Over 1 Hour Commute to School... 1.6 Times Higher Risk of Depression

Research Published in Japanese Psychiatry and Neurology Journal
Over 1 Hour Commute Increases Depression Risk by 1.6 Times
Average Commute Exceeds 1 Hour... "Student Burden Must Be Reduced"

A study has found that high school students who spend more than one hour commuting one way have a 1.6 times higher risk of depression compared to other students. On the 2nd, Asahi Shimbun reported that Associate Professor Yuichiro Otsuka and researcher Hideshi Nakashima, both specializing in public health at Nihon University, published a paper on high school students' commuting time in the Journal of the Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.

The research team conducted an online survey of about 2,000 private high school students in Japan from October to December 2022. Among the 1,900 respondents, 17.3% experienced depressive symptoms, and 19.0% experienced anxiety symptoms. In particular, students whose commute took more than one hour had a 1.6 times higher risk of depression and a 1.5 times higher risk of anxiety compared to those whose commute was less than 30 minutes. According to an NHK survey, the average commuting time for Japanese high school students is 1 hour and 21 minutes, suggesting that many students are exposed to depression and anxiety symptoms.

Associate Professor Otsuka, who led the study, analyzed three reasons why longer commuting times worsen depressive and anxiety symptoms. The first is the stress caused by commuting itself. Long periods of walking and using public transportation impose physical burdens, and riding crowded subways or buses also causes significant psychological stress. The second is the loss of free time due to commuting, which reduces time available for studying, hobbies, and leisure activities. The third is sleep deprivation, as students with long commutes have to wake up earlier than those with shorter commutes.

Associate Professor Otsuka explained, "Students experience sleep deprivation on weekdays and then try to catch up on sleep during weekends, which causes 'social jetlag'." Social jetlag is a phenomenon where the lifestyle rhythm between weekdays and weekends is misaligned, disrupting the body's rhythm and causing sleep problems. He pointed out, "Since long commuting times are related to mental health, it is necessary to choose schools with shorter commuting times. Schools should also reduce students' burdens by limiting commuting times, utilizing online classes, and delaying school start times."

In Korea, research on the relationship between commuting time and depression has also been published. In December last year, a research team led by Professor Dongwook Lee from the Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Inha University Hospital analyzed data from 23,415 workers aged 20 to 59 who responded to the 5th Working Environment Survey. Their findings on the impact of commuting time on mental health were published in the international journal Transportation Health.

According to the study, people who spend more than one hour commuting daily are 1.16 times more likely to show symptoms of depression compared to those whose commute is less than 30 minutes. The research team noted, "Commuting itself can cause psychological and physical stress, and it can negatively affect health by taking away time." As available time decreases, there is less time to invest in health recovery activities such as sleep and stress relief.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.