Technostress making most Japanese ill

Computers and cell phones are making most of the respondents to this survey from iShare ill, with stiff shoulders and dry eye being the two most common symptoms of technostress.

Demographics

Between the 8th and 11th of December 2009 491 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 55.6% of the sample were male, 35.6% in their twenties, 27.5% in their thirties, and 36.9% in their forties.

I hardly ever get any particular complaint from using PCs or mobiles, except for tired eyes that go away after just a quick break.

Stiff shoulders (katakori) are, as far as I can determine, a typically Japanese response to stress where in the west it would probably be a headache or migraine. Dry eye, however, is I suspect (in my totally and utterly non-medical opinion) a reaction to overuse of eye drops. Attend any event from the cinema to the theatre and you’ll see lots of people topping up (replacing) their tears with various over-the-counter medicine. The big manufacturers even sell a junior eyedrop for children, but if your kid isn’t producing tears you should be seeing a doctor, not self-medicating!

Research results

Q1: Do you do work that involves using a computer or cell phone? (Sample size=491)

	All	Male N=273	Female N=218
Yes	74.3%	81.0%	66.1%
No	25.7%	19.0%	33.9%

Q2: For about how long per day do you look at a computer or cell phone screen? (Sample size=491)

	All	Male N=273	Female N=218
Less than thirty minutes	3.7%	4.0%	3.2%
Thirty minutes to one hour	5.5%	5.1%	6.0%
One to three hours	17.7%	15.8%	20.2%
Three to five hours	18.3%	14.7%	22.9%
More than five hours	54.8%	60.4%	47.7%

Q3: Do you feel unsettled if you’re not by a computer or cell phone? (Sample size=491)

	All	Male N=273	Female N=218
Often	24.2%	24.2%	24.3%
Sometimes	43.2%	40.3%	46.8%
Never	32.6%	35.5%	28.9%

Q4: Do you think if you’ve not got a computer or cell phone to hand it has an influence on your daily lifestyle? (Sample size=491)

	All	Male N=273	Female N=218
Not at all	4.7%	6.2%	2.8%
Perhaps not	15.3%	13.6%	17.4%
Perhaps so	36.7%	32.6%	41.7%
Definitely so	43.4%	47.6%	38.1%

Q5: Does using a computer or cell phone have an effect on your physical or mental condition? (Sample size=491)

	All	Male N=273	Female N=218
Yes (to SQs	52.7%	46.9%	60.1%
No	47.3%	53.1%	39.9%

Q5SQ1: Which of the following effects on your physical or mental condition does it have? (Sample size=259, multiple answer)

	All	Male N=128	Female N=131
Stiff shoulders	79.5%	75.0%	84.0%
Dry eye	68.0%	66.4%	69.5%
Headache	39.8%	35.2%	44.3%
Backache	30.5%	31.3%	29.8%
Dullness in limbs	18.9%	20.3%	17.6%
Tense muscles	16.6%	17.2%	16.0%
Irritation	14.3%	14.8%	13.7%
Dizziness	7.7%	7.0%	8.4%
Mental tenseness	7.3%	7.0%	7.6%
Get depressed easily	5.0%	3.9%	6.1%
Other	11.6%	9.4%	13.7%

Q5SQ2: Have you ever gone to hospital due to these ill effects? (Sample size=259)

	All	Male N=128	Female N=131
Yes	23.2%	22.7%	23.7%
No	76.8%	77.3%	76.3%