The association between long working hours and health: A systematic review of epidemiological evidence

Bannai, Akira; Tamakoshi, Akiko

doi:10.5271/sjweh.3388

Cited by 528 publications

(485 citation statements)

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“…It is noteworthy that long WHs and shift work remained as significant associates with suicidal ideation after controlling possible confounders. Although long WHs more than 60 hours per week were well identified as a risk factor for suicidal ideation and other mental illnesses, as well, in prior research 11,12,21,22) , the association of shift work with suicidal ideation was identified in specific jobs such as police officers only 23) . Because the 2008 CHS was implemented nationwide, our analysis elucidated how shift work linked with suicidal ideation in all occupations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the current study, by analyzing the relationship between long WHs and sleep duration, we found that those who worked over 60 hours per week had less than 5 hours of sleep daily, 1.8 times lower than those working 35−40 hours per week (data not shown). There is a meta-analysis study that concluded that sleep problem are related to mental health 11) . Furthermore, a prospective study showed that sleep disturbances are strong predictors of future depression 30) .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Long WHs aggravate fatigue, anxiety and burnout and inhibit workers' abilities to revive their mental and physical health outside of work 11) . Thus, long WHs can potentially increase the risk of depression 14) .…”

Section: Journal Of Occupational Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) statistics for 2012, the average work hours per year in South Korea was 2,163 hours, the second highest among 34 countries 13) . Long WHs aggravate fatigue, anxiety and burnout and inhibit workers' abilities to revive their mental and physical health outside of work 11) . Thus, long WHs can potentially increase the risk of depression 14) .…”

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confidence: 99%

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Is suicidal ideation linked to working hours and shift work in Korea?

Yoon

Bae

Kang

et al. 2015

Journal of Occupational Health

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employee groups (aOR, 1.45; 95%CI, 1.23 to 1.70). Conclusions: Long WHs and shift work were associated with suicidal ideation when taking into account gender and employment differences. The harmful effects of exceptionally long WHs in Korea, among other Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, raise concerns about public and occupational health. To address the issue of long WHs, labor policies that reduce maximum working hours and facilitate job stability are needed. Suicide is a global, pervasive social and public health issue. In South Korea, suicide was the fourth leading cause of death in 2012; it was the most frequent cause of death for individuals in their twenties and thirties and the second most frequent cause of death in those in their forties 1) . Since these age groups reflect the most economically active population, suicide is regarded as a serious social problem.Some investigations on suicide in occupational settings have identified high-risk groups and suggested specific causes and interventions in certain occupations 2,3) . Poor social support, low income and social separation could affect the mental health of manual workers, farmers and miners 4) . Easy access to lethal instruments is a well-known risk factor of suicide among health-care workers 5) . Furthermore, severe job stress increases the risk of depression, which in turn, is linked to suicidal ideation and attempted suicide 6,7) . Among severe job stressors, long working hours (WHs) are prevalent in rapidly developing Asian countries 8−12) . According to Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) statistics for 2012, the average work hours per year in South Korea was 2,163 hours, the second highest among 34 Journal of Occupational HealthReceived Oct 20, 2014; Accepted Dec 24, 2014 Published online in J-STAGE Mar 6, 2015 Medicine, 50, Seoul, Korea, . Long WHs aggravate fatigue, anxiety and burnout and inhibit workers' abilities to revive their mental and physical health outside of work 11) . Thus, long WHs can potentially increase the risk of depression 14) . In Japan, suicides due to excessive work have been reported in a case series study 15) . Some studies have also reported the association between long WHs and suicidal ideation 12) , but none of them examined the impact of gender and employment stratification due to relatively small sample sizes. Moreover, both night and shift work can negatively impact social networks and family relationships 16) . Although a growing body of evidence supports the relationship between long WHs and shift work and suicide, empirical studies conducted in Asian countries are limited.In the current study, we used Community Health Survey (CHS) data to investigate the impact of long WHs and shift work on the prevalence of suicidal ideation among the economically active population. To elucidate this association more precisely, genderstratified analyses were undertaken, adjusting for conventional suicidal risk factors including sociodemographic characterist...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Journal Of Occupational Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Is suicidal ideation linked to working hours and shift work in Korea?

Yoon

Bae

Kang

et al. 2015

Journal of Occupational Health

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“…However, although several reviews of this field exist (5,(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24), the few systematic quantifications of the evidence have been based on published cross-sectional (18,19,25) or published longitudinal studies (26). Given the potential publication bias in studies based on published data (27), an individual-participant metaanalysis of unpublished data would provide important complementary evidence to evaluate the effect of long working hours on mental health.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Long working hours and depressive symptoms: systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies and unpublished individual participant data

Virtanen¹,

Jokela²,

Madsen³

et al. 2018

Scand J Work Environ Health

165

111

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Objectives This systematic review and meta-analysis combined published study-level data and unpublished individual-participant data with the aim of quantifying the relation between long working hours and the onset of depressive symptoms. MethodsWe searched PubMed and Embase for published prospective cohort studies and included available cohorts with unpublished individual-participant data. We used a random-effects meta-analysis to calculate summary estimates across studies.Results We identified ten published cohort studies and included unpublished individual-participant data from 18 studies. In the majority of cohorts, long working hours was defined as working ≥55 hours per week. In multivariable-adjusted meta-analyses of 189 729 participants from 35 countries [96 275 men, 93 454 women, follow-up ranging from 1-5 years, 21 747 new-onset cases), there was an overall association of 1.14 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03-1.25] between long working hours and the onset of depressive symptoms, with significant evidence of heterogeneity (I 2 =45.1%, P=0.004). A strong association between working hours and depressive symptoms was found in Asian countries (1.50, 95% CI 1.13-2.01), a weaker association in Europe (1.11, 95% CI 1.00-1.22), and no association in North America (0.97, 95% CI 0.70-1.34) or Australia (0.95,. Differences by other characteristics were small. ConclusionsThis observational evidence suggests a moderate association between long working hours and onset of depressive symptoms in Asia and a small association in Europe.Key terms depression; mental health; overtime; psychological distress; working life; working time. Long working hours and depressive symptomsDepression is a leading cause of years lived with disability, contributing to a significant proportion of disease burden worldwide (1). Given that the burden of mental disorders peaks at working age (1), workingage populatio ns are an important target for prevention. There is growing evidence to suggest a link between work characteristics and the onset of depression, with perceived psychosocial work stress being the most often investigated work exposure (2-7).Recently, studies have also focused on long working hours as a potential risk factor for mental disorders (8). However, although several reviews of this field exist (5, 9-24), the few systematic quantifications of the evidence have been based on published cross-sectional (18,19,25) or published longitudinal studies (26). Given the potential publication bias in studies based on published data (27), an individual-participant metaanalysis of unpublished data would provide important complementary evidence to evaluate the effect of long working hours on mental health. Furthermore, long working hours are more common in Asia and North America than in Europe and the risk of mental health problems is higher among women and individuals with low socioeconomic position than men and those with high socioeconomic status. As determinants and mechanisms that harm and protect mental health may also vary by regio...

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Policy changes for preventing and recognizing overwork-related cardiovascular diseases in Taiwan: An overview

Chang

Lin

2019

Journal of Occupational Health

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Objective Overwork‐related cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease (CVD) has a large impact on workers' rights and labor standards across East Asian countries. This article describes the background and impact of policies regarding overwork‐related CVD in the past decades in Taiwan. Methods We reviewed government policies, guidelines, literature, and news addressing the problems and impact of policy changes to prevent and recognize overwork‐related CVD since the 1990s, and collected data on overwork‐related CVD cases in Taiwan from 2006 to 2017. Results In 2017, overwork‐related CVD accounted for 13% of all cases of occupational diseases, but 79% of all deaths due to occupational diseases. Guidelines for recognizing overwork‐related CVD cases were established in 1991; however, under‐recognition exists in Taiwan due to poor exposure data on working hours and psychological factors and because most medical expenses are covered by the national health insurance system. Amendments on the guidelines, and stricter policies on overwork prevention were enforced following calls from labor unions, nongovernmental organizations, and legislators, but health disparities were introduced when certain industries were exempted from restrictions. Conclusions Long working hours and other work characteristics increase the risk of overwork‐related CVD. By reviewing the changes in policy for preventing overwork and recognizing overwork‐related disease, we identified the need for clearly defined guidance on evaluating overwork‐related CVD, with specific criteria for working hours and other risk factors regarding work characteristics. National policies that lead to better working conditions and prevent overwork‐related diseases must be developed.

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The association between long working hours and health: A systematic review of epidemiological evidence

Cited by 528 publications

References 40 publications

Is suicidal ideation linked to working hours and shift work in Korea?

Is suicidal ideation linked to working hours and shift work in Korea?

Long working hours and depressive symptoms: systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies and unpublished individual participant data

Policy changes for preventing and recognizing overwork-related cardiovascular diseases in Taiwan: An overview

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