Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/207955 
Year of Publication: 
2019
Citation: 
[Journal:] Women and Birth [ISSN:] 1878-1799 [Volume:] 32 [Issue:] 4 [Publisher:] Elsevier [Place:] Amsterdam [Year:] 2019 [Pages:] e450-e458
Publisher: 
Elsevier, Amsterdam
Abstract: 
[Background:] It is relatively common in Western Australia for men to commute long distances and work away from home for extended periods of time, often referred to as fly-in-fly-out work. Women are particularly susceptible to the effects of stress during pregnancy, and the absence of a partner due to working away could be an additional risk to their wellbeing. While there is little published fly-in-fly-out literature, there is evidence that working non-standard hours, more generally, has a negative impact on health and well-being of workers and their families. [Aim:] To determine if there is an association between pregnant women’s report of stress and their partners working fly-in-fly-out, and if so, is there is a differential impact that is dependent on family socioeconomic status. [Methods:] Data from a Western Australian pregnancy cohort study were analysed (n=394 families). Couples completed self-report ratings of anxiety, depression, stress, family functioning, and stressful life events. Comparisons were made between three groups: fly-in-fly-out workers, non-fly-in-fly-out regular schedule workers, and non-fly-in-fly-out irregular schedule workers. [Results:] After controlling for a range of variables, women’s stress was significantly associated (p<.05) with their partners working fly-in-fly-out. Neither women’s education, partners’ occupation nor an interaction between partners’ fly-in-fly-out work and partners’ occupation were significantly associated with women’s stress. [Conclusion:] There is some evidence that the pregnant partners of fly-in-fly-out workers perceive their lives to be more stressful than women whose partner works non-fly-in-fly-out regular schedules.
Subjects: 
FIFO
Long distance commute
Pregnancy
Work
Stress
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by-nc-nd Logo
Document Type: 
Article
Document Version: 
Accepted Manuscript (Postprint)

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