January 25, 2012

expert reaction to study of overtime and depression as published in PLoS ONE

Data from middle-aged civil servants suggested that working long hours of overtime may predispose to major depressive episodes, as published in the journal PLoS ONE.

Clare Bambra, Professor of Public Health Policy, Durham University, said:

“The link between working long hours and depression is very important. The UK has the longest working hours in Europe and many people are encouraged to work in excess of the EU working time directive – the 48-hour week.

“The economic crisis is likely to increase the pressure on those in-work to work longer hours. There is a strong public health need for employers and the government to consider limiting working hours and giving employees more control over their working hours.

“A recent Cochrane review led by Durham University researchers found that having more control over working hours improved physical and mental health.”

Additional info from Durham University Press Office: Professor Clare Bambra, Acting Director of the Wolfson Research Institute, Durham University, was the lead author of previous research on working hours which found that flexible working arrangements are good for your health. The results were published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. In an analysis of ten previously published studies, the researchers found that certain work conditions that gave employees some control over their working hours, such as self-scheduling of shift work, and gradual or partial retirement, were linked to health benefits. The health benefits identified in the study included lower blood pressure and heart rate, and better quality sleep and less fatigue during the day. The research findings were published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews: http://summaries.cochrane.org/CD008009/flexible-working-conditions-and-their-effects-on-employee-health-and-wellbeing

Dr Paul Keedwell, Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist, Cardiff University, said:

“This study confirms what we have long suspected – that we cannot expect to work long hours in stressful white-collar jobs without psychological ill effects. High socio-economic status does not protect you. More work is urgently required to examine if this link between overtime and depression is due to personality, job-specific strain, work-family conflict, neglecting important relationships, or all of the above.”

Professor Anthony Cleare, Professor of Affective Disorders, King’s College London Institute of Psychiatry, said:

“This important study reminds us that working conditions can markedly affect an individual’s mental health. However, whilst there is a link between excessive hours and depression, it is important to be clear that many individuals do thrive on working longer hours and there should not be a blanket prohibition.

“Instead, we need to see long working hours as a potential risk factor in some people, and to understand more about which individuals are at particular risk. One suggestion from this and other studies is that people lower down the working hierarchy, and who have less control over their jobs, may be especially at risk of depression.

“We should also not forget in these troubled times that being unemployed is probably even more detrimental to a person’s mental health.”

‘Overtime Work as a Predictor of Major Depressive Episode: A 5-Year Follow-Up of the Whitehall II Study’ by Virtanen, M. et al. published in PLoS ONE on Wednesday 25th January.