The psycho-social consequences of intermittent husband absence: an epidemiological study

Rotation work in the resources sector: a systematic review of the impact on workers' families

OBJECTIVE

Rotation work involves travelling to work in remote areas for a block of time and alternate with spending another block of time at home; such work arrangements have become common in the resources sector. The intermittent absence of workers from the home may adversely affect the health of the workers' families. This study synthesises research on mental and physical health outcomes in partners and children of rotation workers in the resources sector.

DESIGN

A systematic review was conducted. Studies were retrieved from PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus. Nineteen studies were included and findings were summarised narratively.

RESULTS

The impact of rotation work on the mental health and well-being of partners and children of rotation workers remains unclear. However, on days where workers are away, partners may experience greater loneliness and poorer sleep quality.

CONCLUSION

Partners may benefit from support, particularly when they have younger children and/or their spouses first begin rotation work. Research is limited, particularly regarding the impact on health-related behaviours and physical health outcomes.

REGISTRATION

This review was registered on PROSPERO (ID: CRD42020167649).

Living the 14/14 Schedule: Qualitative Analysis of the Challenges and Coping Strategies among Families of Offshore Wind Workers

Offshore wind workers in Germany usually spend 14 days offshore, alternating with 14 days of spare time at home. The offshore lifestyle may considerably affect offshore workers’ partners and families. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding the psychosocial adaptation among offshore wind couples living the 14/14 schedule. The present study intended to offer a contemporary view on the topic from the perspective of the women of offshore workers. Our aim was (1) to examine the perceived features of living the 14/14 schedule, (2) explore women’s coping strategies, and (3) investigate their views on the reconciliation of offshore work and partnership/family life. The women reported differentiated views on the benefits and costs associated with their living situation, and stated various coping strategies that facilitated psychosocial adaptation. Despite some burdens, overall, most of the women seemed to have adapted relatively favourably to their lifestyle. This was particularly eased by recent sociological and technological advances, e.g., improved communication technologies.

Does age affect the relationship between control at work and sleep disturbance for shift workers?

Among miners, shift work, aging and lack of control at work may be factors leading to increased sleep problems. Such risk factors may also operate in interaction, resulting in an even increased harm for sleep disruption. The present study aims at evaluating these relationships drawing on a sample of Australian mine and energy workers and their partners. The workers were mainly men. All performed shift work that included either nights (95%) or multiple shifts (92%), usually both (87%), while 36% were aged 50 years or above. The results show that low latitude over work activities is associated with higher sleep disturbances across the sample, though the effects are clearer amongst younger workers. By contrast, for younger workers, control over shift scheduling is not associated with sleep disturbances but for workers aged 50 or more, low control results in more sleep disturbance. Misalignment between shift workers and partner work schedules, and partner dissatisfaction with shift worker's employment and shift worker's work-life balance, are also associated with more sleep disturbances amongst shift workers.

Direct and interactive effects of occupational stress and coping on ulcer-like symptoms among Chinese male off-shore oil workers

BACKGROUND

Off-shore oil production is widely regarded as a stressful occupation and digestive system problems were commonly observed in off-shore oil workers. Is occupational stress from off-shore oil work associated with the occurrence of digestive problems among off-shore oil workers? And are coping styles also related to their occurrence? The aim of this study was to explore the direct and interactive association of occupational stress and coping styles with ulcer-like symptoms in Chinese male off-shore oil workers.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 561 Chinese male off-shore oil workers. They were invited to fill in a self-administered questionnaire exploring their socio-demographic characteristics, occupational stress, coping style, and ulcer-like symptoms. A stepwise multiple regression procedure was used to assess the direct and interactive effects of occupational stress and coping behaviors on ulcer-like symptoms.

RESULTS

After controlling for age, educational level, marital status and years of off-shore working, the ulcer-like symptoms were significantly positively associated with occupational stress and "internal behavior" coping methods, negatively associated with external/social behavior coping methods, and positively associated with the interaction between occupational stress and internal behavior coping.

CONCLUSION

The results of the present study suggest that occupational stress was associated with gastric health problems and that this association might be moderated by certain coping behaviors.

Mental health in the oil industry: a comparative study of onshore and offshore employees

Few empirical studies have examined the mental health of workers on North Sea oil and gas installations, and it is unclear from the available literature whether offshore employees show impaired mental health relative to their onshore counterparts. The present study was intended to clarify this issue by direct comparison of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) scores of onshore and offshore personnel engaged in similar work. As compared with published data, only the onshore group showed low GHQ-12 scores, although both groups were low in neuroticism. Analysis of GHQ subscale scores demonstrated that anxiety was significantly higher among offshore workers than among those working onshore, but there were no significant differences in somatic symptoms or social dysfunction. Regression analyses showed that this result was not affected by control for age, job level, and neuroticism, although there was a significant interaction between job level and neuroticism in predicting anxiety. The nature of the offshore environment, and the factors which may play a causal role in elevated anxiety among offshore workers, are discussed.

Oil wives and intermittent husbands

An investigation was conducted in the Aberdeen area on wives of oil men working either off-shore or on-shore. No differences were found in measures of general health; but 'off-shore wives' were shown to experience mood and behavioural changes, linked to the pattern of swiftly recurring partings and reunions. While a majority of such wives appeared to tolerate or even thrive on their style of life, 10% had reactions sufficiently pronounced to deserve the label of Intermittent Husband Syndrome or 'caseness'. Many others would have benefited from more effective preventive and support services.