Overtime Work and the Incidence of Long-term Sickness Absence Due to Mental Disorders: A Prospective Cohort Study
Background: Although 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 associa...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Japan Epidemiological Association
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of Epidemiology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jea/32/6/32_JE20200382/_pdf |
| _version_ | 1818219028054802432 |
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| author | Yosuke Inoue Shuichiro Yamamoto Andrew Stickley Keisuke Kuwahara Toshiaki Miyamoto Tohru Nakagawa Toru Honda Teppei Imai Akiko Nishihara Isamu Kabe Tetsuya Mizoue Seitaro Dohi |
| author_facet | Yosuke Inoue Shuichiro Yamamoto Andrew Stickley Keisuke Kuwahara Toshiaki Miyamoto Tohru Nakagawa Toru Honda Teppei Imai Akiko Nishihara Isamu Kabe Tetsuya Mizoue Seitaro Dohi |
| author_sort | Yosuke Inoue |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Although 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. Methods: Data 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. Results: During 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. Conclusion: Engaging 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T07:33:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8995121b6739437486f3ba63f8582a54 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0917-5040 1349-9092 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T07:33:08Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | Japan Epidemiological Association |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Epidemiology |
| spelling | doaj.art-8995121b6739437486f3ba63f8582a542022-12-22T00:32:58ZengJapan Epidemiological AssociationJournal of Epidemiology0917-50401349-90922022-06-0132628328910.2188/jea.JE20200382Overtime Work and the Incidence of Long-term Sickness Absence Due to Mental Disorders: A Prospective Cohort StudyYosuke Inoue0Shuichiro Yamamoto1Andrew Stickley2Keisuke Kuwahara3Toshiaki Miyamoto4Tohru Nakagawa5Toru Honda6Teppei Imai7Akiko Nishihara8Isamu Kabe9Tetsuya Mizoue10Seitaro Dohi11National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, JapanHitachi, Ltd., Ibaraki, JapanDepartment of Preventive Intervention for Psychiatric Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, JapanNational Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, JapanNIPPON STEEL CORPORATION, East Nippon Works, Chiba, JapanHitachi, Ltd., Ibaraki, JapanHitachi, Ltd., Ibaraki, JapanOH Support, Kanagawa, JapanAzbil Corporation, Tokyo, JapanKUBOTA Corporation, Tokyo, JapanNational Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, JapanMitsui Chemicals, Inc., Tokyo, JapanBackground: Although 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. Methods: Data 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. Results: During 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. Conclusion: Engaging 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.https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jea/32/6/32_JE20200382/_pdfworkplaceoccupational healthhealthy workers effectprospective studiesasia |
| spellingShingle | Yosuke Inoue Shuichiro Yamamoto Andrew Stickley Keisuke Kuwahara Toshiaki Miyamoto Tohru Nakagawa Toru Honda Teppei Imai Akiko Nishihara Isamu Kabe Tetsuya Mizoue Seitaro Dohi Overtime Work and the Incidence of Long-term Sickness Absence Due to Mental Disorders: A Prospective Cohort Study Journal of Epidemiology workplace occupational health healthy workers effect prospective studies asia |
| title | Overtime Work and the Incidence of Long-term Sickness Absence Due to Mental Disorders: A Prospective Cohort Study |
| title_full | Overtime Work and the Incidence of Long-term Sickness Absence Due to Mental Disorders: A Prospective Cohort Study |
| title_fullStr | Overtime Work and the Incidence of Long-term Sickness Absence Due to Mental Disorders: A Prospective Cohort Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Overtime Work and the Incidence of Long-term Sickness Absence Due to Mental Disorders: A Prospective Cohort Study |
| title_short | Overtime Work and the Incidence of Long-term Sickness Absence Due to Mental Disorders: A Prospective Cohort Study |
| title_sort | overtime work and the incidence of long term sickness absence due to mental disorders a prospective cohort study |
| topic | workplace occupational health healthy workers effect prospective studies asia |
| url | https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jea/32/6/32_JE20200382/_pdf |
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