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3 "Occupational stress"
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Original Articles
Association of work-time control with burnout and turnover intention: a cross-sectional analysis of a general working population in Korea
Hye-Eun Lee, Seong-Sik Cho, Mo-Yeol Kang
Epidemiol Health. 2026;48:e2026011.   Published online February 21, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2026011
  • 7,174 View
  • 169 Download
AbstractAbstract AbstractSummary PDFSupplementary Material
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
For employees, work-time control (WTC) may protect against burnout and turnover. However, evidence from Korean workplaces is limited. This study aimed to examine whether WTC is associated with burnout and turnover intention and to test whether burnout mediates this relationship.
METHODS
We analyzed data from 4,745 wage workers in the 2024 wave of the Korean Work, Sleep, and Health Study. WTC was assessed across 6 domains, burnout was measured using the Korean Burnout Syndrome Scale, and turnover intention was assessed using a validated 4-item scale. Logistic regression was used to estimate the associations of WTC quartile with burnout and turnover intention, and mediation analysis was used to decompose the association between WTC and turnover intention through burnout.
RESULTS
Among 4,745 workers, the prevalence of burnout was 3.9% and turnover intention was 34.5%; both increased stepwise across lower WTC quartiles. In adjusted models, workers in the lowest WTC quartile had higher odds of burnout (odds ratio [OR], 3.95; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.41 to 6.47) and turnover intention (OR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.85 to 2.71) than those in the highest quartile. Mediation analysis showed that burnout explained 36.6% (95% CI, 22.3 to 51.0) of the association between WTC and turnover intention.
CONCLUSIONS
Lower WTC was linked to higher burnout and turnover intention, with burnout explaining more than one-third of this relationship.
Summary
Korean summary
근로시간 통제(work-time control, WTC)가 낮을수록 한국 노동자에서 번아웃과 이직 의도가 더 높게 나타났다. WTC가 가장 낮은 집단은 가장 높은 집단에 비해 번아웃 위험이 약 4배, 이직 의도는 약 2배 이상 높았다. 번아웃은 WTC와 이직 의도 사이 연관성의 약 36.6%를 매개하여, 근로시간 자율성을 높이는 것이 번아웃을 줄이고 이직 의도를 낮추는 데 기여할 수 있음을 시사한다.
Key Message
Lower work-time control (WTC) was associated with higher burnout and greater turnover intention among Korean workers. Workers in the lowest WTC quartile had nearly four times higher odds of burnout and more than twice the odds of turnover intention compared with those in the highest quartile. Burnout mediated about 36.6% of the association between WTC and turnover intention, suggesting that improving schedule control may reduce turnover partly by preventing burnout.
The association between occupational stress level and health-related productivity loss among Korean employees
Jonghee Chung, Jin-Hyo Kim, Jae Yoon Lee, Hee Seok Kang, Dong-wook Lee, Yun-Chul Hong, Mo-Yeol Kang
Epidemiol Health. 2023;45:e2023009.   Published online December 28, 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2023009
  • 25,085 View
  • 395 Download
  • 7 Web of Science
  • 8 Crossref
AbstractAbstract AbstractSummary PDF
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
Occupational stress management is particularly important for successful business operations, since occupational stress adversely affects workers’ health, eventually lowering their productivity. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the correlation between occupational stress and health-related productivity loss (HRPL) among Korean workers.
METHODS
In 2021, 1,078 workers participated in a web-based questionnaire survey. HRPL was measured using the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire, and occupational stress was measured using the Korean Occupational Stress Scale-Short Form. The occupational stress level was divided into tertiles (low, intermediate, and high), and the low occupational stress group was used as the reference group. Using a generalised linear model, differences in labour productivity loss according to the level of occupational stress were tested after adjusting for demographic characteristics such as age, gender, education level, household income, occupation, and underlying medical conditions.
RESULTS
Non-parametric regression analysis of HRPL according to occupational stress showed a direct association between occupational stress and HRPL. A statistically significant difference was observed in HRPL between participants with intermediate and high occupational stress and those with low occupational stress.
CONCLUSIONS
Our results support the hypothesis that high occupational stress is associated with decreased labour productivity.
Summary
Korean summary
직무스트레스가 건강에 미치는 영향은 잘 알려져 있으나, 노동생산성에 대해 분석한 결과는 그동안 부족하였다. 한국 노동자 1078명을 분석한 결과, 직무스트레스가 낮은 군에 비해서 중등도이거나 높은 경우, 결근이나 프리젠티즘과 같은 건강관련 노동생산성 손실이 약 20%p 정도 높은 것으로 분석되었다.
Key Message
As a result of analyzing 1078 Korean workers, it was revealed that health-related labor productivity losses such as absenteeism and presenteeism were about 20%p higher when occupational stress was moderate or high compared to the low occupational stress group.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by  
  • Design and Proof-of-Concept Evaluation of a Gamified Virtual Reality System for Short-Term Work Stress Reduction
    Ioannis Ladakis, Henar Guillen-Sanz, Despoina Xanthopoulou, Ioanna Chouvarda
    IEEE Access.2026; 14: 30164.     CrossRef
  • Do Females and Males Experience Occupational Stress Differently? Insights From a Meta-Analysis
    Siu Shing Man, Yizhen Fang, Yingwei Chen, Li Liu, Alan Hoi Shou Chan
    Safety and Health at Work.2026; 17(2): 179.     CrossRef
  • Occupational stress(KOSS®19): scale development and validation in the Korean context
    Hansoo Song, Hyoung Ryoul Kim, Inah Kim, Jin-Ha Yoon, Sang-Baek Koh, Sung-Soo Oh, Hee-Tae Kang, Da-Yee Jeung, Dae-Sung Hyun, Chunhui Suh, Sei-Jin Chang
    Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.2025; 37: e12.     CrossRef
  • Impact of Medical Technologist’s Working Environment on Health Problems: Using Data from the 6th Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
    Taewon JUNG, Miran LEE, Sang-ha KIM, Sunghyun KIM, Young-Kwon KIM
    Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science.2025; 57(2): 189.     CrossRef
  • The mediating role of burnout in the association between occupational stress and health-related productivity loss
    Eun KIM, Hyoung-Ryoul KIM, Sangjun CHOI, Hyun A CHO, Seong-Sik CHO, Mo-Yeol KANG
    Industrial Health.2025; 63(6): 557.     CrossRef
  • Association between work from home and health-related productivity loss among Korean employees
    Hyo Jeong Kim, Dong Wook Lee, Jaesung Choi, Yun-Chul Hong, Mo-Yeol Kang
    Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef
  • The association between salivary IL-6 and poor sleep quality assessed using Apple watches in stressed workers in Japan
    Akihiro Koreki, Mitsuhiro Sado, Yasue Mitsukura, Hisateru Tachimori, Anna Kubota, Yoshiaki Kanamori, Manae Uchibori, Shiyori Usune, Akira Ninomiya, Ryutaro Shirahama, Akihiro Fujimoto, Kanako Inabe, Hiroaki Miyata, Masaru Mimura
    Scientific Reports.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef
  • The association of emotional labor and workplace violence with health-related productivity loss
    Heejoo Ko, Dohwan Kim, Seong-Sik Cho, Dong-Wook Lee, Jaesung Choi, Minseok Kim, Min Young Park, Mo-Yeol Kang
    Journal of Occupational Health.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef
The associations of job strain and leisure-time physical activity with the risk of hypertension: the population-based Midlife in the United States cohort study
Xinyue Liu, Timothy A. Matthews, Liwei Chen, Jian Li
Epidemiol Health. 2022;44:e2022073.   Published online September 7, 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2022073
  • 27,120 View
  • 313 Download
  • 10 Web of Science
  • 10 Crossref
AbstractAbstract AbstractSummary PDFSupplementary Material
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
Job strain is positively associated with incident hypertension, while increasing leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) can reduce incident hypertension. However, the joint associations of job strain and LTPA with incident hypertension among United States workers have yet to be investigated. This study examined the independent and joint associations of job strain and LTPA with incident hypertension.
METHODS
This prospective cohort study (n=1,160) utilized data from the population-based Midlife in the United States study. The associations of job strain and LTPA at baseline with incident hypertension during follow-up were examined using Cox proportional hazards models. High job strain was derived from a combination of high job demands and low job control, and high LTPA was defined as engagement in moderate or vigorous LTPA at least once per week.
RESULTS
During 9,218 person-years of follow-up, the hypertension incidence rate was 30.6 (95% confidence interval [CI], 27.3 to 34.3) per 1,000 person-years. High job strain was associated with a higher risk for hypertension than low job strain (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.29; 95% CI, 1.00 to 1.67). High LTPA was associated with lower hypertension risk than low LTPA (aHR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.60 to 0.98). Hypertension risk was higher among workers with high job strain and low LTPA than among those with low job strain and high LTPA (aHR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.18 to 2.43).
CONCLUSIONS
Job strain and LTPA showed positive and inverse associations, respectively, with incident hypertension. The combination of high job strain and low LTPA was associated with the highest risk for hypertension.
Summary
Key Message
High job strain and low leisure-time physical activity are independent risk factors for hypertension among workers, and those with high job strain and low leisure-time physical activity are at the highest risk, so it is critical that policy interventions target job strain and leisure-time physical activity to reduce hypertension.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by  
  • Spatial Social Polarization and Cardiometabolic Disease Prevalence and Incidence: What Is the Role of the Neighborhood Environment?
    Ethan Siu Leung Cheung, David S. Curtis, Sara Grineski, Yehua Dennis Wei, Ming Wen
    Journal of Health and Social Behavior.2026; 67(1): 47.     CrossRef
  • Workplace discrimination and risk of alcohol abuse: a prospective cohort study in the United States
    Adrian Loerbroks, Liwei Chen, Chunqing Lin, Kira Schmidt Stiedenroth, Jian Li
    Psychiatry Research.2026; 358: 116983.     CrossRef
  • Alternative Formulations of Job Strain and Sleep Disturbances: A Longitudinal Study in the United States
    Yijia Sun, Megan Guardiano, Mayumi Saiki, Jian Li
    American Journal of Industrial Medicine.2025; 68(3): 264.     CrossRef
  • Dose–response relationship between leisure-time physical activity and metabolic syndrome in short sleep US adults: evidence from a nationwide investigation
    Yanwei You, Hao Ding, Meihua Tang, Weizhao Wang, Ning Yan, Leizi Min, Yuquan Chen, Xindong Ma
    Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism.2025; 50: 1.     CrossRef
  • Physical activity lowers hypertension risk: A 2-sample Mendelian randomization study
    Chenlu Zhang, Sicong Chen, Wei Song
    Medicine.2025; 104(41): e45054.     CrossRef
  • Prospective associations of occupational and leisure-time physical activity with risk of diabetes: a cohort study from the United States
    Timothy A Matthews, Xinyue Liu, Liwei Chen, Jian Li
    Annals of Work Exposures and Health.2024; 68(6): 581.     CrossRef
  • The association between leisure‐time physical activity and cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness and job strain—Study with a Northern Finland birth cohort of 1966
    Heli Kiema‐Junes, Aino Saarinen, Raija Korpelainen, Leena Ala‐Mursula, Maisa Niemelä, Vahid Farrahi, Mirka Hintsanen
    Stress and Health.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef
  • 2023 ESH Guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension The Task Force for the management of arterial hypertension of the European Society of Hypertension
    Giuseppe Mancia, Reinhold Kreutz, Mattias Brunström, Michel Burnier, Guido Grassi, Andrzej Januszewicz, Maria Lorenza Muiesan, Konstantinos Tsioufis, Enrico Agabiti-Rosei, Engi Abd Elhady Algharably, Michel Azizi, Athanase Benetos, Claudio Borghi, Jana Br
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  • Adulthood Psychosocial Disadvantages and Risk of Hypertension in U.S. Workers: Effect Modification by Adverse Childhood Experiences
    Timothy A. Matthews, Yifang Zhu, Wendie Robbins, Mary Rezk-Hanna, Paul M. Macey, Yeonsu Song, Jian Li
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  • Associations of COVID-19 Related Work Stressors with Psychological Distress: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Californian Workers
    Timothy A. Matthews, Megan Guardiano, Negar Omidakhsh, Lara Cushing, Wendie Robbins, OiSaeng Hong, Jian Li
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