Publications by authors named "Akihito Shimazu"

Objectives: This study aimed to clarify the primary preventive effects of physical activity interventions delivered through digital health technology (DHT) on workers' mental health symptoms, and to examine the conditions of attrition and adherence in these interventions.

Methods: We examined randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that analyzed the effects of physical activity interventions delivered through DHT on workers' health outcomes. We included RCTs published in English or Japanese since 2010 and excluded studies that targeted specific diseases or secondary and tertiary prevention.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: There has been limited research on demographic and work-related characteristics of general and workplace loneliness. The present descriptive cross-sectional study aimed to determine the demographic and work-related correlates of general and workplace loneliness in a general working population of Japan.

Methods: We recruited 25 000 persons aged 20 years or older and employed by a company, organization, or government agency.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: This longitudinal study examined the associations of workplace loneliness with job turnover at 6-month follow-up among Japanese full-time employees.

Methods: This study employed a 6-month prospective design as part of the Employee Cohort Study in Japan. Data from wave 15 (February 2024; baseline, T1) and wave 16 (August 2024; follow-up, T2) were used.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: This systematic review aimed to assess the association between psychosocial factors in the workplace and menstrual abnormalities or fertility, focusing on literature implementing a prospective cohort design.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, and Japan Medical Abstracts Society electronic databases for studies published from inception to February 26, 2020, and updated the search in PubMed on May 29, 2024. Inclusion criteria were (P) adult female workers (over 18 years old), (E) presence of adverse psychosocial factors at work, (C) absence of adverse psychosocial factors at work, and (O) any menstrual cycle disorders, menstrual-related symptoms, or fertility issues.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study investigated the relationship between work engagement, workaholism, and mental well-being of individuals and their intimate partners. This association was explored in the context of Indonesian dual-earner couples, using the Spillover-Crossover Model (SCM). The study examined how work-to-family spillover (i.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Laughter is related to better well-being in daily life. Previous cross-sectional research among employees showed a positive relationship between laughter and work-related well-being (i.e.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study focuses on how the mental health of husbands and wives affects each other over time, particularly looking at psychological distress and happiness in 379 dual-income families.
  • Researchers used a three-wave annual survey to track these changes and applied group-based trajectory modeling to understand patterns in distress and happiness.
  • The results indicated that husbands' mental states are significantly impacted by their wives' happiness and their own work conditions, whereas wives' psychological well-being was not significantly influenced by their husbands' states.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased germ aversion, an aversive affective response to a high likelihood of pathogen transmission. While psychological factors are associated with chronic pain, the relationship between germ aversion and chronic pain remains unexplored. This study aimed to examine the relationship between germ aversion and new-onset and prognosis of chronic pain using longitudinal data collected during the COVID-19 pandemic.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: This study aimed to examine whether online interactive communication education using video materials was as effective as face-to-face education among healthcare college students.

Methods: The participants were healthcare college students who were enrolled in study programs to obtain national medical licenses. They participated in lectures and exercises on healthcare communication, both online (n = 139) and face-to-face (n = 132).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The text outlines the importance of participatory organizational interventions for improving psychosocial working conditions and highlights a lack of systematic reviews on their impact on mental health and work performance.
  • The study aims to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis using specific criteria (PICO) to evaluate the effects of these interventions, focusing on workers’ mental health and job performance.
  • Researchers will search multiple electronic databases for relevant studies, independently assess study quality, and conduct statistical analyses to determine the overall effects and potential biases in the findings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We present the conceptualization and validation of the Needs-Based Job Crafting Scale (NJCS), a new assessment tool theoretically grounded in the Identity-Based Integrative Needs Model of Crafting and DRAMMA psychological needs (detachment, relaxation, autonomy, mastery, meaning, and affiliation). The article is composed of three studies. In Study 1, we develop the NJCS and test its factorial structure using a cross-sectional sample of Finnish employees (N = 578).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Loneliness and social isolation in the workplace negatively impact employees' mental health and job performance, but the effects of loneliness without distress and solitude are less understood.
  • A survey of 846 full-time employees in Japan found that those experiencing "loneliness with distress" reported higher psychological distress and lower job performance.
  • Both "loneliness without distress" and "solitude" also showed poorer mental health and work engagement, suggesting these conditions should be addressed in workplace mental health initiatives.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic could have led to a technological revolution however it has caused work productivity loss, especially among people working from home.

Objective: This study examined the frequency and related factors of work productivity loss, focusing on work-related factors, during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, web-based survey of Japanese workers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: This study examined the relationship between recovery experience, job demands, psychological distress, and temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in Japanese workers.

Methods: It used cross-sectional data from the fourth survey of a multi-wave longitudinal project, conducted using the registered monitors of an internet research company. Finally, 1278 respondents' data were analyzed (655 males, 623 females; mean [SD] age = 41.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Laughter is associated with better health and occurs most frequently during casual conversations. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has impaired social interactions, which may have reduced the frequency of laughter and led to poor well-being among workers. This study investigated the relationship between laughter frequency and work engagement among Japanese employees during the pandemic.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study aimed to develop and test the psychometric properties of a Thai-language version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). The 17-item version of UWES was translated into Thai and a survey was conducted with 507 registered nurses at a public regional hospital in Thailand. Results showed that the alpha and omega total coefficients for the vigor, dedication, and absorption subscales were acceptable.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study aimed to demonstrate the empirical distinctiveness of boredom at work and work engagement in relation to their potential antecedents (job demands and job resources) and consequences (psychological distress and turnover intention) based on the Job Demands-Resources model. A three-wave longitudinal survey was conducted among registered monitors of an Internet survey company in Japan. The questionnaire included scales for boredom at work, work engagement, psychological distress, and turnover intention as well as participants' job characteristics and demographic variables.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study validated the Indonesian version of the Recovery Experience Questionnaire (REQ-I) to evaluate how people recover from work-related stress during their off-time, focusing on psychological detachment, relaxation, mastery, and control.
  • The REQ-I was well-validated through a survey of 740 Indonesian workers, showing strong factorial validity using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to confirm a four-factor model.
  • Findings indicated high reliability with Cronbach's α coefficients between 0.85-0.92, and test-retest reliability showed stable results over three months, establishing REQ-I as a reliable measure for recovery experiences in Indonesia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: This study investigated the association of work-related sedentary behavior with mental health and work engagement among white- and blue-collar workers.

Methods: An Internet survey was conducted among 1600 workers aged 20 to 59 years. A total of 1213 valid responses were analyzed to examine the association of work-related sedentary behavior with mental health and work engagement.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the prospective effect of adverse work-related psychosocial factors on increases in inflammatory markers.

Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, and the Japan Medical Abstracts Society database. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they examined associations between work-related psychosocial factors and inflammatory markers (interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and C-reactive protein), used longitudinal or prospective cohort designs, were conducted among workers, were original articles written in English or Japanese, and were published up to 2017 for the first search, October 2020 for the second, and November 2022 for the third.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: This study examined the effectiveness of a newly developed work-family life support program on the work-family interface and mental health indicators among Japanese dual-earner couples with a preschool child(/ren) using a randomized controlled trial with a waitlist.

Methods: Participants who met the inclusion criteria were randomly allocated to the intervention or the control groups (n = 79 and n = 85, respectively). The program comprised two 3-h sessions with a 1-month interval between them and provided comprehensive skills by including self-management, couple management, and parenting management components.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (BJSQ) is used widely in occupational health studies and practice. Summarizing scientific production based on measurement is crucial. This study aimed to systematically review observational studies that used the BJSQ and the New BJSQ to show their usability.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF