Concealing Emotions at Work Is Associated with Allergic Rhinitis in Korea

Abstract

Concealing emotions at work can cause considerable psychological stress. While there is extensive research on the adverse health effects of concealing emotions and the association between allergic diseases and stress, research has not yet investigated whether concealing emotions at work is associated with allergic rhinitis. Allergic rhinitis is a common disease in many industrialized countries, and its prevalence is increasing. Thus, our aim was to determine the strength of this association using data from three years (2007)(2008)(2009)) of the 4th Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Participants (aged 20-64) were 8,345 individuals who were economically active and who had completed the questionnaire items on concealing emotions at work. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated for allergic rhinitis using logistic regression models. Among all participants, 3,140 subjects (37.6%) reported concealing their emotions at work: 1,661 men and 1,479 women. The OR (95% CIs) for allergic rhinitis among those who concealed emotions at work versus those who did not was 1.318 (1.148-1.512). Stratified by sex, the OR (95% CIs) was 1.307 (1.078-1.585) among men and 1.346 (1.105-1.639) among women. Thus, individuals who concealed their emotions at work were significantly more likely to have a diagnosis of AR in comparison to those who did not. Because concealing emotions at work has adverse health effects, labor policies that aim to reduce this practice are needed.

Allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, and asthma are associated with differences in school performance among Korean adolescents

“…Conversely, better school performance was associated with more stress or emotional labour from school work, which is suggested to be associated with allergic rhinitis. Emotional labour or stress, in which emotions are concealed at work, was suggested to be related to allergic rhinitis [ 38 ]. Stress was correlated with allergic rhinitis and other allergy-associated symptoms in adolescents [ 39 ].…”

The association between allergic rhinitis and sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

“…It is characterized by two or more symptoms of nasal itching, rhinorrhea, nasal congestion, and/or sneezing [2]. AR has been reported to have an adverse impact on sleep, memory ability, quality of life, academic performance, and work productivity [3][4][5][6][7]. In 2010, AR affected 10%-20% of the worldwide population, and that number continues to grow with modern lifestyle and environmental changes [1].…”

Association between occupational clusters and allergic rhinitis in the Korean population: analysis of the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data

“…Additionally, this self-reported questionnaire might have increased the reported prevalence of AR in white-collar workers who were likely to have more knowledge of AR symptoms. Although bias of this type is possible, this method has been used to define AR in many epidemiological studies 5 , 7 , 17 , 43 , 44) . Finally, this study lacked data on possible confounders such as the presence of common comorbid conditions such as asthma or atopic dermatitis.…”

“…Participants diagnosed with AR by a physician were placed in the AR group 5 , 7 , 17 ) . Those who were diagnosed as not having AR were included in the non-AR group.…”

“…Patients with AR may have insomnia and find it difficult to maintain their social lives or a high level of performance at their workplace, leading to the loss of productivity 1 , 3 - 5 ) . In addition to increasing medical expenses, AR also imposes a substantial socioeconomic burden in other ways.…”