Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41974627›Full record

ArticleAnnals of occupational and environmental medicine2026

Risk of sleep disturbance associated with work-related activities during free time in South Korea: a cross-sectional study with mediation analysis.

Ohwi Kwon, Hye-Eun Lee, Mo-Yeol Kang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Annals of occupational and environmental medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Ohwi KwonDepartment of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
Hye-Eun LeeDepartment of Social and Preventive Medicine, Hallym University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea.
Mo-Yeol KangDepartment of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThis study aims to investigate the associations between work-related activities during free time, including frequency of working during free time and use of communication devices for work during free time, and sleep disturbance. It further explores the underlying mechanisms through mediation analysis.

methodsData were analyzed from 21,473 participants of the seventh Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS, 2023). Multivariable logistic regression was employed to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for sleep disturbance. Three sequential models were constructed to evaluate the effects of weekly working hours and shift work on sleep disturbance risk. Mediation analysis was conducted to identify pathways linking work-related activities during free time and sleep disturbance.

resultsThose who worked during their free time daily showed significantly higher risk of sleep disturbance (OR: 4.17; 95% CI: 2.64-6.58). Similarly, daily use of communication devices for work during free time was associated with an increased risk (OR: 1.83; 95% CI: 1.57-2.13). These associations remained robust even after adjusting for weekly working hours and shift work. Mediation analysis revealed that "worry about work while at home" was the primary mediator for device use (13.7%; 95% CI: 0.11-0.18), while "feeling too tired for housework after work" was the strongest mediator for working during free time (26.6%; 95% CI: 0.22-0.32).

conclusionsThe results indicate that engaging in work-related activities during free time elevates the risk of sleep disturbance, independent of long working hours or shift patterns. Mediation analysis revealed that the strongest effects were driven by the behavioral and psychological dimensions of work-family conflict. These findings suggest that sleep disturbance arises primarily from the erosion of work-life boundaries, fueled by persistent work-related rumination and the spillover of professional burdens into free time.

Indexed as

EmploymentSleep wake disordersWork-life balanceWorkload

Identifiers

PMID41974627
PMCPMC13089142

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.