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P.3.18 Association between nightshift schedule and mental health symptoms among factory workers: a cross-sectional study

Introduction Nightshift is one of the major issues in work-time schedule. The association between working at night and the occurrence of mental health symptoms has been a subject of considerable debate. This study aimed to look at the association between working at night and mental health symptoms, and mediating factors to this association. Methods This study looked at a database of 500 factory workers that originally investigated hazard exposures and occupational health of workers in export processing zones in the Philippines. Associations between shift schedule and probable confounders with frequency of occurrence of mental health symptoms were studied using chi-square test of association. Multiple logistic regression was used to analyze the overall association. Results The study showed that work schedule, work load and occurrence of mental health symptoms are associated with night schedule. The crude odds ratio for the association between shift schedule and frequency of occurrence of mental health symptoms is 2.13 (0.77–5.81). This means that without adjusting for confounders, those who work in the evening are 2.13 times more likely to have frequent occurrence of mental health symptoms as compared to those who work in the morning. Specifically, among females, those who work at night are 2.97 times more likely to have frequent occurrences of mental health symptoms compared to those who work in the morning. Controlling for age, sex, educational attainment, tenure, work load, and exposure to occupational hazards, those who are working at night are 2.13 (0.79–5.71) times more likely to have frequent episodes of mental health symptoms compared to those who work in the morning. Those who are frequently exposed to occupational hazards are 5.78 (1.17–28.71) times more likely to have frequent mental health symptoms. Conclusion The study has shown that among Filipino factory workers, nightshift work is associated with mental health symptoms.