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Cross-sectional analysis of the association between information and communication technology and mental health among Korean workers

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  • Yeona Shin
  • Seunghyun Lee
  • Wanhyung Lee

Abstract

Background: The adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) has been the fastest and most widespread in the South Korean workplace. While ICT has several advantages, it can also cause stress among workers. However, the relationship between the introduction of ICT in the workplace and mental health problems among Korean workers remains unclear. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of data obtained from the sixth Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS). In total, 40,019 participants answered a question about whether ICT had been introduced in their workplace. Among these, we compared the rate of complaints of mental health disorders between those who answered “yes” (n = 3,250) and those who answered “no” (n = 36,769). We analyzed the data using the SAS statistical software and calculated the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for anxiety, insomnia, and depression using multiple logistic regression models. We also stratified the data on Korean workers to assess the impact of ICT on subgroups. Results: In our nationally representative cohort, on experiencing ICT incorporation at work, 384 participants (11.8%) reported anxiety, 138 (4.2%) reported insomnia, and 296 (9.1%) reported depression. In contrast, among participants who did not have access to ICT, 1,929 (5.2%) reported anxiety, 702 (1.9%) reported insomnia, and 4,404 (12.0%) reported depression. The ORs (95% CIs) for anxiety and insomnia complaint rates were 2.47 (2.19–2.79) and 2.55 (2.10–3.10), respectively, among workers who experienced new ICT adaptations in comparison with those who did not. However, no significant relationship was observed between ICT adoption and depression. Conclusions: The causes of mental health problems in the workplace should be identified and addressed. We found that the introduction of ICT in the workplace was significantly related to anxiety and insomnia symptoms among Korean workers, after controlling for the selected covariates. This information can be used to identify subgroups in the workplace that are vulnerable to ICT changes and tailor interventions to their social and demographic profiles.

Suggested Citation

  • Yeona Shin & Seunghyun Lee & Wanhyung Lee, 2024. "Cross-sectional analysis of the association between information and communication technology and mental health among Korean workers," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(11), pages 1-13, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0310248
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0310248
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. T. S. Ragu-Nathan & Monideepa Tarafdar & Bhanu S. Ragu-Nathan & Qiang Tu, 2008. "The Consequences of Technostress for End Users in Organizations: Conceptual Development and Empirical Validation," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 19(4), pages 417-433, December.
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    3. Kim, Kibae & Jung, Sungdo & Lee, Changjun & Hwang, Junseok, 2013. "Structure of technology evolution: The way on which ICT industry emerged in Korea," 24th European Regional ITS Conference, Florence 2013 88508, International Telecommunications Society (ITS).
    4. Bourlakis, Michael & Nisar, Tahir M. & Prabhakar, Guru, 2023. "How technostress may affect employee performance in educational work environments," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    5. Shirish C. Srivastava & Shalini Chandra & Anuragini Shirish, 2015. "Technostress creators and job outcomes : theorising the moderating influence of personality traits," Post-Print hal-01249895, HAL.
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