The negative impact of long working hours on mental health in young Korean workers

Occupational stress is caused by various reasons, such as, workload and long working hours. This leads to occurrence of trend in using wellness activities to treat physical and psychological illness that is known as complementary therapy, which is Yoga, Aromatherapy, Qi gong, and Islamic Medical Practices (Ruqyah). Therefore, this research offered a perspective on the use of complementary therapies as a tool in improving and maintaining mental health condition of employees located in Penang, Malaysia. Qualitative method was used where 5 complementary therapy practitioners were interviewed to identify the perceptions towards the use of complementary therapy and to identify the type of therapy that can be practiced to reduce stress, as well as, discuss the benefits of complementary therapies. It was found that complementary therapy is very beneficial as it acts as a holistic treatment, natural way of healing and more empowering, as it helps to improve employee’s mental, emotional and physical health.Keywords: occupational stress; complementary therapy; mental health; holistic; conventional

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Overtime working patterns and adverse events in work-related suicide cases: hierarchical cluster analysis of national compensation data in Japan (fiscal year 2015–2016)

International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health ◽

10.1007/s00420-021-01760-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yuki Nishimura ◽

Takashi Yamauchi ◽

Takeshi Sasaki ◽

Toru Yoshikawa ◽

Masaya Takahashi

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Disorders ◽

Adverse Events ◽

Mental Disorder ◽

Working Hours ◽

Hierarchical Cluster ◽

Fiscal Year ◽

Long Working Hours ◽

Interpersonal Conflicts ◽

Work Related

Abstract Background Although various work-related adverse events affect workers’ mental health, the association between long working hours and mental disorders remains unclear. We investigated the characteristics of overtime work and work-related adverse events among all cases of compensated work-related suicide in Japan to empirically reveal the context of the serious consequences. Methods We analysed all 167 cases of mental disorders resulting in suicide that were compensated in fiscal year 2015–2016. Hierarchical clustering was applied to the overtime working history. Work-related adverse events were also evaluated as the qualitative aspects of their jobs. Results More than half of the cases committed suicide within a month of developing a mental disorder. The Administrative and professional or engineering workers had a higher suicide rate. The clustering analysis revealed chronic long working hours (19%), gradual increase (27%), or rapid increase (25%) in working hours before the onset of a mental disorder. A group of cases with less overwork experienced more interpersonal conflicts. Conclusion This is the first study to employ a clustering technique to objectively reveal the actual working patterns behind suicide. The patterns of working overtime before the onset of mental disorders varied considerably among the cases. Taking the transition of working overtime into account may provide clearer insight into the relationship between long working hours and workers’ mental health. These results highlight the need for countermeasures especially for causes of chronic overworking, drastic increases in working hours, and interpersonal conflicts to prevent work-related suicide.

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Mental Health During COVID-19: A Qualitative Study with Ethnically Diverse Healthcare Workers in the United Kingdom

10.1101/2021.12.13.21267718 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Irtiza Qureshi ◽

Mayuri Gogoi ◽

Amani Al-Oraibi ◽

Fatimah Wobi ◽

Jonathan Chaloner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

United Kingdom ◽

Ethnic Minority ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Ethnically Diverse ◽

Working Hours ◽

Severe Illness ◽

List Type ◽

The United Kingdom

ABSTRACTIntroductionHealthcare workers are experiencing deterioration in their mental health due to COVID-19. Ethnic minority populations in the United Kingdom are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, with a higher death rate and poorer physical and mental health outcomes. It is important that healthcare organisations consider the specific context and mental, as well as physical, health needs of an ethnically diverse healthcare workforce in order to better support them during, and after, the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsWe undertook a qualitative work package as part of the United Kingdom Research study into Ethnicity and COVID-19 outcomes among healthcare workers (UK-REACH). As part of the qualitative research, we conducted focus group discussions with healthcare workers between December 2020 and July 2021, and covered topics such as their experiences, fears and concerns, and perceptions about safety and protection, while working during the pandemic. The purposive sample included ancillary health workers, doctors, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals from diverse ethnic backgrounds. We conducted discussions using Microsoft Teams. Recordings were transcribed and thematically analysed.FindingsWe carried out 16 focus groups with a total of 61 participants. Several factors were identified which contributed to, and potentially exacerbated, the poor mental health of ethnic minority healthcare workers during this period including anxiety (due to inconsistent protocols and policy); fear (of infection); trauma (due to increased exposure to severe illness and death); guilt (of potentially infecting loved ones); and stress (due to longer working hours and increased workload).ConclusionCOVID-19 has affected the mental health of healthcare workers. We identified a number of factors which may be contributing to a deterioration in mental health across diverse ethnic groups. Healthcare organisations should consider developing strategies to counter the negative impact of these factors. This paper will help employers of healthcare workers and other relevant policy makers better understand the wider implications and potential risks of COVID-19 and assist in developing strategies to safeguard the mental health of these healthcare workers going forward, and reduce ethnic disparities.Key messagesWhat is already known about this subjectHealthcare Workers (HCWs) are experiencing deterioration of their mental health due to COVID-19Ethnic minority populations and HCWs are disproportionately affected by COVID-19More research is needed on the specific factors influencing the mental health of ethnically diverse healthcare workforcesWhat are the new findingsProminent factors influencing the mental health and emotional wellbeing of this population include:anxiety (due to inconsistent protocols and policy)fear (of infection)trauma (due to increased exposure to severe illness and death)guilt (of potentially infecting loved ones)stress (due to longer working hours and increased workload)How might this impact on policy or clinical practice in the foreseeable futureHealthcare organisations should consider the specific circumstances of these staff and develop strategies to counter the negative impact of these factors and help safeguard the mental health of their staff

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The Effect of Long Working Hours and Overtime on Occupational Health: A Meta-Analysis of Evidence from 1998 to 2018

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16122102 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (12) ◽

pp. 2102 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Kapo Wong ◽

Alan H. S. Chan ◽

S. C. Ngan

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Occupational Health ◽

Confidence Interval ◽

Odds Ratio ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Country Of Origin ◽

Health Behaviours ◽

Working Hours ◽

Long Working Hours ◽

Cut Point

There has been no subsequent meta-analysis examining the effects of long working hours on health or occupational health since 1997. Therefore, this paper aims to conduct a meta-analysis covering studies after 1997 for a comparison. A total of 243 published records were extracted from electronic databases. The effects were measured by five conditions, namely, physiological health (PH), mental health (MH), health behaviours (HB), related health (RH), and nonspecified health (NH). The overall odds ratio between long working hours and occupational health was 1.245 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.195–1.298). The condition of related health constituted the highest odds ratio value (1.465, 95% CI: 1.332–1.611). The potential moderators were study method, cut-point for long weekly working hours, and country of origin. Long working hours were shown to adversely affect the occupational health of workers. The management on safeguarding the occupational health of workers working long hours should be reinforced.

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Effect of Long Working Hours on Depression and Mental Well-Being among Employees in Shanghai: The Role of Having Leisure Hobbies

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16244980 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (24) ◽

pp. 4980

Author(s):

Zan Li ◽

Junming Dai ◽

Ning Wu ◽

Yingnan Jia ◽

Junling Gao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Psychological Health ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Working Hours ◽

Well Being ◽

Working Time ◽

World Health ◽

Long Working Hours ◽

The Mean ◽

The Impact ◽

Mental Well Being

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.

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Mental Health at Work Place

International Journal of Occupational Safety and Health ◽

10.3126/ijosh.v2i1.5915 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 2-6

Author(s):

Susmita Halder ◽

Akash Kumar Mahato

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Occupational Safety ◽

Working Hours ◽

Well Being ◽

Work Place ◽

Long Working Hours ◽

Workplace Mental Health ◽

Long Run ◽

Safety And Health ◽

Mental And Physical Health

Mental health denotes a symptom free mind and fair level of emotional well being. Be it home or workplace; mental health of an individual is subjected to environmental stressors that may reduce one’s state of well being. The workplace in particular can be a very tiring environment for anyone. The stress of long working hours, ever increasing targets, managing coworkers and subordinates can take a toll on a persons mind and prove very toxic to one's mental and physical health in long run. It is difficult for persons with full blown mental illness to continue at work; but it generally takes a gradual course, before an individual shows full blown symptoms of a particular illness. Thus it becomes necessary to constantly check mental health and stress level of workers. The article discusses mental health, particularly in work place occupational stress and the related issues.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijosh.v2i1.5915 International Journal of Occupational Safety and Health, Vol. 2 No. 1 (2012) 2-6

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Exploring Health Workers’ Experiences of Mental Health Challenges During Care of Patients with COVID-19 in Uganda: A Qualitative Study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-645994/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Choolwe Muzyamba ◽

Ogylive Makova ◽

Geofrey Mushibi

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Workers ◽

Working Hours ◽

Long Working Hours ◽

Social Fabric ◽

Local Responses ◽

High Death Rate ◽

High Death ◽

Lack Of Sleep ◽

The Government

Abstract Objectives The aim of this study is to qualitatively investigate the lived experiences of mental health among frontline health workers providing COVID-19-realted care in Uganda. This study will provide insights into the contextual realities of the mental health of health workers facing greater challenges given the weak healthcare systemResults All in all, our findings suggest that healthcare workers are under enormous stress during this pandemic, however, in order to effectively respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda, it is important to understand their challenges and sources of these challenges. The government thus has the reasonability to address most of the sources that were highlighted (long working hours, lack of proper equipment, lack of sleep, exhaustion, and experiencing high death rate under their care). Further, the Ugandan social fabric presents an opportunity for coping through its strong communal links and networks. Scaling these forms of local responses is cheap but contextually useful for a country with limited resources like Uganda.

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Focus on the Mental Health of Pediatric Medical Workers in China After the COVID-19 Epidemic

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.657814 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Hui Liu ◽

Li Wang

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Intervention Program ◽

Psychological Intervention ◽

Working Hours ◽

Chinese Government ◽

Long Working Hours ◽

Psychological Pressure ◽

Novel Coronavirus ◽

The Impact

As was previously known, pediatric medical staff in China faced several hurdles including high occupational risk, multiple contradictions, heavy workload, and long working hours. After the outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus, facing the overload of work and the potential risk of infection, pediatric medical workers may be under great psychological pressure. The purpose of this article was to call attention to the impact of the epidemic on the mental health of Chinese pediatric workers, and developing psychological intervention program that are tailored to them. The experiences from this public health emergency should inform the efficiency and quality of future crisis intervention of the Chinese government and authorities around the world.

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Exploring health workers’ experiences of mental health challenges during care of patients with COVID-19 in Uganda: a qualitative study

BMC Research Notes ◽

10.1186/s13104-021-05707-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Choolwe Muzyamba ◽

Ogylive Makova ◽

Geofrey Samukulu Mushibi

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Workers ◽

Working Hours ◽

Long Working Hours ◽

Social Fabric ◽

Local Responses ◽

High Death Rate ◽

High Death ◽

Lack Of Sleep ◽

The Government

Abstract Objectives The aim of this study is to qualitatively investigate the lived experiences of mental health among frontline health workers providing COVID-19-realted care in Uganda. This study provides insights into the contextual realities of the mental health of health workers facing greater challenges given the lack of adequate resources, facilities and health workers to meet the demand brought about by COVID-19. Results All in all, our findings suggest that healthcare workers are under enormous stress during this pandemic, however, in order to effectively respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda, it is important to understand their challenges and sources of these challenges. The government thus has the reasonability to address most of the sources that were highlighted (long working hours, lack of proper equipment, lack of sleep, exhaustion, and experiencing high death rate under their care). Further, the Ugandan social fabric presents an opportunity for coping through its strong communal links and networks. Scaling these forms of local responses is cheap but contextually useful for a country with limited resources like Uganda.

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Beyond PPE: a mixed qualitative–quantitative study capturing the wider issues affecting doctors’ well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2021-050223 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. e050223

Author(s):

Lyndsey Jayne Cubitt ◽

Yu Ri Im ◽

Ciaran James Scott ◽

Louise Claire Jeynes ◽

Paul David Molyneux

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Online Survey ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Working Hours ◽

Well Being ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Increased Risk

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges to the medical workforce. This has put them at increased risk of burnout at a time when levels are already worryingly high in the profession, with recent studies consistently showing that around half of doctors meet the validated criteria for burnout.ObjectivesTo understand the wider factors influencing and impacting upon hospital doctors’ well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic in England.DesignCross-sectional survey and mixed quantitative–qualitative analysis.SettingAcute National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust in England.ParticipantsAn online survey was circulated in early June 2020 to all 449 doctors employed by the Trust. 242 doctors completed the survey (54% response rate).Primary outcome measuresQuestions assessed occupational details, self-reported changes in physical and mental health, satisfaction with working hours and patterns, availability of personal protective equipment (PPE), medication and facilities, communication and sought to identify areas seen as having a significant effect on doctors’ well-being.Results96% of respondents requiring PPE were able to access it. Nearly half of the respondents felt that their mental health had deteriorated since the start of the pandemic. Over a third stated that their physical health had also declined. Issues identified as having a negative impact on doctors included increased workload, redeployment, loss of autonomy, personal issues affecting family members, anxiety around recovery plans, inadequate access to changing and storage facilities and to rest areas that allow for social distancing. Doctors appreciated access to ‘calm rooms’ that were made available for staff, access to clinical psychology support, free drinks and free car parking on site.ConclusionThe emerging themes are suggestive of increased burnout risk among doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic and encompass factors well beyond shortage of PPE. Small organisational initiatives and the implementation of changes suggested by survey respondents can have a positive impact on doctors’ well-being.

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