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 Although a growing number of people worldwide are working longer
hours as more businesses operate 24/7, it's not clear how
evaporating "off time" is impacting workers' mental health,
researchers note in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.
Data is particularly sparse about differences between women and men
in the connection between work schedules and depression risk, the
study team notes.
For the current study, researchers examined nationally
representative survey data from 11,215 men and 12,188 women working
in the UK between 2010 and 2012.
Almost half of the women worked less than 35 hours a week, while the
majority of men worked longer hours. Only half of the women worked
at least some weekends, compared with two-thirds of the men.
Compared to those working a "standard" 35- to 40-hour work week, men
working less had more symptoms of depression. Women, however, had a
greater risk of depression only when they worked at least 55 hours a
week.
Women working most weekends had more depression symptoms than women
who only worked weekdays. Men had more depression symptoms with
weekend work when they also disliked their working conditions.
"The results of our study show gender differences in the links
between long and irregular hours and depressive symptoms," said
study leader Gillian Weston, a public health researcher at
University College London.
"There are many social, economic and health benefits to be gained
from working in good jobs, so we don't want women to be excluded
from the workforce," Weston said by email. "Instead, employers and
family members should consider how they can be more supportive of
those who work long or irregular hours."
The study wasn't designed to prove whether the timing of shifts or
number of hours worked in per week might directly impact the risk of
depression. Researchers also relied on workers to report their own
symptoms of depression.
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Even so, the results suggest employers should realize that long
hours and weekend shifts may compromise workers' mental health,
Weston said.
"We need to move from a culture of unrealistic demands and low
rewards to one in which workers are supported and valued, feel they
have control, feel they have purpose, and are allowed sufficient
time for recovery and leisure," Weston added. "This would benefit
workers of both sexes and result in a happier and healthier
workforce too - which of course would also benefit the employer."
Long hours may take a toll on mental health for many reasons,
including the potential to take away time from social activities,
personal lives and rest, said Sabir Giga, a researcher at Lancaster
University in the UK who wasn't involved in the study.
Women might feel this burden more acutely because they have more
responsibility and more work to do at home, in addition to the time
they put in for any job outside the home, Giga said by email.
Workers may not be able to control their hours or their job
schedules as much as they would like, but people still may be able
to take steps to reduce their risk of depression, Giga said.
"This could be through taking regular breaks whilst working,
prioritizing your work, learning to say 'no' and not over-committing
yourself, working from home or flexibly when possible, communicating
regularly and openly with family members, partners and colleagues,
and meaningfully switching off and making the most of your time when
away from work," Giga advised.
SOURCE: https://bit.ly/2C668AD Journal of Epidemiology & Community
Health, online February 25, 2019.
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