The Relationship Between Working Time and Ill Health
Differences Between Full-Time and Part-Time Workers
Abstract
Abstract: Several studies have investigated the relationship between working time and health; however, an adequate comparison of this relationship among full-time and part-time workers is still missing. Therefore, this study aimed to fill this gap in the literature. We investigated several aspects of working time: weekly overtime, monthly on-call duties, monthly shift work, and adherence to breaks. To assess health, we investigated sleeping problems, cognitive irritation, and emotional exhaustion. Data were collected from 812 hospital physicians. We tested our assumptions with a group comparison using structural equation modeling. Overtime and adherence to breaks were shown to be health-relevant factors, particularly for full-time workers, whereas night and weekend shifts were more relevant for part-time workers’ health. On-call duties were less relevant for both groups. The inclusion of time pressure and autonomy caused different changes. The results of this study illustrate that personal needs should be considered when scheduling working time to promote health.
Zusammenfassung: Verschiedene Studien haben bereits den Zusammenhang zwischen Arbeitszeiten und Gesundheit untersucht. Dennoch fehlt bislang für diese Zusammenhänge ein adäquater Vergleich zwischen Vollzeit- und Teilzeit-Beschäftigten. Die vorliegende Studie soll diese Lücke schließen. Hierfür wurden verschieden Aspekte von Arbeitszeiten betrachtet: wöchentliche Überstunden, monatliche Bereitschaften, monatliche Nacht- und Wochenendschichten sowie die Einhaltung von vorgesehenen Pausen. Als Gesundheitsaspekte wurden Schlafprobleme, kognitive Irritation und emotionale Erschöpfung berücksichtigt. In die Auswertung wurden Daten von 812 KlinikärztInnen einbezogen, welche mittels eines Gruppenvergleichs über Strukturgleichungsmodellierung umgesetzt wurde. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Überstunden und die Einhaltung von Pausen relevant für die Gesundheit von Vollzeit-Beschäftigten sind. Dahingegen sind für die Gesundheit von Teilzeit-Beschäftigten eher Nacht- und Wochenendschichten bedeutsam. Für monatliche Bereitschaften zeigten sich in beiden Gruppen keine signifikanten Zusammenhänge. Der Einbezug von Zeitdruck und Handlungsspielraum zeigte unterschiedliche Einflüsse auf die Zusammenhänge. Die Ergebnisse verdeutlichen, dass zur Förderung der Gesundheit von Beschäftigten persönliche Rahmenbedingungen in der Arbeitszeitplanung berücksichtigt werden sollten.
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