Commuting Stress Among South Korean Workers with Severe Disabilities: An Analysis By Disability Type and Residential Area

Background and Purpose

Commuting stress is a critical factor in sustaining employment, particularly for workers with disabilities. While prior research has focused on non-disabled populations or those with physical disabilities, the unique challenges faced by individuals with cognitive and mental disabilities such as intellectual disabilities(ID), autism spectrum disorders(ASD), and psychiatric disabilities remain underexplored. For instance, individuals with ASD often experience sensory overload in crowded transit environments, leading to panic or disorientation. Those with ID may struggle with complex transit systems, resulting in missed connections and frustration. Similarly, individuals with psychiatric disabilities face insecurity due to schedule changes or delays, worsening mental health. These challenges are compounded by the lack of accessible transportation tailored to neurodivergent needs. This study examines the interaction between disability type and residential areas on commuting stress among South Korean workers with severe disabilities. By addressing these interactions, this research fills a critical gap in understanding how neurodivergent individuals(ID, ASD, psychiatric disabilities) experience transportation challenges.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in October–November 2024 with 600 participants stratified by disability type, employment setting, and area(Seoul Metropolitan Areas, non-metropolitan). Participants represented four disability classifications: physical disabilities(n=200; including mobility impairments, brain lesions, visual, hearing, speech, facial, kidney, heart, liver, respiratory disorders, ostomy, and epilepsy), ID(n=192), ASD(n=108), and psychiatric disabilities (n=100). Commuting Stress(Useche et al., 2023; Multimodal Commuting Stress Scale, MCSS) included four subscales: (1)Temporal Demands(e.g., costs, delays), (2)Psychological Demands(e.g., danger, congestion), (3)Environmental Demands(e.g., noise, infrastructure), and (4)Physical Demands(e.g., strain, fatigue). Responses were recorded on a 5-point Likert scale and analyzed using two-way ANOVA in SPSS 27.0.

Results

Two-way ANOVA analyses revealed significant variations in commuting stress across disability types and metropolitan status:

Temporal Demands: A significant interaction was found between disability type and metropolitan status[F(3,592)=3.560, p=.014]. Workers with physical disabilities reported higher temporal demands in non-metropolitan areas(M=2.62) than metropolitan areas(M=2.44), while workers with ID showed higher temporal demands in metropolitan areas (M=2.58) than non-metropolitan areas(M=2.45).

Psychological Demands: A significant interaction was found between disability type and metropolitan status[F(3,592)=2.731, p=.043]. Workers with ID experienced higher psychological demands in metropolitan areas(M=2.51) than in non-metropolitan areas(M=2.22).

Environmental Demands: A significant main effect for metropolitan status was found[F(1,592)=7.189, p=.008]. Workers with severe disabilities in metropolitan areas reported higher environmental demand scores(M=2.72) than those in non-metropolitan areas(M=2.53).

Physical Demands: A significant interaction was found between disability type and metropolitan status[F(3,592)=3.183, p=.024]. Workers with psychiatric disabilities reported substantially higher physical demands in metropolitan areas(M=3.06) than in non-metropolitan areas(M=2.65).

Conclusions and Implications

This study demonstrates that workers with ID, ASD, and psychiatric disabilities experience greater commuting stress than those with physical disabilities, especially in metropolitan areas. Workers with ID reported higher psychological demands in cities, while those with psychiatric disabilities faced greater physical demands in metropolitan areas. In contrast, workers with physical disabilities experienced more temporal demands in non-metropolitan areas. These findings underscore the necessity for disability-specific interventions, including: (1)sensory-friendly transit environments for neurodivergent individuals in metropolitan settings and (2)improved transportation accessibility in non-metropolitan areas for persons with physical disabilities.