Research reveals that women who work long hours may put them at risk for depression. According to a study done by the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, the results of the study suggest that among women, working extra-long hours over 55 hours per week is linked to more depressive symptoms than working standard full-time hours. Researchers found stronger associations between long work hours and depressive disorders for women than men. Working long hours doesn’t cause depression but is correlated with depression.
Researchers from universities in the U.K. and US worked on a longitudinal study with 40,000 households since 2009. The researchers observed 11,000 men and 12,000 women, looking specifically at how depressive symptoms were linked to working more than 40 hours per week.
One of the results of the study was that for both sexes, working on the weekends was associated with depressive symptoms. Women working more than 55 hours per week also showed evidence for poor mental health and depressive symptoms compared to working a normal 40-hour week.
How can we reduce depressive symptoms?
Reduce hours
One of the ways to reduce the risk of developing depression iscutting back on working late into the night or on the weekend hours, according to the website Mind Body Green. Talk to your boss about reducing extra-long workdays.
Change your behavior
A key feature of depression is inactivity, according to THIS WAY UP, a resource site developed by Professor Gavin Andrews and his team of psychiatrists and clinical psychologists at St Vincent’s Hospital in Australia. While you may feel like you need to work long hours to be productive, you may be hurting your mental health. Behavioral strategies for depression aim to identify and change aspects of behavior that may worsen depression. Relevant behavioral strategies include activity scheduling, social skills training, structured problem solving, and goal planning.
Think differently
People who are depressed will usually show a way of thinking that keeps them focused on negative views, according to THIS WAY UP. They often think of themselves as worthless and of the world as being a bad or unfair place. The aim of a cognitive approach is to help people identify and correct their distorted and negatively biased thoughts. Reframe the way you think about life. People can recover from failures more effectively by recognizing and taking credit for the good things in their lives.
Mental health is just as important as physical health. Take different approaches that can help relieve these depressive symptoms.
Sources:
https://jech.bmj.com/content/early/2019/02/08/jech-2018-211309
https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/working-long-hours-mental-health
https://thiswayup.org.au/how-do-you-feel/sad/
