Working too much is correlated with two-fold increase in likelihood of depression

January 25, 2012 in Psychology & Psychiatry

The odds of a major depressive episode are more than double for those working 11 or more hours a day compared to those working seven to eight hours a day, according to a report is published in the Jan. 25 issue of the online journal PLoS ONE.

The authors, led by Marianna Virtanen of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and University College London, followed about 2000 middle aged British civil servants and found a robust association between overtime work and depression. This correlation was not affected when the analysis was adjusted for various possible confounders, including socio-demographics, lifestyle, and work-related factors.

There have been a number of previous studies on the subject, with varying results, but the researchers emphasize that it is hard to compare results across these studies because the cut-off for "overtime" work has not been standardized.

"Although occasionally working overtime may have benefits for the individual and society, it is important to recognize that working excessive hours is also associated with an increased risk of ", says Dr Virtanen.

More information: Virtanen M, Stansfeld SA, Fuhrer R, Ferrie JE, Kivima¨ki M (2012) Overtime Work as a Predictor of Major Depressive Episode: A 5-Year Follow-Up of the Whitehall II Study. PLoS ONE 7(1): e30719. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030719

Journal reference: PLoS ONE search and more info website

Provided by Public Library of Science search and more info website

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Squirrel
Jan 25, 2012

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Cause, correlation problem. People at greater risk of depression might have greater tendency to push them themselves or let themselves be pushed into working longer hours.
Fionn_MacTool
Jan 26, 2012

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Work is a major cause of depression in my life.
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