Temporary work and depressive symptoms in South Korean workers

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Sociology
• Public Health

Background:

• Labor market shifts globally and in South Korea have increased precarious employment.
• Evidence suggests workers in unstable jobs face greater mental health challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between temporary employment and depressive symptoms among South Korean workers.
• Investigate mental health disparities linked to different employment types.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Korean Welfare Panel Study (2010-2014).
• Categorized employment into day laborers, fixed-term workers, and permanent workers.
• Assessed depressive symptoms using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale (CES-D 11) via generalized estimating equation models.

Main Results:

• Analysis included 3756 workers (aged 20-59) from the 2010 baseline.
• Day laborers exhibited the highest mean CES-D 11 scores.
• Fixed-term workers (β: -1.5027, P < 0.001) and permanent workers (β: -2.1848, P < 0.001) showed significantly lower depression scores relative to day laborers.

Conclusions:

• Progressively lower depression scores were observed for fixed-term and permanent workers compared to day laborers.
• The study indicates the existence of mental health inequalities tied to employment status in South Korea.