Interindividual Differences in Adjustment to Shift Work

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
320 3-shift workers, 30 2-shift workers and 30 day workers filled out a questionnaire on work hours and well-being. For 3-shift workers highest ratings of well-being were reported for the afternoon shift, followed by morning, and night shifts. Two-shift workers gave ratings identical to those of the 3-shift workers on corresponding shifts. Multivariate analysis showed that neuroticism, mental demands on the job and, to some extent, also housing standards accounted for variance in well-being on the night shift. When sleep length was used as the dependent variable the most important predictors were age and experience of shift work. Finally, it was found that, above the age of 45, well-being on the night shift decreased with increased experience of shift work. In younger age groups no relations of this kind were found. (Age was held constant in all analyses.) It was suggested that the relations found may indicate the existence of a process of accumulation of costs of adjustment starting around the age of 45.