Long hours of work linked to depression
Researchers at Kyoto University of Public Health have found that employees who worked long hours (at least 60 hours per week) and had high demand jobs (defined as ‘usually’ having too much work) were at higher risk of depression.
The study was published in August 2013 issue of Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine(ACOEM).
Interventions targeting the combination of “long hours/overworked” (LHO) might help to reduce the risk of depression in the workplace, according to the report by Drs. Takahashi Amagasa and Takeo Nakayama of Kyoto University School of Public Health.
Workers who initially had the LHO combination were 15 times more likely to have depression when re-evaluated one to three years later.
On adjustment for other factors, workers who went from LHO to non-LHO status were at lower risk of depression, while those who moved from non-LHO to LHO were at increased risk. The risk of depression in LHO workers seemed to increase over time.
The study highlights the importance of high job demands and feeling overworked—combined with long work hours—as a risk factor for depression in employees.
Drs Amagasa and Nakayama conclude, “By targeting LHO, especially changes in LHO status, mental health measures that effectively reduce the occurrence of major depressive disorder will become possible by controlling factors in the occupational environment.”
Dr. Ajay Sati.
