scholarly journals Predicting new major depression symptoms from long working hours, psychosocial safety climate and work engagement: a population-based cohort study

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. e044133
Author(s):  
Amy Jane Zadow ◽  
Maureen F Dollard ◽  
Christian Dormann ◽  
Paul Landsbergis

ObjectivesThis study sought to assess the association between long working hours, psychosocial safety climate (PSC), work engagement (WE) and new major depression symptoms emerging over the next 12 months. PSC is the work climate supporting workplace psychological health.SettingAustralian prospective cohort population data from the states of New South Wales, Western Australia and South Australia.ParticipantsAt Time 1, there were 3921 respondents in the sample. Self-employed, casual temporary, unclassified, those with working hours <35 (37% of 2850) and participants with major depression symptoms at Time 1 (6.7% of 1782) were removed. The final sample was a population-based cohort of 1084 full-time Australian employees.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe planned and measured outcomes were new cases of major depression symptoms.ResultsLong working hours were not significantly related to new cases of major depression symptoms; however, when mild cases were removed, the 41–48 and ≥55 long working hour categories were positively related to major depression symptoms. Low PSC was associated with a threefold increase in risk for new major depression symptoms. PSC was not related to long working hours, and long working hours did not mediate the relationship between PSC and new cases of major depression symptoms. The inverse relationship between PSC and major depression symptoms was stronger for males than females. Additional analyses identified that WE was positively related to long working hours. Long working hours (41–48 and ≥55 hours) mediated a positive relationship between WE and major depression symptoms when mild cases of major depression were removed.ConclusionThe results suggest that low workplace PSC and potentially long working hours (41–48; ≥55 hours/week) increase the risk of new major depression symptoms. Furthermore, high WE may increase long working hours and subsequent major depression symptoms.

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manami Ochi ◽  
Takeo Fujiwara

Abstract Background There have been numerous reports on the effects of paternal childcare on children’s behavioral development. However, little is known about these effects in Asian countries such as Japan, where fathers do not have sufficient time for childcare due to long working hours. This study explored the association between paternal childcare during toddlerhood in terms of childcare hours and the type of caregiving behavior and subsequent behavioral problems in children aged 5.5 years, stratified by sex. Methods We analyzed data from the Longitudinal Survey of Newborns in the twenty-first Century (2001–2006), a population-based cohort survey in Japan (N = 27,870). Paternal childcare was assessed at 18 months in terms of paternal childcare hours on weekdays or weekends and the frequency of each type of childcare (feeding, changing diapers, bathing, putting the child to sleep, playing with the child at home, and taking the child outside). Based on the frequency or lack of paternal involvement, six categories of child behavioral problems were assessed when the children were 5.5 years old. Logistic regression analysis was applied to account for the known confounding variables. Results Longer paternal childcare hours, on both weekdays and weekends in toddlerhood, had a protective effect on behavioral problems at 5.5 years of age. The dose-effect relationships were found between the frequency of fathers taking their children outside and behavioral problems in boys, and the frequency of fathers playing with their children at home and behavioral problems in both boys and girls. Conclusions Paternal childcare during toddlerhood could prevent subsequent behavioral problems in children. Several specific paternal caregiving behaviors, such as taking their children outside and playing with them at home, may play an important role in preventing subsequent behavioral problems.


2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 20
Author(s):  
Fanny Yuk Fun Young

This study investigated the working hour, work-life balance and intention to have children of full-time workers in a place without Standard Working Hour legislation and with very low birth rate, Hong Kong. Method used a questionnaire survey with 200 below 35, married, full-time workers. Results showed these workers had longer working hour (49.3 hours/week) than many other places in the World (40 hours/week). Most participants (around 70 percent) reported prolonged fatigue level, sleepiness and extreme tiredness and did not have time staying with their partner and family. The mean intention to have children score was 2.045 out of 5. Correlation analysis was performed between working hour and intention to have children. There exist an inverse relationship between working hour and intention to have children (r= - 0.779). A plotting of the working hour against intention to have children showed some linear relationship between the working hour and intention to have children. Therefore, in general the workers with longer working hour were having lower intention to have children. To conclude, workers in Hong Kong, without Standard Working Hour legislation, had long working hours, poor work-life balance and low intention to have children. 


2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katinka Tuisku ◽  
Pia Houni ◽  
Johanna Seppänen ◽  
Marianna Virtanen

OBJECTIVE: Although artistic work is in transition, the occupational wellbeing of artists has been less studied than wellbeing among other workers. This study aimed to explore the relationship between work characteristics and occupational (psychosocial) wellbeing of artists. METHODS: A national questionnaire was sent to all artists (theatre artists, writers, and visual artists) reached by four major labor unions in Finland. Type of employment (permanent full-time work vs other), working field (own field of art vs other), regularity of working hours (regular vs irregular), and control of workload were assessed. The wellbeing outcomes were work engagement, recovery from work, and experience of stress and low mood. RESULTS: Full-time permanent employment, regular working hours, and working in one’s own field of art were positively associated with work engagement. Furthermore, regular working hours were positively associated with recovery and negatively associated with subjective report of low mood. Ability to control workload was positively associated with recovery and negatively associated with stress and low mood. Higher age was associated with lower stress and better recovery. CONCLUSIONS: Artists with regular working hours, secure employment, ability to control workload, working in one’s own field of art, and higher age reported better wellbeing in this study. The late stages of career appear to guarantee more stability and wellbeing than the more insecure beginning of a career.


Author(s):  
Zan Li ◽  
Junming Dai ◽  
Ning Wu ◽  
Yingnan Jia ◽  
Junling Gao ◽  
...  

Our aim is to examine the associations between long working hours and depression and mental well-being among the working population in Shanghai, as well as to identify the impact of having hobbies on these relationships. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Shanghai, with depression assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scale and mental well-being assessed by the World Health Organization five-item Well-Being Index (WHO-5) scale. The phenomenon of long working hours (69.3%) was quite common among employees in Shanghai, and the rate of working over 60 h was 19.3%. Those who worked over 60 h had the highest prevalence of poorer mental health compared with individuals working ≤40 h per week. After adjustment in the logistic regression model, those who reported weekly working time over 60 h were 1.40 (95%CI: 1.03–1.90) and 1.66 (95%CI: 1.26–2.18) times more likely to have depression and poor mental well-being (PMWB), respectively. Adjusted ORs for having hobbies were 0.78 (95%CI: 0.62–0.97) and 0.62 (95%CI: 0.51–0.75), respectively. Meanwhile, having hobbies could significantly lower the mean score on the PHQ-9 and elevate the mean score on the WHO-5 in each working time group, with no interaction effect. Long working hours could have a significantly negative impact on workers’ psychological health. Importantly, having hobbies in their daily lives might help to mitigate the adverse effects of long working hours on workers’ depression and mental well-being.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Ali ◽  
Gias U. Ahsan ◽  
Ahmed Hossain

AbstractObjectiveLow Back Pain (LBP) is one of the common health problems among full-time office employees that causes employees absenteeism from work. The purpose of the study is to identify the association between occupational factors and LBP among full-time bank employees in Dhaka City.Materials and MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study with 593 full-time bank employees. The one-month complaints of LBP were administered by a musculoskeletal subscale of subjective health complaints by Eriksen et al. A logistic model was performed to identify variables associated with LBP, and a random forest technique was performed to identify the top 5 important variables.ResultsThe one-month prevalence for LBP was found 36.6% among the bank employees and the prevalence was high (46.6%) for the 41 to 59-year-old age-group. The multiple logistic regression analysis indicates that age (41-59 years) (OR:2.11, CI=1.21-3.74), obesity (OR:2.06, CI=1.01-4.21) and long working hours (>9 hours) (OR:1.42, CI=1.01-2.0) are positively associated with LBP. Age and length of employment have a positive correlation of 0.87. The random forest technique identifies the top 5 important variables are, age, length of employment, long office hours, presence of chronic illness, and physical activity.ConclusionLBP is highly prevalent in full-time bank employees. The occupational factors like length of employment (>10 years) and long working hours (>9 hours) play a significant role in developing LBP among the bank employees. Moreover, the factors like age, chronic illness, obesity and physical activity should be taken into account in the prevention of LBP in bank employees.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. e050037
Author(s):  
Eunchan Mun ◽  
Yesung Lee ◽  
Woncheol Lee ◽  
Soyoung Park

ObjectivesThis study aimed to determine the cross-sectional association between long working hours and gastritis diagnosed by endoscopy.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingLarge university hospitals in Seoul and Suwon, South Korea.ParticipantsWorkers in formal employment who underwent a comprehensive health examination at the Kangbuk Samsung Hospital Total Healthcare Centre clinics in Seoul and Suwon, South Korea, between January 2011 and December 2018. Of the 386 488 participants, 168 391 full-time day workers met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis.Primary outcome measureEndoscopic gastritis.ResultsThe participants were predominantly college graduates or above (88.9%), male (71.2%) and in their 30s (51.1%), and the median age was 36 (IQR 31–42). Approximately 93.2% of participants had positive endoscopic gastritis, and there was a significant association between working hours and positive findings of endoscopic gastritis. The multivariate fully adjusted prevalence ratio (PR) of endoscopic gastritis for participants working >55 hours per week compared with 35–40 hours per week was 1.011 (95% CI 1.007 to 1.015). Furthermore, endoscopic findings were classified into nine subtypes of gastritis, including superficial gastritis, erosive gastritis, atrophic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia and haemorrhagic gastritis increased with longer working hours (p for trends <0.05). Their PRs for participants working >55 hours per week compared with 35–40 hours per week were 1.019 (95% CI 1.012 to 1.026), 1.025 (95% CI 1.011 to 1.040), 1.017 (95% CI 1.008 to 1.027), 1.066 (95% CI 1.028 to 1.105) and 1.177 (95% CI 1.007 to 1.375), respectively.ConclusionsWorking over 55 hours per week was cross-sectionally associated with positive findings of endoscopic gastritis. The study findings indicated potentially increased risks of superficial gastritis, erosive gastritis, atrophic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia and haemorrhagic gastritis among workers with long working hours (>55 hours per week), supporting the need for further exploration via longitudinal studies.


Stroke ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (7) ◽  
pp. 1879-1882 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Fadel ◽  
Grace Sembajwe ◽  
Diana Gagliardi ◽  
Fernando Pico ◽  
Jian Li ◽  
...  

Background and Purpose— Long working hours (LWHs) are a potential risk factor for stroke. The aim of this study was to investigate this association in a large general population cohort. Methods— We used the French population-based cohort, CONSTANCES (Cohorte des Consultants des Centres d'Examens de Santé), to retrieve information on age, sex, smoking, and working hours from the baseline, self-administered questionnaire. Other cardiovascular risk factors and previous occurrence of stroke were taken from a parallel medical interview. We defined LWH as working time >10 hours daily for at least 50 days per year. Participants with primarily part-time jobs were excluded as were those with stroke before LWH exposure. We used logistic models to estimate the association between LWH and stroke, stratified by age, sex, and occupation. In additional modeling, we excluded subjects whose stroke occurred within 5 years of the first reported work exposure. Results— Among the 143 592 participants in the analyses, there were 1224 (0.9%) strokes, 42 542 (29.6%) reported LWH, and 14 481 (10.1%) reported LWH for 10 years or more. LWH was associated with an increased risk of stroke: adjusted odds ratio of 1.29 (95% CI, 1.11–1.49). Being exposed to LWH for 10 years or more was more strongly associated with stroke, adjusted odds ratio of 1.45 (95% CI, 1.21–1.74). The association showed no differences between men and women but was stronger in white-collar workers under 50 years of age. Conclusions— This large analysis reveals a significant association between stroke and exposure to LWH for 10 years or more. The findings are relevant for individual and global prevention.


Author(s):  
Samia Chaudhry ◽  
Roheela Yasmeen

Psychological morbidity is emerging as an important issue for medical students after entering clinical training due to extensive working hours. Students find themselves unable to balance competing demands on their time and cannot allocate appropriate time to family, spouses and even to themselves; this leads to complaints about exhaustion and lack of efficiency in their profession. Objective: To assess Psychological morbidity in interns, medical officers and residents Methods:  A cross sectional study was conducted. A google form was designed with questions adopting from the three scales of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS). Question from all three categories of MBI-GS such as emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment were considered. The form was distributed via email and Whatsapp to 87 house officers, medical officers and residents of six public healthcare facilities in Lahore. Responses were captured from 73 participants who completed the General Health questionnaire. Seven of these forms were filled by nurses, so in the present study only the response of those 66 participants who conformed to the study cross-section were considered. The results were analyzed using SPSS version 22 for descriptive statistics and chi-square association. Results: A significant association was found between long working hours and emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment questions in particular. The findings suggests long working hours ruin the mental health of medical professionals, which ultimately produce psychological health impacts. Conclusions: It was concluded that these factors should be considered to reduce psychological morbidity in health professionals.


Author(s):  
Grit Müller ◽  
Anita Tisch ◽  
Anne Marit Wöhrmann

Excessive working hours have negative consequences for employees’ health. Looking deeper into this problem, this article examines how employers’ needs for more intense working or more flexible working hours affect their employees’ psychosomatic health. A German representative survey of 13,452 full-time employees found that long working hours, work intensity (deadline and performance pressure) and flexibility requirements (permanent availability, changes in working hours) were significantly related to psychosomatic health complaints. When considering future work design and practices, these findings show which unfavourable working conditions are to be avoided to maintain the psychosomatic health of employees.


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