Job Strain Model — Karasek Demand-Control Model

Overview

The Karasek Job Demand-Control Model is a psychosocial work stress framework — proposing that job stress arises from the combination of high psychological job demands and low decision -mak ing latitude or control. The model identifies four job types based on combinations of demands and control — high strain jobs with high demands and low control, active jobs with high demands and high control, passive jobs with low demands and low control, and low strain jobs with low demands and high control. High strain jobs are associated with the greatest risk of psychological stress, cardiovascular disease, and musculoskeletal disorders — making the model a foundational tool for understanding how work or ganisation affects worker health.