Association of overtime work hours with various stress responses in 59,021 Japanese workers: Retrospective cross-sectional study

Causal effects of promotion to managerial positions on mental health and satisfaction in Japanese male workers

PURPOSE

We estimated the static and dynamic effects of promotion to managerial positions on mental health and satisfaction using the recent estimation method; we addressed the gap in extant research by considering the heterogeneity in treatment timing to reconfirm evidence regarding the causal effects of promotion.

METHODS

We used a modified estimation method of two-way fixed effects recommended by (Callaway and Sant'Anna, J Econom 225:200-230, 2021). To check for robustness, we compared the analyses using propensity sample matching, an alternative treatment timing heterogeneity-robust analysis, and a normal two-way fixed effects event study. We used four years of complete panel data on a sample of 1454 Japanese males (5816 overall).

RESULTS

The results indicated that becoming a manager worsened mental health with a two-year lag. We tested the effects of promotion to managerial positions on variables shown in previous studies to have negative effects on mental health (e.g., increased working hours) and positive effects (e.g., increased job role clarity) as outcomes to explore the mechanisms. Some of both variables indicate statistical significance. These results were robust.

CONCLUSION

The promotion to managerial positions deteriorated mental health with a two-year lag. Promotion to managerial positions exhibited both positive and negative effects. The findings have potential implications for firms' human resources allocation.

Data-driven natural computational psychophysiology in class

Objective. The assessment of mental fatigue (MF) and attention span in educational and healthcare settings frequently relies on subjective scales or methods such as induced-task interruption tools. However, these approaches are deficient in real-time evaluation and dynamic definitions. To address this gap, this paper proposes a Continuous Quantitative Scale (CQS) that allows for the natural and real-time measurement of MF based on group-synchronized electroencephalogram (EEG) data. Approach. In this study, computational psychophysiology was used to measure MF scores during a realistic class. Our methodology continuously monitored participants' psychological states without interrupting their regular routines, providing an objective evaluation. By analyzing multi-subject brain-computer interface (mBCI) data with a collaborative computing approach, the group-synchronized data were obtained from 10 healthy participants to assess MF levels. Each participant wore an EEG headset for only 10 min of preparation before performing a sustained task for 80 min. Main results. Our findings indicate that a lecture duration of 18.9 min is most effective, while a duration of 43.1 min leads to heightened MF levels. By focusing on the group-level simultaneous data analysis, the effects of individual variability were mitigated and the efficiency of cognitive computing was improved. From the perspective of a neurocomputational measure, these results confirm previous research. Significance. The proposed CQS provides a reliable, objective, memory- and emotion-free approach to the assessment of MF and attention span. These findings have significant implications not only for education, but also for the study of group cognitive mechanisms and for improving the quality of mental healthcare.

Impact of Long Working Hours on Mental Health Status in Japan: Evidence from a National Representative Survey

Using the 2010-2019 Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions (CSLC) conducted in Japan, we examined the impact of long working hours on mental health in Japan while addressing the endogeneity issue arising from non-random selection bias. We assessed the variations in the effects of long working hours on mental health across different groups. The results show that first, individuals working longer hours (55 h or more per week) exhibited a higher likelihood of developing mental illness than those working regular hours or fewer hours. Second, the negative effect of long working hours on mental health is more pronounced among non-regular workers than among regular workers. Third, the effect of long working hours on mental health varies among different demographic groups, with a greater impact observed among women, managers, non-regular workers, employees in small- or large-sized firms, and those in smaller cities compared to their counterparts. Thus, to enhance worker productivity, the Japanese government should address the issue of long working hours to improve employees' mental well-being. Initiatives aimed at promoting work-life balance, family-friendly policies, and measures to ameliorate working conditions are expected to help mitigate the challenges associated with long working hours and mental health issues, especially among non-regular workers.

Effect of long working hours on psychological distress among young workers in different types of occupation

BACKGROUND

We investigated how the association between long working hours and psychological distress varies across different employment and occupation types in young workers.

METHODS

Examining a nationally representative sample of 7246 Korean workers (3621 women) aged 15 to 40, we analyzed 23,492 observations spanning from 2016 to 2020. Psychological distress was measured using the Brief Encounter Psychosocial Instrument. We employed a generalized estimating equation to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS

Of the total observations, 5.2% worked <35 h/week, 52.9% worked 35-40 h/week, 23.5% worked 41-48 h/week, 10.3% worked 49-54 h/week, and 8.2% worked ≥55 h/week. The OR (95% CI) of the association between long working hours and psychological distress was 1.38 (1.11-1.72) for <35 h/week, 1.47 (1.32-1.65) for 41-48 h/week, 1.74 (1.49-2.04) for 49-54 h/week, and 2.11 (1.75-2.55) for ≥55 h/week compared to 35-40 h/week. The OR (95% CI) of the association between working ≥55 h/week and psychological distress was significantly higher among wage workers (OR [95% CI]: 2.37 [1.94-2.89]) compared to self-employed workers (OR [95% CI]: 0.84 [0.52-1.36]). Additionally, the OR (95% CI) of the association between working ≥55 h/week and psychological distress was significantly higher among white-collar workers (OR [95% CI]: 3.24 [2.54-4.13]) compared to service/sales workers (OR [95% CI]: 1.22 [0.86-1.72]) or blue-collar workers (OR [95% CI]: 1.71 [1.10-2.67]). No clear gender differences were observed.

CONCLUSION

Psychological distress caused by long working hours can be pronounced among white-collar and wage workers.

Effect of Mandatory and Voluntary Overtime Hours on Stress Among 9-1-1 Telecommunicators

BACKGROUND

9-1-1 telecommunicators are frequently exposed to indirect traumatic events that impact their mental and physical health and are often required to work overtime with rotating shifts. Previous studies reported various harmful effects of overtime on the health and well-being of workers, such as musculoskeletal injuries, burnout, low job satisfaction, fatigue, and intent to leave. However, there is limited research on the impact of overtime hours on 9-1-1 telecommunicators' stress symptoms, especially mandatory overtime hours. This study aimed to examine the relationship between overtime hours-mandatory and voluntary-and the level of stress symptoms among 9-1-1 telecommunicators.

METHODS

We used secondary data from the surveys of the "Multi-tasking to hyper-tasking: Investigating the impact of Next Generation 9-1-1" study for analysis. Linear mixed-effects regression was applied to examine the association of overtime hours with the stress level.

RESULTS

Of the 403 participants, 47.6% reported that they were required to work mandatory overtime, and the mean mandatory overtime was 7.51 (SD = 12.78) hours in the past month. 58.3% reported working voluntary overtime, and the mean voluntary overtime was 11.63 (SD = 17.48) hours. This study found that mandatory overtime hours were associated with an increase in self-reported stress symptoms (β = 0.30, p = .002), whereas no significant association was found between voluntary overtime and the level of stress symptoms (β = -0.01, p = .885).

CONCLUSION/APPLICATION TO PRACTICE

Study results highlight the importance of reducing mandatory overtime in call centers as one possible strategy for reducing stress levels among this critical workforce.

Place-Based Developmental Research: Conceptual and Methodological Advances in Studying Youth Development in Context

Scientists have, for some time, recognized that development unfolds in numerous settings, including families, schools, neighborhoods, and organized and unorganized activity settings. Since the turn of the 20th century, the body of mainstream neighborhood effects scholarship draws heavily from the early 20th century Chicago School of Sociology frameworks and have been situating development in neighborhood contexts and working to identify the structures and processes via which neighborhoods matter for a range of developmental outcomes, especially achievement, behavioral and emotional problems, and sexual activity. From this body of work, two new areas of developmental scholarship are emerging. Both areas are promising for advancing an understanding of child development in context. First, cultural-developmental neighborhood researchers are advancing neighborhood effects research that explicitly recognizes the ways that racial, ethnic, cultural, and immigrant social positions matter for neighborhood environments and for youths' developmental demands, affordances, experiences, and competencies. This body of work substantially expands the range of developmental outcomes examined in neighborhood effects scholarship to recognize normative physical, emotional, cognitive, behavioral, social, and cultural competencies that have largely been overlooked in neighborhood effects scholarship that espoused a more color-blind developmental approach. Second, activity space neighborhood researchers are recognizing that residential neighborhoods have important implications for broader activity spaces-or the set of locations and settings to which youth are regularly exposed, including, for example, schools, work, organized activities, and hang-outs. They are using newer technologies and geographic frameworks to assess exposure to residential neighborhood and extra-neighborhood environments. These perspectives recognize that time (i.e., from microtime to mesotime) and place are critically bound and that exposures can be operationalized at numerous levels of the ecological system (i.e., from microsystems to macrosystems). These frameworks address important limitations of prior development in context scholarship by addressing selection and exposure. Addressing selection involves recognizing that families have some degree of choice when selecting into settings and variables that predict families' choices (e.g., income) also predict development. Considering exposure involves recognizing that different participants or residents experience different amounts of shared and nonshared exposures, resulting in both under-and over-estimation of contextual effects. Activity space scholars incorporate exposure to the residential neighborhood environments, but also to other locations and settings to which youth are regularly exposed, like schools, after-school settings, work, and hang-outs. Unfortunately, the cultural-development and activity space streams, which have both emerged from early 20th century work on neighborhood effects on development, have been advancing largely independently. Thus, the overarching aim of this monograph is to integrate scholarship on residential neighborhoods, cultural development, and activity spaces to advance a framework that can support a better understanding of development in context for diverse groups. In Chapters I and II we present the historical context of the three streams of theoretical, conceptual, and methodological research. We also advance a comprehensive cultural-developmental activity space framework for studying development in context among children, youth, and families that are ethnically, racially, and culturally heterogeneous. This framework actively recognized diversity in ethnic, racial, immigrant, and socioeconomic social positions. In Chapters III-V we advance specific features of the framework, focusing on: (1) the different levels of nested and nonnested ecological systems that can be captured and operationalized with activity space methods, (2) the different dimensions of time and exposures or experiences that can be captured and operationalized by activity space methods, and (3) the importance of settings structures and social processes for identifying underlying mechanisms of contextual effects on development. Structures are setting features related to the composition and spatial arrangement of people and institutions (e.g., socioeconomic disadvantage, ethnic/racial compositions). Social processes represent the collective social dynamics that take place in settings, like social interactions, group activities, experiences with local institutions, mechanisms of social control, or shared beliefs. In Chapter VI, we highlight a range of methodological and empirical exemplars from the United States that are informed by our comprehensive cultural-developmental activity space framework. These exemplars feature both quantitative and qualitative methods, including method mixing. These exemplars feature both quantitative and qualitative methods, including method mixing. The exemplars also highlight the application of the framework across four different samples from populations that vary in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, age, socioeconomic status (SES), geographic region, and urbanicity. They capture activity space characteristics and features in a variety of ways, in addition to incorporating family shared and nonshared activity space exposures. Finally, in Chapter VII we summarize the contributions of the framework for advancing a more comprehensive science of development in context, one that better realizes major developmental theories emphasizing persons, processes, contexts, and time. Additionally, we offer a place-based, culturally informed developmental research agenda to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse population.

Lack of compensation for COVID-19-related overtime work and its association with burnout among EMS providers in Korea

OBJECTIVES

This study examined the association between lack of compensation for COVID-19-related overtime work (LCCOW) and burnout among emergency medical service (EMS) providers in Seoul, Korea.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 693 EMS providers in Seoul, Korea. Participants were classified into 3 groups according to their experience of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related overtime work and LCCOW: (1) "did not experience," (2) "experienced and was compensated," and (3) "experienced and was not compensated." Burnout was measured using the Korean version of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, which has 3 subdomains: personal burnout (PB), work-related burnout (WRB), and citizen-related burnout (CRB). Multiple linear regression was applied to examine whether LCCOW was associated with burnout after adjusting for potential confounders.

RESULTS

In total, 74.2% of participants experienced COVID-19-related overtime work, and 14.6% of those who worked overtime experienced LCCOW. COVID-19-related overtime work showed a statistically non-significant association with burnout. However, the association differed by LCCOW. Compared to the "did not experience" group, the "experienced and was not compensated" group was associated with PB (β=10.519; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.455 to 17.584), WRB (β=10.339; 95% CI, 3.398 to 17.280), and CRB (β=12.290; 95% CI, 6.900 to 17.680), whereas no association was observed for the "experienced and was compensated" group. Furthermore, an analysis restricted to EMS providers who worked overtime due to COVID-19 showed that LCCOW was associated with PB (β=7.970; 95% CI, 1.064 to 14.876), WRB (β=7.276; 95% CI, 0.270 to 14.283), and CRB (β=10.000; 95% CI, 3.435 to 16.565).

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that LCCOW could be critical in worsening burnout among EMS providers who worked overtime due to COVID-19.

Characteristics of long working hours and subsequent psychological and physical responses: JNIOSH cohort study

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to examine the prospective association among objectively measured average working hours (AWHs), frequency of long working hours (FLWHs; defined as ≥205 working hours/month (≥45 hours/week)) for 6 months, and workers' self-reported psychological and physical health.

METHODS

The study included 15 143 workers from 5 Japanese companies. We collected monthly attendance records over 6 months before distributing a questionnaire survey on psychological/physical stress responses and work-related demographics. We then evaluated the associations of those attendance records with psychological/physical measures using analysis of covariance adjusted for sex, age, employment, job type, working conditions, work site and experience of emergency state due to COVID-19.

RESULTS

Irritability, anxiety and depression were significantly greater at ≥180 hours (≥45 hours/week), and fatigue and lack of vigour were greater at ≥205 hours than those of the normal working-hour group (140-180 hours/month [35-45 hours/week]). Psychological indices increased significantly with FLWH, with ≥3 times for irritability, depression and fatigue; ≥2 times for lack of vigour; and ≥1 time for anxiety when compared with no long working hours. No significant associations were observed between AWH or FLWH and physical stress responses.

CONCLUSIONS

Longer AWH was associated with higher levels of psychological stress responses. The effects of FLWH in the past 6 months varied among the psychological stress responses and did not occur for physical complaints. Under circumstances requiring long hours, workers' mental health should be protected through minimising the frequency of long work hours.

Influencing factors of work stress of medical workers in clinical laboratory during COVID-19 pandemic: Working hours, compensatory leave, job satisfaction

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose unprecedented threats and challenges to global public health. Hospital Clinical Laboratory and public health institutions have been playing an important role in case detection, epidemic research and decision-making, and epidemic prevention and control.

Objective

To explore the current situation and influencing factors of work stress of medical workers in hospital clinical laboratory in fighting against COVID-19.

Methods

A cluster random sampling method was used to select seven hospitals from 14 tertiary hospitals in Xiamen, and medical workers in the selected hospitals were investigated by self-administered questionnaire. A total of 150 medical workers inclinical laboratory participated in this survey, 138 valid questionnaires were collected, with a response rate of 92%.

Results

The work stress scores of the medical workers in the clinical laboratory of hospital in the COVID-19 epidemic were collected (55.22 ± 11.48); The top three dimensions of work stress score were work stress (work load), external environment and doctor-patient relationship. The results of multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that the working hours per day, whether overtime and night shift can get compensatory leave and Job satisfaction with the work of the clinical laboratory were the main factors affecting the work stress level of medical workers in the clinical laboratory of hospital during COVID-19 epidemic.

Conclusion

The COVID-19 has caused great harm to the physical and mental health of the public. Medical staff are in the front line of prevention and control of the epidemic, so medical workers in hospital clinical laboratory exposed to a high level of stress at work. Laboratory leaders and hospital managers should take active and effective measures to reduce the working hours of the medical staff in clinical laboratory, optimize the arrangement of night shift and overtime working, strengthen the training of group and individual pressure management, reduce the work stress of the medical staff, improve the overall happiness of the medical staff in clinical laboratory, and stabilize the clinical laboratory team, improve the physical and mental health of medical workers in clinical laboratory.

Do changes in working hours increase stress in Japanese white-collar workers?

Introduction

High stress at work is associated with negative health outcomes for workers, making stress prevention a critical challenge. Overtime work is an influential stress factor. This study, therefore, aimed to longitudinally evaluate how stress increased depending on changes in working hours among Japanese white-collar workers.

Methods

We targeted 3,874 participants who were full-time workers and were recognized as having low stress in a web-based cohort in 2018 (T1) and 2019 (T2). We performed univariate and multivariate logistic regression with the following variables: years of experience, years of education, medical background, income, and roommates.

Results

We observed a greater increase in stress among female who worked 41-50 h per week at T1 and more than 50 hours per week at T2, and those who worked more than 50 h per week at T1 and 35-40/41-50 h per week at T2, compared to those who worked 41-50 h per week both at T1 and T2, with odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) of OR = 2.09, 95% CI (1.18, 3,70); OR =1.86, 95% CI (1.14, 3.03), respectively. However, no association between change in working hours and stress was found among male.

Discussion

These results show that reducing stress requires decreasing working hours as well as identifying factors that lead to high stress.

Usage of the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire: A Systematic Review of a Comprehensive Job Stress Questionnaire in Japan from 2003 to 2021

The Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (BJSQ) is used widely in occupational health studies and practice. Summarizing scientific production based on measurement is crucial. This study aimed to systematically review observational studies that used the BJSQ and the New BJSQ to show their usability. A systematic search was conducted for studies investigating relationships between the BJSQ or the New BJSQ subscales and other validated measurements on 13 September 2021, in various literature databases. The BJSQ subscales, scoring methods, and other validated measurements in the studies were qualitatively summarized. In total, 145 published reports between 2003 and 2021 were included. Among the BJSQ subscales, job stressors (n = 95) such as quantitative job overload (n = 65) and job control (n = 64) were most often used. The subscales were utilized to investigate the relationships with several other measurements. Five reports used subscales from the New BJSQ. In the last two decades, the BJSQ and the New BJSQ help measure psychosocial factors (PF) at work and contribute to the publication of scientific papers in the occupational health field. This study would encourage the utilization of the questionnaires for future research and practice.

Self-compassion, mental health shame and work motivation in German and Japanese employees

In Germany, more than two-thirds of employees report mental health issues, while in Japan, more than half of the country's workforce are mentally distressed. Although both countries are socio-economically developed in similar ways, their cultures differ strongly. This article investigates mental health constructs among German and Japanese employees. A cross-sectional design was employed in which 257 German and 165 Japanese employees completed self-report scales regarding mental health problems, mental health shame, self-compassion and work motivation. T-tests, correlation and regression analyses were conducted. Results show that German employees have significantly higher levels of mental health problems, mental health shame, self-compassion and work motivation than Japanese employees. While many correlations were similar, mental health problems were associated with intrinsic motivation in Germans, but not in Japanese. Shame was associated with both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in Japanese, but not in Germans. Self-compassion - defined as a complex of compassion, humanity, care and unconditional, compassionate love - was associated with gender and age in Japanese, but not in German employees. Lastly, regression analysis uncovered that self-compassion was the strongest predictor of mental health problems in Germans. In Japanese employees, mental health shame is the strongest predictor of mental health problems. Results can guide managers and psychologists in internationalised organisations to effectively approach employee mental health.

Mental Health of Japanese Workers: Amotivation Mediates Self-Compassion on Mental Health Problems

Workplace mental health is a cause for concern in many countries. Globally, 78% of the workforce experienced impairment of their mental health in 2020. In Japan, more than half of employees are mentally distressed. Previously, research has identified that self-compassion (i.e., being kind and understanding towards oneself) and work motivation were important to their mental health. However, how these three components relate to each other remains to be elucidated. Accordingly, this study aimed to examine the relationship between mental health problems, self-compassion and work motivation (i.e., intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation and amotivation). A cross-sectional design was employed, where 165 Japanese workers completed self-report scales regarding those three components. A correlation and path analyses were conducted. Mental health problems were positively associated with amotivation and negatively associated with age and self-compassion. While intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation did not mediate the impact of self-compassion on mental health problems, amotivation did. The findings can help managers and organizational psychologists help identify effective approaches to improving work mental health.

A nationwide web-based survey of factors associated with depressive symptoms among Japanese workers

BACKGROUND

Precarious employment has affected mental health, and limited data are available on the association of low stress tolerance with depressive symptoms among Japanese workers.

AIMS

This study aimed to examine the relationship between stress tolerance and depressive symptoms among Japanese workers, including company employees, civil servants and self-employed persons in various industries.

METHODS

We conducted a nationwide cross-sectional study. From March 26 to April 6, 2020, we performed a web-based survey of Japanese workers. The questionnaire included questions on socioeconomic factors, the SOC scale that assesses stress tolerance, the CES-D, and the EQ-5D-5L. Multivariate regression analyses were performed to determine the factors associated with depressive symptoms.

RESULTS

We included 3,001 participants in the analysis. A high SOC score, adequate sleeping time and frequency of exercise were associated with higher depressive symptoms. Employment status and long working hours were not associated with depressive symptoms. Younger workers had lower SOC scores than older workers. An inverse correlation between the SOC score and CES-D score was found among Japanese workers.

CONCLUSIONS

Improving stress tolerance among younger workers is needed to prevent worsening mental health regardless of employment status for Japanese workers.

Long Working Hours Indirectly Affect Psychosomatic Stress Responses via Complete Mediation by Irregular Mealtimes and Shortened Sleep Duration: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Long working hours are detrimental to physical and mental health. However, the association between long working hours and psychosomatic symptoms have remained controversial, possibly because of the existence of mediators between working hours and psychosomatic stress responses. We hypothesized that lifestyle habits, regarding sleep and mealtimes, act as mediators, and analyzed the associations between long working hours, sleep duration, mealtime regularity, and psychosomatic stress responses in office workers.

METHODS

From April 2017 to March 2018, an online cross-sectional survey regarding overtime work hours, work-related stress, sleep, and eating habits was conducted with employees of 17 companies located in Tokyo, Japan. Answers were obtained from 3559 employees, and 3100 provided written consent for the academic use of their answers, and were included in the analysis. A path analysis was conducted to assess the effect of overtime work on psychosomatic stress via shortened sleep or irregular mealtimes.

RESULTS

Overtime work hours had no direct effect on psychosomatic stress responses and depressive symptoms. However, overtime work hours affected sleep duration and the regularity of mealtimes. The effects of overtime work hours on psychosomatic stress responses and depressive symptoms were completely mediated by sleep duration and the regularity of mealtimes.

CONCLUSION

Long working hours do not affect mental health directly; however, shortened sleep duration and irregular mealtimes mediate the effect of long working hours on psychosomatic stress responses and depressive symptoms.

Qualitative Investigation into the Mental Health of Healthcare Workers in Japan during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the mental health of healthcare workers in many countries including Japan. While many survey-based findings have reported the serious state of their wellbeing among healthcare workers, the first-hand experience of the mental health and coping in this population remains to be evaluated. Accordingly, this study aimed to appraise them using constructionist thematic analysis on semi-structured interviews attended by a purposive and snowball sample of 24 healthcare workers in Japan conducted in December 2020-January 2021. Four themes were identified: (1) increased stress and loneliness, (2) reduced coping strategies, (3) communication and acknowledgement as a mental health resource, and (4) understanding of self-care. Participants noted that the characteristics of Japanese work culture such as long hours, collectivism and hatarakigai (i.e., meaning in work) to explain these themes. These findings suggest that robust support at an organizational and individual level, capturing intrinsic values, are particularly important for this key workforce to cope with increased stress and loneliness, leading to better patient care.

The relationship between working hours and the intention to quit smoking in male office workers: data from the 7th Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2016-2017)

Background

The intention to quit smoking is one of the most important factors in smoking cessation. Long working hours is also a constant issue, and many studies have shown an association between the working hours and diseases, including cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases. This study evaluated the relationship between working hours and the intention to quit smoking among Korean male office workers, and blue collar workers for comparison.

Methods

This study was based on the Seventh Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2016–2017). A total of 1,389 male workers were smokers, and then office workers and blue collar workers were selected. Logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) for the intention to quit smoking according to smoking-related characteristics and working hours after adjusting for age group, body mass index (kg/m²), marital status, household income (quartile), educational level, drinking, exercise, smoking-related characteristics (smoking initiation age, smoking amount, and attempt to quit smoking more than 1day in the past year) and working hours.

Results

The percentage of workers who had the intention to quit smoking in 6 months was higher in office workers (38.9% for office workers and 29.4% for blue collars, p = 0.017). Blue collar workers had higher percentages of workers who worked more than 52 hours per week (19.8% for office workers and 38.9% for blue collar workers, p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that working > 52 hours per week was significantly associated with a lower intention to quit smoking within 6 months among male office workers (OR = 0.30, 95% confidence interval = 0.14–0.66).

Conclusions

Working more than 52 hours per week was positively related with a lower intention to quit smoking among currently smoking male office workers. Further studies are needed considering more work-related variables such as job stress and physical load.

The relationship among sleep reactivity, job-related stress, and subjective cognitive dysfunction: a cross-sectional study using path analysis

Insomnia, job-related stress, and cognitive dysfunction affect the mental health of workers. However, the relationships among sleep reactivity, job-related stress, and subjective cognitive dysfunction in workers remains not fully understood. Therefore, this study seeks to investigate the relationships among these variables in Japanese adult workers. In total, 536 adult workers in Japan were evaluated using the Japanese version of Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test, Brief Job Stress Questionnaire, and Cognitive Complaints in Bipolar Disorder Rating Assessment to assess sleep reactivity, job-related stress, and subjective cognitive function, respectively. Path analysis was also carried out. The results of the path analysis showed that sleep reactivity significantly influenced on subjective cognitive dysfunction directly and indirectly via job stressors and stress reaction. Our results may not be generalizable to underage workers because only adult workers were included, which is a limitation of this study. The results of the present study suggest that job-related stress mediates the effect of sleep reactivity on subjective cognitive dysfunction in Japanese adult workers. This underscores the need to evaluate the mediating effect of job-related stress in addressing the subjective cognitive dysfunction associated with insomnia in workers.

Is burnout a mediating factor between sharps injury and work-related factors or musculoskeletal pain?

BACKGROUND

Burnout, musculoskeletal pain, and sharps injuries (SIs) affect medical workers.

AIM

To establish a model between SIs, burnout, and the risk factors to assess the extent to which burnout affects SIs.

METHODS

This questionnaire was used for an observational and cross-sectional study, which was based on members at a hospital affiliated with a medical university in Taichung, Taiwan, in 2020. The valid responses constituted 68.5% (1734 of 2531). The items were drawn from the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and Copenhagen burnout inventory and concerned work experience, occupational category, presence of chronic diseases, sleep duration, overtime work, and work schedule. Factor analysis, chi-square test, Fisher exact test, Multiple linear, logistic regression and Sobel test were conducted. The present analyses were performed using SAS Enterprise Guide 6.1 software (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, United States), and significance was set at P < 0.05.

RESULTS

Personal and work-related burnout ranks, sex, work experience ranks, occupational groups, drinking in the past month, sleep duration per day, presence of chronic diseases, overtime work ranks, and work schedule were associated with SIs. Frequent upper limb and lower limb pain (pain occurring every day or once a week) determined to be related to SIs. High personal burnout (> Q3) and high work-related burnout (> Q3) mediated the relationship between SIs and frequent lower limb pain. Similarly, frequent lower limb pain mediated the relationship of SIs with high personal and high work-related burnout. High personal and high work-related burnout mediated the relationships of SIs with overtime work and irregular shift work. The mediating model provides strong evidence of an association between mental health and SIs.

CONCLUSION

Burnout was determined to contribute to SIs occurrence; specifically, it mediated the relationships of SIs with frequent musculoskeletal pain, overtime work, and irregular shift work.

Neuroimaging Recommendations in Outpatients With Dementia: Three Cases of Frontal Meningioma Demonstrating Reversible Dementia

Benign brain tumors largely affect the brain and can lead to reversible dementia, which can be resolved following the treatment of the primary etiology. Herein, we report three cases of relatively large frontal meningiomas in patients who presented with cognitive impairment as initial symptoms. The three participants demonstrated notable dementia alongside frontal meningioma. Following resection, all patients showed dramatic cognitive function improvement, and they successfully returned to society. Our cases illustrate the benefit of active surveillance with neuroimaging in selected patients, especially those who present with acute or subacute dementia.

Psychological impact of the state of emergency over COVID-19 for non-permanent workers: a Nationwide follow-up study in Japan

Background

The outbreak of COVID-19 has caused mental health problems and increased unemployment due to the economic recession. This survey aimed to assess the psychological impact of the state of emergency. We estimated changes in mental health, quality of life, and unemployment experience for general workers during the first COVID-19 outbreak in Japan.

Methods

We conducted a nationwide follow-up study. During the periods of March 26 to April 6, 2020 and June 26 to July 2, 2020, we used the internet to survey general workers aged 15 to 59 years in Japan. The questionnaire items covered employment status and socioeconomic factors, and we used the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and EQ-5D-5L to assess depression and health-related quality of life (HR-QOL), respectively. The differences in outcomes of permanent and non-permanent workers were analyzed using propensity score analysis. A multiple linear regression analysis was performed to examine the relationship between unemployment and CES-D scores.

Results

We included 2351 subjects in the analysis. Changes in both CES-D scores and utility were not significantly different between the two groups. However, a significant difference was found regarding the rate of unemployment, which was associated with higher CES-D scores.

Conclusions

The present study demonstrated that the mental health of non-permanent workers was not negatively affected following the state of emergency due to COVID-19 in Japan. Unemployment is an important factor that influences the mental health of general workers.

[Factors Related to Attitudes toward Responses to Stress Survey in Stress Check Program in Financial Industry]

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study is to clarify the factors related to attitudes toward responses to a stress survey in the Stress Check Program, which is used to screen for workers with high psychosocial stress at the workplace.

METHODS

An anonymous self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted on 1,800 regular staff member of a financial industry (valid response rate: 72.0%). The questionnaire items were the brief job stress questionnaire (BJSQ), the sense of coherence (SOC-13), the Japanese version of the Utrecht work engagement scale (UWES-J), attitudes toward responses to the stress survey, and the concerns of subjects regarding the stress check program.

RESULTS

The stress in interpersonal relationships at the workplace in the BJSQ, "concerns about leaking results to the company", "concerns about receiving persistent calls for an interview", and "concerns about a disadvantageous treatment by the company" were positively related to 'writing general truths', whereas the support from the boss in the BJSQ and the subscales of SOC-13 were negatively related to 'writing general truths'. The stress in interpersonal relationships at the workplace and "concerns about receiving persistent calls for an interview" were positively related to 'writing falsehoods', but the "dedication" in UWES-J was negatively related to 'writing falsehoods'.

CONCLUSIONS

To obtain authentic answers in the stress survey, it is important (1) to smooth relationships at the workplace, (2) to devise operation systems such as an interview guidance, and (3) to provide support that enhances the ability of workers to cope with stress and work engagement.