@Article{Lee2020, author = "Lee, Hye-Eun and Kim, Inah and Kim, Hyoung-Ryoul and Kawachi, Ichiro", title = "Association of long working hours with accidents and suicide mortality in Korea", journal = "Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health", year = "2020", month = "Sep", day = "46", number = "5", pages = "480--487", keywords = "accident; depression; injury; karoshi; KNHANES; Korea; Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; long working hour; mental health; occupational; overwork; suicide; work hour; working hour; working time; worktime", abstract = "'
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OBJECTIVES ': 'The deleterious health effects of long working hours have been previously investigated, but there is a dearth of studies on mortality resulting from accidents or suicide. This prospective study aims to examine the association between working hours and external-cause mortality (accidents and suicide) in Korea, a country with some of the longest working hours in the world.
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METHODS ': 'Employed workers (N=14 484) participating in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) were matched with the Korea National Statistical Office’s death registry from 2007–2016 (person-years = 81 927.5 years, mean weighted follow-up duration = 5.7 years). Hazard ratios (HR) for accident (N=25) and suicide (N=27) mortality were estimated according to weekly working hours, with 35–44 hours per week as the reference.
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RESULTS ': 'Individuals working 45–52 hours per week had higher risk of total external cause mortality compared to those working 35–44 hours per week [HR 2.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.22–6.40], adjusting for sex, age, household income, education, occupation, and depressive symptoms. Among the external causes of death, suicide risk was higher (HR 3.89, 95% CI 1.06–14.29) for working 45–52 hours per week compared to working 35–44 hours per week. Working >52 hours per week also showed increased risk for suicide (HR 3.74, 95% CI 1.03–13.64). No statistically significant associations were found for accident mortality.
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CONCLUSIONS ': 'Long working hours are associated with higher suicide mortality rates in Korea.
", issn = "0355-3140", doi = "10.5271/sjweh.3890", url = "https://www.sjweh.fi/show_abstract.php?abstract_id=3890", url = "https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3890" }