Insufficient time for leisure and perceived health and stress in working parents with small children.

BACKGROUND: More knowledge about how recovery may promote health among parents with small children is needed.

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether insufficient time for leisure was associated with poorer perceived health and higher stress in working parents. A further aim was to explore potential gender differences in the association between insufficient time for leisure and poor perceived health.

METHODS: A postal survey including the perceived stress scale and three measures of subjective health - self-rated health (SF-36), work-related fatigue (Swedish occupational fatigue questionnaire), and Lund subjective health complaints - as well as questions about time for leisure was completed by 965 women and 597 men. Risk ratios for poor perceived health and stress were estimated using Poisson regression, in which also gender interaction was analysed.

RESULTS: The results showed higher risk for perceived stress among parents reporting insufficient time for relaxation, and more subjective health complaints among those reporting insufficient time to spend with their children. Overall, effects were larger among women than among men.

CONCLUSION: A good balance between work and leisure seems to be of importance for working parents' perceived health and stress.