Abstract
BackgroundThe aim of the present cross-sectional study was to examine work- and nonwork- related factors and physical and mental health outcomes associated with combined time- and strain-based work-life conflict (WLC) among adult employees living and working in Switzerland as well as possible gender differences in this regard.MethodsThe data used for the study were taken from wave 6 of the nationally representative Swiss Household Panel (SHP) collected in 2004. The analysis was restricted to 4'371 employees aged 20 to 64 years. Trivariate crosstabulations and multivariate linear and logistic regression analyses stratified by gender were performed in order to calculate gender-specific prevalence rates (%), beta coefficients (β) and crude as well as multiple adjusted odds ratios (OR) as measures of association.ResultsEvery eighth person (12.5%) within the study population has a high or very high WLC score. Prevalence rates are clearly above average in men and women with higher education, in executive positions or managerial functions, in full-time jobs, with variable work schedules, regular overtime, long commuting time to work and job insecurity. Working overtime regularly, having variable work schedules and being in a management position are most strongly associated with WLC in men, whereas in women the level of employment is the strongest explanatory variable by far, followed by variable work schedules and high job status (managerial position). In both men and women, WLC is associated with several physical and mental health problems. Employees with high or very high WLC show a comparatively high relative risk of self-reported poor health, anxiety and depression, lack of energy and optimism, serious backache, headaches, sleep disorders and fatigue. While overall prevalence rate of (very) high WLC is higher in men than in women, associations between degrees of WLC and most health outcomes are stronger in women than in men.ConclusionThis important issue which up to now has been largely neglected in public health research needs to be addressed in future public health research and, if the findings are confirmed by subsequent (longitudinal) studies, to be considered in workplace health promotion and interventions in Switzerland as elsewhere.
Highlights
The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to examine work- and nonworkrelated factors and physical and mental health outcomes associated with combined time- and strainbased work-life conflict (WLC) among adult employees living and working in Switzerland as well as possible gender differences in this regard
Working overtime regularly, having variable work schedules and being in a management position are most strongly associated with WLC in men, whereas in women the level of employment is the strongest explanatory variable by far, followed by variable work schedules and high job status
While overall prevalence rate of high WLC is higher in men than in women, associations between degrees of WLC and most health outcomes are stronger in women than in men
Summary
The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to examine work- and nonworkrelated factors and physical and mental health outcomes associated with combined time- and strainbased work-life conflict (WLC) among adult employees living and working in Switzerland as well as possible gender differences in this regard. For women aged 25 to 45 years with at least one pre-primary school-age child, the participation rate increased from 40% (1990) to 62% (2000) in a single decade. The number of working women (and men) with childcare and/or other private responsibilities and family obligations (e.g., elder care) is growing rapidly in Switzerland as in most other industrialised nations [1]. This cross-national trend has generated much scientific attention to the issue of reconciling work with private life under the rubric of work-family conflict (WFC) and a considerable body of research literature on the subject matter. Most studies focus on time-based and strainbased work-to-family conflict
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