| Working in shiftwork adds considerably to the workload of the employees. Within the first 2 to 3 years of working in shifts, 40 percent of the shiftworkers show chronic deterioration of health. Health consequences of shiftwork include subjective complaints of fatigue, negative moods, stress, loss of energy and objective symptoms such as sleep-wake disorders, cardiovascular diseases and gastro-intestinal disorders. In addition to these physiological stressors, shiftwork can also produce psychological stress by the disruption of familial and other social rhythms. However, large inter-individual differences have been observed. Some subjects show no signs of intolerance after performing shiftwork more than 30 years, while others complain after only 6 months. The goal of this project is to identify biological, social and environmental predictors of tolerance to shiftwork. What combinations of individual (biological), psychosocial and job-related factors favour or disfavour tolerance to shiftwork? Prospective research will be performed with standard measurements (before shiftwork starts) followed by repeated measurements during shiftwork period on biological, psychosocial and job-related factors. These measurements include self-assessment questionnaires and physiological measurements of the home situation, physical and social work environment and individual features such as subjective health, fatigue, sleep behaviour and cortisol. |
