title: The importance of individual preferences when evaluating the associations between working hours and indicators of health and well-being.
abstract: Previous studies indicate that the effect of a given shift schedule may depend on individual factors. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether a misfit between individual preferences and actual working hours affected the association between working hours and self-reported indicators of health and well-being. The study population consisted of 173 female eldercare workers who mainly worked day or evening shifts. We combined self-reported questionnaire data on preferences with actual work schedules during a four-week period. The study showed that a misfit between preferences on one hand and "non-day work", "weekend work" or "only a few consecutive days off" on the other hand was associated with an increased dissatisfaction with working hours and/or an increase in the intention to leave the workplace due to one's working hours.
authors.affiliation: The National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Lerso Parkallé 105, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark. knn@nrcwe.dk
authors.forename: Kirsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nabe-Nielsen
authors.forename: Göran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kecklund
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ingre
authors.forename: Jørgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Skotte
authors.forename: Finn
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Diderichsen
authors.forename: Anne Helene
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Garde
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009726:Nurses; D009728:Nursing Assistants; D016272:Occupational Health; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling; D014940:Work Schedule Tolerance / Q000523:psychology*