Comments on Jo and Colleagues' Paper (2010) "Association of Subway Driver's Depressive Symptoms and Experience of Work-Related Problems"

Background Certain occupations are at greater risk of stress and depression than others. In particular, occupations related to too much or too little work, having to make too many decisions, having very little control over decisions, time pressures and deadlines, excessive and inconvenient working hours, highly repetitive work and lack of job variety, the necessity to work fast, job insecurity and the prospect of redundancy or being forced into premature retirement have all been reported to contribute to stress and depression [1, 2]. Subway drivers are particularly exposed to these risk factors. Work stress and depression can also exacerbate employees’ chronic illness and, in effect, be counterproductive in terms of working ability and outcomes [3]. As the number of subway users increases, subway drivers’ psychological problems are important not only on a personal level but also on a public health one.