title: Moderating effects of psychological job strain on the relationship between working hours and health: an examination of white-collar workers employed by a Japanese manufacturing company.
abstract: The effects of working hours on health were examined taking psychological job strain into account. White-collar workers employed at the main office of a Japanese manufacturing company provided data for analysis done in 1997. The eligible subjects were 286 workers aged 20-39. Causal relationships between working hours, health, and psychological job strain were examined by covariance structure analyses. The main findings were as follows: Not only working hours but also sleeping hours and vacations affected the workers' effort to deal with work as a work-related hour factor. Decision authority and skill discretion of Karasek's psychological job strain items significantly constituted a discretion in the work factor, and this factor moderated the effects of the work-related hour factor on health. The effects of psychological job strain, especially discretion, must always be taken into account in examinations of working hours and health.
authors.affiliation: Section of Postgraduates Guidance, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan. tarumi@med.uoeh-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kimio
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tarumi
authors.forename: Akihito
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hagihara
authors.forename: Kanehisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Morimoto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D011584:Psychology; D012890:Sleep; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D016526:Workload / Q000523:psychology*; D017132:Workplace