Journal of Korean medical scienceJul 2, 2016

High Emotional Stress and Low Job Control Linked to Suicidal Thoughts in Korean Service and Sales Workers

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Abstract

Among 1,995 service and sales workers in Korea, high emotional demands are associated with increased risks of .

Workers facing high emotional demands had odds ratios (OR) of 2.07 for men and 1.97 for women regarding suicidal ideation.
Low job control was linked to ORs of 1.96 in men and 1.33 in women for suicidal ideation.
The combination of high emotional demands and low job control significantly increased the risk of suicidal ideation, with ORs of 4.60 for men and 2.78 for women.
High emotional demands combined with high job control also presented a notable risk, with ORs of 1.93 for men and 1.60 for women.
These findings suggest that emotional demands and job control may significantly influence suicidal thoughts in service and sales workers.

Simplified

We examined the relationship of high emotional demands and low job control to among service and sales workers in Korea. A total of 1,995 service and sales workers participated in this study. Suicidal ideation and level of emotional demand and job control were assessed by self-reported questionnaire in 4th Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Gender-specific odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for suicidal ideation were calculated using logistic regression analysis. The results show that workers who suffered from high emotional demands (OR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.24-3.45 in men, OR, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.42-2.75 in women) or low job control (OR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.42-2.75 in men, OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 0.91-1.93 in women) were more likely to experience suicidal ideation after controlling for age, household income, and employment characteristics. The interaction model of emotional demands and job control revealed that workers with high emotional demands and high job control (OR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.08-3.45 in men, OR, 1.60; 95% CI,1.06-2.42 in women) and high emotional demands and low job control (OR; 4.60, 95% CI;1.88-11.29 in men, OR; 2.78, 95% CI;1.64-4.44 in women) had a higher risk for suicidal ideation compared to those with low emotional demands and high job control after controlling for age, household income, employment characteristics, smoking, alcohol drinking and physical activity habit. These results suggest that high emotional demands in both genders and low job control in men might play a crucial role in developing suicidal ideation among sales and service workers in Korea.

Key numbers

2.07

Increased Odds of (High Emotional Demands)

Odds ratio for men experiencing .

1.96

Increased Odds of (Low Job Control)

Odds ratio for men with low job control.

4.60

Increased Odds of (High Emotional Demands + Low Job Control)

Odds ratio for men with both high emotional demands and low job control.

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Competing interests

DISCLOSURE: The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.

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High Emotional Stress and Low Job Control Linked to Suicidal Thoughts in Korean Service and Sales Workers

Abstract

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