Abstract
ObjectiveThe present study aimed to determine prospective associations between work content after a working life of more than 20 years and serious mental illness among Japanese men aged 50 to 59 years, using a nationwide population-based survey.MethodsData were extracted from a national longitudinal survey of middle-aged and elderly persons previously conducted by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Japan. We analyzed data across 10 work content categories for Japanese men who had been working in the same job type or industry for over 20 years. As part pf the survey, participants completed the Kessler (K)6 scale each year to determine their level of psychological distress (with scores ≥13 indicating serious mental illness). Cox discrete time proposal hazard regression analysis was used to examine potential associations between work content and serious mental illness from 2005 to 2010. Further adjustments were made for other sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle factors.ResultsThe current study involved a total of 11,942 participants with a mean (± standard deviation [SD]) of follow-up was 3.4 (± 2.0) years, during which time 892 participants (7.5%) had been classified as having a new-onset serious mental illness. Men who had worked in service jobs and in manufacturing jobs at baseline were more likely to develop serious mental illness than those in managerial jobs (hazard ratio 1.37, 1.30, 95% confidence intervals 1.04–1.80, 1.02–1.65) after adjustment for confounding variables.ConclusionThese findings suggest that Japanese men aged 50 to 59 years who have worked in service and manufacturing jobs after a working life of over 20 years have an increased risk of serious mental illness during follow-up. Identifying the most at-risk work content category after a working life of over 20 years would be an essential part of providing more effective interventions for psychological distress among Japanese men in this age group.
Highlights
Lifetime employment in Japan has had a generally positive effect on health status due to increased job security and might have helped improve the life expectancy of Japanese men following the Second World War [1], [2]
The current study involved a total of 11,942 participants with a mean (± standard deviation [SD]) of follow-up was 3.4 (± 2.0) years, during which time 892 participants (7.5%) had been classified as having a new-onset serious mental illness
Men who had worked in service jobs and in manufacturing jobs at baseline were more likely to develop serious mental illness than those in managerial jobs after adjustment for confounding variables
Summary
Lifetime employment in Japan has had a generally positive effect on health status due to increased job security and might have helped improve the life expectancy of Japanese men following the Second World War [1], [2]. Corporate downsizing following economic recession in the 1990s created unemployment, and increased job demand among remaining employees [4]. These changes in working conditions may have affected employees’ mental health in the long term. The increase in the suicide rate of middle-aged Japanese men is largely attributed to rapid changes in the industrial structure and working environments following the economic recession in the 1990s [6], [7]. A study of company employees in Japan reported a greater prevalence of high job strain among working-class employees (such as manufacturing workers) [9], another study with a nationally representative sample reported no clear association between occupation and mental health [10]. After many years of working life, may be considered an important sociodemographic factor which may affect mental health
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