• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.96-101
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• 2021

Background: Many studies have reported noticeable increases in the proportion of employees working either relatively short or relatively long hours. Such trends have been accompanied by an increasing concern regarding work hour mismatches defined as a discrepancy between actual and preferred work hours. The aim of this study was to investigate association between work hour mismatch and depression. Methods: Data regarding work hour mismatches for 47,551 adults were extracted from the 2017 Korean Working Conditions Survey. The World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index was used to measure depression. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the association between work hour mismatch and depression. Results: Men and women workers with work hour mismatch were more likely to have depression [underemployed males: odds ratio (OR) = 1.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.14-1.49, overemployed males: OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.18-1.40; underemployed females: OR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.20-1.56, overemployed females: OR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1.02-1.23]. Underemployed workers, workers who worked more than 52 hours per week, and workers with a high income level, all had higher ORs for depression. The greater the discrepancy between actual and preferred work hours, the higher OR for depression among both underemployed and overemployed workers. Conclusions: A difference between actual and preferred work hours was associated with depression. Underemployed workers had a higher risk of depression than that of overemployed workers. As a work hour mismatch negatively affected workers' mental health, it is important to reduce work hours mismatches as well as shorten the absolute number of work hours.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.91-99
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• 1993

This research is undertaken for the purpose of providing basic data to improve the occupational health service for future. 415 workers of 46 firms in Seoul are included in this data points. Results from this analyzing are the following. 1) The level of knowledge, attitude and practice of workers on the occupational health is moderate. 2) The cognition of necessity about special health examination gains the highest point(3.94), but the understanding of the occupational health educational program gains the lowest point (.85) in the knowledge region. 3) In the attitude region, the highest point is marked by the workers' prudence of expending time on medical examination(3.45). The lowest one by the workers' feeling of satisfaction of the follow-up service after medical examination(1.79). 4) The workers' participation in medical examination is the most active(3.15), and that in occupational health education in the least active(.86) in the practical region.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.93-98
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• 2022

Background: Despite a growing number of investigations exploring the health problems in precarious workers, there is still a paucity of studies investigating workplace violence in workers with multi-party employment arrangements (WMPEAs). This study was aimed at comparing the prevalence of workplace violence between non-WMPEA and WMPEA. Methods: The 5th Korean Working Conditions Survey data were used. The study subjects were employees aged 20-74, with 26,239 non-WMPEA and 1,556 WMPEA. WMPEA included temporary agency workers and workers providing outsourced services. Workplace violence including verbal abuse, unwanted sexual attention, threats, and humiliating behaviors were used as outcome variables. The odds ratios of risk of workplace violence were calculated using multiple logistic regression. Results: The age-standardized prevalence of workplace violence was significantly higher among WMPEA. After adjusting for all covariates, the risk of workplace violence among WMPEA was still significant (OR 1.80, 95% CI 1.5-2.2) compared with non-WMPEA. The odds ratio of workplace violence among female WMPEA was 1.99 (95% CI 1.53-2.59), which is higher than that of male WMPEA (OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.18-1.96). Conclusion: We found that WMPEA were exposed to higher risk of workplace violence. Discrimination against WMPEA in the working environment and management policy need to be corrected. It is also necessary to identify the risk factors of workplace violence in WMPEA and to make efforts to prevent violence.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.32-39
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• 2022

Background: Industrial accidents can determine the overall level and quality of the work environment in industries and companies that contribute to national economic development. Korea has transformed the country from an international aid recipient to a donor country, but it has ranked first among the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member countries in the number of fatal industrial accidents. Little has been known about the policy effects in terms of the workers' insurance for their industrial accidents and rehabilitation. This study raises two research questions about the influence of workers' personal characteristics and vocational rehabilitation services on their return to workplaces. Methods: The study implements weighted logistic regression analysis using propensity score matching. This research utilizes the relevant dataset (3,924 persons) of Korea's industrial accident and insurance. Results: The findings show that the level of workers' awareness of health recovery and their counseling for rehabilitation by physicians had positive effects on their return to work. Environmental factors such as workers' job stability at the time of industrial accidents and the temporal effects of industrial accidents (e.g., the level of disability, their age) had negative impacts on their return to work. Conclusions: These findings have policy implications that the concentration of rehabilitation services for patients who have been mildly affected by industrial accidents would be effective in the short and medium term. The findings also highlight the necessity of ongoing policies about workers' vocational recovery with concrete evidence about policy impacts.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.139-158
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• 2003

This study evaluated the community-based rehabilitation services provided by the Wonju Public Health Center from Jan. 2000 to Dec. 2002. Ninety-four persons with disabilities dwelling in the community participated and the surveys were completed in an interview during home visits. The respondents' demographic, socio-economic, and medical characteristics, rehabilitation service received, willingness to receive home-visit rehabilitation services, and satisfaction with the rehabilitation services were analyzed by frequency and percentage. A Likert scoring system consisting of five agreement-disagreement categories was applied to each item, consisting of Very Satisfied, Satisfied, So-So, Poorly Satisfied, and Very Poorly Satisfied. The major findings were as follows: 1) The rehabilitation services used included medical rehabilitation (26.9%), followed by social assistance (23.5%), diagnosis by a physician at home (17.3%), medical examination (12.3%), housekeeping services (6.2%), and vocational and educational rehabilitation (3.5%). 2) Of the medical services, the respondents desired physical therapy at home and free rental of rehabilitation equipment, such as wheelchairs, canes, walkers, the most, followed by home visit occupational therapy, nursing services, and oriental medicine service in descending order. 3) Some of the respondents expressed so-so satisfaction (50.0%) or dissatisfaction (16.9%) with the rehabilitation services provided by the Wonju Public Health Center. These findings should prove useful when planning or extending community-based rehabilitation programs for the homebound disabled in the community.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.135-146
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• 2019

Purpose: The aims of this study were to identify the relationships among alcohol level, impact of event, occupational stress, and distress disclosure and to determine the influences on alcohol level among fire officials. Methods: Participants in this cross-sectional, descriptive study were 241 fire officials. Data were collected from June 2018 to July 2018 using self-reported questionnaires and were analyzed using IBM SPSS 22.0 software (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA). Results: The results revealed significant positive relationships between alcohol level and impact of event, and impact of event and occupational stress, and a negative relationships between occupational stress and distress disclosure. Regression analysis revealed that alcohol level accounted for 9.2% of the variance by gender, and impact of event(e.g., sleep problems and emotional numbness). Conclusion: These findings provide information that can be used in the development of mental health promotion programs for fire officials.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.16-23
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• 2005

Purpose: The Purpose of the study was to suggest how the health manager use to be easy return-to-work of injured workers. Method: The data were collected by the health managers working at the 103 companies over medium size in Incheon, Gyoung-gi and Seoul through interview and report by themselves and analyzed by SAS V8 through t-test. Result: 1. The health managers are consisted of 2 kinds, one is health manager such as physician(10%) or nurse(81%) and the other is safety manager. The former works at the manufacturing company(62.9%), the latter at the service one(42.4%). 2. Management and counseling of occupational and non-occupational diseases, and high risk workers, health education, emergency care, worksite rounding, guidance of personal protector use, and health promotion services were highly performed by health managers. Comparing to these, safety managers performed guidance of job safety, safety management. The difference of two kinds of manager was significant statistically not only the aspect of general job but also related job to the workers of return-to-work after accident. Conclusion: This result shows that health manager can function as a care manager to the workers after return-to-work for adaptation to their job and rehabilitation bio-psycho-socially. But health managers don't have any regulations of encouraging injured workers to get their job again officially.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.265-273
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• 2010

Objectives: Due to the economic crisis and globalization, many workers have been suffering from severe occupational stress due to job insecurity and struggles related to downsizing and restructuring. This study aims to assess the stress levels among workers involved in fierce labor disputes and massive layoffs and to evaluate their specific needs and satisfaction with counseling services set up to help workers cope with severely stressful situations? Methods: The authors provided crisis intervention to workers in traumatic situations to compare the differential level of stress responses and needs among the workers remaining employed in a large auto factory, those laid off by it, and those laid off by other companies in the same region (Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province). We measured stress levels using the worker's stress response inventory (WSRI) and heart rate variability (HRV), and assessed workers' satisfaction with the counseling services. Results: 502 workers participated in the program. Fifty-seven percent of them consulted with occupational problems. The mean WSRI score of the workers remaining employed in the automobile factory was higher than that of the unemployed (employed: $39.8{\pm}19.9$ unemployed: $29.3{\pm}18.8$). Ninety-five percent of workers responded that they were satisfied or very satisfied with the counseling services. Conclusions: This study suggests the urgent need for the establishment of a national crisis intervention program dedicated to supporting workers in severely stressful situations.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.199-206
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• 2021

As the super-aged society is imminent, the number of people with senile diseases is also increasing, resulting in a lack of facilities and policies as a social problem. National Health Insurance Service is being talked about as a realistic alternative to medical coverage. Long-term care hospitals are classified into acute-stage hospitals and long-term care facilities and are acting as an alternative to reducing medical expenses. However, in long-term care hospitals, which are the core of maintenance rehabilitation, the quality of service issues have been raised seriously. Currently, there is a problem of mass production of refugees from rehabilitation due to a problem of the medical system. In particular, in the preceding study in 2015, the status of long-term care hospitals in Jeollabuk-do was the worst. Therefore, using public data, the general status of long-term care hospitals in Jeollabuk-do, status of frequent disease, status of rehabilitation services, and status of occupational therapy services are to be explored.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.53-65
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• 2023

Objective : This study aimed to identify the experiences and practices of occupational therapists in mental health and provide interventions for improving body function in individuals with mental illness. Methods : Data were collected from mental health therapists between November 7 and November 14, 2022. A survey was distributed via email and 46 responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlations. Results : The majority were female (58.7%), aged 20-30 years (84.8%), working in mental health centers (41.3%), and undergoing mental health occupational therapy training (91.3%). They had 1-3 years of mental health experience (65.2%) and were commonly involved in programs (71.1%), case management (62.2%), and administration (57.8%). Interventions for physical functioning were common (73.9%), including group interventions (41.2%), such as stretching, aerobic exercise, and walk training, and individual interventions (38.1%), such as walking, stretching, and aerobic exercise. Conclusion : Occupational therapists play a crucial role in enabling individuals with mental illness to engage in daily life activities. However, relevant studies in this field are lacking. This study emphasizes the importance of mental health occupational therapy and the need for evidence-based services for physical function improvement interventions to provide more effective treatments for mental illnesses.