Supporting workers with mental health problems at work: challenges and avenues

Arends, Iris; Zon, Sander K R van; Bültmann, Ute

doi:10.5271/sjweh.4044

Cited by 6 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…The results point to the relevance of longitudinal studies for evaluating factors associated with RTW. Moreover, the results indicate a need for at-work strategies in RTW interventions for the maintenance of work functioning after the first RTW (Arends et al 2022 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Are psychosocial work factors and work-home interference associated with time to first full return-to-work after sick leave due to common mental disorders?

Holmlund

Bültmann

Bergström

et al. 2023

Int Arch Occup Environ Health

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Objective To (1) examine the time to first full return-to-work (RTW), and (2) investigate whether psychosocial work factors and work-home interference are associated with time to first full RTW after sick leave due to common mental disorders (CMDs). Methods The cohort study comprised 162 employees on sick leave due to CMDs participating in a two-armed cluster-randomised controlled trial in Sweden. Baseline data consisted of a web-based questionnaire and follow-up data of repeated text messages every fourth week for 12 months. The time to first full RTW was estimated using the Kaplan–Meier Estimator. Parametric Weibull survival models with interval-censored outcomes were used to determine associations between psychosocial work factors and work-home interference with time to first full RTW. In a post hoc analysis, time-interval differences in associations for 0– ≤ 6- versus > 6–12 months were tested. Results During the 12-month follow-up, n = 131 (80.9%) reported a first full RTW. The median time to this RTW was 16 weeks (95% CI 12; 20). High psychological job demands, high emotional job demands, high work-to-home interference (WHI), and low social job support were independently associated with a longer time to first full RTW. Time-interval differences were found for job control and emotional job demands. Conclusions Psychosocial work demands and WHI are associated with a longer time to RTW after sick leave due to CMDs. Work organisations and rehabilitation practices should include accommodations for high psychological and emotional job demands during RTW, as well as pay attention to the risk of spill-over of high job demands into employees’ private lives.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Are psychosocial work factors and work-home interference associated with time to first full return-to-work after sick leave due to common mental disorders?

Holmlund

Bültmann

Bergström

et al. 2023

Int Arch Occup Environ Health

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“…The limitations of this study are offset by various strengths, including the population‐representative sample, the high retention of study participants over three‐time points and a 12‐year time span, and the focus on adolescence and emergent adulthood as a critical period in the natural history of mental illness and socialization 1 . Further, this study contributes to an emerging literature examining the impacts of adolescent mental health problems on the experience of work in adulthood 17,18,47 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…15 There is an acknowledged dearth of studies on the impact of mental health problems in adolescence on the experience of work in adulthood. 17 A recent study showed that a history of childhood or adolescent mental health problems impacted the work functioning workers of young adult workers, in particular experiencing difficulties in meeting their work demands. 18 Other research suggests that people with a history of mental health problems tend to be employed in poor psychosocial quality jobs (e.g., low job control, high job insecurity, higher prevalence of bullying) compared with those without such a history.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is an acknowledged dearth of studies on the impact of mental health problems in adolescence on the experience of work in adulthood 17 . A recent study showed that a history of childhood or adolescent mental health problems impacted the work functioning workers of young adult workers, in particular experiencing difficulties in meeting their work demands 18 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The present study aims to contribute to addressing these research gaps for the purpose of informing strategies for sustaining employment among young workers with a history of mental health problems 17 . In this paper, we assess the extent to which emergent adults with a history high depression symptoms (as a proxy for depression caseness) are differentially sensitive to job stressors in relation to a scaled measure of mental health.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Does adolescent depression modify the association between psychosocial job stressors and mental health in emergent adulthood?

LaMontagne,

Too,

Witt

et al. 2023

American J Industrial Med

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BackgroundJob stressors can be particularly harmful to the mental health of disadvantaged groups through differential exposure, differential sensitivity to the effects of exposure, or both. In this paper, we assess the extent to which emergent adult workers with an adolescent history of high depression symptoms may be differentially sensitive to the effect of job stressors on mental health.MethodsWe conducted a secondary analysis of three waves of the Australian arm of the International Youth Development Study (n = 1262). We used multivariable linear regression to assess whether self‐reported measures of high depression symptoms at one or two time points in adolescence (ages 11–16 years) modified the cross‐sectional association between four self‐reported job stressors (job demands, job control, job strain, and incivility at work) and psychological distress (Kessler‐10 scores) in emergent adulthood (ages 23–27 years).ResultsFor all four job stressors, there was a consistent pattern of approximately a doubling in the magnitude of association for participants with a history of high depression symptoms at two points in adolescence compared with those with no history of depression. However, results of effect modification analysisfor only job demands and job strain excluded chance as a potential explanation.ConclusionsFindings showed partial support for the hypothesis that a history of high depression symptoms in adolescence predicts stronger associations between job stressor exposures and psychological distress among those employed in emergent adulthood. The limitations of this secondary analysis suggest a need for purpose‐designed studies to answer this important research question more definitively.

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Navigating work and life– a qualitative exploration of managers’ and employees’ views of return-to-work after sick leave due to common mental disorders

Holmlund,

Ljungberg,

Bültmann

et al. 2024

BMC Public Health

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Background Incorporating multiple perspectives and contexts in knowledge mobilisation for return-to-work after sick leave due to common mental disorders can promote interprofessional and organisational strategies for facilitating the return-to-work process. This study aimed to explore the facilitators of and barriers to return-to-work after common mental disorders. This exploration considered the perspectives of employees and managers and the realms of work and private life. Methods A qualitative approach was used with data from 27 semi-structured telephone interviews. The strategic sample consisted of employees who returned to work after sick leave due to common mental disorders (n = 17) and managers responsible for their return-to-work process (n = 10). Thematic analysis conducted in a six-step process was used to generate themes in the interview data. Results The analysis generated three main themes with subthemes, illustrating experiences of barriers to and facilitators of return-to-work positioned in the employees’ private and work contexts: (1) Getting along: managing personal difficulties in everyday life; (2) Belonging: experiencing social connectedness and support in work and private life; and (3) Organisational support: fostering a supportive work environment. The results contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the return-to-work process, including the challenges individuals face at work and in private life. Conclusions The study suggests that return-to-work after sick leave due to CMDs is a dynamic and ongoing process embedded in social, organisational, and societal environments. The results highlight avenues for an interprofessional approach and organisational learning to support employees and managers, including space for the employee to recover during the workday. Trial registration This study recruited employees from a two-armed cluster-randomised controlled trial evaluating a problem-solving intervention for reducing sick leave among employees sick-listed due to common mental disorders (reg. NCT3346395).

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Supporting workers with mental health problems at work: challenges and avenues

Cited by 6 publications

References 27 publications

Are psychosocial work factors and work-home interference associated with time to first full return-to-work after sick leave due to common mental disorders?

Are psychosocial work factors and work-home interference associated with time to first full return-to-work after sick leave due to common mental disorders?

Does adolescent depression modify the association between psychosocial job stressors and mental health in emergent adulthood?

Navigating work and life– a qualitative exploration of managers’ and employees’ views of return-to-work after sick leave due to common mental disorders

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