Working Hours and Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms According to Shift Work and Gender

Abstract

Objectives: We aimed to analyze the relationship between long working hours and depressive and anxiety symptoms according to gender and shift work.

Methods: After dividing shift and day workers according to sex, multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the relationship between weekly working hours and both depressive and anxiety symptoms.

Results: Both depressive and anxiety symptoms were significantly higher in weekly working 40 to 52 and more than 52 hours compared with working fewer than 40 hours in female day workers. Male day workers and both male and female shift workers, showed the association between weekly working more than 52 hours and both depressive and anxiety symptoms, compared with working fewer than 40 hours.

Conclusions: Our study demonstrated a significant association between long working hours and depression and anxiety symptoms, regardless of gender and shift work schedule.