Overtime working patterns and adverse events in work-related suicide cases: hierarchical cluster analysis of national compensation data in Japan (fiscal year 2015–2016)

Abstract

Background Although various work-related adverse events affect workers’ mental health, the association between long working hours and mental disorders remains unclear. We investigated the characteristics of overtime work and work-related adverse events among all cases of compensated work-related suicide in Japan to empirically reveal the context of the serious consequences. Methods We analysed all 167 cases of mental disorders resulting in suicide that were compensated in fiscal year 2015–2016. Hierarchical clustering was applied to the overtime working history. Work-related adverse events were also evaluated as the qualitative aspects of their jobs. Results More than half of the cases committed suicide within a month of developing a mental disorder. The Administrative and professional or engineering workers had a higher suicide rate. The clustering analysis revealed chronic long working hours (19%), gradual increase (27%), or rapid increase (25%) in working hours before the onset of a mental disorder. A group of cases with less overwork experienced more interpersonal conflicts. Conclusion This is the first study to employ a clustering technique to objectively reveal the actual working patterns behind suicide. The patterns of working overtime before the onset of mental disorders varied considerably among the cases. Taking the transition of working overtime into account may provide clearer insight into the relationship between long working hours and workers’ mental health. These results highlight the need for countermeasures especially for causes of chronic overworking, drastic increases in working hours, and interpersonal conflicts to prevent work-related suicide.

Revisiting the work-suicide link: renewed evidence and models of analysis in workplace contexts

“…The JDC model shows a congruence in the results of contemporary studies in observing that jobs with high demand, but high control, are a protective factor against suicidal ideation. This has been detected in Europe with work carried out in the Swedish context ( Almroth et al, 2022 ), and the conclusion gains cross-cultural validity as the phenomenon has also been observed in Japan ( Nishimura et al, 2022 ). The literature concludes that jobs with low control have a higher risk of suicide, which is accentuated by high demand.…”

“…This directly links the knowledge that social psychology is currently generating with the idea of disjunction in Abrutyn’s (2019) model. Thus, constructs related to work-related stress models and linked to suicide such as burn-out, observed in veterinarians, have been frequently examined ( Andela, 2021 ); the aforementioned job insecurity linked to suicidal ideation ( Kim et al, 2017 ; Blomqvist et al, 2022 ), and especially to the Job Demand-Control Model (JDC) ( Andela, 2021 ; Son and Lee, 2021 ; Aberg et al, 2022 ; Almroth et al, 2022 ; Nishimura et al, 2022 ). The JDC model shows a congruence in the results of contemporary studies in observing that jobs with high demand, but high control, are a protective factor against suicidal ideation.…”

“…The literature concludes that jobs with low control have a higher risk of suicide, which is accentuated by high demand. This explains why low-skilled jobs, with less control over the task, tend to be at higher risk of suicide-related phenomena, both suicidal ideation and attempts ( Peek-Asa et al, 2021 ; Wild et al, 2021 ; Aberg et al, 2022 ; Nishimura et al, 2022 ). It is relevant that when low job control coexists with overqualification of the employee, the risk is accentuated, as it implies a rupture of expectations ( Almroth et al, 2022 ).…”

The moderating role of physical activity on the relationship between work intensity and depressive symptoms among the employees

“…These kinds of mental symptoms can also lead to more serious consequences, such as suicide. A hierarchical cluster analysis from 2015 to 2016 showed that more than half of patients committed suicide within a month of developing a mental disorder, and the reason for this phenomenon was closely related to work patterns with overworking ( Nishimura, Yamauchi, Sasaki, Yoshikawa, & Takahashi, 2021 ). Moreover, employees with depressive symptoms are prone to low energy, sleep disorders, inattention at work and other problems, which can reduce work efficiency and performance ( Dewa, Hoch, Nieuwenhuijsen, Parikh, & Sluiter, 2019 ; Stewart, Ricci, Chee, Hahn, & Morganstein, 2003 ).…”

Institutional suicide as anomie: decedents speak out for work-related suicides through a Durkheimian exploration of suicide notes in a context without institutional responsibilization for suicide prevention

“…In Japan, more than half of the individuals commit suicide within a month of developing a mental disorder, and the suicide rate is higher among administrative and professional or engineering workers. Interpersonal conflict within the workplace serves as the primary catalyst for work-related suicides among individuals who are confronted with issues of chronic overwork and long working hours ( Nishimura et al, 2022 ). An analysis of suicides in South Korea showed a prominent cluster characterized by managers with excessive responsibility, termed as responsibility-burdened type of suicide ( Jang et al, 2022 ).…”