Relationships between insomnia, long working hours, and long commuting time among public school teachers in Japan: a nationwide cross-sectional diary study

School teachers' awareness of internet addiction in elementary school students: a regional survey in Japan

In recent years, concerns about internet addiction (IA) among children have been increasing. This study focused on the awareness of IA in elementary school teachers. A web-based anonymous survey was conducted in November 2021. The participants completed an original questionnaire about their awareness of IA. The participants were divided into three groups based on their positions in the classroom: class teachers, support teachers, and administrative teachers. Out of 283 participants, over 70% had not approached students with IA and had little practical knowledge about the disorder. Support and administrative teachers had more opportunities to interact with students with IA than class teachers (p < 0.001 in both cases). Support teachers had more opportunities to ask their colleagues about IA than class teachers (p < 0.01); similarly, administrative teachers also had more opportunities to discuss IA with colleagues than class teachers (p = 0.04). Preventive interventions are recommended for people who communicate with children with IA. Students with IA might cause anxiety among teachers; therefore, preventive education strategies should be implemented with the cooperation of psychiatrists, psychologists, and public health nurses.

Relationship between sleep disturbance and burnout among Chinese urban teachers: Moderating roles of resilience

BACKGROUND

Sleep disturbance and burnout are prevalent among primary and secondary school teachers. Nevertheless, little is known about the relationship between sleep disturbance and burnout, and the mechanisms connecting this link. Our study aimed to explore the relationship between sleep disturbance and burnout among urban teachers, as well as to investigate this influencing mechanism further with resilience as a moderator.

METHODS

14,218 primary and secondary school teachers provided valid data. We assessed demographic information, sleep disturbance, burnout, and resilience. Multivariable logistic regression, Spearman correlation, and moderation analyses were used to evaluate the relationship between sleep disturbance and burnout and the moderating role of resilience.

RESULTS

Of the participants, the prevalence of sleep disturbance and sleep deprivation among teachers was 20.0% and 31.7%, respectively. Additionally, 58.4% of teachers reported moderate or severe burnout, and 15.3% had both sleep disturbance and burnout. Sleep disturbance was significant and positively related to burnout. Resilience was found to moderate the association between sleep disturbance and burnout.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggested strong associations between sleep disturbance and burnout. Interventions in improving resilience may protect teachers with sleep disturbance from burnout.

Association between Objective and Subjective Sleep Parameters with Postural Control Responses among Brazilian Schoolteachers

Objective  To investigate the impact of sleep quality on postural control in teachers. Methods  Cross-sectional study with 41 schoolteachers (mean age 45.7 ± 10.4 years). Sleep quality was assessed in two ways: objectively (through actigraphy), and subjectively (through the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index). Postural control was assessed in an upright posture during 3 trials of 30s (bipedal and semitandem stances in rigid and foam surfaces with eyes open) with a period of rest across trials, on a force platform, based in the center of pressure measurements in the anteroposterior and mediolateral directions. Results  The prevalence of poor sleep quality in this study sample was 53.7% ( n  = 22). No differences were found between Poor and Good sleep in the posturographic parameters (p > 0.05). Although, there was moderate correlation between postural control in the semitandem stance and subjective sleep efficiency for center of pressure area (rs = -0.424; p  = 0.006) and amplitude in anteroposterior direction (rs = -0.386; p  = 0.013). Discussion  There is correlation between poor sleep quality and postural control in schoolteachers, as sleep efficiency decreases, postural sway increases. Poor sleep quality and postural control were investigated in other populations, but not in teachers. Several factors such as work overload, insufficient time for physical activities, among others, can contribute to a worse perception of sleep quality, as well as deterioration in postural control. Further studies with larger populations are needed to confirm these findings.

Correlation of commute time with the risk of subjective mental health problems: 6th Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS)

Background

Studies conducted so far on the link between commute time and mental health among Koreans remain insufficient. In this study, we attempted to identify the relationship between commute time and subjective mental health using the 6^th Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS).

Methods

Self-reported commute time was divided into four groups: ≤ 30 (group 1), 30-60 (group 2), 60-120 (group 3), and > 120 minutes (group 4). Subjective depression was defined as a score of 50 points or less on the WHO-5 well-being index. Subjective anxiety and fatigue were defined as answering 'yes' to the questionnaire on whether they had experienced it over the past year. The analysis of variance, t-test, and χ² test was used to analyze the differences among the characteristics of the study participants according to commute time, depression, anxiety, and fatigue. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for depression, anxiety, and fatigue according to commute time were calculated using multivariate logistic regression models adjusted for sex, age, monthly income, occupation, company size, weekly working hours, and shift work status.

Results

Long commute times showed increased ORs and graded increasing trends for depression, anxiety, and fatigue. The ORs for depression increased significantly in group 2 (1.06 [1.01-1.11]), group 3 (1.23 [1.13-1.33]), and group 4 (1.31 [1.09-1.57]) compared to group 1 (reference). The ORs for anxiety increased significantly in group 2 (1.17 [1.06-1.29]), group 3 (1.43 [1.23-1.65]) and group 4 (1.89 [1.42-2.53]). The ORs for fatigue increased significantly in group 2 (1.09 [1.04-1.15]), group 3 (1.32 [1.21-1.43]), and group 4 (1.51 [1.25-1.82]).

Conclusions

This study highlights that the risk of depression, anxiety, and fatigue increases with commute time.

The association between long working hours and obstructive sleep apnea assessed by STOP-BANG score: a cross-sectional study

PURPOSE

The relationship between night-shift work and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is well known, but that between OSA and long working hours is still unknown. This study explores the association between long working hours and OSA.

METHODS

Using cross-sectional Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2020 data, we made multiple logistic regression models to calculate odds ratios (ORs) between weekly working hours and STOP-BANG scores for OSA screening. Stratified regression models by night or rotating shift work were also made.

RESULTS

In an adjusted model of STOP-BANG high-risk versus low-risk groups, the OR in the group exceeding 40 h/wk was higher but not statistically significant, 1.19 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.66-2.15] compared to the group working 40 h/wk (standard working hours) or less. In the group exceeding 52 h/wk, the OR was 2.03 with statistical significance (95% CI 1.08-3.80). In the stratification analysis of daytime and night-shift work, the daytime worker results were similar to those in the non-stratified model. The point estimation values of ORs in the night-shift workers were higher than in the daytime workers; however, we did not observe a statistical significance.

CONCLUSION

Long working hours can increase the risk of OSA assessed by STOP-BANG scores.

Association between physical risk factors and sleep disturbance among workers in Korea: The 5th Korean Working Conditions Survey

OBJECTIVE

Sleep disturbance is associated with negative effects to workers' health and productivity; hence, it is important to find which population of workers are associated with sleep disturbance. This study aimed to investigate the association between physical risk factors (vibration, noise, high, and low temperatures) and sleep disturbance in the Korean working population.

METHODS

We analyzed data on 29,213 paid workers from the 5th Korean Working Conditions Survey. Individual and occupational characteristics, physical risk factors exposure, and sleep disturbance were collected using self-reported questionnaires. To assess the association between physical risk factors and sleep disturbance, the chi-square test and multivariable logistic regression models were conducted. All statistical analyses were performed in sex-based subgroups.

RESULTS

We observed that all physical risk factors are associated with sleep disturbance. The adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence interval [CI]) of severe exposure to vibration, noise, high and low temperature were 1.69 (CI:1.47-1.94), 2.52 (CI:2.17-2.92), 3.09 (CI:2.69-3.56), and 1.96 (CI:1.68-2.28) in male workers and 2.27 (CI:1.89-2.72), 3.52 (CI:2.92-4.24), 3.30 (CI:2.81-3.87), and 2.87 (CI:2.44-3.38) in female workers, respectively. The prevalence of sleep disturbance increased with increased exposure to physical risk factors, indicating a dose-response relationship.

CONCLUSIONS

Physical risk factors exposure in the workplace was associated with sleep disturbance of workers, indicating a dose-response relationship. Given the impact of sleep disturbance on workers' health and efficiency, it may be important to control exposure to physical risk factors in the working environment with regards to sleep conditions.

Association between ambient air pollution exposure and insomnia among adults in Taipei City

Ambient air pollution was known to cause central nervous system diseases and depressive symptoms. In this study, we examined the associations between air pollution exposure and the prevalence of insomnia in Taipei City of Taiwan. We applied the health information system of electrical medical records of Taipei City Hospital to collect a total of 5108 study subjects (insomniacs N = 912 and non-insomniacs N = 4196) over 18 years old from the family medicine and internal medicine outpatients of six branches of Taipei City Hospital. These patients were grouped into insomniacs and non-insomniacs following the primary insomnia diagnosis (ICD9:780.52, 780.54, 307.41, 307.42, ICD10: G47.00, G47.01, G47.09, F51.01, F51.09) and the prescription times of anxiolytics and hypnotics. We estimated one-year average concentrations of PM_2.5, ozone, and NO_x before the first date of insomnia diagnosis and the last date of outpatient visit for insomniacs and non-insomniacs, respectively, by using the data of nearest air quality monitoring stations relative to study subjects' residential addresses. Logistic regression analysis was employed to examine the independent effects of air pollution concentrations on the risk of insomnia. One-year average PM_2.5, ozone, and NO_x levels for insomniacs was significantly higher than those of non-insomniacs. After adjusting for confounding factors, increase each 1(μg/m³) in one-year average PM_2.5 showed a statistically significant association with insomnia (the odds ratio 1.610, 95% CI [1.562,1.660]). As to multi pollutants, one-year average PM_2.5 (1.624, [1.570, 1.681] and ozone (1.198, [1.094, 1.311]) exposure showed a significant association with insomnia. Subgroup analysis revealed that the influence of PM_2.5 and ozone on insomnia have significant risks in people with major chronic disease. This study demonstrated a positive association between PM_2.5 and ozone exposure and the prevalence of hypnotic-treated insomnia. Especially, the people with major chronic diseases were with obvious effect of PM_2.5 and ozone on risk of insomnia.

Bidirectional associations between chronic low back pain and sleep quality: A cohort study with schoolteachers

AIMS

Although both chronic low back pain (cLBP) and sleep problems are prevalent among active workers, the relation between these variables is not well established. This study aimed to examine the bidirectional association between cLBP and sleep in schoolteachers.

METHODS

The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and cLBP were self-reported by 530 schoolteachers in Londrina, Brazil, at baseline and after 2 years of follow-up. Generalized estimating equations were adjusted for sociodemographic, lifestyle and mental health variables.

RESULTS

Poor sleep quality at baseline was associated with cLBP at follow-up after adjusting for sociodemographic and lifestyle variables (OR=1.61; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]=1.06, 2.47). Changes in the PSQI score over time were also associated with a higher likelihood of cLBP at follow-up (OR=1.13; 95% CI=1.07, 1.20 for each 1-point increase in the PSQI score), regardless of mental health condition. cLBP at baseline was associated with worse sleep quality at follow-up after adjusting for sociodemographic and lifestyle variables (OR=1.56; 95% CI=1.02, 2.37). The presence of cLBP also changed the PSQI score over time (ß coefficient=1.153; 95% CI=0.493, 1.814).

CONCLUSIONS

Worse sleep quality was prospectively and bidirectionally associated with cLBP. Concretely, changes in PSQI values after 2 years of follow-up increased the likelihood of reporting cLBP, and baseline cLBP was associated with sleep quality worsening (i.e., higher score in the PSQI). Mental health conditions such as self-rated health, depression and anxiety play a relevant confounding role in the bidirectional associations between sleep and chronic low back pain.

The Relationship Between Long Working Hours and Stress Responses in Junior High School Teachers: A Nationwide Survey in Japan

Background: Long working hours and mental health problems among teachers are a concern in Japan. More specifically, it has been reported that junior high school teachers tend to work overtime. In this study, examined the working hours of junior high school teachers in public schools and investigated the association between overtime work and stress responses across job titles.

Methods: From June to December 2018, 54,772 teachers in public junior high schools completed a web-based nationwide survey regarding occupational stress and submitted self-evaluated working hours per day of the previous month. Psychological and physical stress responses were assessed using the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire.

Results: Results showed that 59.6% of the participants worked 11 h or more per day. Additionally, the length of working hours significantly differed across job titles (χ² (30) = 5295.8, p < 0.001, Cramér’s V = 0.14). With respect to tenured teachers, sex (female), age, taking charge of the class, number of working years in the same school, working hours of 10 to 11 h, 11 to 12 h, 12 to 13 h, and 13 h or more were significantly associated with high stress, compared to those who worked less than 9 h per day. Moreover, for fixed-term teachers, sex (female), age, working hours of 9 to 10 h, 10 to 11 h, 11 to 12 h, 12 to 13 h, and 13 h or more were related with more stress as compared to those who worked less than 9 h per day. On the other hand, there was no significant relationship between long working hours and stress response among vice-principals, even though they tended to work the longest hours.

Conclusion: We verified that Japanese junior high school teachers work long hours. Long working hours were associated with stress responses in both tenured and fixed-term teachers, but not in vice-principals. However, vice-principals work the longest hours among teachers, and we suggest that these long working hours may be a hidden problem that is often overlooked.

Morning preference is associated with subjective happiness among Japanese female workers: A moderation analysis by sleep characteristics from the SLEPT study

Research on mental health in working populations has predominantly focussed on negative outcomes, while studies on the positive aspects of life remain very limited, especially in Japan. Although morningness has recently been considered a factor for being happy, the role of sleep characteristics as it relates to the association between morningness and happiness has not been substantiated. The aim of this study is to investigate the associations between diurnal preference and level of subjective happiness in healthy, full-time, daytime workers in Japan. We also tested the moderation effect of sleep parameters on the relationship between diurnal preference and subjective happiness. This is an exploratory analysis from the cross-sectional data of the SLeep Epidemiology Project at the University of Tsukuba (SLEPT Study). Subjective happiness was evaluated using a single-item question. Diurnal preference was assessed using the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), in which higher scores indicate greater tendency to have morning preference. The participants underwent assessment of sleep parameters for 7 consecutive days using a waist-worn actigraphy device and kept a sleep diary. Sleep parameters investigated were subjective sleep quality, sleep disturbance, daytime sleepiness, weekend oversleep, total sleep time, sleep onset time, wake time, and sleep efficiency. A total of 205 males (average 42.6 ± 10.4 years) and 272 females (41.1 ± 9.8 years) were eligible for analysis. Hierarchical liner regression analysis was used to show the relationships of subjective happiness with MEQ score, and the sleep parameters. Further, moderation analysis was conducted by adding the interaction between MEQ score and the sleep parameters. After adjusting for age, psychological distress, self-rated health, and occupational stress, we found that subjective happiness was significantly associated with higher MEQ score and sleep efficiency but only in female. The moderating role of sleep parameters was not found. We discussed the implications of the obtained results and a possible strategy to maintain and improve subjective happiness of female workers who have evening preference.

Effect of occupation on sleep duration among daytime Japanese workers: A cross-sectional study

Occupation is one of the factors contributing to the loss of sleep. Although many studies have investigated sleep loss due to irregular and nighttime shifts, the causes of sleep loss in daytime workers remain unknown. The aims of the present study were to determine whether occupation is a dependent factor for sleep duration and whether working status and lifestyle are related to sleep duration.We examined the health check results of 17,519 (9028 men and 8491 women) workers who had at least 1 health check between the fiscal years 2013 and 2019. We asked about the workers' occupation, bedtime, dinner time, overtime work, and commuting time, using a self-administered questionnaire at their health check. The occupations were classified into 4 categories: high white-collar, low white-collar, pink-collar, and blue-collar. We conducted a linear regression model and analysis of covariance to investigate the effect of occupation on sleep duration.As a result of linear regression analysis, bedtime, overtime work and occupation were significantly associated with decreased sleep duration in males, and bedtime, age, and occupation were significantly associated with decreased sleep duration in females. Analysis of covariance revealed that both male and female blue-collar tended to sleep for significantly shorter durations than those in the other occupations.The results of the current study indicate that sleep duration is affected by occupation. When determining the cause of loss of sleep, medical personnel should consider their patient's lifestyles and how they have been affected by their occupation.

Irregular Work Hours and the Risk of Sleep Disturbance Among Korean Service Workers Required to Suppress Emotion

Although a necessity in a modern society, irregular work schedule can lead to sleep problems. We investigated the effect of work schedule irregularity on sleep disturbance of 17,846 Korean service workers using the fifth Korean Working Conditions Survey. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for sleep disturbance occurrence were calculated through a multiple logistic regression model. The adjusted ORs for moderate and severe sleep disturbances for those with irregular work hours were 2.11 (95% CI 1.90–2.33) and 3.10 (95% CI 2.62–3.66), respectively. Work schedule irregularity and emotion suppression at work showed synergistic effect on both moderate and severe sleep disturbances. Sleep disturbances can lead to brain function deterioration and work-related injuries; therefore, appropriate measures should be addressed for the vulnerable population.

The relationship between working hours and lifestyle behaviors: Evidence from a population-based panel study in Korea

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between working hours and lifestyle behaviors using data from a large nationally representative panel survey.

METHODS

We used the Korea Health Panel Study (KHPS) data from 2011 to 2014. Weekly working hours and lifestyle risk factors were assessed by questionnaires. Comparing to the reference group, the weekly working hours were 40 h per week, odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for smoking status, alcohol consumption status, and regular exercise status of other weekly working hours groups (<40, 40, 41-52, and >52) were calculated, using generalized estimating equation models considering repeated measures.

RESULTS

Our findings clearly showed a relationship between long working hours and unhealthy lifestyles, such as cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, and insufficient sleep. Additionally, weekly working hours are positively associated with the amount of smoking and drinking, and inversely associated with sleep duration among those who worked 40 h or more per week.

CONCLUSION

Long working hours are associated with unhealthy lifestyles, such as cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, and insufficient sleep.