Weekly Working Hours and Mental Health Status in Different Occupations: Evidence From the 2015-2016 California Health Interview Survey.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this paper was to identify shapes of the curves between weekly working hours (WWH) and mental health status (MHS) and determine WWH for the best MHS in 13 occupations. METHODS This cross-sectional study applied public data of the 2015-2016 California Health Interview Survey. Restricted cubic spline regression was used to determine non-linear trends. RESULTS A statistically significant nearly V-shaped curve was demonstrated between WWH and MHS in total population, male and management, business and finance occupations. WWH for the best MHS were 42 hours, 45 hours and 46 hours, respectively. CONCLUSION These results suggest MHS be susceptible to WWH in total population, male and management, business and finance occupations. WWH for the best MHS for relevant populations could provide evidence for better work hours regulations in California.