Effects of work stress, sleep, and shift work on suicidal ideation among female workers in an electronics company

Mar 22, 2021American journal of industrial medicine

How work stress, sleep, and shift work relate to suicidal thoughts in female electronics workers

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Abstract

Suicidal ideation was significantly higher among shift workers, with an odds ratio of 2.38.

Both poor sleep and high work stress are associated with increased suicidal ideation, with odds ratios of 2.84 and 3.30, respectively.
Shift workers with a 3 × 12 hour schedule showed a higher risk of suicidal ideation (OR, 2.98) compared to those with a 4 × 8 hour schedule (OR, 2.14).
High work stress had a notably stronger association with suicidal ideation in shift workers (OR, 11.55) compared to poor sleep (OR, 3.86).
The combination of poor sleep and high work stress was linked to a significantly higher risk of suicidal ideation in shift workers (OR, 13.39) compared to day workers (OR, 4.31).

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BACKGROUND: Suicide is the leading cause of death in young adults in Korea. Stress in the workplace affects the suicide rate; young female workers are particularly vulnerable to adverse work environments. We investigated the relationships of shift work, sleep, and work stress to suicidal ideation.

METHODS: This study used data from 508 female workers aged 22-40 years in an electronics company. Data on baseline characteristics, work patterns, sleep quality (using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), and work stress levels using the Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS) were obtained from questionnaires. We examined associations between suicidal ideation and shift work, sleep quality, and KOSS scores.

RESULTS: Suicidal ideation was significantly higher among shift workers (odds ratio [OR], 2.38; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.31-4.32), those with poor sleep (OR, 2.84; 95% CI, 1.68-4.84), and those with high work stress (OR, 3.30; 95% CI, 1.82-6.00). Both 3 × 12 h shift workers (OR, 2.98; 95% CI, 1.35-6.57) and 4 × 8 h shift workers (OR, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.03-4.45) had increased suicidal ideation. High work stress (OR, 11.55; 95% CI, 2.93-45.48) had stronger associations with suicidal ideation than poor sleep (OR, 3.86; 95% CI, 1.21-12.33) in shift workers. The combined effect of poor sleep and high KOSS on suicidal ideation was stronger in shift workers (OR, 13.39; 95% CI, 3.22-55.62) than day workers (OR, 4.31; 95% CI, 1.03-18.01).

CONCLUSIONS: Shift workers are more vulnerable than day workers to the combination of work stress and poor sleep quality as well as to work stress alone.

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Effects of work stress, sleep, and shift work on suicidal ideation among female workers in an electronics company

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