Impact of In-Home Repair Services on Physical and Mental Harm among Essential Workers: The Mediating Effect of Fear and Moderating Effect of Types of Employment.

This study attempted to establish a hypothetical model describing the severity of physical and mental harm among essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, the mediating effect of fear on the relationship between in-home services and the severity of physical and mental harm was analyzed. Moreover, this study utilized multigroup path analysis to examine differences according to the type of employment. Thus, data from all 502 participants were included in the final analysis. The study found that in-home service did not have a direct effect on fear in the path model for the permanent employment group, but did have a direct effect on fear in the path model for the non-permanent employment group. The implications for the field are that the following is required: an anti-infection system should be incorporated at workplaces; employment stability should be provided for essential workers; providing systematic support, such as professional counseling to alleviate negative emotional responses, should be considered.

The Relation between Worker Protection System in the Interpersonal Service and Workplace Violence as Well as Workers' Depression.

Background: We aimed to confirm the effect of interpersonal service worker protection system on workplace violence and depression and to determine the relationship among the protection system, workplace violence, and depression. Methods: Self-reporting survey was conducted for approximately a month beginning on 2 March 2020, among members selected using the convenience sampling method from seven labor unions in South Korea to which interpersonal service workers belonged. The questionnaire consisted of questions regarding the subjects' general characteristics, worker protection system, workplace violence, and depression. Overall, 1,541 workers participated in this study. Results: The basic model was used to test the relationship between the protection system and depression, with a mediating effect of workplace violence. Three of the hypothesized paths were significant (P<.001), but the basic model did not fit the data. In the revised model, the direct path from the protection system to depression was deleted. Path coefficient of the direct effect of the protection system on violence was -0.05, the direct effect of the violence on depression was 0.77, and the indirect effect of the protection system on depression was -0.04. The fit of this model was acceptable. Conclusion: Organizational interventions have an indirect effect on reducing depression by preventing workplace violence; however, there was no direct effect on reducing the depression of the workers. These results justify the need to invest in strengthening workplace protection systems for the interpersonal service workers.

The Effect of Employee Competency and Organizational Culture on Employees' Perceived Stress for Better Workplace.

Although the meaningful relationship between organizational culture and employee performance is a widely-researched topic, there is scant research available how organizational culture impacts on employees' perceived stress in the workplace, affecting their performance. This might cause a difficulty to guide practitioners as to what organizational elements can be applied to reduce employee perceived stress. To add the level of robustness and fill the gap in the literature, the present research explores the effect of organizational culture with employee competency on workers' perceived stress which has emerged as a common occupational disease and affected employees psychologically and physically; thus, affecting their performance. Using 641 responses, the statistical findings of the present research insists that HR practitioners should match the type of organizational culture and employee competency situationally to reduce employee stress. The current authors suggest that organizations desiring the adaptability competencies (Professional competency) for their employees should build a clan organizational culture. In contrast, organizations should encourage a market organizational culture for their employees who possess customer orientation competency (Simply result-oriented competency). The research outcomes provide additional knowledge to the existing literature, enhance academicians' understanding of the research topic, and serve as a significant knowledge base for further empirical research.

Effects of Social Interaction and Depression on Homeboundness in Community-Dwelling Older Adults Living Alone.

This study examines the levels of social interaction, depression, and homeboundness, and the effects of social interaction and depression on homeboundness in community-dwelling older adults living alone. Survey data were collected from 6444 older adults aged 65 and over, living alone, who registered for individualized home care services at 42 public health centers in Gyeonggi Province. A total of 5996 participants with complete questionnaire data were included in the analysis. The mean social interaction score was 2.90 out of 6, and the mean depression score was 6.21 out of 15. The mean homeboundness score was 0.42 out of 2. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed with general characteristics, health factors, social interaction, and depression to identify their effects on homeboundness. In general characteristics and health factors, homeboundness is associated with decreasing social interaction (ß = 0.17, p < 0.001) and increasing depression (ß = 0.25, p < 0.001) in older adults living alone. Homeboundness was severe among participants aged 80 and over (ß = 0.04, p = 0.015) and those with several chronic diseases (ß = 0.04, p < 0.001), falling history (ß = 0.14, p < 0.001), and lack of exercise (ß = −0.20, p < 0.001). Thus, interventions that target social interaction, depression, and health functions are important for this demographic.

Analysis of latent profiles and affected factors according to the implementation of a protection system against customer bullying in Korea.

BACKGROUND: Instances of customers bullying employees at the workplace are increasing with the development of the service industry. Korea has established a worker protection system to prevent negative effects of customer bullying on workers' health. This study identified the latent profile types of protection against customer bullying in workplaces, and determined their predictors. METHODS: Data were collected over 28 days, from March 2 to 30, 2020. This study identified whether protection against customer bullying is implemented for workers in person-to-person services, the change effected by this protection, and worker monitoring scope. Data from 1,537 out of 1,550 participants were analyzed, excluding the missing values. Latent profile types were identified using Mplus 8.5 for data analysis, and the multinomial logistic regression analysis was performed to review the predictors. RESULTS: The results are as follows. There were four types of latent profile types: lagging, medium, relative preventive type, and excellent type. Variables predicting these types included age, gender, service period, position, occupational category, worker monitoring scope, decrease in the number of customers causing problems, decrease in disputes with customers, and worker satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: First, a system to prevent customer bullying must be adopted in the service industry. Second, there must be a way to improve trust between customers and workers when protective measures are being adopted. Third, managers must establish a system that can both protect workers against bullying and provide customer satisfaction.

The Effects of Work Characteristics Related to Work-Life Imbalance on Presenteeism among Female Workers in the Health and Social Work Sectors: Mediation Analysis of Psychological and Physical Health Problems.

This study is a multigroup path analysis aiming to create a theoretical model of presenteeism among female workers in the health and social work sectors, assess the mediating effects of mental health problems (sleeping trouble and psychological wellbeing), and physical health problems (fatigue and muscle aches) on the relationship between work characteristics (demands at work and social community at work) and presenteeism, and identify the differences between the effects of variables on those who reported low work-life imbalance and high work-life imbalance. Raw data from the fifth Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS) were analyzed. From the total sample of 50,205 people, 2209 women in health and social work were included in the study sample. The results were as follows: the demands at work had a significant and positive indirect effect on presenteeism (B = 0.0023, p < 0.001), mediated by trouble sleeping, fatigue, and muscle aches, in that order. Demands at work were also found to have a significant and negative indirect effect on presenteeism (B = -0.0017, p < 0.001), mediated by psychological wellbeing, fatigue, and muscle aches, in descending order. Social community at work had a significant and negative indirect effect on presenteeism (B = -0.0022, p < 0.001), mediated by trouble sleeping, fatigue, and muscle aches, in that order. Social community at work also had a significant and negative effect on presenteeism, mediated by psychological wellbeing, fatigue, and muscle aches, in descending order (B = -0.0097, p < 0.001). Demands at work did not have a significant effect on psychological wellbeing in the low work-life imbalance group, whereas its effect was significant and positive (ß = 0.198, p < 0.001) in the high work-life imbalance group. In conclusion, in the path model of the low work-life imbalance group, demands at work did not influence psychological wellbeing. Therefore, strategies to ameliorate work-life imbalance may be helpful components of interventions to reduce presenteeism.

Work-Family Balance among Dual-Earner Couples in South Korea: A Latent Profile Analysis.

The declining birth rate in South Korea is concerning and linked to stress in the work-family balance, which is known to affect family planning. Therefore, providing proper support to double-earner couples might help improve the fertility rate. Work-family balance refers to the ability of individuals to perform their roles at work and home with equal involvement. This study identifies two aspects: gains and strains. Latent profile analysis is employed to create a typology that can account for the diversity in work-family balance. This approach is person-centered rather than variable-centered, and it identifies clusters of individuals that differ qualitatively, thereby examining the strains and gains experienced by double-earner couples. We classify the types of work-family balance and identify the attributes of each profile. The findings showed that men were more likely to belong to the high-gain class when they had a temporary position, multiple children, good health, low depression, higher life satisfaction levels, and strong social support. Women were more likely to belong to the high-gain class when they experienced high happiness levels and strong social support. Based on these profiles, we provide recommendations to enhance work-family balance, thereby contributing to strategies to overcome low birth rates.

The Effect of Labor and Relationship Exclusions on Older Korean Men with Depression.

To manage depression of older men, it is necessary to identify factors that influence depression and improve them. This study used the Korean Aging Longitude Research to understand the effects of labor exclusion and relationship exclusion on depression in Korean male seniors aged 65 and older. According to research on the effect of labor exclusion and relationship exclusion on depression, depression in the case where labor was excluded was 1.69 times higher in 2014, 1.65 times higher in 2016, and 1.93 times higher in 2018 compared to the case where labor was not excluded. Depression in the case where relationship was excluded was 2.94 times higher in 2014, 3.15 times higher in 2016, and 2.57 times higher in 2018 compared to the case where relationship was not excluded. Depression in the case where labor and relationship were both excluded was 3.00 times higher in 2014, 3.23 times higher in 2016, and 2.81 times higher in 2018 compared to the case where neither labor nor relationship was excluded. Since labor exclusion and relationship exclusion have a big influence on depression in older men, it is necessary to establish plans for job creation and for the formation of social relationships for the elderly.

The interplay of sleep duration, working hours, and obesity in Korean male workers: The 2010-2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the odds ratio for association between working hours and obesity in Korean male wage workers and investigate the role of sleep duration. This study is a cross-sectional one using large-scale national data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey collected between 2010 and 2015 to evaluate 2,592 male wage workers (between the ages of 19 and 60 years). Obesity was defined as 25kg/m2 or more and working hours per week were categorized into <40, 40-49, 50-59, and ≥60 hours. Multiple regression analysis was performed to examine the odds ratio for association between working hours and obesity, after controlling for age, education, income, marital status, smoking, drinking, physical activity, daily energy intake, sleep duration, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, work schedule, and job category. Next, to study the mediating effect of sleep duration on the association between working hours and obesity, an analysis was performed using the Baron and Kenny method and the Sobel test. Results showed that workers with 50 to 59 hours had 1.4 times higher odds (odds ratio [OR] = 1.4, confidence interval [CI]: 1.11-1.85) of obesity and workers with 60 hours or more had 1.4 times higher odds (OR = 1.4, CI: 1.06-1.90) of obesity than workers with less than 40 hours. Sleep was found to have a mediating effect on the association between working time and body mass index. Therefore, the results of this analysis suggest that practitioners should identify potential factors such as working time and sleeping time when preventing work-related obesity.

Sociodemographic and Health Characteristics Associated with Metabolic Syndrome in Men and Women Aged ≥50 Years.

Background: There are limited studies on the prevalence of and risk factors for metabolic syndrome (MetS) in people aged ≥50 years. This study investigated the sociodemographic and health characteristics related to MetS prevalence in men and women aged ≥50 years to assess clustering of risk factors. Methods: This study used the 2016 survey data of 2927 people aged 50-79 years who were administered questionnaires and underwent examinations. Participants were divided into adults aged 50-64 and 65-79 years and further into four subgroups, according to sex. Differences in sociodemographic and health characteristics by sex were verified using the chi-squared test. Complex sample logistic regression analysis was performed to verify factors related to MetS. Results: The sociodemographic characteristics associated with MetS in men and women aged 50-64 years, included living without a spouse, having a middle school education or less, and reporting a low economic status. The health characteristics associated with MetS in men aged 50-64 years were current smoking status and strength training <2 times/week. The sociodemographic characteristic associated with MetS in women aged 65-79 years was living without a spouse. Hypertriglyceridemia was the risk factor most associated with MetS prevalence. Conclusions: Among men and women aged 50-64 years, living without a spouse, having a low education level, and reporting a low economic status were associated with MetS prevalence. Current smoking status and strength training <2 times/week for men and living without a spouse for women aged 65-79 years were associated with MetS.

A structural equation model analysis of the effects of emotional labor and job stress on depression among nurses with long working hours: Focusing on the mediating effects of resilience and social support.

BACKGROUND: Recently, hospital services have undergone massive changes. As global competition intensifies and informed patients require improved medical services, nurses' depression has increased. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effect of emotional labor and job stress on depression in nurses with long working hours via structural equation modeling. METHODS: The data were collected in three general hospitals with 300 beds or more from August 31 to September 12, 2016, and 400 nurse practitioners agreed to participate. We retrieved 350 self-reported questionnaires in total, of which 291 were analyzed (excluding 33 containing unidentifiable values and 26 outliers). RESULTS: The emotional labor of nurses with long working hours influenced depression, whereas job stress did not. Resilience had a negative mediating effect on the relationship between emotional labor and depressive symptoms. Social support had negative mediating effects on the relationship between job stress and depression. CONCLUSIONS: To promote the mental health of nurses in Korea, policies must decrease nurses' working hours and maintain work environments that enable them to demonstrate their full competency. Thus, it is necessary to limit long hours and implement structures and systems that promote compliance with these limitations.

Trends in Female Workers' Childbearing Intentions in South Korea.

This study aimed to analyze trends of South Korean working women's childbearing intentions to provide directions for strategies to increase South Korea's birth rate. This study used the data generated by the Korean Longitudinal Panel Survey of Women and Families in South Korea from 2007 to 2016, and included 2,341 working women. This study showed that female workers' intention to bear children is decreasing. In 2007, age and the number of children were considered in predicting the characteristics of those with childbearing intentions. In 2016, the provision of maternity leave at work, job satisfaction regarding relationships and communication, and work-family conflicts were added. When identifying the factors by category, the impact level of occupational factors increased, although the impact level of individual factors decreased. There should be a balance between work and family roles, and employers should provide ample maternity leave and promote an organizational culture that supports job satisfaction.

Models for Developing Community Organizations to Reinforce Health Management in Small Businesses.

The incidence of occupational diseases in small businesses is higher than in big ones, and this fact puts the former in need of a healthcare management model they can administer. This study established a model based on community organizational development theory to reinforce worker empowerment for healthcare in small businesses, focusing on health centers for workers (HCFW). The researchers surveyed 408 workers at 39 small businesses in the B region of South Korea, according to the characteristics of business sites, general characteristics of workers, and elements of community organizational development theory, and analyzed their results with a structural equation. The research period was September, 2015. Five concepts were examined: empowerment in healthcare, community capacity, participation and relevance, critical consciousness, and issue selection. The results revealed that greater community capacity led to greater participation and relevance (γ = 0.39) and empowerment in healthcare (γ = 0.25), while greater participation and relevance led to greater empowerment in healthcare (γ = 0.76). In addition, greater critical consciousness led to greater participation and relevance (γ = 0.12). Finally, greater community capacity led to greater issues selection (γ = 0.56), which in turn led to greater participation and relevance (γ = 0.25). The study makes proposals for directions of health centers for workers and community networks. Confirmation of this model for worker empowerment suggests several directions to HCFW in relation to workers and community networks.

Association between Occupational Characteristics and Overweight and Obesity among Working Korean Women: The 2010-2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Associations between several occupational characteristics and obesity are not fully elucidated in Korean working populations, especially in females. This study investigated associations between occupational characteristics and overweight/obesity among Korean women. Data on 2090 female workers (the mean age was 38.8 ± 0.2 years), extracted from Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys in 2010-2015, were analyzed and showed that 6.8% of subjects were underweight, 50.8% had normal weight, 20.1% were overweight, and 22.2% were individuals with obesity. Multiple regression analysis was performed to examine associations between occupational characteristics and overweight/obesity, after controlling for demographic, behavioral, and health-related characteristics. The reference group was normal weight. Working hours were strongly associated with overweight/obesity. The odds ratio (OR) of obesity in women who worked for ≥60 hours per week was 2.68 (95% confidence interval: [CI] 2.13-3.36) compared with those who worked for <40 hours. Night/shift workers were 1.21 times (95% confidence interval: [CI] 1.01-1.45) more likely to experience obesity than day or evening workers. In conclusion, obesity rates increase among female workers with longer working hours and those who work at night or in shifts. Occupational characteristics should be considered in the prevention of obesity among working women.

Factors associated with the occurrence of functional dyspepsia and insomnia in shift-working nurses.

BACKGROUND: In South Korea, people are growing more and more interested in the early detection and prevention of health problems in shift workers. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate demographic, work-related and health-related factors relevant to functional dyspepsia and insomnia in shift-working nurses in South Korea. METHODS: The sample was comprised of 1431 nurses who worked rotating shifts in three large hospitals in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The questionnaire consisted of factors assessing demographic, work-related and health-related characteristics. Rome III criteria and the Insomnia Severity Index were applied to identify functional dyspepsia and insomnia, respectively. The survey was ongoing for approximately one month starting from 17 June 2013. RESULTS: The results of this study indicated that gender, body mass index, the number of night shifts worked, work-related stress, and regular dietary patterns were related to functional dyspepsia and insomnia in shift-working nurses. CONCLUSIONS: This study may help establish suitable working conditions and build workplace health promotion programs for shift-working nurses.

Contributors to shift work tolerance in South Korean nurses working rotating shift.

Shift workers have rapidly increased in South Korea; however, there is no published research exploring shift work tolerance among South Korean workers. This study aimed to investigate factors related to shift work tolerance in South Korean nurses. The sample comprised of 660 nurses who worked shifts in a large hospital in South Korea. A structured questionnaire included following comprehensive variables: demographic (age and number of children), individual (morningness and self-esteem), psychosocial (social support and job stress), lifestyle (alcohol consumption, physical activity, and BMI), and working condition factors (number of night shifts and working hours). Shift work tolerance was measured in terms of insomnia, fatigue, and depression. The results of hierarchical regressions indicate that all variables, except for three, number of children, BMI, and working hours, were related to at least one of the symptoms associated with shift work tolerance. Based on these results, we offer some practical implications to help improve shift work tolerance of workers.

Evaluation of anti-atopic dermatitis activity of Hypsizigus marmoreus extract.

Hypsizigus marmoreus is an edible mushroom that is cultivated worldwide. In this study, we investigated antiinflammatory activities of H. marmoreus extract on atopic dermatitis (AD)-like symptoms. Ethanol extract of H. marmoreus (HMEE) was administrated in powder to BALB/c mice in which AD was induced by 1-chloro 2, 4, 6-trinitrobenzene [picryl-chloride, (PCL)]. The dermatitis severity score and the thickness of the epidermis were significantly decreased following daily intake of HMEE powder (1 g/kg/day) for 5 weeks compared with a PCL-treated group. The mRNA expression of proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-1 beta (IL-1ß) and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), was significantly attenuated in the dorsal skin of the HMEE-fed mouse group compared with the PCL-treated mouse group. In addition, in concanavalin A-stimulated and lipopolysaccharide-stimulated mouse splenocytes and macrophages, levels of IL-1ß and IFN-γ production were attenuated following the addition of HMEE. Interestingly, the administration of HMEE to mouse splenocytes stimulated the production of an antiinflammatory cytokine, IL-4. However, increases in the levels of proinflammatory cytokines and nitric oxide were attenuated by treating the mouse splenocytes, mouse macrophages, and Raw 264.7 cell line with HMEE. These results strongly suggest that HMEE exhibits anti-AD activity via the regulation of inflammatory responses.

Gα12gep oncogene inhibits FOXO1 in hepatocellular carcinoma as a consequence of miR-135b and miR-194 dysregulation.

The high mortality rate of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is associated with its fast-growing malignancy. In tumor microenvironments, certain GPCRs are coupled to Gα12 for signal transduction. Given the role of forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) in the inhibition of various tumors, this study investigated whether increase of Gα12 in HCC causes FOXO1 repression, and if so, whether this event occurs through microRNA dysregulation. Overexpression of an active mutant of Gα12 (Gα12QL) decreased FOXO1 levels, whereas knockdown of Gα12 had the opposite effect. Of the microRNAs targeting FOXO1, miR-135b levels were markedly increased by Gα12 signaling, which led to FOXO1 repression as shown by the experiments using mimic, antisense oligonucleotide or siRNA. Gα12QL increased the primary form of miR-135b by activating JunB (or c-Jun)/AP-1. Consistently, knockdown of JunB (or c-Jun) decreased miR-135b levels, thereby increasing FOXO1. Moreover, Gα12QL induced MDM2, the deficiency of which facilitated FOXO1 accumulation. In addition, Gα12QL repressed miR-194 cluster gene products (194/192/215), which contributed to MDM2-mediated FOXO1 repression. In functional assays, Gα12QL facilitated tumor cell growth with alterations in cell cycle-associated protein levels, which was antagonized by enforced expression of FOXO1. In human HCCs, FOXO1 levels were decreased as compared with the surrounding liver tissue. Moreover, decrease of FOXO1 or miR-194 was statistically significant between stages T1 and T2, whereas increase of miR-135b discriminated tumor stage T3a versus T1/T2. In conclusion, Gα12gep oncogene inhibits FOXO1, which may result from the inhibition of FOXO1 de novo synthesis by miR-135b in conjunction with MDM2-mediated destabilization of FOXO1.

[Economic evaluation of a workplace occupational health nursing service: based on comparison with atmospheric environment managing engineer].

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to use cost-benefit analysis of activity to clarify the economic effect of prepared nurses versus atmospheric environment managing engineers as healthcare managers. METHODS: For the study 111 workplaces were surveyed, workplaces in which nurses or atmospheric environment managing engineers were employed as healthcare managers. The survey content included annual gross salaries, participation in external job training, costs in joining association covered by the company, location and year of construction of the healthcare office, various kinds of healthcare expenditures, costs in operating healthcare office, health education, and activity performance in the work of environment management. RESULTS: In the case of the healthcare manager being a nurse, benefit was larger than input costs at a ratio of 2.31. On the other hand, in the case of healthcare manager being an atmospheric environment managing engineer, input costs were larger than benefits (benefit-cost ratio 0.88). CONCLUSION: Results indicate that nurses are an effective healthcare human resource and can offer good quality healthcare service. Therefore companies should hire nurses and actively promote the economic efficiency of nurses in workplace.

Relationship between handling heavy items during pregnancy and spontaneous abortion: a cross-sectional survey of working women in South Korea.

The researchers conducted a cross-sectional survey to determine the relationship between handling heavy items during pregnancy and spontaneous abortion among working women in South Korea. One thousand working women were selected from a database of those eligible for maternity benefits under the National Employment Insurance Plan. Study results showed that handling heavy items during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of spontaneous abortion after adjusting for general characteristics of the participants and their work environment. A collective effort is needed on the parts of employers, employees, occupational health nurses, and the government to protect working women from lifting heavy items while pregnant.