Abstract
Objective: Rotation work involves travelling to work in remote areas for a block of time and alternate with spending another block of time at home; such work arrangements have become common in the resources sector. The intermittent absence of workers from the home may adversely affect the health of the workers families. This study synthesises research on mental and physical health outcomes in partners and children of the resources sector rotation workers.
Design: A systematic review was conducted. Studies were retrieved from PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus. Nineteen studies were included and findings were summarised narratively.
Results: The impact of rotation work on the mental health and well-being of partners and children of rotation workers remains unclear. However, on days where spouses are away, partners may experience greater loneliness and poorer sleep quality.
Conclusion: Partners may benefit from support, particularly when they have younger children and/or their spouses first begin rotation work. Research is limited, particularly regarding the impact on health-related behaviours and physical health outcomes.
Design: A systematic review was conducted. Studies were retrieved from PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus. Nineteen studies were included and findings were summarised narratively.
Results: The impact of rotation work on the mental health and well-being of partners and children of rotation workers remains unclear. However, on days where spouses are away, partners may experience greater loneliness and poorer sleep quality.
Conclusion: Partners may benefit from support, particularly when they have younger children and/or their spouses first begin rotation work. Research is limited, particularly regarding the impact on health-related behaviours and physical health outcomes.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 30 |
| Journal | Psychology & Health |
| Early online date | 20 Mar 2023 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 20 Mar 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Open Access through the T&F AgreementAcknowledgements
We express our sincere gratitude to Ms Diana Blackwood and Ms Vanessa Varis, Librarians for the Faculty of Health Sciences at Curtin University for their professional assistance in developing the review search strategy.
Funding:
The study was supported by the Aberdeen-Curtin Alliance International Postgraduate Research Scholarship and Research Stipend Scholarship awarded to Bernard Yeboah Asiamah Asare (Curtin ID: 17619778; Aberdeen ID: 51987326)
Data Availability Statement
Data availability statementAll data are included in the article or uploaded as supplementary information.
Keywords
- rotation work
- FIFO
- long distance commute
- families
- Systematic Review
Access to Document
- Yeboah_etal_PH_Rotation_Work_In_AAM
This is an original manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Psychology & Health on [date of publication], available at: http://www.tandfonline.com/[Article DOI].