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ABSTRACT: Objectives
Workplace social capital (WSC) is increasingly recognised as a social contextual determinant of workers' mental health, but longitudinal data are sparse. We aimed to evaluate the impact of changes in unit-level WSC on psychological distress among Japanese employees using a prospective multilevel repeated-measures design.Participants and study design
We conducted a 2-year prospective cohort study with 1,944 men and 786 women aged 18-65 years. Participants worked at two manufacturing worksites in Japan and were free from mental illness from the first to third study waves. We used a three-level multilevel regression design to evaluate the prospective association of unit-level WSC with individual-level psychological distress. WSC was measured using a validated six-item instrument and individual-level psychological distress with the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6).Results
The null model indicated a significant degree of between-work unit variation in psychological distress (intraclass correlation=0.1%, p<0.001). In the full model, each SD increase in unit-level WSC was associated with 0.69 point improvement in K6 scores (95% CI -1.12 to -0.26).Conclusions
This prospective study builds on existing knowledge by showing an association between unit-level WSC and modest improvements in mental health among employees in Japan. We recommend that WSC is considered alongside other contextual influences when assessing employees' mental health risks.
SUBMITTER: Eguchi H
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6318521 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Eguchi Hisashi H Tsutsumi Akizumi A Inoue Akiomi A Hikichi Hiroyuki H Kawachi Ichiro I
BMJ open 20181222 12
<h4>Objectives</h4>Workplace social capital (WSC) is increasingly recognised as a social contextual determinant of workers' mental health, but longitudinal data are sparse. We aimed to evaluate the impact of changes in unit-level WSC on psychological distress among Japanese employees using a prospective multilevel repeated-measures design.<h4>Participants and study design</h4>We conducted a 2-year prospective cohort study with 1,944 men and 786 women aged 18-65 years. Participants worked at two ...[more]