Abstract
BackgroundAlthough previous research has focused on the association between long working hours and several mental health outcomes, little is known about the association in relation to mental health-related sickness absence, which is a measure of productive loss. We aimed to investigate the association between overtime work and the incidence of long-term sickness absence (LTSA) due to mental disorders.MethodsData came from the Japan Epidemiology Collaboration on Occupational Health Study (J-ECOH). A total of 47,422 subjects were followed-up in the period between April 2012 and March 2017. Information on LTSA was obtained via a study-specific registry. Baseline information was obtained at an annual health checkup in 2011; overtime working hours were categorized into <45; 45–79; 80–99; and ≥100 hours/month.ResultsDuring a total follow-up period of 211,443 person-years, 536 people took LTSA due to mental disorders. A Cox proportional hazards model showed that compared to those with less than 45 hours/month of overtime work, those with 45–79 hours/month were at a lower risk of LTSA due to mental health problems (hazard ratio [HR] 0.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.56–0.71) while those with overtime work of ≥100 hours/month had a 2.11 (95% CI, 1.12–3.98) times higher risk of LTSA due to mental health problems.ConclusionEngaging in excessive overtime work was linked with a higher risk of LTSA due to mental health problems while the lower risk observed among individuals working 45–79 hours/month of overtime work might have been due to a healthy worker effect.
Highlights
While many countries have introduced statutory working time limits to protect workers’ health,[1] working long hours is still commonplace[2] and has been linked with negative health outcomes.[3,4,5] In particular, mental health conditions have been studied extensively in relation to long working hours in countries across the world
Of the 64,633 full-time workers who received a health check-up in Fiscal Year 2011 in these companies, we excluded: those who did not provide information on overtime work (n = 7,922), those who were aged
During a total of 211,443 person-years of follow up, there were 536 cases of LTSA due to mental and behavioral disorders
Summary
While many countries have introduced statutory working time limits to protect workers’ health,[1] working long hours is still commonplace[2] and has been linked with negative health outcomes.[3,4,5] In particular, mental health conditions have been studied extensively in relation to long working hours in countries across the world. Other mental health outcomes that have been associated with long working hours include anxiety,[6,7] psychological stress,[8] and suicidal thoughts.[9]. Previous studies on the association between long working hours and mental health outcomes did not focus on severe symptoms such that they caused productivity loss (eg, sickness absence [SA]). Previous research has focused on the association between long working hours and several mental health outcomes, little is known about the association in relation to mental health-related sickness absence, which is a measure of productive loss. We aimed to investigate the association between overtime work and the incidence of long-term sickness absence (LTSA) due to mental disorders
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