Full-time homemakers, in particular, turned out to have the highest rate of depression at 59.9 percent. (Image courtesy of Pxfuel)
SEOUL, Sep. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — With the COVID-19 crisis dragging on for more than half a year, full-time homemakers are suffering from the so-called ‘corona blues’, which refers to depression caused by the pandemic.
Many are suffering from higher stress and depression since their child-rearing burden has increased with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing their children stay at home without going to school.
According to a survey conducted in April by the Gyeonggi Research Institute, 48 percent of South Koreans said they were suffering from depression due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Full-time homemakers, in particular, turned out to have the highest rate of depression at 59.9 percent.
This is primarily because they bear the sole burden of taking care of children who stay at home all day long without going to school due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Baek Jong-woo, a professor of mental health at Kyung Hee University, said, “Despite the increase in the child-rearing burden resulting from the COVID-19 crisis, full-time homemakers are having difficulty finding ways to reduce their stress.”
He added, “Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, they spared some time for themselves while their children stayed at school. Today, however, many homemakers feel stifled because of the difficulty in making some time for themselves.”
Another problem facing full-time homemakers is a sense of self-guilt. Far too often, they blame themselves after inadvertently passing on their stress to children.
Kwak Geum-joo, a professor of psychology at Seoul National University, said, “The child-rearing and domestic burden of homemakers has increased due to the lack of physical and psychological distancing from children. This leads to a vicious cycle of eruption of negative temper and feelings of self-guilt.”
Experts recommend that other family members should attempt to give help to the full-time homemakers suffering from the corona blues.
Baek noted, “It’s desirable for other family members to make efforts and adjust their schedule to clear the way for full-time homemakers to spare some time for themselves.”
J. S. Shin (js_shin@koreabizwire.com)
