Safety and Health at Work

Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (산업안전보건연구원)
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Association Between Unpredictable Work Schedules and Depressive Symptoms in Korea

  • Lee, Hye-Eun (Korea Institute of Labor Safety and Health) ;
  • Kawachi, Ichiro (Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health)
  • Received : 2020.06.23
  • Accepted : 2021.01.20
  • Published : 2021.09.30
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Abstract

Backgrounds: Irregular and unpredictable work schedules have become more common in most societies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between unpredictable work schedules and depressive symptoms in Korea. Methods: Data from 34,486 workers who participated in the Korean Working Condition Survey in 2017 were used. Unpredictable work schedules were measured by questions about the frequency of changes in work schedule and limited advanced notice. Depressive symptoms were assessed by a single item asking if the participants had depressive symptoms over the last 12 months. Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression analysis was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) for high depressive symptoms. Results: The OR for depressive symptoms was significantly higher in the workers with unpredictable work schedules compared to those with predictable work schedules after controlling for age, sex, education, salary, marital status, occupation, contract period, full-time versus part-time, shift work, weekly working hours, and having a child under the age of 18 years (OR = 2.43, 95% confidence interval 1.93-3.07). Conclusion: Unpredictable work schedules were associated with depressive symptoms controlling for the other dimensions of precarious employment in a representative working population in Korea.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

The authors thank Safety and Health Policy Research Department (Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute [OSHRI]) for offering raw-data of the Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS). The paper's contents are solely the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of the OSHRI. The authors also thank Professor Lyndall Strazdins from the Australian National University for her scientific advice on gender and working hours.

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