Psychosocial Factors and Depression in Korean- Chinese Migrant Workers in Korea: Hyeonkyeong

During the last decade, one of the greatest social changes in South Korea has been the development of a multicultural society with increasing numbers of migrant workers. Migrant workers, mostly from Asian countries, comprised 2.3% of the total Korean workforce in 2009. Korean-Chinese (commonly called Chosun-Jok), Chinese citizens of Korean origin living in China, are currently the largest group of migrant workers and accounted for roughly 60% of Korea’s migrant workers in 2009. Although KoreanChinese make up such a large proportion of foreign workers in Korea, there is a lack of services for health promotion and disease prevention at work because most of the migrants work in small workplaces employing fewer than 50 employees. This increased need for services has prompted occupational health and safety professionals to pay increased attention to the health of migrant workers and the development of community-based interventions. Depression has been shown to be one of the most commonly reported mental health problems among migrant workers in the United States and Australia. Depressive symptoms predict health problems and poor health status as well as quality of work including work performance . In Korea, the percentage of migrant workers reporting scores of 16 or more on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies’ Depression Scale (CES-D) was 35.5%, which is higher than that of Korean adults (27.4%). This higher rate of depression among migrants in Korea may be explained by Abstract: Acculturative Stress, Work-related Psychosocial Factors and Depression in KoreanChinese Migrant Workers in Korea: Hyeonkyeong LEE, et al. Yonsei University College of Nursing, Korea—Objectives: The purposes of this study were to identify the relationships among acculturative stress, work-related psychosocial factors and depression in Korean-Chinese migrant workers living in Korea and to determine whether work-related psychosocial factors mediate the relationship between acculturative stress and depression. Methods: A descriptive correlational cross-sectional design was used. A convenience sample of 200 Korean-Chinese full-time migrant workers was recruited, and 170 completed questionnaires were included in the analysis. Acculturative stress was assessed by Sandh and Asrabadi’s Acculturative Stress Scale. Work-related psychosocial factors were assessed by job demand, insufficient job control and interpersonal conflict measures from the Korean Occupational Stress Scale. Depression was assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Self-administered or face-to-face surveys were conducted by trained data collectors. Multiple regression and path analysis were used. Results: Roughly 30% of the sample met the criteria for depression. Female workers had significantly higher depression scores than male workers. Acculturative stress and work-related psychosocial factors significantly predicted 26.3% of the variance in depression. A path model revealed the mediating effect of job demand on the relationship between acculturative stress and depression. Conclusions: Our results indicate that workrelated psychosocial factors are salient factors that lead to depression among Korean-Chinese migrant workers living in Korea. The results suggest that occupational health-care professionals should promote the prevention Acculturative Stress, Work-related Psychosocial Factors and Depression in Korean-Chinese Migrant Workers in Korea