Take Home Messages:

Work characteristics have an effect on the mental health of workers.

The two major factors that can impact on the mental health of workers are job control and job demands.

Increasing job demands make people more likely to miss time from work, report being sick more often and to develop heart problems. Increasing job control will cause the reverse to happen.

If people have less job control, or higher job demands, then it is likely that they will demonstrate long term fatigue problems. Long term fatigue makes people more likely to take sick leave, go on long term disability and to develop long term illnesses.

Why the research matters:

Psychosocial factors at work affect employee health and well being. Psychosocial factors typically refer to the following two work elements:

1. Job control (or decision latitude)
2. Job demands

Poor job control and high job demands are associated with:

• Cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel) problems;
• Disorders of muscle and bone;
• Mental illness; and
• Increased fatigue.

Employees who have psychological or social problems at work are more likely to:

• Report poor health; and
• Be absent from work

Although several studies have shown association between psychosocial factors and adverse health outcomes, it is very difficult to conduct experiments to determine the actual effect of psychosocial factors on employee well-being.

This study is an improvement over previous studies as it follows workers and is able to monitor their health as the psychosocial factors of their work environments change.

What the research involved:

The study aims to explore a possible causal relationship between psychosocial work characteristics and mental health. 

To do so the authors examined the effects of changes in psychological job demands and decision latitude on subsequent changes in need for recovery and prolonged fatigue.  The effect of potential confounding factors was also taken into account.

Understanding the relationship of psychosocial work characteristics and mental health is important for designing effective prevention and intervention strategies.

The authors measured two mental health outcomes:

1. Need for recovery, which represents the short-term effects of a working day and has previously been associated with:
   
   • The development of cardiovascular disease;
   • Subjective health complaints ; and
   • Sickness absence.

1. Prolonged fatigue, which represents long-term health effects and has previously been associated with:
   
   • Work schedules;
   • Psychosocial work characteristics;
   • Long-term illness;
   • Sick leave; and
   • Work disability.

Summary of research findings:

Increased job demands cause an increased need for recovery time.

Increased job control (decision latitude) reduces need for recovery time.

Increased job demands are associated with increases in long term fatigue.

Increased job control is associated with a reduction in long term fatigue.

Even though the latter statements show an association, it is important to note that increased job demands and reduced job control do not directly cause long term fatigue. The association however is still useful for identifying at risk workers.

Original research:

Mental Health Effects of Changes in Psychosocial Work Characteristics: A Prospective Cohort Study

Lore De Raeve, MSc; Rineke M. Vasse, PhD; Rineke M. Vasse, PhD; Piet A. van den Brandt, PhD; IJmert Kant, PhD

J Occup Environ Med.2007; 49:890 – 899)

Link to PubMed abstract