1
|
Han WJ. How our longitudinal employment patterns might shape our health as we approach middle adulthood-US NLSY79 cohort. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0300245. [PMID: 38568881 PMCID: PMC10990189 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent labor market transformations brought on by digital and technological advances, together with the rise of the service economy since the 1980s, have subjected more workers to precarious conditions, such as irregular work hours and low or unpredictable wages, threatening their economic well-being and health. This study advances our understanding of the critical role employment plays in our health by examining how employment patterns throughout our working lives, based on work schedules, may shape our health at age 50, paying particular attention to the moderating role of social position. The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth-1979 (NLSY79), which has collected 30+ years of longitudinal information, was used to examine how employment patterns starting at ages 22 (n ≈ 7,336) might be associated with sleep hours and quality, physical and mental functions, and the likelihood of reporting poor health and depressive symptoms at age 50. Sequence analysis found five dominant employment patterns between ages 22 and 49: "mostly not working" (10%), "early standard hours before transitioning into mostly variable hours" (12%), "early standard hours before transitioning into volatile schedules" (early ST-volatile, 17%), "mostly standard hours with some variable hours" (35%), and "stable standard hours" (26%). The multiple regression analyses indicate that having the "early ST-volatile" schedule pattern between ages 22 and 49 was consistently, significantly associated with the poorest health, including the fewest hours of sleep per day, the lowest sleep quality, the lowest physical and mental functions, and the highest likelihood of reporting poor health and depressive symptoms at age 50. In addition, social position plays a significant role in these adverse health consequences. For example, whereas non-Hispanic White women reported the most hours of sleep and non-Hispanic Black men reported the fewest, the opposite was true for sleep quality. In addition, non-Hispanic Black men with less than a high school education had the highest likelihood of reporting poor health at age 50 if they engaged in an employment pattern of "early ST-volatile" between ages 22 and 49. In comparison, non-Hispanic White men with a college degree or above education had the lowest likelihood of reporting poor health if they engaged in an employment pattern of stable standard hours. This analysis underscores the critical role of employment patterns in shaping our daily routines, which matter to sleep and physical and mental health as we approach middle adulthood. Notably, the groups with relatively disadvantaged social positions are also likely to be subject to nonstandard work schedules, including non-Hispanic Blacks and people with low education; hence, they were more likely than others to shoulder the harmful links between nonstandard work schedules and sleep and health, worsening their probability of maintaining and nurturing their health as they approach middle adulthood.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Jui Han
- Silver School of Social Work, New York University, New York, NY, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Harris R, Beatty CJ, Cori JM, Spitz G, Soleimanloo SS, Peterson SA, Naqvi A, Barnes M, Downey LA, Shiferaw BA, Anderson C, Tucker AJ, Clark A, Rajaratnam SMW, Howard ME, Sletten TL, Wolkow AP. The impact of break duration, time of break onset, and prior shift duration on the amount of sleep between shifts in heavy vehicle drivers. J Sleep Res 2023; 32:e13730. [PMID: 36193767 DOI: 10.1111/jsr.13730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
This study aimed to examine the impact of break duration between consecutive shifts, time of break onset, and prior shift duration on total sleep time (TST) between shifts in heavy vehicle drivers (HVDs), and to assess the interaction between break duration and time of break onset. The sleep (actigraphy and sleep diaries) and work shifts (work diaries) of 27 HVDs were monitored during their usual work schedule for up to 9 weeks. Differences in TST between consecutive shifts and days off were assessed. Linear mixed models (followed by pairwise comparisons) assessed whether break duration, prior shift duration, time of break onset, and the interaction between break duration and break onset were related to TST between shifts. Investigators found TST between consecutive shifts (mean [SD] 6.38 [1.38] h) was significantly less than on days off (mean [SD] 7.63 [1.93] h; p < 0.001). Breaks starting between 12:01 and 8:00 a.m. led to shorter sleep (p < 0.05) compared to breaks starting between 4:01 and 8:00 p.m. Break durations up to 7, 9, and 11 h (Australian and European minimum break durations) resulted in a mean (SD) of 4.76 (1.06), 5.66 (0.77), and 6.41 (1.06) h of sleep, respectively. The impact of shift duration prior to the break and the interaction between break duration and time of break were not significant. HVDs' sleep between workdays is influenced independently by break duration and time of break onset. This naturalistic study provides evidence that current break regulations prevent sufficient sleep duration in this industry. Work regulations should evaluate appropriate break durations and break onset times to allow longer sleep opportunities for HVDs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rachael Harris
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Caroline J Beatty
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Cooperative Research Centre for Alertness, Safety and Productivity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Institute for Breathing and Sleep, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jennifer M Cori
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Cooperative Research Centre for Alertness, Safety and Productivity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Institute for Breathing and Sleep, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - Gershon Spitz
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Shamsi Shekari Soleimanloo
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Cooperative Research Centre for Alertness, Safety and Productivity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Institute for Breathing and Sleep, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia.,Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Scott A Peterson
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Cooperative Research Centre for Alertness, Safety and Productivity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Aqsa Naqvi
- Cooperative Research Centre for Alertness, Safety and Productivity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Institute for Breathing and Sleep, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - Maree Barnes
- Institute for Breathing and Sleep, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Luke A Downey
- Institute for Breathing and Sleep, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia.,Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia
| | - Brook A Shiferaw
- Institute for Breathing and Sleep, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia.,Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia.,Seeing Machines Ltd., Fyshwick, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Clare Anderson
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Cooperative Research Centre for Alertness, Safety and Productivity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Andrew J Tucker
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Cooperative Research Centre for Alertness, Safety and Productivity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Anna Clark
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Cooperative Research Centre for Alertness, Safety and Productivity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Shantha M W Rajaratnam
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Cooperative Research Centre for Alertness, Safety and Productivity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Mark E Howard
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Cooperative Research Centre for Alertness, Safety and Productivity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Institute for Breathing and Sleep, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Tracey L Sletten
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Cooperative Research Centre for Alertness, Safety and Productivity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Alexander P Wolkow
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Cooperative Research Centre for Alertness, Safety and Productivity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Onninen J, Pylkkönen M, Hakola T, Puttonen S, Virkkala J, Tolvanen A, Sallinen M. The self-reported stress and stressors in tram and long-haul truck drivers. APPLIED ERGONOMICS 2022; 102:103761. [PMID: 35405456 DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2022.103761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Work stress may compromise professional drivers' health and driving capacity. Differences between driver groups in terms of on-duty stress are understudied. Therefore, we examined self-reported stress (Stockholm University Stress Scale) of shift-working tram and long-haul truck drivers (n = 75) across 2-3 weeks. Furthermore, stressors were self-reported retrospectively and categorised as related to the job, driving conditions, personal, or other causes. Stress levels were generally low, but moderate to high stress (≥6) was more frequently reported among the tram drivers. Stressors related to the job (54%) and driving conditions (19% of all shifts) were frequently reported among the tram and truck drivers, respectively. Moderate to high stress was associated with categorised stressors related to the job and other causes among the tram drivers, and all categorised stressors among the truck drivers. Altogether, self-reported stress and stressors differ by driver group, but the role of shift type is less significant.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jussi Onninen
- Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Työterveyslaitos, P.O. Box 40, FI-00032, Finland; Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014, Finland.
| | - Mia Pylkkönen
- Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Työterveyslaitos, P.O. Box 40, FI-00032, Finland; Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014, Finland
| | - Tarja Hakola
- Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Työterveyslaitos, P.O. Box 40, FI-00032, Finland
| | - Sampsa Puttonen
- Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Työterveyslaitos, P.O. Box 40, FI-00032, Finland
| | - Jussi Virkkala
- Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Työterveyslaitos, P.O. Box 40, FI-00032, Finland; Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, PO Box 22, FI-00014, Finland
| | - Asko Tolvanen
- Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014, Finland
| | - Mikael Sallinen
- Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Työterveyslaitos, P.O. Box 40, FI-00032, Finland; Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014, Finland
| |
Collapse
|