T. Lunau
A balancing act? Work-life balance and health and wellbeing in European welfare states
Lunau, T.; Bambra, C.; Eikemo, T.A.; van der Wel, K.A.; Dragano, N.
Authors
C. Bambra
T.A. Eikemo
K.A. van der Wel
N. Dragano
Abstract
Background: Recent analyses have shown that adverse psychosocial working conditions, such as job strain and effort–reward imbalance, vary by country and welfare state regimes. Another work-related factor with potential impact on health is a poor work–life balance. The aims of this study are to determine the association between a poor work–life balance and poor health across a variety of European countries and to explore the variation of work–life balance between European countries. Methods: Data from the 2010 European Working Conditions Survey were used with 24 096 employees in 27 European countries. Work–life balance is measured with a question on the fit between working hours and family or social commitments. The WHO-5 well-being index and self-rated general health are used as health indicators. Logistic multilevel models were calculated to assess the association between work–life balance and health indicators and to explore the between-country variation of a poor work–life balance. Results: Employees reporting a poor work–life balance reported more health problems (Poor well-being: OR = 2.06, 95% CI = 1.83–2.31; Poor self-rated health: OR = 2.00, 95% CI = 1.84–2.17). The associations were very similar for men and women. A considerable part of the between-country variation of work–life balance is explained by working hours, working time regulations and welfare state regimes. The best overall work–life balance is reported by Scandinavian men and women. Conclusion: This study provides some evidence on the public health impact of a poor work–life balance and that working time regulations and welfare state characteristics can influence the work–life balance of employees.
Citation
Lunau, T., Bambra, C., Eikemo, T., van der Wel, K., & Dragano, N. (2014). A balancing act? Work-life balance and health and wellbeing in European welfare states. European Journal of Public Health, 24(3), 422-427. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cku010
Journal Article Type | Article |
---|---|
Publication Date | Jun 1, 2014 |
Deposit Date | May 15, 2014 |
Publicly Available Date | Mar 29, 2024 |
Journal | European Journal of Public Health |
Print ISSN | 1101-1262 |
Electronic ISSN | 1464-360X |
Publisher | Oxford University Press |
Peer Reviewed | Peer Reviewed |
Volume | 24 |
Issue | 3 |
Pages | 422-427 |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cku010 |
Files
Accepted Journal Article
(470 Kb)
PDF
Copyright Statement
This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in European Journal of Public Health following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version Thorsten Lunau, Clare Bambra, Terje A. Eikemo, Kjetil A. van der Wel, and Nico Dragano (2014) 'A balancing act? Work–life balance, health and well-being in European welfare states.', European Journal of Public Health, 24 (3): 422-427 is available online at: http://eurpub.oxfordjournals.org/content/24/3/422.
You might also like
Downloadable Citations
About Durham Research Online (DRO)
Administrator e-mail: dro.admin@durham.ac.uk
This application uses the following open-source libraries:
SheetJS Community Edition
Apache License Version 2.0 (http://www.apache.org/licenses/)
PDF.js
Apache License Version 2.0 (http://www.apache.org/licenses/)
Font Awesome
SIL OFL 1.1 (http://scripts.sil.org/OFL)
MIT License (http://opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.html)
CC BY 3.0 ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)
Powered by Worktribe © 2024
Advanced Search