FLASH Research: Mental health in Cycle 2 of ELOSMET study

The second cycle of the Observatory on Health and Wellness at Work Longitudinal Study (ELOSMET) includes 92 Canadian workplaces and their participating employees who were surveyed between May 20, 2020, and April 18, 2022. A total of 3,497 employees aged 18 and over agreed to complete an online questionnaire, for a response rate of 50.1%.

This FLASH Research presents preliminary results of the contribution of work, non-work, and individual factors to four mental health indicators: psychological distress, depression, anxiety and burnout. A previous FLASH Research (February 2021) highlighted a high prevalence of psychological distress and burnout among people participating in ELOSMET1.  Cycle 2 adds information about depressive and anxiety symptoms.

1.Factors assessed

2.Preliminary results

Work factors

  • Psychological distress:
    • Higher when psychological demands and job insecurity are high
  • Depression:
    • Lower when the person is teleworking
    • Higher when psychological demands, interpersonal conflicts, harassment and job insecurity are high
  • Anxiety
    • Higher when psychological demands, interpersonal conflicts, harassment, and job insecurity are high
  • Burnout:
    • Lower when the person is teleworking, and supervisory support, recognition at work and procedural justice are high
    • Higher when psychological demands, hours worked, interpersonal conflict and harassment are high
  • Psychological distress, depression, anxiety and burnout have psychological demands in common.

 

Non-work factors

  • Psychological distress:
    • Lower when the person lives in a couple
    • Higher when marital and parental tensions as well as family-work/work-family conflicts are high
  • Depression:
    • Lower when the person lives in a couple, there are children in the household and there is high social support
    • Higher when marital and parental tensions as well as family-work/work-family conflicts are high
  • Anxiety
    • Lower when there are children in the household and there is high social support
    • Higher when marital and parental tensions as well as family-work/work-family conflicts are high
  • Burnout:
    • Higher when work-family conflicts are high
  • Psychological distress, depression, anxiety and burnout have work-family conflicts in common.

 

Individual factors

  • Psychological distress:
    • Lower when the person is older and physical activity and psychological capital are higher
    • Higher for women and when there are chronic health problems and cannabis use
  • Depression:
    • Lower when the person is older, and the psychological capital is higher
    • Higher for women and when there is chronic health problems and cannabis use
  • Anxiety:
    • Lower when the person is older and physical activity and psychological capital are higher s
    • Higher for women and when there are chronic health problems and cannabis use
  • Burnout:
    • Lower when the person is older and physical activity and psychological capital are higher
    • Higher for women and when chronic health problems have occurred
  • Psychological distress, depression, anxiety and burnout have in common gender, age of the person, chronic health problems and psychological capital.

Conclusion

The preliminary results presented here suggest that, beyond the context marked by COVID-19, the size of the company or its economic sector, psychological distress, depression, anxiety, and burnout are associated with factors in the workplace, outside the workplace and individual characteristics. However, the outside work situation seems to play a more important role when the mental health symptoms experienced are those of psychological distress, depression, and anxiety.  Burnout appears to be more strongly influenced by work organization conditions and individual factors.  Overall, these preliminary results of Cycle 2 support the observations of a previous Flash Research1.

Although preliminary, these results make it possible to draw the following conclusions:

  • In the workplace, the ability to use one's skills, to be able to make decisions independently, to be teleworking, to rely on supervisory support, to be recognized for the work done and to work in an organization where practices and procedures are based on principles of justice, appear to be favorable elements to protect the mental health of individuals. However, psychological demands (workload, work pace and conflicting demands), high hours worked as well as problems related to interpersonal conflicts, exposure to harassment of a physical, psychological, or sexual nature, as well as job insecurity are due to a higher level of symptoms of psychological distress and burnout.
  • Outside the workplace, living as a couple and having children living with you seems to alleviate psychological distress, depression, and anxiety, but the greater the tension with the spouse or children, the greater the difficulties in reconciling the demands of work and family, the more mental health seems to be weakened. Only work-family conflicts appear to be important for burnout.
  • For individual characteristics, being a man, being older, being physically active and possessing greater psychological capital, i.e., a personality marked by a sense of self-efficacy (self-confidence), hope, resilience, and optimism, are found to promote a lower feeling of mental health symptoms. However, being a woman, having a state of health weakened by one or more chronic health problems, and the use of cannabis tend to disrupt mental health.

The prevention of problems of psychological distress, depression, anxiety, and burnout is therefore possible through interventions that can affect both the workplace, the non-work situation, and certain individual characteristics. An integrated approach that puts in place management practices that promote the control of working conditions, work-family balance and personal health can certainly yield positive results in protecting mental health and enabling the company to better control its problems of absenteeism at work 2-4.

References

  1. Observatory on Health and Wellness at Work (October 2021). Psychological distress and burnout: Contribution of work, non-work and individual factors. FLASH Research Collection, University of Montreal. https://osmet.openum.ca/en/flash-recherche-detresse-psychologique-et-epuisement-professionnel-contribution-des-facteurs-du-travail-hors-travail-et-individuels/
  2. Observatory on Health and Wellness at Work (February 2021). Importance of Mental Health Issues in the Workplace Before and During the COVID-19 Crisis: The First Results of Cycle-1 of the ELOSMET. FLASH Research Collection, University of Montreal. https://osmet.openum.ca/en/flash-recherche-la-sante-mentale-en-milieux-de-travail-en-temps-de-pandemie/
  3. Marchand, A., Haines, V. Y., Harvey, S., Dextras‐Gauthier, J., and Durand, P. (2016) Health and Stress Management and Mental‐health Disability Claims. Stress & Health, 32: 569-577. doi: 1002/smi.2663.
  4. Observatory on Health and Wellness at Work (October 2020). 2.Absenteeism and workplace health and wellness management practices. FLASH Research Collection, University of Montreal. https://osmet.openum.ca/en/flash-recherche-labsenteisme-et-les-pratiques-de-gestion-en-sante-et-mieux-etre-au-travail/

Website : www.osmet.umontreal.ca

About OSMET

The Observatoire sur la santé et le mieux-être au travail (OSMET) was born from a collaboration with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Institut de recherche en santé publique (now the Centre de recherche en santé publique) and the École de relations industrielles of the Université de Montréal. OSMET is financially supported by four founding partners: Solutions Mieux-être LifeWorks (formerly Morneau Shepell), McKesson Canada, Medavie Blue Cross and Pratt & Whitney Canada.

The OSMET Flash Research Collection

  1. Telework, working conditions and work-family conflicts. June 2020. https://osmet.openum.ca/en/flash-recherche-teletravail-conditions-de-travail-et-conflits-travail-famille/

  2. Absenteeism and workplace health and wellness management practices. October 2020. https://www.osmet.umontreal.ca/publications/flash-recherche/flash-recherche-labsenteisme-et-les-pratiques-de-gestion-en-sante-et-mieux-etre-au-travail/

  3. Mental health in the workplace during a pandemic. January 2021. https://osmet.openum.ca/en/flash-recherche-la-sante-mentale-en-milieux-de-travail-en-temps-de-pandemie/

  4. Portrait of the Implementation of Occupational Health and Wellness Management Practices. June 2021. https://osmet.openum.ca/en/flash-recherche-les-pratiques-de-gestion-de-la-sante-et-du-mieux-etre-au-travail/
  5. Psychological distress and burnout: Contribution of work, non-work and individual factors. October 2021.https://osmet.openum.ca/en/flash-recherche-detresse-psychologique-et-epuisement-professionnel-contribution-des-facteurs-du-travail-hors-travail-et-individuels/

  6. The best practices for intervening and reducing mental health problems in the workplace. May 2022. https://osmet.openum.ca/en/flash-recherche-les-meilleures-pratiques-pour-intervenir-et-diminuer-les-problemes-de-sante-mentale-au-travail/

This content has been updated on 18 July 2023 at 0h53.