SEOUL — A recent study revealed that more than 1 in 5 care workers suffer from moderate to severe depression, with rates skyrocketing among those who experience harassment or violence on the job.

According to a survey of 367 care workers presented by Professor Yang Jae-won of the Department of Psychology at Catholic University of Korea during a seminar hosted by the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union, 20.4% scored 10 or higher on the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). This score indicates moderate or worse depressive symptoms.

Additionally, 15.5% of respondents showed moderate to severe anxiety symptoms based on the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale. High-risk groups stood at 8.5% for depression and 7.1% for anxiety.

Researchers noted that these figures are alarmingly high compared to the general population. While national health data typically shows that only 3.4% to 5.1% of female wage-earners experience moderate or greater depression, the rate among care workers is roughly four to six times higher. The psychological toll is comparable to that of tertiary hospital nurses (20.9%) and frontline medical personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic (19.5%). Furthermore, moderate-to-severe anxiety rates among care workers were more than triple those of ordinary adults (4.5%).

The study highlighted a direct correlation between workplace mistreatment and mental health decline. Among those who reported facing workplace violence or bullying, 29.1% suffered from moderate-to-severe depression—more than six times the 4.6% rate observed among workers who reported no such experiences. A similar pattern emerged for anxiety, with 21.5% of victims experiencing moderate-to-severe symptoms compared to 4.6% of non-victims.

"It is critical to note that the depression and anxiety rates for workers who did not experience violence dropped to 4.6%, which is close to the general population baseline," Professor Yang explained. "This suggests that the mental health risks faced by care workers stem primarily from workplace violence and harassment rather than the inherent nature of caregiving work itself."

The survey also uncovered a pervasive hostile work environment: 64.6% of respondents reported experiencing direct violence or bullying over the past year. Among specific incidents, 75.2% faced abusive language, yelling, or insults from care recipients and their guardians, 48.5% experienced unwanted sexual contact or harassment, 47.7% suffered physical assault, and 72.5% reported verbal abuse from supervisors or colleagues.

Institutional protective systems remain critically inadequate. Evaluated against the Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute's Korean workplace violence scale, female respondents averaged 9.09 points in the "lack of protection system" category, exceeding the high-risk threshold of 9 points.

To address these systemic issues, Professor Yang urged policymakers and organizations to implement tailored mental health screenings, counseling, and treatment programs for care workers, alongside secure reporting channels, immediate perpetrator-victim separation procedures, and robust post-incident support systems.

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