The association between occupational factors, depression, and health-related quality of life in military women in the Republic of Korea: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is an important concept to consider both individuals' ability to manage their daily lives and health status across the lifespan. Despite this variable's importance, there is a lack of clarification on the factors associated with HRQOL, especially for military women. The aim of this study was to examine factors associated with HRQOL of military women in the Republic of Korea (ROK) Army. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 196 participants who were currently within their 5-year service period. HRQOL was measured by the Korean version of the Short-Form 36 Health Survey Questionnaire version 2.0 (SF-36v2), and depression was assessed using the Korean version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Differences in HRQOL according to general and occupational factors were analyzed using the independent t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with the HRQOL of women serving as military junior officers. RESULTS: The mean score for the physical component summary (PCS) of SF-36v2 was 56.0 ± 5.8, and that for the mental component summary (MCS) of SF-36v2 was 47.2 ± 10.0. For depression, the mean score was 5.4 ± 5.2, whereas 19.4% of the participants scored more than 10 out of 27 points, which means moderate to severe. No variables showed statistically significant relationships with the PCS. However, military women showed a lower score for MCS when they were officers (adjusted β = − 3.52; 95% CI = − 5.47, − 1.58), had higher perceived stress (adjusted β = − 0.62, 95% CI = − 0.83, − 0.41), and a higher score for depression (adjusted β = − 0.86, 95% CI = − 1.10, − 0.63). CONCLUSIONS: Although depression levels were not severe, it was a significant factor of HRQOL. Stress and depression were found to be significant factors associated with the MCS in military women. Therefore, to improve their HRQOL, the ROK Army should provide early screening, intervention, and management program for high-risk military women. In addition, an appropriate organizational atmosphere within the military must be created to promote such programs.