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Long working hours and symptoms of anxiety and depression: a 5-year follow-up of the Whitehall II study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 February 2011

M. Virtanen ,
J. E. Ferrie ,
A. Singh-Manoux ,
M. J. Shipley ,
S. A. Stansfeld ,
M. G. Marmot ,
K. Ahola ,
J. Vahtera  and
M. Kivimäki
M. Virtanen*
Affiliation:
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland
J. E. Ferrie
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, UK
A. Singh-Manoux
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, UK INSERM U1018, France Centre de Gérontologie, Hôpital Ste Périne, AP-HP, Paris, France
M. J. Shipley
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, UK
S. A. Stansfeld
Affiliation:
Centre for Psychiatry, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, UK
M. G. Marmot
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, UK
K. Ahola
Affiliation:
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland
J. Vahtera
Affiliation:
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland Department of Public Health, University of Turku, Finland Turku University Hospital, Finland
M. Kivimäki
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, UK
*
*Address for correspondence: Dr M. Virtanen, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Work and Mental Health Team, Topeliuksenkatu 41 aA, FIN-00250 Helsinki, Finland. (Email: marianna.virtanen@ttl.fi)
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Abstract

Background

Although long working hours are common in working populations, little is known about the effect of long working hours on mental health.

Method

We examined the association between long working hours and the onset of depressive and anxiety symptoms in middle-aged employees. Participants were 2960 full-time employees aged 44 to 66 years (2248 men, 712 women) from the prospective Whitehall II cohort study of British civil servants. Working hours, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and covariates were measured at baseline (1997–1999) followed by two subsequent measurements of depressive and anxiety symptoms (2001 and 2002–2004).

Results

In a prospective analysis of participants with no depressive (n=2549) or anxiety symptoms (n=2618) at baseline, Cox proportional hazard analysis adjusted for baseline covariates showed a 1.66-fold [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.06–2.61] risk of depressive symptoms and a 1.74-fold (95% CI 1.15–2.61) risk of anxiety symptoms among employees working more than 55 h/week compared with employees working 35–40 h/week. Sex-stratified analysis showed an excess risk of depression and anxiety associated with long working hours among women [hazard ratios (HRs) 2.67 (95% CI 1.07–6.68) and 2.84 (95% CI 1.27–6.34) respectively] but not men [1.30 (0.77–2.19) and 1.43 (0.89–2.30)].

Conclusions

Working long hours is a risk factor for the development of depressive and anxiety symptoms in women.

Keywords

Anxietydepressionovertime workprospectivework hours
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 41 , Issue 12 , December 2011 , pp. 2485 - 2494
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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