Gain of employment and depressive symptoms among previously unemployed workers: A longitudinal cohort study in South Korea

• Published in: American journal of industrial medicine Vol. 56; no. 10; pp. 1245 - 1250
• Main Authors: Kim, Seung-Sup, Muntaner, Carles, Kim, Hyun, Jeon, Christie Y., Perry, Melissa J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, NJ Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.10.2013; Wiley-Liss; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Cohort Studies; Depression; Depression - epidemiology; Depression - psychology; depressive symptoms; Employment - psychology; Employment - statistics & numerical data; Female; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Mood disorders; Multivariate Analysis; Occupational medicine; precarious employment; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Regression Analysis; Republic of Korea - epidemiology; Risk; South Korea; unemployment; Unemployment - psychology; Unemployment - statistics & numerical data; Young Adult; Asia; South Korea; Korea; Republic of Korea; Korea, Rep; Mood disorder; Human; Depression; Occupational exposure; Epidemiology; Unemployment; depressive symptoms; Symptomatology; South Korea; Employment; Follow up study; Job insecurity; Cohort study; Worker; Occupational medicine; Public health; precarious employment; unemployment
• ISSN: 0271-3586; 1097-0274
• DOI: 10.1002/ajim.22201

Background The goal of this study is to examine the association between gain of employment and depressive symptoms among previously unemployed workers in South Korea. Methods Using data from the on‐going Korean Welfare Panel Study, we determined four different employment statuses (i.e., unemployment, part‐time precarious, full‐time precarious, full‐time permanent employment) at follow up (2008 or 2010) among the unemployed at baseline (2007 or 2009) and examined their association with depressive symptoms after excluding the people with depressive symptoms at baseline (N = 308). Depressive symptoms were assessed annually using the 11‐item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Results After adjusting for covariates including health‐related variables, unemployed individuals who gained full‐time permanent employment (RR: 0.38, 95% CI: 0.18, 0.83) and those who gained full‐time precarious employment (RR: 0.26, 95% CI: 0.11, 0.63) were less likely to have depressive symptoms compared to those with persistent unemployment. In a subpopulation analysis conducted after additionally excluding the people with depressive symptoms 1 year before baseline, only the association between gaining full‐time permanent employment and depressive symptoms was significant (RR: 0.27, 95% CI: 0.08, 0.86). Conclusions Our findings highlight the benefits of full‐time permanent employment on worker's mental health. Am. J. Ind. Med. 56:1245–1250, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.