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Job strain and sick leave among Japanese employees: a longitudinal study

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International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objectives: The present study is an investigation of the association between job stress, determined on the basis of a demand–control model or worksite social support at the baseline, and absence due to illness among employed Japanese males and females. Methods: We analyzed 448 male and 81 female subjects who had taken no sick leave in the year preceding the baseline (1997) and observed them all until 1999. A self-administered questionnaire was the source information collected. It consisted of questions on socio-demographic variables, occupations, health-related behavior, a Japanese version of the Job Content Questionnaire, and the number of absences in the year preceding both the baseline and follow-up. Logistic regression analyses were used to determine how the characteristics of a job at the baseline affected sickness absence of 5 days or longer per year; controls were established for the gender, age, level of education completed, occupation, number of cigarettes smoked daily, and the amount of alcohol consumed weekly. Results: Compared to the lowest tertile of the ratio of demand to control (job strain), the highest tertile was significantly associated with an increased risk of sickness absence of 5 days or longer per year (odds ratio 3.02; 95%CI 1.00–9.16) at follow-up. The dose–response relationship was supported (p for trend <0.05). However, individual variables of job demand, job control, and worksite social support were not significantly associated with the risk of absence from illness. Conclusions: The study provided prospective evidence that job strain leads to an increased risk of sick leave among Japanese employees.

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Acknowledgment

This study was partly supported by a research grant from the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare of Japan (1995–2000) and a research grant from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, and Technology of Japan (2003–2004).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan

    Kyoko Kondo, Yuka Kobayashi, Kumi Hirokawa, Akizumi Tsutsumi & Norito Kawakami

  2. Department of Psychosocial Medicine, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, Japan

    Fumio Kobayashi

  3. National Institute of Industrial Health, Kawasaki, Japan

    Takashi Haratani & Shunichi Araki

Authors
  1. Kyoko Kondo
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  2. Yuka Kobayashi
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  3. Kumi Hirokawa
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  4. Akizumi Tsutsumi
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  5. Fumio Kobayashi
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  6. Takashi Haratani
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  7. Shunichi Araki
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  8. Norito Kawakami
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Correspondence to Kyoko Kondo.

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Kondo, K., Kobayashi, Y., Hirokawa, K. et al. Job strain and sick leave among Japanese employees: a longitudinal study. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 79, 213–219 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-005-0027-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-005-0027-x

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