The levels of stress that a person experiences in their daily life can have a strong impact on their mental health. Studies have revealed that longer work hours can cause symptoms of depression, especially among adult women. This is even more of a problem now that people have round-the-clock access to work through the ability to continue working remotely.
Recent research indicated that women who work more than 55 hours per week and those who worked most or every weekend had significantly more depressive symptoms than those who only worked 40 hours a week. Women tend to have higher rates of depression overall and work stress can create an even higher risk for mental health problems. People that work long hours and continue their work remotely tend to grab moments of leisure when they can but struggle with creating a good work-life balance.
Technology and Depression
The use of cell phones, the internet, and cloud-based programs has made it easier to work remotely and has changed many people’s work lives dramatically. The stress of having to work evenings and weekends instead of the standard workweek can start to take its toll on women’s health. In the study, men were less affected by having to work long hours and showed fewer depressive symptoms.
Depression symptoms for women in the study were especially associated with the number of weekends worked. Women are often faced with more domestic duties than men and are forced to balance work and home life while men typically focus more on their job. The double duty of long work hours and being a caregiver or taking care of the home can be too much stress on women.
For women suffering from depression, it can be helpful to spend more time on self-care and take time off of work whenever possible.