Job demands as a potential modifier of the association between testosterone deficiency and andropause symptoms in Japanese middle-aged workers: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective: The present study investigated whether job demands modify the association between low levels of testosterone and andropause symptoms.

Study design: Participants were Japanese middle-aged workers in a middle-size company. Blood samples were drawn to determine serum levels of testosterone. Participants completed a self-report questionnaire that included 5 items from the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) that assesses job demands, the Aging Males' Symptoms (AMS) scale as well as questions regarding health behaviors and history of disease. Analysis of data was limited to the 183 men who completed all components of the questionnaire and provided blood samples (mean age=51.9 years, SD=7.7, age range 34-67 years).

Main outcome measures: The AMS which comprises three symptom sub-scales: somatic, psychological, and sexual.

Results: Men with low testosterone levels (<349 ng/dL) had more psychological andropause symptoms than those with high levels. In men with high psychological job demands, compared to men with low job demands, testosterone levels were positively associated with the total score for andropause symptoms and scores for somatic and psychological symptoms.

Conclusions: Level of job demands may intensify the effect of testosterone deficiency on andropause symptoms.