Workaholism, sleep disorders, and potential e-learning impacts among Menoufia university staff during COVID-19 pandemic

The prevalence of workaholism: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The present study represents the first meta-analysis and systematic review on the prevalence of workaholism. It also investigated if sample size, representativeness, and instrument moderated the prevalence estimates. The analysis was pre-registered at PROSPERO (CRD42023395794). We searched Web of Science, PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, PsychInfo. BASE, MedNar, NYAM, OPENGREY, OpenMD and included the first 200 searches on Google scholar as gray literature [search string: "(workaholi* OR "work addict*") AND (prevalence* OR incident* OR frequen* OR cut-off OR epidem*)]. The search yielded 42 studies to be included, in addition to 11 studies identified using other methods. Two independent raters went through the searches, extracted information and evaluated risk of bias, resulting in agreement ratings of 92.4%, 84.9%, and 87.0%, respectively. The inclusion criteria were studies reporting original data on the prevalence of workaholism written in any European language. Criteria which led to exclusion were conference abstracts, usage of secondary data, purposive sampling of workaholics, qualitative research and pre-determined cut-off based on distribution. Risk of bias of the included articles was evaluated through a checklist. Most of the included studies had a moderate risk of bias. Of the 663 records identified, a total of 53 studies were included, 10 of these being nationally representative with all studies in total amounting to 71,625 participants from 23 countries. The pooled workaholism prevalence was 15.2% (95% CI = 12.4-18.5), which was adjusted to 14.1% (95% CI = 11.2-17.6) following a trim-and-fill adjustment for publication bias. The meta-regression revealed that studies with representative samples reported lower prevalences than those based on non-representative samples, and that studies based on the Dutch Work Addiction Scale yielded higher prevalences than studies employing the Bergen Work Addiction Scale. The regression model explained 29% of the variance implying that a vast amount was still unexplained, and that future research would benefit from the inclusion of other moderators.

Evaluation of sleep quality in faculty members of Isfahan university of medical sciences

BACKGROUND

Sleep disorders can significantly impair the quality of life and daily functions. Evaluating sleep quality can provide valuable information about working conditions. This study aims to evaluate the sleep quality of faculty members at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (IUMS).

METHODS

This descriptive-analytic study was conducted from 2020 to 2021, involving 106 faculty members from the medical school. A questionnaire collected demographic information, including age, sex, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), level of education, history of faculty membership, major, working hours during the day and night, residency place, and medical history. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Symptom Checklist-25 (SCL-25) questionnaire were used to assess participants' sleep quality. Data were compared between clinicians and basic science faculty members.

RESULTS

PSQI subtypes were examined among the participants. The total PSQI score was 6.20±3.4. A comparison of PSQI scores and subtypes based on age categories did not show any significant differences (P > 0.05 for all). Clinicians had significantly lower total PSQI scores (P=0.044), sleep latency (P=0.024), sleep disturbances (P=0.012), and daytime dysfunction (P=0.022). Additionally, clinicians had a lower severity of sleep latency (P=0.024), sleep disturbances (P=0.012), and total PSQI score (P=0.044). However, clinicians exhibited a higher intensity of daytime dysfunction (P=0.022).

CONCLUSION

Faculty members exhibited a high prevalence of sleep disorders, with the most common disorders being sleep disturbance and high sleep latency. The prevalence of sleep disorders was higher among basic science faculty members compared to clinicians.

Work Addiction and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress: the Mediating Role of Food Addiction Among Lebanese Young Adult Workers

Work addiction is considered a public health concern, as it can lead to negative and harmful health outcomes. However, patterns leading from work addiction to mental health concerns remain so far largely unknown and under-studied. We aimed to verify whether the relationship between work addiction and psychological distress (i.e., depression, anxiety, and stress) is mediated by food addiction among young adult workers in the context of Lebanese culture. The second objective was to validate the Arabic version of the Bergen Work Addiction Scale (BWAS). The online cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1268 Lebanese young adult workers (65.1% females, mean age 26.18 years) using the Bergen Work Addiction Scale, the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale, the Yale Food Addiction Scale, and the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire. The PROCESS SPSS Macro version 3.4, model four, was used to compute the mediation analysis. Findings revealed that 175 (13.8%) were presented as work-addicted individuals, and 226 (17.8%) exhibited addictive-like eating behaviors. Bivariate analyses showed that higher degree of work addiction and food addiction was significantly associated with higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. The results of the mediation analysis showed that the association between work addiction and depression, anxiety, and stress was mediated by food addiction. In light of our findings, we cautiously suggest that the link of work addiction to psychological distress via food addiction implies that strategies targeting food addiction might mitigate the harmful effects of work addiction on workers' mental health.