Women who work 55 hrs a week more prone to depression: Study

Put on headphones and listening to music can have many benefits, such as helping you relax and focus on something you enjoy. Take a walk — even it’s just to the water station and back to your desk. Ideally, enjoy some fresh air. Changing your environment can re-energise you. dubai — Everyone should take the opportunity this April, Stress Awareness Month, to understand the symptoms and take action to overcome work-related stress issues, a UAE mental health expert has said.

The call comes as a new study highlights that women, in particular, can be prone to stress-induced mental health issues when faced with consistently long working hours, especially when combined with managing other responsibilities.

While stress at work can be difficult to avoid — especially if you are stuck behind a desk — the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health found that women who put in 55 hours or more at work every week had a higher risk of depression.

It also highlighted how women often had to juggle work with household duties and caring for family members. Working weekends also increased depression risk for both men and women.

“In today’s fast-paced and competitive workplace where long hours and weekend working have become the norm, no one is immune and, for numerous reasons, everyone deals with it differently,” said Nadia Brooker, a psychologist at The Priory Wellbeing Centre.

“Women, however, are often the lynchpin of the family and, as such, can take on far more responsibilities as far as the children and running a home are concerned. When you add a full or part-time job into the mix, it’s easy to understand how the associated stresses and strains of daily life can build up,” added Brooker.

While women might be more prone to stress, many tend to reach out to others when confronted with it. They are far more likely to talk to friends or undergo therapy.

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Do something that can clear your mind

In today’s workplace where long hours and weekend working have become the norm, no one is immune to stress.”

Nadia Brooker, psychologist, The Priory Wellbeing Centre

Self-awareness is key

The threshold of complaint in women is lower. They’re more emotional as they are prepared for child-bearing.”

Dr Hellme Abdullah Najim, psychiatrist, University Hospital Sharjah

Men, on the other hand, often seek to escape stress by compartmentalising or distracting themselves from it, which can have serious repercussions in the long term.

Dr Hellme Abdullah Najim, a consultant psychiatrist at the University Hospital Sharjah, said that stress is reported to affect more women than men.

“This observation is very interesting as it was found that the number of women who complain of anxiety and depression are twice the number of men in the outpatient consultation. However, the number of admissions for the same problems are equal in women and men,” he said.

“This can be explained by noting a stressed-out mind and body can impact our health adversely. It is an open invitation for majority of the lifestyle diseases that are avoidable in the first place. stress can cripple our life, steal the joys, and make it listless. It is, therefore, important that we pay attention to how we feel every now and then, and learn to priortise our day. self-awareness is key to ensuring good health. that the threshold of complaint in women is lower than men’s. Women are more emotional as they are prepared for child-bearing and rearing. In addition to that, their physique is more prone to hormonal changes, which may lead to mood variations,” he explained.

Looking into the data from Understanding Society – the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS) — which was collected from more than 23,000 men and women — researchers found a few more factors that seemed to affect mental health, regardless of the person’s gender.

Older workers, workers who smoke, those who earned the least, and those who had the least control at their jobs tended to be more depressed when compared with other workers.

Early warning signs of stress include becoming easily agitated, feeling overwhelmed, low energy, headaches, upset stomach, difficulty in sleeping, clenched jaw, racing thoughts, difficulty in focusing, changes in appetite, and mood swings. Prolonged stress can have serious consequences and lead to anxiety, depression and even physical health issues.