Abstract
Purpose
Research on the association between family-to-work and work-to-family conflicts and sleep problems is sparse and mostly cross-sectional. We examined these associations prospectively in three occupational cohorts.
Methods
Data were derived from the Finnish Helsinki Health Study (n = 3,881), the British Whitehall II Study (n = 3,998), and the Japanese Civil Servants Study (n = 1,834). Sleep problems were assessed using the Jenkins sleep questionnaire in the Finnish and British cohorts and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index in the Japanese cohort. Family-to-work and work-to-family conflicts measured whether family life interfered with work or vice versa. Age, baseline sleep problems, job strain, and self-rated health were adjusted for in logistic regression analyses.
Results
Adjusted for age and baseline sleep, strong family-to-work conflicts were associated with subsequent sleep problems among Finnish women (OR, 1.33 (95 % CI, 1.02–1.73)) and Japanese employees of both sexes (OR, 7.61 (95 % CI, 1.01–57.2) for women; OR, 1.97 (95 % CI, 1.06–3.66) for men). Strong work-to-family conflicts were associated with subsequent sleep problems in British, Finnish, and Japanese women (OR, 2.36 (95 % CI, 1.42–3.93), 1.62 (95 % CI, 1.20–2.18), and 5.35 (95 % CI, 1.00–28.55), respectively) adjusted for age and baseline sleep problems. In men, this association was seen only in the British cohort (OR, 2.02 (95 % CI, 1.42–2.88)). Adjustments for job strain and self-rated health produced no significant attenuation of these associations.
Conclusion
Family-to-work and work-to-family conflicts predicted subsequent sleep problems among the majority of employees in three occupational cohorts.
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Acknowledgments
The Helsinki Health Study is supported by the Academy of Finland (grants No. 1129225, 1121748, and 1257362) and the Finnish Work Environment Fund (No. 107281). TL and EL have been supported by the Academy of Finland (grants No. 1133434 and 1135630). The City of Helsinki is also acknowledged. MK is supported by the Academy of Finland, the Finnish Work Environment Foundation, the New OSH ERA research program, and a ESRC professorship, UK. The Whitehall II Study has been supported by the British Medical Research Council (MRC); the British Heart Foundation; the British Health and Safety Executive; the British Department of Health; the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (grant No. R01HL036310); the National Institute on Aging (grants No. R01AG013196 and R01AG034454); the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (grant No. HS06516); and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Research Networks on Successful Midlife Development and Socioeconomic Status and Health. MK is supported by the Academy of Finland, the Bupa Foundation, and the New OSH ERA (New and Emerging Risks in Occupational Safety and Health, European Research Area) research program and MJS by the British Heart Foundation. The Japanese Civil Servants Study is supported by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science, the Occupational Health Promotion Foundation, the Universe Foundation (98.04.017), the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation (03/2059), and the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation (2551).
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Lallukka, T., Ferrie, J.E., Kivimäki, M. et al. Conflicts Between Work and Family Life and Subsequent Sleep Problems Among Employees from Finland, Britain, and Japan. Int.J. Behav. Med. 21, 310–318 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-013-9301-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-013-9301-6