Women who experienced emotional labor were 2.19 times more likely to suffer from depression than women who did not. (image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — A recent study has found that so-called emotional laborers in the service and sales sectors showed an increased risk of depression.
The study was conducted by a research team at Korea University based on a database of 2,055 individuals older than 19 years of age working in service and sales.
The research team examined whether the participants experienced depression last year, defined as depression lasting for more than two weeks at a level that could disrupt their daily lives.
The participants were asked whether they had to hide their emotions while working, and those who answered ‘true’ and ‘very true’ were then categorized as emotional laborers.
The results showed that 13.9 percent of the respondents experienced depression, and 42.8 percent experienced emotional labor.
In particular, 18.5 percent of the participants who experienced emotional labor also suffered from depression, which was 10.4 percent higher than those who did not experience emotional labor.
The study clearly indicates the high risk of depression among emotional laborers in service and sales. Tentative attention should be paid to the adverse effects on emotional labor experience and mental health.
The research team further analyzed whether gender affected levels of depression among emotional labor workers. The results showed differences between men and women.
Women who experienced emotional labor were 2.19 times more likely to suffer from depression than women who did not. On the other hand, male workers in emotional labor showed no significant increase.
While women were more susceptible to emotional labor, men showed an increased risk of depression when there was no flexibility in their work.
D. M. Park (dmpark@koreabizwire.com)
