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Common mental disorders through the eyes of German employees: attributed relevance of work-related causes and prevention measures assessed by a standardised survey.

ABSTRACT: PURPOSE:Common mental disorders (CMDs) are becoming increasingly relevant in the working world. Numbers of risk factors have been confirmed by mostly correlative cross-sectional studies. Comprehensive and effective prevention is urgently needed. There is little knowledge about employees' own perceptions on causes of CMDs and prevention measures. Therefore, a survey was conducted in 2016. METHODS:A standardised instrument was developed for an online survey in a commercial access panel, targeted employees in different job types. We assessed two outcomes: perceived relevance of (1) work-related demands to the development of CMDs, and (2) prevention approaches in the workplace and on individual and societal levels. Possible predictive aspects were analysed exploratively by multivariate linear regression analysis. RESULTS:The response rate was 75% (n = 610). Job types were categorised as "blue", "grey" and "white-collar" workers (n = 193, 169, 248). The majority of respondents rated both outcomes consistently as "quite" or "very relevant"; societal prevention strategies were more relevant for non-white-collar workers. Perceived relevance of individual predisposition to develop a CMD was the strongest predictor for both outcomes, indicating the perception that people with higher personal vulnerability might suffer a higher strain from work-related risk factors than others. CONCLUSION:We assume that participants in our survey judged the relevance of work-related causes of CMDs independently of their own workload. The perceived relevance of prevention measures in different areas is consistent with official guidelines. A possible selection bias due to characteristics of access panel collectives and own direct or indirect experiences with CMD should be critically questioned.

SUBMITTER: Burgess S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6609828 | biostudies-other | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Common mental disorders through the eyes of German employees: attributed relevance of work-related causes and prevention measures assessed by a standardised survey.

Burgess Stephanie S Junne Florian F Rothermund Eva E Zipfel Stephan S Gündel Harald H Rieger Monika A MA Michaelis Martina M

International archives of occupational and environmental health 20190207 6

<h4>Purpose</h4>Common mental disorders (CMDs) are becoming increasingly relevant in the working world. Numbers of risk factors have been confirmed by mostly correlative cross-sectional studies. Comprehensive and effective prevention is urgently needed. There is little knowledge about employees' own perceptions on causes of CMDs and prevention measures. Therefore, a survey was conducted in 2016.<h4>Methods</h4>A standardised instrument was developed for an online survey in a commercial access pa ...[more]

PMID: 30729316

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Project description:Background: Web-based and mobile mental health applications for the prevention and treatment of common mental disorders (CMDs) are on the rise. Under certain circumstances they have proved to be effective for a range of conditions (e.g., depression). Objective: There is not sufficient evidence regarding the benefits and barriers especially for mobile phone apps and for programs in the field of primary prevention. Studies on the acceptance of potential users of mental health apps yielded mixed outcomes. In a large survey we investigated the attitudes of employees toward mental health apps and various traditional mental health services. Our main research question in this contribution focuses on the acceptance of apps compared to other measures and the moderating influence of individual characteristics. Methods: The standardized survey was completed by members of an online access panel with different job types. A set of 33 self-developed items, including three questions on e-health, captured the perceived relevance of prevention at the (A) occupational, (B) individual, and (C) societal level. On the basis of an exploratory factor analysis, mean scores for mapping seven (sub-)dimensions were constructed and compared using the Wilcoxon test. The influence of potential predictors was analyzed in linear regression models. Results: The data of 610 respondents were analyzed (response rate 75%). Support from mental health applications was rated significantly less important compared to all other dimensions at the levels (A) to (C). Respondents were more likely to use mental health apps if they felt literate with electronic devices, perceived a high relevance of work-related demands as causal factors for CMDs, stated they would be ashamed of having a CMD, and would be willing to begin psychotherapy if recommended. Discussion and Conclusions: The results confirm the critical attitudes of potential mental health app users found in other studies. Since users with a negative attitude toward e-health might have a higher risk for dropout and non-adherence as well as lower intervention effects, well-designed educational strategies should be carried out beforehand.

Project description:BackgroundThe COVID-19 crisis has radically changed the way people live and work. While most studies have focused on prevailing negative consequences, potential positive shifts in everyday life have received less attention. Thus, we examined the actual and perceived overall impact of the COVID-19 crisis on work and private life, and the consequences for mental well-being (MWB), and self-rated health (SRH) in German and Swiss employees.MethodsCross-sectional data were collected via an online questionnaire from 2118 German and Swiss employees recruited through an online panel service (18-65 years, working at least 20 h/week, various occupations). The sample provides a good representation of the working population in both countries. Using logistic regression, we analyzed how sociodemographic factors and self-reported changes in work and private life routines were associated with participants' perceived overall impact of the COVID-19 crisis on work and private life. Moreover, we explored how the perceived impact and self-reported changes were associated with MWB and SRH.ResultsAbout 30% of employees reported that their work and private life had worsened, whereas about 10% reported improvements in work and 13% in private life. Mandatory short-time work was strongly associated with perceived negative impact on work life, while work from home, particularly if experienced for the first time, was strongly associated with a perceived positive impact on work life. Concerning private life, younger age, living alone, reduction in leisure time, and changes in quantity of caring duties were strongly associated with perceived negative impact. In contrast, living with a partner or family, short-time work, and increases in leisure time and caring duties were associated with perceived positive impact on private life. Perceived negative impact of the crisis on work and private life and mandatory short-time work were associated with lower MWB and SRH. Moreover, perceived positive impact on private life and an increase in leisure time were associated with higher MWB.ConclusionThe results of this study show the differential impact of the COVID-19 crisis on people's work and private life as well as the consequences for MWB and SRH. This may inform target groups and situation-specific interventions to ameliorate the crisis.

Project description:Background Common mental disorders present the main reason for registered sick leave in Sweden today, and women are at a higher risk of such sick leave than men. The aim of our study was to explore how the experiences of work- and home-related demands as well as resources influence return-to-work among employees sick-listed for common mental disorders in Sweden. Specifically, we aimed to explore similarities and differences in patterns of experiences among women and men. Methods A qualitative design with semi-structured focus group interviews was applied. One pilot interview and six additional focus groups, with a total of 28 participants, were conducted. The focus group discussions were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Data was analyzed with conventional content analysis. Results The analysis resulted in four main categories and eight sub-categories. While the study aim was to explore aspects of work and home, additional considerations related to internal demands and involved actors were also found. The main and sub-categories were “Home-related demands and resources” (sub-categories: “Not on sick leave for home-related demands”, “Feeling responsible for relationships and the well-being of others”, “An affected economy” and “Finding energizing activities and creating routines”), “Work-related demands and resources” (sub-categories: “Encountering tough emotions and an over-bearing feeling of responsibility at work”, “Continued work-related demands create un-certainty about the future”, “Loss of boundaries” and “(Desired) support from managers and colleagues”), “Internal demands and resources” and “Demands and resources linked to involved actors”. The experiences described among women and men were similar in some categories while patterns of experiences differed in others. Conclusions Home-related demands and resources influence return-to-work among women and men sick-listed for common mental disorders in Sweden, also when work-related demands are experienced as the main reason for the sick leave period. Furthermore, several of these aspects were described differently among women and men, which highlights the need to consider possible gender differences in relation to return-to-work, while maintaining attention to individual variations. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-020-10045-4.

Dataset Information

Common mental disorders through the eyes of German employees: attributed relevance of work-related causes and prevention measures assessed by a standardised survey.

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Common mental disorders through the eyes of German employees: attributed relevance of work-related causes and prevention measures assessed by a standardised survey.

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