| This thesis examines the determinants of lawyers' physical and mental health using secondary data from 790 Alberta law firm lawyers. Using Karasek's Job Demand-Control-Support (JDCS) model, it investigates how work-related factors impact on lawyers' physical and mental health, whether men and women differ in work-related determinants of health and whether these determinants have different effects on their health. The results show that the most significant predictors of physical and mental health were factors external to work. Also, men and women report similar levels of physical health, while women report significantly poorer mental health. Surprisingly, no gender effect differences were found in work-related determinants of health. Results illustrate that spouse's occupation influences the effectiveness of spousal support. In addition, social support and some forms of control effectively buffer the negative impact of job demands on physical and mental health. The implications for future tests of the JDCS model are discussed. |
