This study examined the longitudinal relationship between workÁfamily interaction (WFI) in terms of the direction of influence (work-to-family vs. family-to-work) and type of effect (conflict vs. facilitation) and burnout. A sample of 2235 respondents from eight different occupational groups (lawyers, bus drivers, employees within information technology, physicians, teachers, church ministers, employees within advertisement, and nurses) supplied data at two points in time with a 2-year time interval. Building upon Hobfoll's (1989) Conservations of Resources (COR) theory, three causal models were proposed. The results of SEM-analyses revealed evidence for both a normal (WFI 0 burnout), a reverse (WFI 1 burnout), and a reciprocal (WFI l burnout) relationship. In general, there were lagged positive effects between the conflict dimensions of WFI and burnout and lagged negative effects between the facilitation dimension of WFI and burnout. One exception was a significant lagged negative effect between disengagement at Time 1 and work-to-family conflict at Time 2, suggesting that distancing oneself from job might act as a coping strategy causing lower levels of work-to-family conflict.

The purpose of this study was to examine physician burnout in association with individual factors, work characteristics and work–home interaction (job performance‐based self‐esteem, goal orientation, value congruency, workload, autonomy, work–home conflict and work–home facilitation). This two‐wave panel study includes a sample of Norwegian physicians collected in 2003 (N = 683) and 2005 (N = 523). Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to test the assumed effects in male and female physicians separately. The results imply that many of the assumed predictors play significant parts in physician burnout. A noticeable finding was that the pattern and strength of significant effects differed within the separate analyses of men and women. Work–home conflict was a particularly strong burnout predictor in female physicians whereas workload was the strongest burnout predictor in male physicians. The findings may have implications when planning future interventions. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This longitudinal study examined the dynamic relationship between work engagement (vigour and dedication) and symptoms of anxiety and depression. A sample of 3475 respondents from eight different occupational groups (lawyers, physicians, nurses, teachers, church ministers, bus drivers, people working in advertising and people working in information technology) in Norway supplied data at two points in time with a 2-year time interval. The advantages of longitudinal design were utilized, including testing of reversed causation and controlling for unmeasured third variables. In general, the results showed that the hypothesized normal causal relationship was superior to a reversed causation model. In other words, this study supported the assumption that work engagement is more likely to be the antecedent for symptoms of depression and anxiety than the outcome. In particular, the vigour facet of work engagement provides lower levels of depression and anxiety 2 years later. However, additional analyses modelling unmeasured third variables indicate that unknown third variables may have created some spurious effects on the pattern of the observed relationship. Implications of the findings are discussed in the paper.

Despite gender equality in society in general, and inconclusive findings in previous studies on gender differences in burnout, women in this study seem to experience slightly higher burnout levels than men. Occupational differences found in the burnout profiles indicate that some professions may be more prone to burnout than others. For the occupational groups most at risk, more research is needed to disclose potential organizational factors that may make these workers more prone to burnout than others.

The relationship between alcohol consumption and dementia risk is unclear. This investigation estimates the association between alcohol consumption reported in a population-based study in the mid-1980s and the risk for dementia up to 27 years later. The entire adult population in one Norwegian county was invited to the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study during 1984–1986 (HUNT1): 88 % participated. The sample used in this study includes HUNT1 participants born between 1905 and 1946 who completed the questionnaire assessing alcohol consumption. A total of 40,435 individuals, of whom 1084 have developed dementia, are included in the analysis adjusted for age, sex, years of education, hypertension, obesity, smoking, and symptoms of depression. When adjusting for age and sex, and compared to reporting consumption of alcohol 1–4 times during the last 14 days (drinking infrequently), both abstaining from alcohol and reporting consumption of alcohol five or more times (drinking frequently) were statistically significantly associated with increased dementia risk with hazard ratios of 1.30 (95 % CI 1.05–1.61) and 1.45 (1.11–1.90), respectively. In the fully adjusted analysis, drinking alcohol frequently was still significantly associated with increased dementia risk with a hazard ratio of 1.40 (1.07–1.84). However, the association between dementia and abstaining from alcohol was no longer significant (1.15, 0.92–1.43). Equivalent results for Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia indicated the same patterns of associations. When adjusting for other factors associated with dementia, frequent alcohol drinking, but not abstaining from alcohol, is associated with increased dementia risk compared to drinking alcohol infrequently.