Long hours at work doubles depression risk – study

WASHINGTON, D.C.: British white-collar workers who spent 11 hours or more at work each day doubled their risk of depression as those who worked seven to eight hours a day, said a study published on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila).

The research, published in the open-access science journal PLoS ONE, followed more than 2,100 civil servants—who had no previous depressive episodes or psychological risk factors—for an average of nearly six years.

depressive episodes or psychological risk factors—for an average of nearly six years.

Those who worked long days were 2.3 to 2.5 times more likely to have a major depressive episode, said the study led by Marianna Virtanen of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and University College London.

The link remained the same even when researchers made adjustments for factors such as alcohol and drug use, social support or lack thereof, and strain at work.

Still, the total number of depressive cases was only 66, or a rate of 3.1 percent, less common than the five-percent rate seen in the general population.

“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 major depression,” Virtanen said.

The study did not draw conclusions about why the link exists, but said that it could be related to factors that were not studied—work-family conflicts, prolonged increase in stress hormone levels, and difficulty unwinding after work, among others.

Also, since the study was limited to British civil servants, a larger population sample would be needed to determine if the link exists among blue-collar workers or private-sector employees, the authors said. –AFP