Commuting to Work More than One Hour May Increase Depression Risk
- ANTARA FOTO/Fakhri Hermansyah
“With less free time, people may lack time to relieve stress and fight physical fatigue through sleep, hobbies and other activities,” researchers told the Korea Biomedical Review (KBR).
Meanwhile, for women, long commute times were most closely associated with depressive symptoms in low-income workers, shift workers, and those with children.
“The association between long commute times and worsening depressive symptoms was found to be stronger among low-income workers,” the researchers continued.
They added that this also leaves people with less time to engage in a healthy lifestyle, including exercise, which can also lead to depression.
At least a quarter of the 23,415 participants said they experienced symptoms of depression, which the researchers said was an index score far short of the actual diagnosis.
While this study also does not show any cause and effect, it does link commutes of more than an hour to poorer mental health and notes that the condition is most severe in men who are unmarried, work more than 52 hours per week, and do not do physical activity. give birth.