Long Hours, Job Pressure May Bring On Depression
A high-stress job can be a factor in mental and emotional problems, including depression, a recent study in Japan confirms. The study focused on the risk of depression among workers who have high-pressure jobs or work for long hours.
Researchers at the Kyoto University School of Public Health evaluated surveys of than 200 clerical workers. The workers were asked about the number of hours they worked per week, the kind of work pressure they experienced and their overall sense of well-being. The surveys were conducted in the mid-1990s and 2000s.
Those who worked more than 60 hours a week were much more likely to report that they had too much work to do and were also at greater risk of depression. In fact, the risk of depression among these workers increased over time.
Since the recession, American workers have been under pressure to perform better, sometimes under physically taxing circumstances. It should not be surprising that workers who put in long hours in a high-pressure environment would be candidates for depression.
However, employers can help reduce the risks of depression and other anxiety-related disorders among workers by modifying work schedules and job demands.
Michael Parsons is an Atlanta workers’ compensation lawyer representing injured workers in the metro Atlanta region and helping them recover the workers’ compensation benefits that they have earned.
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