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April 12, 2026Journal of Transport & HealthOpen Access

Long commuting time and mental health inequalities: Middle-income vulnerability in a 14-wave panel study

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Authors

KOKazuya OgawaKSKeiichi ShimataniKEKaori Endo

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Overview

Long commuting times increase depressive symptoms in middle-income workers, suggesting targeted policy interventions are needed.

Key Points

  • This research aims to explore how commuting time impacts depressive symptoms across different income levels in Japan.
  • Utilized fixed-effects models for the analysis.
  • Used data from the Japanese Life Course Panel Survey spanning 2007-2020.
  • Analyzed responses from 4,568 workers across three income groups (low, middle, high).
  • Measured depressive symptoms with the Mental Health Inventory-5.
  • Categorized weekly commuting times into four groups based on duration.
  • Weekly commuting of ≥500 min was linked to lower Mental Health Inventory-5 scores overall.
  • Middle-income group exhibited a significant decrease in mental health scores (-1.64) correlated with longer commuting times.
  • Low-income and high-income groups showed no significant associations between commuting time and depressive symptoms.
  • Highlights the unique vulnerability of middle-income workers regarding commuting impacts on mental health.

Cite This Study

Ogawa et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69db37f94fe01fead37c60fchttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2026.102319
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Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1No significant effect modification by commuting frequency was observed for commuting time and psychological distress: a cross-sectional study in Japan2026
  2. 2Work intervals and the prevalence of depressive symptoms among daytime workers: Japan Epidemiology Collaboration on Occupational Health Study2026 · 1 citations
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  4. 4Impact of Long Working Hours on Mental Health Status in Japan: Evidence from a National Representative Survey2024
  5. 5Education, household income, and depressive symptoms in middle-aged and older Japanese adults2021 · 66 citations