Non-Regular Employment Status Is Associated with Psychological Distress among Young Researchers: A Cross-Sectional Study in Tsukuba, Japan.

Non-Regular Employment Status Is Associated with Psychological Distress among Young Researchers: A Cross-Sectional Study in Tsukuba, Japan. Tohoku J Exp Med. 2019;249(1):57-64 Authors: Takahashi T, Hori D, Ikeda T, Ikeda Y, Shiraki N, Andrea CS, Ohtaki Y, Doki S, Oi Y, Sasahara S, Matsuzaki I Abstract Non-regular employment is increasing and its mental health impact is a globally important problem. In Japan, non-regularly employed researchers are increasing, especially within young age groups, because employment quotas were not sufficiently expanded against rapid increasing number of doctorate holders. It is therefore important to understand the relationship between non-regular employment and mental health. The significance of our research is to contribute to the improvement of researchers' mental health by clarifying the influence of employment status on psychological distress. We conducted a cross-sectional, web-based survey in 2017 via an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire distributed to workers in Tsukuba Science City, Japan. The survey questionnaire items included employment status, psychological distress, occupational stress, sex, age, and income. We analyzed 2,762 valid responses in two categories (1,850 regular employment, 912 non-regular employment) and two subcategories based on age according to the definition of "young researcher" by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (20-39 years vs. 40-59 years). Psycholog...
Source: The Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Tohoku J Exp Med Source Type: research