Analysis of self-reported mental health problems among the self-employed compared with paid workers in the Republic of Korea

Abstract

Background As self-employed workers are vulnerable to health problems, this study aimed to analyze mental health problems and sleep disturbances among self-employed workers compared with paid workers in Korea. Methods A total of 34,750 workers (23,938 paid workers and 10,812 self-employed workers) were analyzed from the fifth Korean Working Condition Survey, which included 50,205 households collected by stratified sampling in 2017. To compare mental health problems and sleep disturbance among self-employed workers and paid workers, multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed. Results The odds ratio in self-employed workers compared with paid workers was 1.25 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09–1.42) for anxiety, 1.11 (95% CI: 1.04–1.17) for overall fatigue, 1.11 (95% CI: 1.04–1.20) for difficulty falling asleep, 1.10 (95% CI: 1.02–1.18) for difficulty maintaining sleep and 1.24 (95% CI: 1.16–1.32) for extreme fatigue after waking up. Conclusions Self-employed workers in Korea have a higher risk of self-reported mental health problems and sleep disturbances than paid workers. Further studies with a longitudinal design and structured evaluation are required to investigate the causal relationship between health problems and self-employment.

Evaluating the Efficiency of the Process Safety Management System through Analysis of Major Industrial Accidents in South Korea

“…The Korean government held a workshop on major industrial accidents jointly with the International Labor Organization (ILO) in 1992. They conducted research to introduce the system from 1993 to 1995, nurtured experts through overseas training, and held a seminar on preventing major industrial accidents in 1993; in 1995, a PSM system was introduced to the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which was implemented in 1996 [10,11]. A major industrial accident is defined, in Article 33-5 of the Enforcement Decree of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, as accidents that may cause immediate damage to workers in the workplace or damage to areas near the workplace due to the leakage of hazardous substances, hazardous facilities, fire, and explosion [12][13][14][15].…”

“…It has been pointed out that this does not sufficiently reflect the changing social conditions, such as the increase in maintenance work and subcontractors performing dangerous work. In 2006, Lee et al [11] surveyed the satisfaction level of PSM target workplaces and measured PSM business performance based for the 10 years since the introduction of the PSM system in Korea using the PSM business performance measurement and effect analysis. The mid-and long-term directions for indicator development and PSM system operations were presented.…”

Association between Workers’ Anxiety over Technological Automation and Sleep Disturbance: Results from a Nationally Representative Survey

“…Insomnia experienced by workers not only deteriorates their health but also adversely affects organizations and society by reducing work performance [ 22 ]. Workers’ sleep disturbances can be induced by multiple occupational factors, including shift work [ 23 ] and employment type [ 24 ]. Moreover, psychological factors are widely known as important determinants of workers’ sleep quality [ 25 ].…”