January 22, 2007

Health and Wellness

Shift work linked to depression

Shift workers are more likely to be depressed as they are impacted by a number of job-related factors, including shift work, hours of work, work stress and occupation were associated with depression.

According to a Health Reports study, around half a million Canadian workers experience depression and most of them associate the ailment with their ability to work.

Statistics revealed that nearly 8 out of 10 (79 per cent) workers had experienced depression in 2002 and almost one in five (19 per cent) reported very severe interference.

On average, workers who suffer from depression symptoms lose 32 days because they are either unable to carry out normal activities or totally unable to work.

The prevalence of depression was considerably higher in those who spent less than 30 hours a week on the job, compared to those who worked more than 40 hours a week.

More likely to suffer from depression are both men and women who work on shifts, compared to those who work a regular day-time schedule.

It is also reported that 13 per cent of workers who had experienced depression reported at least one day in the previous two weeks when they had stayed in bed, or cut down on normal activities, or their daily activities took extra effort because of emotional or mental health or through the use of alcohol or drugs.

The impact of depression on job performance can persist over a two-year period. Workers who had been depressed were 1.4 times as likely to report reduced work activities two years later because of a long-term physical or mental health condition.

Workers in sales or service and those in white-collar jobs were more likely than blue-collar workers to have experienced depression.

Relatively high percentages of workers who had experienced depression reported specific forms of work impairment.

About 29 per cent of workers who had had a recent episode of depression reported reduced work activities because of a long-term health condition. This was three times the proportion of only 10 per cent among those with no history of depression.

As well, 13 per cent of workers who had experienced depression reported at least one day in the previous two weeks when they had to stay in bed, or cut down on normal activities, or their daily activities took extra effort, because of emotional or mental health or the use of alcohol or drugs.

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