The Effect of Long Working Hours on Mental Health among Korean Wage Earners

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the effect of long working hours on depression among wage earners aged 45 to 64 years using the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA) data from 2006 to 2018. A total of 2,261 workers who were working 35 hours or more per week and who did not have mental disease at baseline were analyzed. A 1-year time-lagged analysis was conducted to investigate the effect of working hours on depression levels in the following year using GEE (Generalized Estimating Equation) panel regression, taking into account the reverse causation between working hours and mental health. As a result, working above 52 hours per week were significantly associated with increased level of the depressive symptom in the following year. In addition, dose-response relationship was observed between working hours and depression showing that workers with longer working hours increasingly reported feeling depressed, particularly among women. These results were robust even after controlling for socio-demographic factors, employment status, and health status. The findings highlight the need for more proactive interventions to protect the health of workers exposed to long working hours.