Work and Family Conflicts, Depression, and "Ikigai": A Mediation Analysis in a Cross-Cultural Study Between Japanese and Egyptian Civil Workers.

Abstract

Work-family conflicts (total-WFCs) could associate with mental health, and having ikigai (a purpose of life) may mediate this association. In a cross-cultural study of 4792 Japanese Aichi Workers' Cohort study participants and 3109 Egyptian civil workers, the Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) questionnaire measured total-WFCs and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) 11-item scale measured depression. Logistic regression models estimated odds ratios (ORs) of having depression and a high-ikigai across levels of total-WFCs (low, moderate, and high), and the PROCESS macro of Hayes tested the mediation effect. The prevalence of high total-WFCs, depression, and having a high-ikigai were 17.9%, 39.4%, and 70.1% in Japanese women, 10.5%, 26.8%, and 70.1% in Japanese men, 23.7%, 58.2%, and 24.7% in Egyptian women, and 19.1%, 38.9%, and 36.9% in Egyptian men. Compared with participants with low total-WFCs, the multivariable ORs (95% CIs) of depression in Japanese women and men with high total-WFCs were 4.11 (2.99-5.65) and 5.42 (4.18-7.02), and those in Egyptian women and men were 4.43 (3.30-5.95) and 4.79 (3.53-6.48). The respective ORs of having a high-ikigai were 0.46 (0.33-0.64) and 0.40 (0.31-0.52) in Japanese women and men and were 0.34 (0.24-0.48) and 0.28 (0.20-0.39) in Egyptian women and men. No interaction between total-WFCs and country was observed for the associations with depression or ikigai. Ikigai has mediated (up to 18%) the associations between the total-WFCs and depression, especially in Egyptian civil workers. Total-WFCs were associated with depression, and having low-ikigai mediated these associations in Japanese and Egyptian civil workers.