Association of Long Working Hours With Marital Status Changes in South Korea: A Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE This study investigated the relationship between long working hours and the incidence of divorce or separation among Korean female and male workers. METHODS A cohort study was conducted in 125,108 Korean workers, married at baseline, who attended health examinations between 2012 and 2017 and had been followed annually or biennially until December 31, 2018. The weekly working hours and marital status changes were measured using self-administered questionnaires. This study was performed using sex stratification. RESULTS In a multivariable-adjusted model, by comparing working hours->52 hours/week with 35 to 40 hours/week-the hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for incidents of divorce or separation were 1.60 (1.03-2.49) and 0.86 (0.66-1.12) in females and males, respectively. CONCLUSIONS This study showed that long working hours could contribute to marital status changes in Korean female workers.