Association between working overtime and psychological stress reactions in elementary and junior high school teachers in Japan: a large-scale cross-sectional study

• Published in: Industrial Health Vol. 60; no. 2; pp. 133 - 145
• Main Authors: FURIHATA, Rika, KUWABARA, Miki, OBA, Koji, WATANABE, Kazuhiro, TAKANO, Nao, NAGAMINE, Noritoshi, MARUYAMA, Yoko, ITO, Nobuhiro, WATANABE, Izumi, TSUBONO, Kenjiro, IKEDA, Chikako, SAKAMOTO, Junichi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health 01.04.2022; National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Japan; National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Japan (JNIOSH)
• Subjects: Bringing work home; Causes of; Cross-Sectional Studies; Education; Educational aspects; Elementary school teachers; Elementary school teaching; Health aspects; Holidays & special occasions; Humans; Japan - epidemiology; Junior high school teachers; Middle school teachers; Missing data; Occupational health; Occupational Stress - epidemiology; Original; Overtime; Peripheral tasks; Psychological aspects; Psychological stress; Psychological stress reactions; Regression analysis; School Teachers; Stress (Psychology); Stress, Psychological - epidemiology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teachers; Working hours; Working on holidays; Working overtime; Japan; Peripheral tasks; Working overtime; School teachers; Psychological stress reactions; Bringing work home; Working on holidays
• ISSN: 0019-8366; 1880-8026
• DOI: 10.2486/indhealth.2021-0069

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between working overtime and psychological stress reactions among school teachers. It also evaluated the interaction of overtime work types (on weekdays, on holidays, and bringing work home) and task content (educational, peripheral and both). This cross-sectional study was conducted on Japanese elementary and junior high school teachers. Primary outcome was psychological stress reactions measured with the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire. Participants were asked how long they work overtime on weekdays, holidays, and at home. Participants were also asked whether they engaged in educational tasks and/or peripheral tasks during that overtime work. Multiple linear regression analyses were applied and 6,135 participants were included in the analyses after imputing missing data. Working hours of all three types were significantly correlated with higher psychological stress reactions. Moreover, engaging in both educational and peripheral tasks showed higher psychological stress reactions than in only educational tasks when working overtime on weekdays and holidays. In conclusion, reducing overtime work regardless of work types is crucial for mitigating psychological stress reactions for teachers. It might also be possible to manage the psychological stress reactions by splitting the role of task contents, when working overtime on weekdays and holidays at school.