Winners and losers from computerization: A study of the psychosocial work conditions and health of Swedish state employees

The results showed that work conditions vary considerably, both between groups of users and between men and women, and there appeared to be a critical limit of 5 to 6 hours per day beyond which the incidence of symptoms rose sharply.

Abstract

This study was comprised of 1,738 state‐employed visual‐display terminal (VDT) users whose work environment and health were examined through questionnaires. The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between work organization and mental/somatic symptoms. The results showed that work conditions vary considerably, both between groups of users and between men and women. Data‐entry tasks and a combination of data‐entry and data‐acquisition tasks were more common among women. The data‐entry group reported a greater number of somatic and psychological problems and contained the greatest percentage of people spending more than 6 hours per day at a terminal. There appeared to be a critical limit of 5 to 6 hours per day beyond which the incidence of symptoms rose sharply. Recommendations for preventive measures are presented.