Bischof W (2001) Why do women suffer from sick building syndrome more often than men? Subjective higher sensitivity versus objective causes. Indoor Air 11:217–222

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brauer C, Mikkelsen S (2010) The influence of individual and contextual psychosocial work factors on the perception of the indoor environment at work: a multilevel analysis. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 83:639–651

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brauer C, Kolstad H, Mikkelsen POS (2006) The sick building syndrome: a chicken and egg situation? Int Arch Occup Environ Health 79:465–471

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crawford JO, Bolas SM (1996) Sick building syndrome, work factors and occupational stress. Scand J Work Environ Health 22:243–250

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fanger PO (1989) The new comfort equation for indoor air quality. ASHRAE J 31:33–37

    Google Scholar 

  • Hedge A, Buge PS, Robertson AS, Wilson S, Harris-Bass J (1989) Work-related illness in offices: a proposed model of the “sick building syndrome”. Environ Int 15:143–158

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hodgson M (1995) The sick-building syndrome. Occup Med State Art Rev 10:167–175

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Imai N, Imai Y, Kido Y (2008) Psychosocial factors that aggravate the symptoms of sick house syndrome in Japan. Nurs Health Sci 10:101–109

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson JV (1986) The impact of workplace social support, job demands and work control upon cardiovascular disease in Sweden. PhD diss., John Hopkins University; Report no. 1-86, Stockholm, Sweden. Distributed by Department of Psychology, University of Stockholm

  • Karasek RA, Theorell T (1990) Healthy work: stress, productivity, and the reconstruction of working life. Basic Books, Inc., New York, USA

  • Krantz G, Ostergren PO (2000) Common symptoms in middle aged women: their relation to employment status, psychosocial work conditions and social support in a Swedish setting. J Epidemiol Community Health 3:192–199

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Landsbergis P, Theorell T (2000) Measurements of psychosocial workplace exposure variables. Self-report questionnaires. Occup Med 15:163–171

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Marmot AF, Eley J, Stafford M, Stansfeld SA, Warwick E, Marmot MG (2006) Building health: an epidemiological study of “sick building syndrome” in the Whitehall II study. Occup Environ Med 63:283–289

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nakayama K, Morimoto K (2007) Relationship between, lifestyle, mold and sick building syndromes in newly built dwellings in Japan. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol 20:35–43

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Niven RM, Fletcher AM, Pickering CA, Faragher EB, Potter IN, Booth WB, Jones TJ, Potter PD (2000) Building sickness syndrome in healthy and unhealthy buildings: an epidemiological and environmental assessment with cluster analysis. OEM 57:627–634

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Norbäck D (1995) Subjective indoor air quality in schools—the influence of high room temperature, carpeting, fleecy wall materials and volatile organic compounds (VOC). Indoor Air 5:237–246

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Norbäck D (2009) An update on sick building syndrome. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol 9:55–59

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Norbäck D, Edling C (1991) Environmental, occupational, and personal factors related to the prevalence of sick building syndrome in the general population. Br J Ind Med 48:451–468

    Google Scholar 

  • Norbäck D, Nordström K (2008) An experimental study on effects of increased ventilation flow on students’ perception of indoor environment in computer classrooms. Indoor Air 18:293–300

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Norbäck D, Michel I, Widström J (1990) Indoor air quality and personal factors related to the sick building syndrome. Scand J Work Environ Health 16:121–128

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Norbäck D, Edling C, Wieslander G (1994) Asthma symptoms and the sick building syndrome (SBS) the significance of microorganisms in the indoor environment. In: Samson RA, Flannigan B, Flannigan ME, Verhoeff AP, Adan OCG, Hoekstra ES (eds) Health implications of fungi in indoor environments. Air quality monographs, vol 2. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 229–239

    Google Scholar 

  • Nordström K, Norbäck D, Akselsson R (1995) Subjective indoor air quality in hospitals—the influence of building age, ventilation flow, and personal factors. Indoor Environ 4:37–44

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rashid M, Zimring C (2008) A review of the empirical literature on the relationships between indoor environment and stress in health care and office settings. Environ Behav 40:151–190

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Runeson R, Norbäck D (2005) Associations among sick building syndrome, psychosocial factors, and personality traits. Percept Mot Skills 100:747–759

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Runeson R, Norbäck D, Stattin H (2003) Symptoms and sense of coherence: a follow-up study of personnel from workplace buildings with indoor air problems. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 76:29–38

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Runeson R, Wahlstedt K, Wieslander G, Norbäck D (2006) Personal and psychosocial factors and symptoms compatible with sick building syndrome in the Swedish workforce. Indoor Air 16:445–453

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Söderfeldt B, Söderfeldt M, Jones K, O’Campo P, Muntaner C, Ohlson C-G, Warg L-E (1997) Does organization matter? A multilevel analysis of the demand-control model applied to human services. Soc Sci Med 44:527–534

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stenberg B, Wall S (1995) Why do women report ‘‘sick building symptoms’’ more often than men? Soc Sci Med 40:491–502

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Theorell T, Perski A, Åkerstedt T, Sigala F, Ahlberg-Hulten G, Svensson J, Eneroth P (1988) Changes in job strain relation to changes in physiological state. Scand J Work Environ Health 14:189–196

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Theorell T, Ahlberg-Hulten G, Sigala F, Perski A, Söderholm M, Kallner A, Eneroth PA (1990) Psychosocial and biomedical comparison between men in six contrasting service occupations. Work Stress 4:51–63

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Theorell T, Harms-Ringdahl K, Ahlberg-Hulten G, Westin B (1991) Psychosocial job factors and symptoms from the locomotor system—a multicausal analysis. Scand J Rehabil Med 23:165–173

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Theorell T, Harms-Ringdahl K, Ahlberg-Hultén G, Westin B (1993) Psychosocial job factors at work and musculoskeletal disease. Scand J Work Environ Health 19:297–312

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wahlstedt KGI, Edling C (1997) Organizational changes at a postal sorting terminal their effects upon work satisfaction, psychosomatic complaints and sick leave. Work Stress 11:279–291

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wargocki P, Lagercrantz L, Witterseh T, Sundell J, Wyon DP, Fanger PO (2002) Subjective perceptions, symptoms intensity and performance: a comparison of two independent studies, both changing similarly the pollution load in an office. Indoor Air 12:74–80

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yaglou CP, Riley EC, Coggins DI (1936) Ventilation requirements. ASH&VE Trans 42:133–162

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang X, Zhao Z, Nordquist T, Norback D (2011) The prevalence and incidence of sick building syndrome in Chinese pupils in relation to the school environment: a two-year follow-up study. Indoor Air 21:462–471

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Uppsala University Hospital, 751 85, Uppsala, Sweden

    Roma Runeson-Broberg & Dan Norbäck

Authors
  1. Roma Runeson-Broberg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Dan Norbäck
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Roma Runeson-Broberg.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Runeson-Broberg, R., Norbäck, D. Sick building syndrome (SBS) and sick house syndrome (SHS) in relation to psychosocial stress at work in the Swedish workforce. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 86, 915–922 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-012-0827-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-012-0827-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation