Job stress among workers who telecommute during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Japan: a cross-sectional study

• Authors: Kazunori Ikegami , Hiroka Baba , Hajime Ando , Ayako Hino , Mayumi Tsuji , Seiichiro Tateishi , Tomohisa Nagata , Shinya Matsuda , Yoshihisa Fujino

Abstracts

EN

ObjectivesThe work system reform and the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan have prompted efforts toward telecommuting in Japan. However, only a few studies have investigated the stress and health effects of telecommuting. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the relationship between telecommuting and job stress among Japanese workers.Material and MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study. In December 2020, during the “third wave” of the COVID-19 pandemic, an Internet-based nationwide health survey of 33 087 Japanese workers (The Collaborative Online Research on Novel-coronavirus and Work, CORoNaWork study) was conducted. Data of 27 036 individuals were included after excluding 6051 invalid responses. The authors analyzed a sample of 13 468 office workers from this database. The participants were classified into 4 groups according to their telecommuting frequency, while comparing scores on the subscale of the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) and subjective job stress between the high-frequency, medium-frequency, low-frequency, and non-telecommuters groups. A linear mixed model and an ordinal logistic regression analysis were used.ResultsA significant difference in the job control scores of the JCQ among the 4 groups was found, after adjusting for multiple confounding factors. The high-frequency telecommuters group had the highest job control score. Further, after adjusting for multiple confounding factors, the subjective job stress scores of the high- and medium-frequency telecommuters groups were significantly lower than those of the non-telecommuters group.ConclusionsThis study revealed that high-frequency telecommuting was associated with high job control and low subjective job stress. The widespread adoption of telecommuting as a countermeasure to the public health challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic may also have a positive impact on job stress.

Keywords

EN

occupational health; job stress; office worker; COVID-19; telecommuting; job content questionnaire

• Publisher: Instytut Medycyny Pracy im. prof. dra Jerzego Nofera w Łodzi
• Journal: International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health
• Year: 2022
• Volume: 35
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 339-351

Dates

published

2022

Contributors

author

Kazunori Ikegami

• University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan (Department of Work Systems and Health, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences)

author

Hiroka Baba

• University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan (Department of Work Systems and Health, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences)

author

Hajime Ando

• University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan (Department of Work Systems and Health, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences)

author

Ayako Hino

• University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan (Department of Mental Health, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences)

author

Mayumi Tsuji

• University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan (Department of Environmental Health, School of Medicine)

author

Seiichiro Tateishi

• University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan (Department of Occupational Medicine, School of Medicine)

author

Tomohisa Nagata

• University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan (Department of Occupational Health Practice and Management, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences)

author

Shinya Matsuda

• University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan (Department of Public Health, School of Medicine)

author

Yoshihisa Fujino

• University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan (Department of Environmental Epidemiology, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences)

Identifiers

DOI

10.13075/ijomeh.1896.01865

Biblioteka Nauki

2084908