Coping with shiftwork: An empirical study among offshore and onshore petroleum workers in Norway.

The proposed project aims to create competence about the role of individual coping strategies with the special shift work system in the Norwegian petroleum sector, related to health, job-satisfaction, mastery of family/social life and sleeping problems. W e have a preliminary report based on a study we conducted in cooperation with a Statoil. We would like to do more in depth analyses of the existing data material. We wish to focus on individual differences and coping strategies that might ease the burde ns of working shift work in the petroleum sector. In order to locate relevant coping factors and individual differences in the ability to cope with shift work, a systematic review of the literature was conducted. We arranged focus groups with employees wo rking onshore and offshore. As a result of this process, a questionnaire with focus on how different coping strategies, locus of control and personality influence health, sleep and family/social life was developed. This questionnaire was used in a study in Statoil. All employees working in Statoils operations onshore, and all employees working offshore in a two week period of time late August was invited to participate in this study. Complete questionnaires were received by 1697 employees. We wish to an alyze the material in depth, in preparation for publications in international journals. The articles will discuss the role of coping strategies, self-reported coping behaviour and locus of control. It is desirable to repeat the survey among Statoils emp loyees. We have identifiable data at an individual level, which makes it possible to connect a new survey to T1. We would look in to the possibility to conduct an intervention study. This would take form as a pilot study. A possible intervention is an exp erience related discussion group, where the employees meet with their work team and their partner. Neither the prospective study nor the intervention study has been clarified by Statoil.