Akiomi Inoue

Organizational justice, psychological distress, and work engagement in Japanese workers

PurposeTo investigate the cross-sectional association between organizational justice (i.e., procedural justice and interactional justice) and psychological distress or work engagement, as well as the mediating roles of other job stressors (i.e., job demands and job control, or their combination, effort–reward imbalance [ERI], and worksite support).MethodsA total of 243 workers (185 males and 58 females) from a manufacturing factory in Japan were surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire including the Organizational Justice Questionnaire, Job Content Questionnaire, Effort–Reward Imbalance Questionnaire, K6 scale, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, and other covariates. Multiple mediation analyses with the bootstrap technique were conducted.ResultsIn the bivariate analysis, procedural justice and interactional justice were significantly and negatively associated with psychological distress; they were significantly and positively associated with work engagement. In the mediation analysis, reward at work (or ERI) significantly mediated between procedural justice or interactional justice and psychological distress; worksite support significantly mediated between procedural justice or interactional justice and work engagement.ConclusionThe effects of organizational justice on psychological distress seem to be mediated by reward at work (or ERI) while those regarding work engagement may be mediated by worksite support to a large extent, at least in Japanese workers.

Association of Occupation, Employment Contract, and Company Size with Mental Health in a National Representative Sample of Employees in Japan

Association of Occupation, Employment Contract, and Company Size with Mental Health in a National Representative Sample of Employees in Japan: Akiomi Inoue, et al. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Measuring Workplace Bullying: Reliability and Validity of the Japanese Version of the Negative Acts Questionnaire

Measuring Workplace Bullying: Reliability and Validity of the Japanese Version of the Negative Acts Questionnaire: Kanami Tsuno, et al. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Reliability and Validity of the Japanese Version of the Organizational Justice Questionnaire

Reliability and Validity of the Japanese Version of the Organizational Justice Questionnaire: Akiomi Inoue, et al. Department of Mental Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo

Three job stress models/concepts and oxidative DNA damage in a sample of workers in Japan

OBJECTIVEnThree job stress models/concepts (the job demands-control [DC] model, the effort-reward imbalance [ERI] model, and organizational justice) have been linked to coronary heart disease (CHD) at work. In recent years, oxidative DNA damage has been identified as a new risk factor for CHD. However, evidence for the association between these job stressors and oxidative DNA damage is limited. The present cross-sectional study investigated the association between these job stress models/concepts and oxidative DNA damage as a possible mediator of the adverse health effects of job stress.nnnMETHODSnA total of 166 male and 51 female workers of a manufacturing factory in Japan were surveyed using a mailed questionnaire regarding job stressors and demographic, occupational, and lifestyle variables. Urinary concentrations of 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), a biomarker of oxidative DNA damage, were also measured.nnnRESULTSnIn male subjects, the urinary concentrations of 8-OHdG were significantly higher among the group with lower interactional justice, one of the two components of organizational justice; however, no association was observed with the DC model or the ERI model. In female subjects, high job demands/control ratio was significantly and positively associated with the urinary concentrations of 8-OHdG.nnnCONCLUSIONnInteractional justice among male workers and the DC model-based strain among female workers may be associated with increased urinary concentrations of 8-OHdG which possibly reflects oxidative DNA damage.

Job stressors and long-term sick leave due to depressive disorders among Japanese male employees: findings from the Japan Work Stress and Health Cohort Study

Background Research on the association between job strain or other job stressors and depressive disorders is still limited. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the prospective association of job strain, role stressors and job insecurity with long-term sick leave due to depressive disorders. Methods A prospective study was conducted of a total of 15u2009256 men aged 18–67u2005years with no previous history of mental disorders employed in six manufacturing factories located in several regions of Japan. At baseline, they were surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire, including self-reported measures of job strain, as well as its components (job overload and job control), role stressors (role ambiguity and role conflict), social support at work, job insecurity and other demographic and psychological covariates. During the follow-up, a long-term sick leave of 30u2005days or more due to depressive disorders was recorded. Results During 5.14u2005years of follow-up on average, 47 incident cases of sick leave of 30u2005days or more due to depressive disorders were observed. High job control at baseline was associated with a lower risk of long-term sick leave due to depressive disorders, after adjusting for demographic variables, depressive symptoms and neuroticism at baseline (hazard ratio 0.28, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.71); high role ambiguity was associated with the higher risk (hazard ratio 3.49, 95% CI 1.43 to 8.49). Conclusion Job control and role ambiguity may be important predictors of long-term sick leave due to depressive disorders among male employees, independent of depressive symptoms and neuroticism.

Interpersonal conflict and depression among Japanese workers with high or low socioeconomic status: findings from the Japan Work Stress and Health Cohort Study.

Research that focuses on the relationship between interpersonal conflict at work (i.e., intragroup conflict and intergroup conflict) and depression that also considers differences in socioeconomic status (SES) is limited. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the relationship between interpersonal conflict at work and depression at different levels of SES. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a total of 17,390 males and 2923 females employed in nine factories located in several regions of Japan. These participants were surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire that included self-reported measures of interpersonal conflict at work (intragroup conflict and intergroup conflict), SES (education and occupation), worksite support (supervisor support and coworker support), depression (assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression [CES-D] scale), and other demographic covariates. Those who had scores of 16 + on the CES-D scale (4066 males and 873 females) were classified as experiencing depression. The association of interpersonal conflict with depression was significantly greater among males of a high SES (i.e., higher educational status and non-manual workers) than males of a low SES (i.e., lower educational status and manual workers) after adjusting for demographic variables, supervisor support, and coworker support. More specifically, the association of intergroup conflict with depression was significantly greater among males of a high SES than males of a low SES. However, this pattern was not observed in females. The current study suggests that males of a higher SES are more vulnerable to interpersonal conflict at work in terms of developing depression than males of a lower SES.

Socioeconomic Determinants of Bullying in the Workplace: A National Representative Sample in Japan

Bullying in the workplace is an increasingly recognized threat to employee health. We sought to test three hypotheses related to the determinants of workplace bullying: power distance at work; safety climate; and frustration related to perceived social inequality. A questionnaire survey was administered to a nationally representative community-based sample of 5,000 residents in Japan aged 20–60 years. The questionnaire included questions about employment, occupation, company size, education, household income, and subjective social status (SSS). We inquired about both the witnessing and personal experience of workplace bullying during the past 30 days. Among 2,384 respondents, data were analyzed from 1,546 workers. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to examine the social determinants of workplace bullying. Six percent and 15 percent of the total sample reported experiencing or witnessing workplace bullying, respectively. After adjusting for gender and age, temporary employees (Odds Ratio [OR]: 2.45 [95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 1.03–5.85]), junior high school graduates (OR: 2.62 [95%CI: 1.01–6.79]), workers with lowest household income (OR: 4.13 [95%CI:1.58–10.8]), and workers in the lowest SSS stratum (OR: 4.21 [95%CI:1.66–10.7]) were at increased risk of experiencing workplace bullying. When all variables were entered simultaneously in the model, a significant inverse association was observed between higher SSS and experiencing bullying (p = 0.002). Similarly in terms of witnessing bullying; SSS was significantly inversely associated (p = 0.017) while temporary employees reported a significantly higher risk of witnessing bullying compared to permanent workers (OR: 2.25 [95%CI:1.04 to 4.87]). The significant association between SSS and experiencing/witnessing workplace bullying supports the frustration hypothesis. The power distance hypothesis was also partly supported by the finding that temporary employees experienced a higher prevalence of workplace bullying.

The validity and psychometric properties of the Japanese version of the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS)

BackgroundProlonged Internet use is often associated with reduced social involvement and comorbid psychopathologies, including depression, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and obsessive–compulsive disorder. Asian countries where Internet access is widely available have high reported levels of Internet addiction. As Internet use has changed drastically since concerns about Internet addiction were first raised, the results of recent studies may be inaccurate because the scales they employed to measure Internet addiction were formulated for different Internet usage from the present. It is thus necessary to develop more-up-to-date scales to assess problematic private use of the Internet.MethodsThe Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS) was translated into Japanese. An online sample whose ages and sexes reflected that of the national population of Internet users was recruited to test the scale’s reliability and validity. Correlations between the scale and Internet-related parameters (such as time spent online, motivation for going online, and applications used) and psychosocial factors (such as psychological distress symptoms and loneliness) were examined. Psychometric properties were examined by the split-half method using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Model fits were compared across gender.ResultsCIUS was found to have a high reliability and good concurrent, correlation and construct validity. Both exploratory and confirmatory factors revealed that the one-factor solution yielded a satisfactory result across gender. However, the three-factor structural model in which compulsiveness was gauged by “excessive absorption”, “difficulty in setting priorities”, and “mood regulation” gave the best fit of the model for the general population as well as across gender.ConclusionsCompulsive Internet behavior in Japan can be assessed in terms of absorption, priorities, and mood. CIUS is a valid scale for screening compulsive Internet behavior in the general Japanese population regardless of age and gender.

Development of the New Brief Job Stress Questionnaire

The present study aimed to investigate the reliability and construct validity of a new version of the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (New BJSQ), which measures an extended set of psychosocial factors at work by adding new scales/items to the current version of the BJSQ. Additional scales/items were extensively collected from theoretical models of job stress and similar questionnaires in several countries. Scales/items were field-tested and refined through a pilot Internet survey. Finally, an 84-item standard version questionnaire, a 63-item recommended set, and a 23-item short version (141, 120, and 80 items in total when combined with the current 57-item BJSQ) were developed. A nationally representative survey was administered to employees in Japan (n = 1633) in 2010/2011 to examine the reliability and construct validity. As a result, most scales showed acceptable levels of internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) and test-retest reliability over one year. Principal component analyses showed that the first factor explained 50 % or greater proportion of the variance in most scales. A scale factor analysis and a correlation analysis showed that these scales fit the proposed theoretical framework. These findings provided a piece of evidence that the New BJSQ scales are reliable and valid. The New BJSQ can be a useful instrument to evaluate psychosocial work environment and positive mental health outcomes in the workplace.