title: Job stress and depressive symptoms among Korean employees: the effects of culture on work.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was conducted to investigate the association between depressive symptoms and job stress, as measured by the KOSS, among Korean employees in small- and medium-sized enterprises, and examined which components of stress are involved in the risk for depression among males and females.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected from a work-stress survey of full-time employees of small- and medium-sized enterprises in Incheon, South Korea. A total of 3,013 participants were included in the analysis. Job stress was measured using 24 items (7 sub-scales) of the short form of Korean occupational stress scale (KOSS-SF), and depressive symptoms were evaluated using Center for epidemiologic studies depression scale (CES-D).
  
  
  RESULTS
  After adjustment for confounding variables, most of subscales of job stress contributed to an increased risk of depressive symptoms, and job insecurity (male; OR = 2.02, 95%CI: 1.61-2.40, female; OR = 1.95, 95%CI: 1.42-2.70) and occupational climate (male; OR = 1.84, 95%CI: 1.49-2.28, female; OR = 1.78, 95%CI: 1.30-2.49) showed strong associations in both male and female. Other subscales revealed different effects for males and females; for males, job demands (OR = 1.68, 95%CI: 1.43-2.20), inadequate social support (OR = 1.55, 95%CI: 1.23-1.94), and lack of rewards (OR = 1.88, 95%CI: 1.48-2.37) were associated with depressive symptoms, whereas for females, organizational injustice (OR = 1.62, 95%CI: 1.14-2.30) was associated with depressive symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that job stress may play a significant role in increasing the risk of depressive symptoms, and that further preventive efforts and research are needed to reduce job stress and address health problems caused by job stress among Korean employees.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Inha University Hospital, Incheon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Shin-Goo
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Kyoung-Bok
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Min
authors.forename: Sei-Jin
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Hwan-Cheol
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jin-Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Min
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult