Job Change and Self-reported Symptoms: A Nationwide Longitudinal Study in Japan
Hiroshi Ito1, Shuichi Okaya, Yutaro Ono
1From the Division of Hospital Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Tsukuba University Hospital, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan (H.I., S.O., Y.O., Y.Z., D.M., N.S.); and Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan (T.T.).
Objective:
This study aimed to investigate the association between job change, including first-time and repeat job changes, and new-onset physical and psychological symptoms in a general population sample in Japan.
Methods:
We analyzed data from 19,281 Japanese adults who completed internet-based surveys in both 2022 and 2023. Job change within the past year was self-reported. Outcomes were new-onset symptoms in 2023, including headache, lethargy, and insomnia. Weighted logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals.
Results:
Job changers (6.1%) were more likely to report new-onset headache (aOR, 1.57) and lethargy (aOR, 1.63). First-time job changers (2.0%) showed stronger associations, including insomnia (aOR, 2.93), and reported more adverse workplace conditions such as workload and harassment.
Conclusions:
Job change, particularly for the first time, was associated with increased symptoms and unfavorable workplace conditions.
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