Job stressors and work addictions are associated with sickness presenteeism among Japanese high school teachers

Introduction
Sicknees presenteeim, defined as presence at work despite sickness or feeling ill, leads less performance at work, deteriorates health status, and causes future sickness absence. This study aimed at finding the relationship of job stressors and work addictions with sickness presenteeism among Japanese school teachers.

Methods
Fifty-two high school teachers replied to Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (BJSQ) and Japanese version of Work and Well-being Survey (DUWAS) in May, 2011. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. Job stressors measured by BJSQ consisted of 9 subscales. Work addictions measured by DUWAS consisted of working excessively, working compulsively, overwork, working hours, holiday work, and job spill. Independent variables were job stressors, work addiction, age, and gender. For dependent variable, sickness presenteeism was measured with a single item included in DUWAS, “I go to work while feeling ill”. Participants answered the frequency with four choices: (Almost) never (1) to (Almost) always (4). Multiple regression analysis was performed with the SPSS version 14.

Results
Seventeen teachers held managerial positions and forty-eight were full-time workers. Half of the participants worked daytime, and the others taught evening classes. Mean actual working hours per week was 47.7 hours (SD=20.2). Multiple regression analysis showed that interpersonal conflict (β=-.65), challenging job (β=-42), and job spill (β=-.40) were negatively and working compulsively was positively (β=.80) associated with sickness presenteeism.

Discussion
High levels of interpersonal conflict, challenging job, and job spill and low levels of working compulsively have negative association with high prevalence of sickness presenteeism. The increase of challenging job and the decrease of working compulsively may contribute to the diminution of sickness presenteeism. Although decrease of interpersonal conflict and job spill may contribute to ameliorate teachers’ health status, our results indicate that these ways may also facilitate the increment of sickness persenteeism.