LONG WORKING HOURS, SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESSORS, AND POOR HEALTH: THE EFFECT OF FLEXIBLE EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS ON WORKERS’ PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH
NICHOLAS G. MCKINLAYABSTRACT. I inspect the relevant literature on the effect of flexible employment contracts on workers’ physical and psychological health, providing both quantitative evidence on trends and numerous in-depth empirical examples. Using data from Eurostat, EU-FS, EWCS, OECD, and Statista, I performed analyses and made estimates regarding percentage of fatal workplace accidents in the EU by economic activity, share of involuntary part-time employment in Europe, working conditions of self-employment in Europe, number of sick leave days U.S. adults took in 2018 (by age), and strictness of employment protection legislation for regular employment. The empirical analysis given in this article shows that the consequences of unstable contractual status on well-being may differ from the ones of subjective practices and anxieties. Concerns in relation to job loss generate emotional distress especially in part-time workers.
Keywords: flexible employment contract; social psychological stressor; poor health
How to cite: McKinlay, Nicholas G. (2018). “Long Working Hours, Social Psychological Stressors, and Poor Health: The Effect of Flexible Employment Contracts on Workers’ Physical and Psychological Health,” American Journal of Medical Research 5(2): 64–69.
Received 23 May 2018 • Received in revised form 18 July 2018
Accepted 22 July 2018 • Available online 19 August 2018
doi:10.22381/AJMR5220189