Effects of the implementation of an 84-hour workweek on neurobehavioral test performance and cortisol responsiveness during testing.
(2003) In Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health 29(4). p.261-269- Abstract
- OBJECTIVES: This study examined whether long workhours in combination with an extended workweek (12 hours/7 days), as requested by the workers, impaired attention and cognitive performance and whether the degree of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) activation was related to the response to the performance tasks. METHODS: A group of 41 male construction workers between 21 and 60 (mean 39) years of age who worked 84 hours a week, with alternate weeks off, was compared with a group of 23 male construction workers between 24 and 65 (mean 43) years of age who had a traditional 40-hour work schedule. Neurobehavioral test performance, self-ratings of fatigue and sleepiness, and salivary cortisol levels were evaluated in a counterbalanced... (More)
- OBJECTIVES: This study examined whether long workhours in combination with an extended workweek (12 hours/7 days), as requested by the workers, impaired attention and cognitive performance and whether the degree of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) activation was related to the response to the performance tasks. METHODS: A group of 41 male construction workers between 21 and 60 (mean 39) years of age who worked 84 hours a week, with alternate weeks off, was compared with a group of 23 male construction workers between 24 and 65 (mean 43) years of age who had a traditional 40-hour work schedule. Neurobehavioral test performance, self-ratings of fatigue and sleepiness, and salivary cortisol levels were evaluated in a counterbalanced repeated-measures design. RESULTS: The 84-hour group did not show any signs of reduced test performance or elevated fatigue and sleepiness. The 84-hour group had faster reaction times on day 7 than on days 1 and 5. Although the expected activation of the HPA axis was only found in the total study sample when workdays 1 and 5 were collapsed, the HPA activation can be considered normal. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that an 84-hour work regimen in response to requests from workers does not induce more performance deficits than an ordinary 40-hour workweek. An extended work schedule of 84 hours cannot in the short-term be considered to affect basic mental capabilities negatively. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/117148
- author
- Persson, Roger LU ; Örbaek, Palle LU ; Ursin, Holger ; Kecklund, Göran ; Österberg, Kai LU and Akerstedt, Torbjörn
- organization
- publishing date
- 2003
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health
- volume
- 29
- issue
- 4
- pages
- 261 - 269
- publisher
- Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000184766000003
- pmid:12934719
- scopus:0043011730
- ISSN
- 0355-3140
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- b51e529f-ef7e-45be-bade-bc362c9c12ed (old id 117148)
- alternative location
- http://www.sjweh.fi/show_abstract.php?abstract_id=730
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-04 07:55:39
- date last changed
- 2022-01-29 02:49:04
@article{b51e529f-ef7e-45be-bade-bc362c9c12ed, abstract = {{OBJECTIVES: This study examined whether long workhours in combination with an extended workweek (12 hours/7 days), as requested by the workers, impaired attention and cognitive performance and whether the degree of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) activation was related to the response to the performance tasks. METHODS: A group of 41 male construction workers between 21 and 60 (mean 39) years of age who worked 84 hours a week, with alternate weeks off, was compared with a group of 23 male construction workers between 24 and 65 (mean 43) years of age who had a traditional 40-hour work schedule. Neurobehavioral test performance, self-ratings of fatigue and sleepiness, and salivary cortisol levels were evaluated in a counterbalanced repeated-measures design. RESULTS: The 84-hour group did not show any signs of reduced test performance or elevated fatigue and sleepiness. The 84-hour group had faster reaction times on day 7 than on days 1 and 5. Although the expected activation of the HPA axis was only found in the total study sample when workdays 1 and 5 were collapsed, the HPA activation can be considered normal. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that an 84-hour work regimen in response to requests from workers does not induce more performance deficits than an ordinary 40-hour workweek. An extended work schedule of 84 hours cannot in the short-term be considered to affect basic mental capabilities negatively.}}, author = {{Persson, Roger and Örbaek, Palle and Ursin, Holger and Kecklund, Göran and Österberg, Kai and Akerstedt, Torbjörn}}, issn = {{0355-3140}}, language = {{eng}}, number = {{4}}, pages = {{261--269}}, publisher = {{Finnish Institute of Occupational Health}}, series = {{Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health}}, title = {{Effects of the implementation of an 84-hour workweek on neurobehavioral test performance and cortisol responsiveness during testing.}}, url = {{http://www.sjweh.fi/show_abstract.php?abstract_id=730}}, volume = {{29}}, year = {{2003}}, }