Does High Emotional Demand with Low Job Control Relate to Suicidal Ideation among Service and Sales Workers in Korea?

Association between high emotional demand at work, burnout symptoms, and sleep disturbance among Korean workers: a cross-sectional mediation analysis

We explored the mediating role of burnout on the association between EDW and sleep disturbances. Our study included 18,744 Korean workers. Respondents were grouped into four levels (none, low, moderate, and high) based on their exposure to two EDW factors: handling angry clients (HAC) and hiding emotion (HE). Mediation models were used to estimate odds ratios (OR) at a 95% confidence interval (CI). Compared to those not exposed, low, moderate, and high HAC increased odds of sleep disturbance by 1.52 (95% CI 1.30-1.78), 3.20 (95% CI 2.57-3.98), and 3.28 (95% CI 2.77-3.88) times, respectively. The indirect effect via burnout accounted for 29.9%, 24.1%, and 23.6% of the total effect, respectively, with estimates of 1.13 (95% CI 1.11-1.16), 1.32 (95% CI 1.26-1.39), and 1.32 (95% CI 1.27-1.37). Low, moderate, and high HE increased the odds of sleep disturbance by 1.45 (95% CI 0.93-2.28), 2.38 (95% CI 1.57-3.61), and 3.14 (95% CI 2.08-4.71) times, respectively. The indirect effect via burnout accounted for 10.5%, 29.7%, and 33.1% of the total effect, with estimates of 1.04 (95% CI 0.98-1.10), 1.29 (95% CI 1.22-1.37), and 1.46 (95% CI 1.38-1.55), respectively. Effective policies are required to protect the psychological wellbeing of workers who frequently engage in interpersonal tasks.

The Relationship between Teacher Autonomy and Mental Health in Primary and Secondary School Teachers: The Chain-Mediating Role of Teaching Efficacy and Job Satisfaction

Teachers in primary and secondary schools are frequently under pressure. Therefore, it is critical to understand the factors that affect their mental health. Autonomy was associated with mental health in the past. However, the mediating mechanism behind this relationship has received little attention. In this study, a chain mediation model was built to determine whether teaching efficacy and work satisfaction mediated the relationship between teacher autonomy and mental health. Our study enlisted the participation of 810 Chinese primary and secondary school teachers aged from 21 to 57 years old. They completed self-reporting measures of teacher autonomy, mental health, teaching efficacy, and job satisfaction. The results show that (1) teacher autonomy, teaching efficacy, job satisfaction, and mental health have strong positive relationships, (2) teaching efficacy and job satisfaction significantly mediate the relationship between autonomy and mental health, and (3) both teaching efficacy and job satisfaction play a chain-mediating role. The chain-mediating effect of teaching efficacy and job satisfaction plays an important role in promoting teachers' mental health. Teachers with a high level of autonomy tend to have high teaching efficacy, high job satisfaction, and improved mental health.

Understanding the Emotional Labor of Public Health Equity Work: a Mixed Methods Study

Background

Rectifying historic race-based health inequities depends on a resilient public health workforce to implement change and dismantle systemic racism in varied organizations and community contexts. Yet, public health equity workers may be vulnerable to job burnout because personal investment in the continual struggle against inequality exacts an emotional toll. Our study sought to quantify the presence of emotional labor in public health equity work and better understand its dimensions.

Methods

We conducted a mixed methods study of public health equity workers focused on maternal and child health in the USA. Participants completed a survey on the emotional demands of their public health equity work. A subset of survey respondents was interviewed to gain a better understanding of the emotional toll and support received to cope.

Results

Public health equity work was found to involve high levels of emotional labor (M = 5.61, range = 1–7). A positive association was noted between personal efficacy (i.e., belief in one’s ability to do equity work well) and increased job satisfaction. However, burnout increased when equity workers did not receive adequate support for their emotional labor. Qualitative analysis revealed eight themes depicting the emotional burden, benefits and drawbacks, and coping strategies of public health equity work.

Conclusions

Public health equity workers report high degrees of emotional labor and inadequate workplace support to cope with the demands. In our study, workplace support was associated with higher job satisfaction and lower burnout. Research is urgently needed to develop and scale an effective model to support public health equity workers.

Socioeconomic factors associated with suicidal behaviors in South Korea: systematic review on the current state of evidence

Background

The economic and human costs of suicide to individuals, families, communities, and society make suicide a major public health problem around the world. Suicide rates in South Korea are among the highest in the world. This paper is the first systematic review investigating socioeconomic risk factors for suicidal behaviors (suicidal ideation, attempted suicides, and completed suicides) in South Korea.

Methods

We performed a systematic review in Medline and Web of Science. Empirical studies and peer-reviewed articles on the association between individual socioeconomic factors and suicidal behaviors have been included. A total of 53 studies were included in a descriptive synthesis.

Results

Overall, 35 studies focused on the association between individual socioeconomic factors and suicidal ideation, 16 were related to suicide attempts, while 10 addressed completed suicides. Low income, unemployment, and financial difficulties were identified as risk factors for all suicidal behaviors. Working in precarious conditions, long working hours, self-employment, changes in employment status, shift work/night-time work, and occupational stress were associated with an increased risk for suicidal ideation. Low educational attainment appears to increase the risk for suicide attempts and completed suicide, but the significance of educational attainment on the reporting of suicidal ideation could not be verified. The primary studies were unable to ascertain whether the place of residence impacts on suicidal behaviors.

Conclusions

The results highlight the relevance of socioeconomic factors for suicidal behaviors in South Korea. Governmental social spending must be increased and redirected more efficiently so that the economically most vulnerable groups are financially protected and income inequality does not widen. Furthermore, comprehensive prevention strategies at the community level are needed. Future research needs to focus on identifying vulnerable groups for whom the effects of low socioeconomic status may have particularly serious consequences with regard to suicidal behaviors.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-12498-1.

Inequalities in External-Cause Mortality in 2018 across Industries in Republic of Korea

Background

External-cause mortality is an important public health issue worldwide. Considering its significance to workers’ health and inequalities across industries, we aimed to describe the state of external-cause mortality and investigate its difference by industry in Republic of Korea based on data for 2018.

Methods

Data obtained from the Statistics Korea and Korean Employment Information System were used. External causes of death were divided into three categories (suicide, transport accident, and others), and death occurred during employment period or within 90 days after unemployment was regarded as workers’ death. We calculated age- and sex-standardized mortalities per 100,000, standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) compared to the general population and total workers, and mortality rate ratios (RRs) across industries using information and communication as a reference. Correlation analyses between income, education, and mortality were conducted.

Results

Age- and sex-standardized external-cause mortality per 100,000 in all workers was 29.4 (suicide: 16.2, transport accident: 6.6, others: 6.6). Compared to the general population, all external-cause and suicide SMRs were significantly lower; however, there was no significant difference in transport accidents. When compared to total workers, wholesale, transportation, and business facilities management showed higher SMR for suicide, and agriculture, forestry, and fishing, mining and quarrying, construction, transportation and storage, and public administration and defense showed higher SMR for transport accidents. A moderate to strong negative correlation was observed between education level and mortality (both age- and sex-standardized mortality rates and SMR compared to the general population).

Conclusion

Inequalities in external-cause mortalities from suicide, transport accidents, and other causes were found. For reducing the differences, improved policies are needed for industries with higher mortalities.

Relationship Between Emotional Labor and Perceived Health Status Among Service and Sales Workers: Findings From the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007 to 2009

OBJECTIVES

This study examined the relationship between emotional labor and general health status in a nationally representative sample of South Korean service and sales workers.

METHODS

Data were obtained from the 2007 to 2009 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. A total of 1907 subjects were included in the analysis. Multiple logistic regression was performed to determine the relationship between emotional labor and perceived health status (PHS).

RESULTS

The adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of poor PHS was 1.869 (1.464 to 2.391) among high emotional labor group, compared with the low emotional labor group as the reference. Perceived stress accounted for 35.57% of the variance in the relationship between high emotional labor and poor PHS.

CONCLUSIONS

Emotional labor was associated with increased risk of poor PHS.

Occurrence of Mental Illness and Mental Health Risks among the Self-Employed: A Systematic Review

We aimed to systematically identify and evaluate all studies of good quality that compared the occurrence of mental disorders in the self-employed versus employees. Adhering to the Cochrane guidelines, we conducted a systematic review and searched three major medical databases (MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase), complemented by hand search. We included 26 (three longitudinal and 23 cross-sectional) population-based studies of good quality (using a validated quality assessment tool), with data from 3,128,877 participants in total. The longest of these studies, a Swedish national register evaluation with 25 years follow-up, showed a higher incidence of mental illness among the self-employed compared to white-collar workers, but a lower incidence compared to blue-collar workers. In the second longitudinal study from Sweden the self-employed had a lower incidence of mental illness compared to both blue- and white-collar workers over 15 years, whereas the third longitudinal study (South Korea) did not find a difference regarding the incidence of depressive symptoms over 6 years. Results from the cross-sectional studies showed associations between self-employment and poor general mental health and stress, but were inconsistent regarding other mental outcomes. Most studies from South Korea found a higher prevalence of mental disorders among the self-employed compared to employees, whereas the results of cross-sectional studies from outside Asia were less consistent. In conclusion, we found evidence from population-based studies for a link between self-employment and increased risk of mental illness. Further longitudinal studies are needed examining the potential risk for the development of mental disorders in specific subtypes of the self-employed.

Emotional Demand and Mental Health in Korean Employees

Background: Emotional demand (ED) at work is related to mental health in the general workforce, not just emotional workers. We investigated the relationships between ED and mental health outcomes, including distress, depressive symptoms (DS), experience of depression (DE), and suicidal ideation (SI) on the entire general workforce using nationally representative data. Methods: 5787 full-time employees were analyzed using cross-sectional design with the fourth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (K-NHANES IV). Work-related psychosocial factors and mental health status were measured through face-to-face interviews. Multi-stage and stratified survey designs were considered in the analysis, and the mental health effects of ED were analyzed using multivariable logistic analysis. The Cochran–Armitage trend test was conducted to investigate increases in the relationship between the severity of ED and mental health outcomes. Results: The subjects comprised 3089 men and 2698 women. ED was reported by 36.7% of men and 39.3% of women. The estimated prevalence of distress was 27.5% in men and 34.6% in women. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of ED for distress were 2.62 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.10–3.28) for men and 2.57 (95% CI = 1.92–3.45) for women. DS was significantly related to ED (men: OR = 1.72, 95% CI = 1.18–2.50; women: OR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.33–2.74). ED was also significant psychosocial risk factor for DE (men: OR = 1.88, 95% CI = 1.07–3.29; women: OR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.15–2.75) and SI (men: OR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.11–2.41; women: OR = 2.31, 95% CI = 1.63–3.28). Conclusions: ED was a risk factor for distress, DS, DE, and SI in the general workforce. Legal and social safety networks should be constructed for workers whose emotions may be hidden at work, as well as workers in emotion-related fields.

Health Disparities Among Workers With Standing Position and Limited Restroom Access: A Cosmetics Saleswomen Study in South Korea

Korean cosmetics sales workers in department stores face harmful working environments, including limited restroom access, working long hours in a standing position, and customer violence. This study investigated health disparities between cosmetics saleswomen and the general population of working women in South Korea. We assessed the prevalence of health indicators, including physician-diagnosed disease, using a cross-sectional survey of 860 Korean cosmetics saleswomen in September 2018. Health indicators of cosmetics saleswomen were compared to those of general working women from the nationally representative datasets (e.g., National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort). We estimated age-standardized prevalence ratios (SPRs) for health outcomes, including physical, mental, and health-related behavioral conditions. Cosmetics saleswomen were more likely to be diagnosed or treated for physical and mental conditions (e.g., cystitis SPR: 4.03, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.48-4.65; plantar fasciitis SPR: 23.48, 95% CI: 18.12-29.93; varicose vein SPR: 38.41, 95% CI: 32.18-45.49; and depression SPR: 11.18, 95% CI: 8.53-14.40) compared to general working women. Prevalence of smoking and hazardous alcohol consumption was also higher among cosmetics saleswomen than those of general women workers. Given our findings, further research is needed to identify work-related risk factors that could deteriorate cosmetic sales workers' health in South Korea.

Effects of work stress, sleep, and shift work on suicidal ideation among female workers in an electronics company

BACKGROUND

Suicide is the leading cause of death in young adults in Korea. Stress in the workplace affects the suicide rate; young female workers are particularly vulnerable to adverse work environments. We investigated the relationships of shift work, sleep, and work stress to suicidal ideation.

METHODS

This study used data from 508 female workers aged 22-40 years in an electronics company. Data on baseline characteristics, work patterns, sleep quality (using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), and work stress levels using the Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS) were obtained from questionnaires. We examined associations between suicidal ideation and shift work, sleep quality, and KOSS scores.

RESULTS

Suicidal ideation was significantly higher among shift workers (odds ratio [OR], 2.38; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.31-4.32), those with poor sleep (OR, 2.84; 95% CI, 1.68-4.84), and those with high work stress (OR, 3.30; 95% CI, 1.82-6.00). Both 3 × 12 h shift workers (OR, 2.98; 95% CI, 1.35-6.57) and 4 × 8 h shift workers (OR, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.03-4.45) had increased suicidal ideation. High work stress (OR, 11.55; 95% CI, 2.93-45.48) had stronger associations with suicidal ideation than poor sleep (OR, 3.86; 95% CI, 1.21-12.33) in shift workers. The combined effect of poor sleep and high KOSS on suicidal ideation was stronger in shift workers (OR, 13.39; 95% CI, 3.22-55.62) than day workers (OR, 4.31; 95% CI, 1.03-18.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Shift workers are more vulnerable than day workers to the combination of work stress and poor sleep quality as well as to work stress alone.

The Burnout Syndrome among Women Working in the Retail Network in Associations with Psychosocial Work Environment Factors

The burnout syndrome is a significant occupational health problem in various employees’ populations. The aim of this study was to evaluate burnout level among retail network workers and its associations with psychosocial work environment. The cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted on workers of one Lithuanian retail network (n = 254), where all respondents were women. In order to assess their occupational stress and burnout, two instruments were used: HSE management standards work-related stress indicator tool and Copenhagen burnout inventory (CBI). The statistical analysis showed high prevalence of burnout—the frequency of personal, work-related and client-related burnout was 53.5%, 66.5% and 55.5% respectively. The Spearman’s correlation analysis revealed that job demands, control manager’s support, coworkers’ support and relationships significantly associated with all burnout subscales. The multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the independent associations between HSE indicators and burnout subscales. The multivariate logistic regression model revealed that job demands and manager’s support were significant factors for all burnout dimensions. In conclusion, in order to reduce occupational burnout among employees working in retail companies, it would be useful for occupational interventions to focus on workload reduction and optimization, and for the human resources management strategy to focus on maintaining this.

Effects of female worker's salary and health on safety education and compliance in three sectors of the service industry

BACKGROUND

According to a survey of the working population of women by industry, service industries accounted for the majority.

OBJECTIVE

The effects of female worker's salary and self-rated health on safety education and compliance in three sectors of the service industry are reported.

METHODS

A sample of 700 women service workers were surveyed; their age, work experience, salary, self-rated health, safety educational participation, and compliance were recorded.

RESULTS

The salary of female service workers was directly related to safety educational participation and compliance, as well as the health levels they reported.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that an increase in the self-rated health and salary of female workers can contribute to enhancing safety educational participation and compliance. Development of educational programs in prevention and safety compliance is expected to contribute to the prevention of industrial accidents in the service sector.

Effects of Emotional Labor Factors and Working Environment on the Risk of Depression in Pink-Collar Workers

Analyzing men and women separately, we examined the associations between six key elements of the psychosocial work environment of pink-collar workers (n = 7633) and the risk of depression, using logistic regression analysis with data from the Fifth Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS) conducted in 2017. We assessed the risk of depression according to the presence of emotional display rules (EDR), health and safety information (HSI), and emotional labor. In males, the risk of depression increased when there were no EDR and they had to interact with angry customers (OR 1.94, 95% CI 1.14–3.30). For women, the risk of depression increased if they had to interact with angry customers and EDR were present (OR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.00–3.00), and if they did not receive HSI but had to interact with angry customers (OR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.02–2.71), or hid their emotions and did not receive HSI (OR, 1.90; 95% CI, 1.50–2.40). The risk of depression increased more in the presence of EDR among women who hid their emotions (OR 1.80, 95% CI, 1.40–2.31) compared to women who did not hide their emotions and in the absence of EDR. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the effects of gender-specific factors on the risk of depression and revise current guidelines accordingly.

A study of job stress, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in display manufacturing workers: a cross-sectional study

Background

This study aimed to investigate the association between job stress and suicide ideation/attempts among display manufacturing workers.

Methods

Data were collected from 836 workers in a display manufacturing company who participated in health screenings from May 22 to June 16, 2017. The data included general characteristics, night work, job tenure, previous physician-diagnosed chronic diseases, suicidal ideation/suicide attempts, and job stress. We investigated suicidal ideation/suicide attempts that covered the past year by using a self-reported questionnaire. Job stress was measured using the 43-item Korean Occupational Stress Scale. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between job stress and suicidal ideation/suicide attempts. The mediator effect of depression on suicidal ideation/suicide attempts was tested using a series of logistic regression by applying Baron and Kenny's mediation method.

Results

In the model adjusting for variables (e.g., age, body mass index, smoking, alcohol consumption, regular exercise, shift work, job tenure, chronic disease and depression), physical environment (OR: 3.60, 95% CI: 1.08–12.02), lack of reward (OR: 5.31, 95% CI: 1.54–18.34), and occupation climate (OR: 7.36, 95% CI: 2.28–23.72) were correlated with suicidal ideation/suicide attempts in women. However, all subscales of job stress were not significantly correlated with suicidal ideation/suicide attempts in men. In mediation analysis, job instability and occupational climate were correlated with suicidal ideation/suicide attempts and were mediated by depression in men workers.

Conclusions

In women workers, the experiences of suicidal ideation/suicide attempts were significantly correlated with the physical environment, lack of reward, and occupational climate that were subscales of job stress. In men workers, depression rather than job stress was correlated with experiences of suicidal ideation/suicide attempts.

Emotional Changes and Protective Factors of Emotional Workers in the Public and Private Sector

OBJECTIVE

Emotional labor is known to be a risk factor for emotional distress. This study aimed to evaluate specific stressors according to the type of occupation and identify protective and adverse factors.

METHODS

We recruited 349 workers engaged in emotional labor in a suburban city. They were assessed using scales regarding emotional status, job stress, resilience, and job satisfaction. Correlation and regression analyses were performed to evaluate their emotional state according to their stress level. A mediation model using structural equation modeling was utilized to identify the mediating effects of resilience and workplace satisfaction.

RESULTS

The correlation analysis indicated that the level of workplace stress was statistically correlated with depressed mood and anxiety and showed a significant inverse correlation with individuals' resilience and job satisfaction. According to the regression analysis, in private institution workers, "emotional disharmony and hurt" had a statistically significant negative effect on their emotional state, and in public institution workers, "emotional demands and regulation" were prominent. Resilience partially mediated the relationship between emotional stress and anxiety/depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicate that the causes of stress differed according to the working environment. Preventive strategies such as resilience training and relieving stress on individual factors are needed to promote mental health.

Prevalence of somatic and psychiatric morbidity across occupations in Switzerland and its correlation with suicide mortality: results from the Swiss National Cohort (1990-2014)

BACKGROUND

Suicide is a major and complex public health problem. In Switzerland, suicide accounts for about 1000 deaths yearly and is the fourth leading cause of mortality. The first nationwide Swiss study of suicides identified eight male and four female occupations with statistically significant excess of suicide compared to the general Swiss population. Working time, self-employer status, low socio-economic status and low skill level required for occupation were associated with increase in suicide risk. Presently, we aim to compare the distribution of suicide risk across occupations with the prevalence of somatic and psychiatric morbidity in Swiss working-aged adults. We hypothesized that some diseases would cluster in particular occupations, indicating potential work-relatedness of suicides found in these occupations.

METHODS

We used the Swiss National Cohort (SNC) and included 10575 males and 2756 females deceased by suicide between 1990 and 2014. We estimated the prevalence of 16 categories of concomitant diseases in each occupation, using national mortality records, and assessed the homogeneity of diseases distribution across occupations. For diseases, which prevalence varied significantly across occupations, we analyzed the correlation with the distribution of suicide risk, estimated as the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) of suicide.

RESULTS

Mental and behavioral disorders were the most commonly reported concomitant diseases in our population. In men, the prevalence of these disorders and more specifically, the prevalence of substance-related and addictive disorders, and of psychotic disorders varied significantly across occupations and was correlated with the SMR of suicide. The prevalence of malignant neoplasms and the prevalence of diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue also varied significantly across male occupations, while in women, such a variation was observed for neoplasms of uncertain or unknown behavior and diseases of the nervous system and sense organs, without being correlated with the SMR of suicide.

CONCLUSION

Some of the identified morbidities can be occupation-related and could negatively affect the working capacity and the employability, which in turn could be related to the suicide. Disentangling concomitant diseases according to their work-relatedness and relationship with the suicide risk is important for identifying occupation-related suicides, understanding their characteristics, and developing appropriated interventions for their prevention.

Emotional labor and job types of male firefighters in Daegu Metropolitan City

Background

Research on the emotional labor of firefighters is actively being carried out, but studies that analyze emotional labor separately by job types, working departments, and other conditions of firefighters are insufficient. The purpose of this study is to investigate the difference in emotional labor level between departments and other conditions of firefighters.

Methods

A total of 287 Korean firefighters were included for analysis. The demands of emotional labor and emotional damage were measured using the Korean Emotional Labor Scale. To analyze the conditions and factors affecting the emotional labor level of the firefighters, logistic regression analysis was performed using the emotional labor high risk group as a dependent variable.

Results

The average score of overall emotional labor level of the firefighters was 47.2 ± 17.3, and the prevalence of high risk firefighters with emotional labor was 27.1%. It was found that the emergency medical service and administration departments showed a higher prevalence of high risk emotional labor firefighters than did other departments. The result of multiple logistic regression analysis for the high risk emotional labor firefighters showed that the adjusted odds ratio of emergency medical service department compared to the reference group (the rescue department) was 2.89 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02-8.24).

Conclusions

Among the firefighters, the emergency medical service department is a high risk factor for emotional labor. Therefore, education and prevention training on emotional labor should be more thorough before work shifts.

Depressive symptoms among dance artists in South Korea: balance between self- and social identity on job value

Background

The balance between self- and social identity on job value of Korean dance artists, considered as performing artists, was measured to investigate the relationship between balance and depressive symptoms.

Methods

Data of 139 dance artists were analyzed for depressive symptoms assessed by their responses to questionnaires from the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CESD) translated into Korean. The balance score of each aspect of social identity compared to that of self-identity on job value was measured and classified as lower, equal, or higher. Following a graphical approach, we performed locally weighted scatterplot smoothing algorithm, simple linear regression, and quadric equation regression.

Results

The mean of CESD was highest in the higher balance group and lowest in the lower balance group. There was a linear relationship between balance score and CESD regarding specific audience, unspecified audience, and unspecified public. Balance score showed no association with other aspects of social identity. In the balance score range of 1 or higher, it was associated with CESD with respect to artist colleague, unspecified audience, and unspecified public.

Conclusions

Dance artists should maintain a balance between self- and social identity in job value to prevent depressive symptoms.

Relationship of Occupational Category With Risk of Physical and Mental Health Problems

Objectives

We evaluated the physical and mental health problems of waged workers in Korea who had different classes of occupation.

Methods

We used data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2007–2017) to examine 22,788 workers who were waged employees and categorized these workers into 5 occupational classes.

Results

“Unskilled manual workers” were more likely to be older, less educated, have lower monthly income, and work fewer hours per week. Among men and relative to “managers and professionals” (reference group), “skilled manual workers” were more likely to have physician-diagnosed osteoarthritis, “clerks” were less likely to report suicidal ideation, and “unskilled manual workers” were more likely to report suicidal ideation. Among women and relative to “managers and professionals” (reference group), “service and sales workers” and “unskilled manual workers” were more likely to report physician-diagnosed osteoarthritis, depressive feelings, and suicidal ideation. However, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases did not differ among the occupational classes for men and women.

Conclusion

We identified differences between men and women and among those in different occupational classes regarding employment status, physical health, and mental health. “Unskilled manual workers” of both genders were more likely to be older, less educated, have less monthly income, work fewer hours per week, and have suicidal ideation. Female “service and sales workers” were more likely to have osteoarthritis, depressive feelings, and suicidal ideation.

Job Stressors and Employment Precarity as Risks for Thoughts About Suicide: An Australian Study Using the Ten to Men Cohort

Aims

Past research suggests that adverse experiences at work (such as job stressors and precarious employment) are associated with thoughts about suicide, especially among males. A limitation of this research is that it is largely cross-sectional. Thus, it is unknown whether job stressors are a prior cause of thoughts about suicide. This study examined the baseline association between adverse experiences at work and thoughts about suicide at follow-up in a large nationally representative cohort of employed men.

Methods

We used data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Male Health (Ten to Men). The outcome was thoughts about suicide in the prior 12 months (reported in wave 2) and the key exposure variables were: high job demands, low job control, job insecurity, perceived unfairness of pay, occupational skill level, and employment arrangement (all reported in wave 1). We adjusted for possible confounders, including mental health and suicidal thoughts (wave 1).

Results

In a sample of 8379 and after adjustment, job insecurity (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.13-1.61, P = 0.001), low job control (OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.06-1.33, P = 0.004), and employment on a casual or on a fixed term basis (OR 1.30, 95% 1.01-1.67, P = 0.041) were associated with a greater odds of thoughts about suicide at follow up. Results for all by job control were maintained after removing those who reported thoughts of suicide at baseline.

Conclusion

This study suggests that experiences at work may be risk factors for thoughts about suicide among employed men. More research is needed to unpack the complex associations between, employment, and experiences of suicide.

The Role of Occupational Stress in the Association between Emotional Labor and Mental Health: A Moderated Mediation Model

This study investigated whether occupational stress factors moderate the effect of emotional labor on psychological distress in call center employees. A cross-sectional and descriptive study using anonymous paper-based survey methods was conducted in a sample of 283 call center employees in South Korea. Participants completed the Emotional Labor Scale, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, and the Korean Occupational Stress Scale. Moderated mediation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS macro in order to investigate the relationship among variables. The results showed that the association between surface acting while having emotional labor and psychological distress was mediated by emotional dissonance. The mediated effect of emotional dissonance was moderated by discomfort in occupational climate, suggesting that improving the occupational environment can lessen the level of psychological distress among emotional workers, and that more attention should be devoted to the development of an intervention at the organizational level in order to prevent mental health problems in this population.

The role of customer service manual on workplace emotional burden in nationwide cross sectional study

BACKGROUND

We aim to discuss the overall effect of customer service manual (CSM) on service industry workers using Korean Working Condition Survey.

METHODS

Out of 50,007 total survey participants, 11,946 customer service workers were included in the current study (5613 men, 6333 women). Answers to survey questions were used to define the use of CSM, emotional burden, emotional dissonance, engaging angry customers and other covariates. Emotional burden included either depressive event or stress level. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of experiencing emotional burden was calculated by logistic regression model. Interaction effect between CSM and engaging angry customer on emotional burden was also estimated.

RESULTS

Out of 11,946 subjects, total of 3279 (27.4%) have experienced emotional burden. OR (95% CI) of experiencing emotional burden was 1.40 (1.19-1.64) in men and 1.25 (1.09-1.44) in women. There was gender difference in interaction effect between the use of CSM and engaging angry customers. In men, OR (95% CI) was 3.16 (1.38-7.23) with additive effect when always engaging angry customers with CSM compared to rarely engaging without CSM, while in women OR (95% CI) was 8.85 (3.96-19.75) with synergistic effect. Moreover, the risk of depressive event increased only in women with OR (95% CI) 2.22 (1.42-3.48).

CONCLUSIONS

Our current study highlighted association between emotional burden and CSM in both men and women service workers. Furthermore, women were affected more severely by CSM. The results from current study suggest that CSM should be changed appropriately to benefit workers.

Emotional labor and depressive mood in service and sales workers: Interactions with gender and job autonomy

Emotional labor is strongly correlated with negative consequences in psychological well-being and mental health status in workers. We investigated the associations of emotional labor with depressive mood and perceived usual stress level according to gender and its interactions with job autonomy in service and sales workers. The data from 2,055 service and sales workers from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES) conducted from 2007 to 2009 were analyzed. High emotional labor was associated with increased risk for depressive mood in female workers (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.19, 95%, confidence interval [CI] = 1.56-3.07). Emotional labor and job autonomy showed interactive effects on depressive mood in that high emotional labor was associated with depressive mood only in the presence of low job autonomy in male workers (aOR = 2.85, 95% CI = 1.13-7.17). A significant mediation pathway between high emotional demand and prevalence of depressive mood through higher stress level was observed in female workers. In conclusion, female workers had high vulnerability to depressive symptoms due to emotional labor, and high job autonomy can act as a buffer against the detrimental effect of emotional labor in male workers.

Association of Emotional Labor, Self-efficacy, and Type A Personality with Burnout in Korean Dental Hygienists

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between emotional labor and burnout, and whether the levels of self-efficacy and type A personality characteristics increase the risk of burnout in a sample of Korean female dental hygienists. Participants were 807 female dental hygienists with experience in performing customer service for one year or more in dental clinics, dental hospitals, or general hospitals in Korea. Data were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire. A hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the effects of emotional labor on burnout, and to elucidate the additive effects of self-efficacy and type A personality on burnout. The results showed that "overload and conflict in customer service," "emotional disharmony and hurt," and "lack of a supportive and protective system in the organization" were positively associated with burnout. With reference to the relationship between personality traits and burnout, we found that personal traits such as self-efficacy and type A personality were significantly related to burnout, which confirmed the additive effects of self-efficacy and type A personality on burnout. These results indicate that engaging in excessive and prolonged emotional work in customer service roles is more likely to increase burnout. Additionally, an insufficient organizational supportive and protective system toward the negative consequences of emotional labor was found to accelerate burnout. The present findings also revealed that personality traits such as self-efficacy and type A personality are also important in understanding the relationship between emotional labor and burnout.

Psychosocial job stressors and suicidality: a meta-analysis and systematic review

OBJECTIVES

Job stressors are known determinants of common mental disorders. Over the past 10 years, there has been evidence that job stressors may also be risk factors for suicidality. The current paper sought to examine this topic through the first comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature to date.

METHODS

We used a three-tier search strategy of seven electronic databases. Studies were included if they reported on a job stressor or job-related stress as an exposure and suicide ideation, self-harm, suicide attempt or suicide as an outcome. Two researchers independently screened articles. All extracted effect estimates were converted to log-transformed ORs.

RESULTS

There were 22 studies that were included in meta-analysis. Overall, exposure to job stressors was associated with elevated risk of suicide ideation and behaviours. The OR for suicide ideation (14 studies) ranged from 1.45 (95% CI 1.01 to 2.08) for poor supervisor and colleague support to 1.91 (95% CI 1.22 to 2.99) for job insecurity. For suicide (six studies), exposure to lower supervisor and collegial support produced an OR of 1.16 (95% CI 0.98 to 1.38), while low job control resulted in an OR of 1.23 (95% CI 1.00 to 1.50). There were only two studies that examined suicide attempt, both of which suggested an adverse effect of exposure to job stressors.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides some evidence that job stressors may be related to suicidal outcomes. However, as most studies in the area were cross-sectional and observational in design, there is a need for longitudinal research to assess the robustness of observed associations.

Precarious employment associated with depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation in adult wage workers

BACKGROUND

Precarious employment is one of the most important indicators of social disadvantage and is associated with poor mental health. This study aimed to investigate the association of precarious employment with depressive mood and suicidal ideation in adult wage workers, and the possible mediating or moderating effect of socioeconomic factors in the association between precarious work and mental health status.

METHOD

Data from the Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES V) conducted between 2010 and 2012 were analyzed. Among the 24,173 participants, 6266 adult wage workers (3206 precarious and 3060 non-precarious workers) aged ≥19 years were included. Socioeconomic and health-related characteristics as well as depressive mood and suicidal ideation were investigated.

RESULTS

Precarious employment was significantly associated with depressive mood in the logistic regression analyses adjusting for all potential confounding factors as covariates. The socioeconomic variables including age, gender, education level, marital status, household income, and occupation type were significantly related with depressive mood and suicidal ideation in adult wage workers. We also found that gender and household income had possible moderating effects on the association between precarious employment and suicidal ideation. Precarious work was associated with suicidal ideation only for male workers and worker with low or middle-lower income levels.

LIMITATIONS

Our study is based on a cross-sectional design, thus, we could not elucidate the causal relationship between the variables.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study suggested that precarious employment plays a pivotal role in the mental health status of adult wage workers.