Psychosocial work environments and psychological strain among Korean factory workers

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine what work factors were significantly different between a high strain group and a low strain group. The participants were 373 male factory workers at four manufacturing companies producing household appliances in Puchon, Korea. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on psychological strain, perceived job demands, relationships at work, job satisfaction, and demographic characteristics. All participants were classified to a high strain group (n = 163) or a low strain group (n = 210) in terms of their psychological strain scores. Satisfaction with work environments, relationships with coworkers, relationships with supervisors, marital status, workload, and overall job satisfaction were significantly associated with psychological strain. These six factors explained 27 per cent of variance of psychological strain. The high strain group was more likely to have low satisfaction with work environment, poor relationships with coworkers, poor relationships with supervisor, heavy workload, single marital status, and low global job satisfaction. The study found that relationships at work and job satisfaction were strong work factors affecting psychological strain. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.