Shiftwork—a critical review

.— Research concerning the social psychological, physiological, psychoneurotic, and psychosomatic consequences of shiftwork is reviewed with main emphasis on Scandinavian investigations. Most reports have found that shiftwork, especially working in three shifts, has a large number of negative social and sanitary consequences. The empirical studies and the theories that have been put forward to explain the results are shown to rest on a generally monocausal conception of the consequences of working conditions. The possibilities and implications of developing a more broadly conceived framework for interpretation and investigation of these issues are discussed.