Form Of Shiftwork Research Articles

Impact of circadian rhythms on female reproduction and infertility treatment success.

In recent years, new studies have investigated the role and influence of sleep on female fertility and early pregnancy outcomes, providing a growing body of knowledge demonstrating how regulation by sleep of hormones are important to reproduction, and how disruptions in sleep, circadian rhythms, and genes regulating circadian rhythmicity can negatively impact fertility and early pregnancy outcomes. This review aims to summarize the most recent research on the relationship among circadian rhythms, fertility, and early pregnancy outcomes in women, and to explore possible fertility interventions. Recent studies have found altered levels of FSH, LH, and prolactin with sleep disturbance or circadian dysrhythmia. Disruption of circadian rhythms in the form of shift work, jet lag, and daylight savings time changes have been associated with poorer fertility and early pregnancy outcomes. Alterations in the expression of circadian rhythm-regulating circadian locomotor output cycles kaput (CLOCK) genes have been associated with decreased fertility and increased rates of miscarriage. Overall, undisrupted sleep and circadian rhythmicity appear to optimize fertility and early pregnancy outcomes and may play an important role in the success of fertility treatment.

Effect of shift work on hypertension: cross sectional study

BackgroundThe need of efficient resource management and full-time accessibility to resources has increased with the development of industry, resulting in the increase of shift workers. Previous researches of past decades show that there are various health effects on shift workers. However, the definition and the form of shift work have varied from each research and occupational harmful factors except for shift work have not been excluded completely in previous researches. Therefore, in this research, we tried to find out the effect of shift work focusing on the hypertension. To complement previously mentioned weakness of other researches, we performed our research on participants to whom we could minimize other risk factors excluding shift work.MethodsThis research examined 1,953 petrochemical plant male workers (shift work 1,075, day worker 878) who did medical checkup from 1st Jan. 2014 to 31th Dec. 2014 in a general hospital located in Ulsan, based on their medical records and questionnaires. With the questionnaire, we found out their basic information including age, social status, occupational history, and we took their physical measurements.ResultsCompared to day workers, shift workers’ odds ratio of developing hypertension was 1.31 (95% CI 0.98–1.75). After adjusting confounding variables, adjusted odds ratio for entire subjects was 1.51 (95% CI 1.11–2.06). Also, for subjects who were in continuous service for over 20 years, odds ratio was 1.51 (95% CI 1.08–2.11).ConclusionsShift workers had a higher chance of hypertension than day workers do. Particularly, the longer the workers work continuously, the risk of hypertension getting higher.

A NOTE ON CAPITAL UTILIZATION AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE

This article integrates the analysis of durable capital utilization in the theory of international trade. Variations in capital utilization are analytically accounted for in the form of shift work. Accordingly, producers normally choose the combination of the system of operation of durable capital and labor input that minimizes costs. The choice of the system of operation of durable capital is shown to affect the terms of trade and thereby the structure of production in such a way as to make it desirable, following changes in income distribution, to adopt a new combination of capital utilization and labor input. On certain simplifying assumptions associated with the properties of Sraffa models, linear technologies, long period positions, and steady growth, these possibilities affect, in an unpredetermined manner, the inducement to trade and the direction and extent of the resulting specialization. The results are independent of any differences in the technical conditions of production of the trading countries or the existence of heterogeneous capital goods.

Do Evoked Potential Differences Reflect a Deficit in Those Suffering a Sleep Disorder, or Resilience in Those Who Can Avoid it?

Do Evoked Potential Differences Reflect a Deficit in Those Suffering a Sleep Disorder, or Resilience in Those Who Can Avoid it?

Nurses' satisfaction with shiftwork and associations with work, home and health characteristics: a survey in the Netherlands

This paper is a report of a study conducted to determine if satisfaction with irregular working hours that are a form of shiftwork operates as a mediator between work and home characteristics and health problems. Shiftwork contributes to health problems, decreased well-being and poorer health habits. It also affects employees' decisions to leave the healthcare sector. Although many nurses voluntarily work shifts, there have been few studies of their satisfaction with irregular working hours when these are a form of shiftwork. A survey was carried out with 144 nurses working in three nursing homes and one care home in the Netherlands. Questionnaires were distributed in 2003 to 233 nurses who worked shifts (response rate 60%). The questionnaire contained items on work and home characteristics, satisfaction with irregular working hours that are a form of shiftwork and health. A new scale to measure satisfaction with irregular working hours was constructed. All work characteristics, but no home characteristics, were associated with satisfaction with irregular working hours. The work characteristics 'job demands' and the home characteristics 'autonomy at home' and 'home demands' were associated with health. Satisfaction with irregular working hours did not mediate between work/home characteristics and health. Those reporting more social support, lower job demands and more job autonomy were more satisfied with their irregular working times that were a form of shiftwork. Satisfaction with irregular working hours is a useful construct that requires further longitudinal study. The results also underline the importance of considering home characteristics when predicting health outcomes.

Shiftwork: A Chaos Theory of Careers Agenda for Change in Career Counselling

This paper presents the implications of the Chaos Theory of Careers for career counselling in the form of Shiftwork. Shiftwork represents an expanded paradigm of career counselling based on complexity, change and uncertainty. Eleven paradigm shifts for careers counselling are outlined to incorporate into contemporary practice pattern making, an emphasis on planning, openness, flexibility, risk, possibility thinking, mattering and meaning, transforming information, scalable reasoning, emergence and trust as faith.

The mediating role of work-to-family conflict in the relationship between shiftwork and depression

With significant segments of the working population involved in shiftwork, there is the possibility of serious health outcomes. There are two possible pathways to ill health. In the biological pathway the body's circadian rhythms are affected, leading to physiological disturbances and the inability to cope. By contrast, the aim of this study is to elucidate a social pathway by which shiftwork may lead to mental ill health. It examines the mediating influence of work-to-family conflict in the association between shiftwork and depression. Gender differences are also investigated. The sample included 2,931 Canadian respondents with a spouse and at least one child living at home. Close to 28% of respondents were involved in some form of shiftwork. Structural equation modelling supported partial mediation through work-to-family conflict. Further analyses found that mediation was supported in sub-samples of male and female respondents. The results, however, suggest that the experience of shiftwork is quite similar for men and women as no significant differences were found between mediating models. Overall, the findings support the social explanation of the effect of shiftwork on mental health, but they do not rule out other social or biological pathways.

A post-take ward round

A post-take ward round

Psychosocial implications of shift work: a case study

Explores possible effects of work related problems and fatigue on shift workers’ attitude, aptitude and job satisfaction. Uses a simple case study to explore views identified from a literature review. Data were collected from subjective responses using questionnaires among adult male subjects working on a weekly rotating three‐shift system in a shoe factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Results indicate that this particular form of shift work is seen as disruptive to family, conjugal and social life; it curtails leisure activities, affects sleep and causes health problems.

The impact of a change in rotating shift schedules: A comparison of the effects of 8, 10 and 14 h work shifts

A current United States trend in alternative work schedules is to increase the length of the workday while decreasing the number of days in the work week. Referred to as compressed work schedules (CWS), they are popular amongst shiftworkers although the longer work shifts may be associated with increased fatigue and may create additional risk of accidents and health problems in the workplace. The specific aim of the current study is to evaluate a CWS to better understand its influence on the sleep and fatigue of shiftworkers. A 10 h day/14 h night rotating CWS was introduced to a fire department to replace an 8 h, three shift rotating schedule. This study is comprised of an assessment of a 10 h day/14 h night rotating CWS and an evaluation of the impact of a change in work schedules, comparing 8 h shifts to the extended work periods. The results of the current study revealed no significant differences between the compressed and non-compressed work schedules. Subjective measures of sleepiness and mood were shown to increase over the course of the extended work shifts. Despite the increase, the CWS is deemed acceptable because it did not negatively impact on the workers who participated to a greater extent than when they worked on the non-compressed schedule. Relevance to industry Approximately twenty present of all United States workers are employed on some form of shiftwork. Previous research has demonstrated that negative outcomes may be associated with shiftwork, especially nightwork. The current study aims to evaluate a compressed work schedule, one that may minimize the deleterious impact of night and shiftwork.