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The Significance of Shift Work: Current Status and Future Directions

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Abstract

This paper provides a review and synthesis of research literature on the effects of shift work on workers’ physical health, mental health/well-being, and family life. The focus is on current knowledge, unanswered questions, and new directions for future research. The selection of research literature is guided by a general conceptual framework that identifies predictor variables, moderating variables, and outcome variables. The paper concludes with a discussion of the variables that should be incorporated into an agenda for future research.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for funding the research project from which this paper was drawn. We also thank the Bemis Foundation and the ILGWU Heritage Foundation for funds provided during the first year of the project. We acknowledge the helpful suggestions of the Editor and anonymous reviewers

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Robert Perrucci

  2. Department of Child Development and Family Studies, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Shelley MacDermid, Ericka King, Chiung-Ya Tang & Kamala Ramadoss

  3. Department of Sociology, Georgia Southern University, P.O. Box 8051, Statesboro, GA, 30460, USA

    Ted Brimeyer

  4. Labor Studies at Indiana University, Northwest, Lindenwood 126, 3400 Broadway, Gary, IN, 46408, USA

    Sally Jane Kiser

  5. Department of Social Work, University of Kentucky, 619 Patterson Office Tower, Lexington, KY, 40506, USA

    Jennifer Swanberg

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  1. Robert Perrucci
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Correspondence to Robert Perrucci.

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Perrucci, R., MacDermid, S., King, E. et al. The Significance of Shift Work: Current Status and Future Directions. J Fam Econ Iss 28, 600–617 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-007-9078-3

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