Association of work-related factors with psychosocial job stressors and psychosomatic symptoms among Japanese pediatricians.
A cross-sectional study was conducted to explore what work-related factors were associated with job stress among pediatricians in Japan, as determined by the demand-control-support model and psychosomatic symptoms. We sent an anonymous questionnaire to a random sample of 3,000 members selected from the nationwide register of the Japan Pediatric Society and received 850 responses (response rate, 28%). Data from the 590 respondents who worked more than 35 h per week as a pediatrician and had no missing responses in the questionnaire were analyzed. We measured workload-related variables (e.g. working hours, work schedule) and recovery-related variables (e.g. workdays with no overtime, days off with no work in the past month) as exposure variables, and psychosocial job stressors (the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire) and psychosomatic symptoms as outcome variables. Longer working hours per week was significantly associated with greater job demand, lower job control and more psychosomatic symptoms (p<0.05). After adjusting for working hours, more workdays with no overtime was significantly associated with lower job demand, greater job control and fewer psychosomatic symptoms (p<0.05). Our findings suggest that long working hours is a risk factor for job stressors and psychosomatic symptoms, and that workdays with no overtime is a protective factor which may facilitate recovery. Controlling working hours and encouraging non-overtime workdays may be important for reducing job stressors and psychosomatic symptoms among pediatricians in Japan.
Umehara
Katsura
K
Department of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Japan. katmbox@gmail.com
Ohya
Yukihiro
Y
Kawakami
Norito
N
Tsutsumi
Akizumi
A
Fujimura
Masanori
M
D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D016272:Occupational Health; D010372:Pediatrics; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014937:Work; D014940:Work Schedule Tolerance