Working hours indirectly affect anxiety symptoms through sleep and stress in dentists, physicians, and psychotherapists
The aim of this study was to examine the effects of working hours on anxiety symptoms in highly educated helping professionals, especially through sleep duration, perceived stress and sleep quality. We analysed the results of 172 helping professionals (dentists, physicians, and psychotherapists, 57...
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| Format: | Article |
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Sciendo
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Arhiv za Higijenu Rada i Toksikologiju |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.2478/aiht-2025-76-3954 |
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| author | Tomac Patricia Rapić Iva Japundžić Lugović-Mihić Liborija Macan Jelena Bjelajac Adrijana Košćec |
| author_facet | Tomac Patricia Rapić Iva Japundžić Lugović-Mihić Liborija Macan Jelena Bjelajac Adrijana Košćec |
| author_sort | Tomac Patricia |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The aim of this study was to examine the effects of working hours on anxiety symptoms in highly educated helping professionals, especially through sleep duration, perceived stress and sleep quality. We analysed the results of 172 helping professionals (dentists, physicians, and psychotherapists, 57 % women, average age 25–63 years) who had participated in a larger study examining the effects of working conditions and constitutional factors on the onset of hand eczema. The participants answered a battery of questionnaires, including Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale, Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, and a set of standard questions on sociodemographic characteristics, working hours, sleep, and job characteristics. They also underwent clinical examination of skin on hands and wrists. Participants reported working between 19 and 90 h a week, with 25.1 % working more than 50 h a week. Several path analysis models used in the study showed that working hours predicted anxiety only indirectly. The final model “working hours → sleep duration on workdays → perceived stress → anxiety symptoms” showed excellent fit [χ2(14)=10.345; P>0.05; CFI=1.000; RMSEA 90 % CI (0.000, 0.054); P>0.05; SRMR=0.028]. Our results indicate that long working hours are associated with shorter sleep duration, which, in turn, is associated with higher levels of perceived stress and subsequently higher levels of anxiety. Long working hours in highly educated helping professionals may therefore put at risk their own health and safety and that of the recipients of their services. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1c1abe2520dc41e2afdef3e6cf80ab9e |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1848-6312 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Sciendo |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Arhiv za Higijenu Rada i Toksikologiju |
| spelling | doaj-art-1c1abe2520dc41e2afdef3e6cf80ab9e2025-08-20T03:15:55ZengSciendoArhiv za Higijenu Rada i Toksikologiju1848-63122025-06-0176210211210.2478/aiht-2025-76-3954Working hours indirectly affect anxiety symptoms through sleep and stress in dentists, physicians, and psychotherapistsTomac Patricia0Rapić Iva Japundžić1Lugović-Mihić Liborija2Macan Jelena3Bjelajac Adrijana Košćec4Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Zagreb, CroatiaBagatin Clinic, Zagreb, CroatiaUniversity of Zagreb School of Dental Medicine, Zagreb, CroatiaInstitute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Zagreb, CroatiaInstitute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Zagreb, CroatiaThe aim of this study was to examine the effects of working hours on anxiety symptoms in highly educated helping professionals, especially through sleep duration, perceived stress and sleep quality. We analysed the results of 172 helping professionals (dentists, physicians, and psychotherapists, 57 % women, average age 25–63 years) who had participated in a larger study examining the effects of working conditions and constitutional factors on the onset of hand eczema. The participants answered a battery of questionnaires, including Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale, Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, and a set of standard questions on sociodemographic characteristics, working hours, sleep, and job characteristics. They also underwent clinical examination of skin on hands and wrists. Participants reported working between 19 and 90 h a week, with 25.1 % working more than 50 h a week. Several path analysis models used in the study showed that working hours predicted anxiety only indirectly. The final model “working hours → sleep duration on workdays → perceived stress → anxiety symptoms” showed excellent fit [χ2(14)=10.345; P>0.05; CFI=1.000; RMSEA 90 % CI (0.000, 0.054); P>0.05; SRMR=0.028]. Our results indicate that long working hours are associated with shorter sleep duration, which, in turn, is associated with higher levels of perceived stress and subsequently higher levels of anxiety. Long working hours in highly educated helping professionals may therefore put at risk their own health and safety and that of the recipients of their services.https://doi.org/10.2478/aiht-2025-76-3954cohen’s perceived stress scalehealthcare workershelping professionspath analysissleep durationsleep qualityworking timezung self-rating anxiety scaleanaliza putacohenova ljestvica percipiranog stresakvaliteta spavanjapomagačka zanimanjaradno vrijemetrajanje spavanjazdravstveni radnicizungova ljestvica za samoprocjenu anksioznosti |
| spellingShingle | Tomac Patricia Rapić Iva Japundžić Lugović-Mihić Liborija Macan Jelena Bjelajac Adrijana Košćec Working hours indirectly affect anxiety symptoms through sleep and stress in dentists, physicians, and psychotherapists Arhiv za Higijenu Rada i Toksikologiju cohen’s perceived stress scale healthcare workers helping professions path analysis sleep duration sleep quality working time zung self-rating anxiety scale analiza puta cohenova ljestvica percipiranog stresa kvaliteta spavanja pomagačka zanimanja radno vrijeme trajanje spavanja zdravstveni radnici zungova ljestvica za samoprocjenu anksioznosti |
| title | Working hours indirectly affect anxiety symptoms through sleep and stress in dentists, physicians, and psychotherapists |
| title_full | Working hours indirectly affect anxiety symptoms through sleep and stress in dentists, physicians, and psychotherapists |
| title_fullStr | Working hours indirectly affect anxiety symptoms through sleep and stress in dentists, physicians, and psychotherapists |
| title_full_unstemmed | Working hours indirectly affect anxiety symptoms through sleep and stress in dentists, physicians, and psychotherapists |
| title_short | Working hours indirectly affect anxiety symptoms through sleep and stress in dentists, physicians, and psychotherapists |
| title_sort | working hours indirectly affect anxiety symptoms through sleep and stress in dentists physicians and psychotherapists |
| topic | cohen’s perceived stress scale healthcare workers helping professions path analysis sleep duration sleep quality working time zung self-rating anxiety scale analiza puta cohenova ljestvica percipiranog stresa kvaliteta spavanja pomagačka zanimanja radno vrijeme trajanje spavanja zdravstveni radnici zungova ljestvica za samoprocjenu anksioznosti |
| url | https://doi.org/10.2478/aiht-2025-76-3954 |
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