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Does work stress predict insomnia? A prospective study
Author(s) -
Linton Steven J.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
british journal of health psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.05
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 2044-8287
pISSN - 1359-107X
DOI - 10.1348/135910704773891005
Subject(s) - insomnia , psychosocial , prospective cohort study , population , confounding , odds ratio , medicine , etiology , sleep (system call) , attributable risk , psychology , gerontology , psychiatry , environmental health , surgery , operating system , computer science
Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the one‐year development of self‐reported sleep problems in workers with no sleep problem at baseline, and to evaluate the role of work stress in the etiology of a new episode. Design: A prospective design was employed. Methods: A total of 816 employees with no sleeping problems during the past three months completed a baseline questionnaire concerning their general health, working hours and working conditions. One year later they were contacted again to ascertain whether they were experiencing problems sleeping. Results: At the follow‐up, the three‐month point prevalence of self‐reported sleep problems for this population was 14.3%. While controlling for age and gender, it was found that irregular working hours and general health were not significantly related to the development of a new episode of sleeping problems. However, stress in the form of a ‘poor’ psychosocial work environment increased the risk of a new episode by more than twofold (odds ratio 2:15). The attributable fraction suggested that eliminating stress could prevent 53% of the cases. Conclusion: In a population of employees with no reported sleeping problems, 14.3% developed a sleeping problem during the coming year. Even when controlling for possible confounders, stress in the form of a ‘poor’ psychosocial work environment doubled the risk of developing a sleep problem.