Working conditions, psychosocial environmental factors, and depressive symptoms among wage workers in South Korea

Sohn, Minsung; Choi, Minsu; Jung, Minsoo

doi:10.1080/10773525.2016.1200212

Cited by 16 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…The fact that construction workers are usually placed in a physically and psychologically demanding condition can cause anxiety and depression [70]. Workers with such mental health issues have a high possibility of causing negative effects with regard to their individual productivity and safety.…”

Section: Emotional Disturbancementioning

confidence: 99%

Analyzing psychological conditions of field-workers in the construction industry

Lim

Chi

Lee

et al. 2017

International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health

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The Korean construction industry has experienced poor labor productivity and high accident rates. Previous studies have reported that workers' mental health can cause negative impacts on work performance; thus, enhancing workers' psychological conditions would help achieve more productive and safer workplaces. This research aimed to understand the level of psychological conditions of construction field-workers using four categories: (1) stress (occupational stress and stress-coping style), (2) personal temperament, (3) emotional disturbance (depression and trait anxiety), and (4) drinking habits. This research used validated questionnaires commonly used in the field of clinical psychology, surveyed 430 respondents from road, bridge, tunnel, subway, and apartment construction sites in Korea, and analyzed the overall psychological tendency of construction workers with the collaboration of professional clinical psychologists using the Z-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and cross-tabulation. The research also investigated how the mental conditions differed according to different working conditions, such as demographic information, employment status, work types, work experience, and wage conditions. The results indicated that construction workers suffer from a high level of stress and showed high inclination for problem-focused coping: impulsive, cautious, and dependent on other people. Two out of five construction workers suffer from depression and experience trait anxiety. More seriously, three out of five workers show alcohol-use problems that require clinical attention. This study also revealed the particular psychological problems that occur under different working conditions. The findings can be used to promote the awareness of the importance of construction workers' mental well-being and to help in setting targets for improvement.

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Section: Emotional Disturbancementioning

confidence: 99%

Analyzing psychological conditions of field-workers in the construction industry

Lim

Chi

Lee

et al. 2017

International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health

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“…However, there have been few studies investigating the association between flexibility in working hours and workers’ health in Korea. A previous study on Korean workers’ working conditions and depressive symptoms reported that precarious jobs with unfixed work hours were associated with a higher risk of the depressive symptoms compared to day time workers [ 10 ]. Both precarious work and shift work have been independently shown to affect workers’ health, and may therefore confound the association between unfixed work hours and health.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variability in daily or weekly working hours and self-reported mental health problems in Korea, Korean working condition survey, 2017

et al. 2021

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Background Working hour regulation in Korea is being revised to allow increasing variability in number of working hours. We sought to investigate the association between variability in the number of daily or weekly working hours with or without long working hours (> 52 h/w) and mental health among South Korean workers. Methods We used data from 28,345 full-time, non-shift employed workers working more than 30 h per week participating in the Korean Working Condition Survey in 2017. We defined six groups according to variability in daily or weekly working hours (same number vs different number) and weekly working hours (31–40, 41–52, > 52 h per week). Odds ratios (ORs) and confidence intervals (CIs) for self-reported depressive symptoms and anxiety were calculated using workers with same number of working hours/31–40 h per week as the reference. Results Variability in number of work hours every day or week combined with > 52 working hours per week showed the highest risk of depressive symptoms (OR = 5.13, 95% CI 3.25–8.11) and anxiety (OR = 3.75, 95% CI 2.39–5.88) compared to the reference group, controlling for age, sex, education, occupation, industry, salary, workers’ choice of working hours and overtime payment. Workers working ≤52 h/w were adversely impacted by variable working hours as well. Conclusions Variable daily or weekly working hours were associated with poorer self-reported depressive and anxiety symptoms in Korea, among full-time and non-shift workers. Reform of the Korean Labor Standards Act warrants consideration.

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“…Since the 2008 financial crisis, economic uncertainty has persisted throughout the world and this has resulted in continual job instability [ 1 ]. In Korea, unstable jobs such as non-standard employment began to emerge during the International Monetary Fund (IMF) economic crisis in 1997, and this trend has continued to this day [ 2 ]. Non-standard workers are mostly employed under working conditions with low wage levels and are treated differently regarding wages, including incentives and welfare benefits [ 3 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differences in Metabolic Syndrome Prevalence by Employment Type and Sex

Cho

Koo

2018

IJERPH

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Workers may sometimes do the same work, but differ in their risk of health-related problems depending on whether the employment type is standard or non-standard. Furthermore, even with similar job and employment types, there may be differences in risk factors for health-related problems depending on sex. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) by employment type and sex using data from the Fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES Ⅴ) (2010–2012) and KNHANES Ⅵ (2013–2015) conducted by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall, 9523 adult wage workers (5523 standard workers and 4000 non-standard workers) aged ≥ 19 years were analyzed. To determine MetS prevalence odds ratios according to employment type, logistic regression analysis was performed disaggregated by sex. The prevalence of MetS significantly increased with age (p < 0.001), being married (p < 0.05), current smoking status (p < 0.05), and high-risk drinking (p < 0.001) among male subjects. The prevalence of MetS significantly increased among female manual workers (p < 0.001), those with lower educational level and household income (p < 0.001). Non-standard workers of either sex showed higher MetS prevalence than standard workers; only females showed significant difference (p < 0.001). Female non-standard workers showed 1.44, 1.33, and 1.34 (all p < 0.001) times higher odds of MetS prevalence in Models 1, 2, and 3, respectively, compared to standard workers, suggesting a difference in risk factors of MetS according to sex. Also, that employment type affects MetS prevalence suggests that employment pattern is an important risk factor especially in females. Therefore, to manage MetS in female non-standard workers, individual health care as well as social effort may be necessary.

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Working conditions, psychosocial environmental factors, and depressive symptoms among wage workers in South Korea

Cited by 16 publications

References 44 publications

Analyzing psychological conditions of field-workers in the construction industry

Analyzing psychological conditions of field-workers in the construction industry

Variability in daily or weekly working hours and self-reported mental health problems in Korea, Korean working condition survey, 2017

Differences in Metabolic Syndrome Prevalence by Employment Type and Sex

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