Health inequalities and the psychosocial environment—two scientific challenges

摘要: As social inequalities in health continue to be a key public problem, scientific advances explaining these are needed. It is unlikely that there will single explanation of health. This introductory paper sets out one explanatory framework, exposure adverse psychosocial environments during midlife, and particularly at work. We argue an environment, terms job tasks, defined by high demands low control and/or effort-reward imbalance, elicits sustained stress reactions with negative long-term consequences for These exposures may implicated the association socioeconomic status two ways. First, likely experienced more frequently among lower groups. Second, size effects on produced working conditions higher groups, due their increased vulnerability. In this special issue, arguments illustrated collection original contributions from collaborative research across Europe. The papers, our view, advance case robust associations between measures environment ill health, as they based comparative studies several European countries combine different types study designs. collaboration was enabled supported Science Foundation programme 'Social Variations Health Expectancy Europe'.