Abstract
Psychological distress is a global public health concern with individual and societal implications causing work-related disability and loss of productivity. It is less known how much work ability contributes to the development of psychological distress. This study aimed to assess the association between self-perceived physical and mental work ability in relation to job demands, and the incidence of psychological distress in a Swedish working population. Data were obtained from three subsamples of the Stockholm Public Health Cohort with baseline in 2010 and follow-up in 2014, based on a working population in Stockholm County aged 18-60 years, with no or mild psychological distress at baseline (n=29,882). Self-perceived physical and mental work ability in relation to job demands were assessed at baseline with a subscale from the Work Ability Index. Study participants scoring 4 or more on the General Health Questionnaire 12 at follow-up were classified as having developed psychological distress during the study period. Poisson log linear regression was used to calculate crude and adjusted rate ratios with 95% confidence intervals. At follow-up, 2543 participants (12%) had developed psychological distress. Reporting poor physical and/or poor mental work ability in relation to job demands at baseline was associated with an almost doubled rate ratio of psychological distress at follow-up, compared to reporting good work ability (rate ratio 1.8; 95% confidence interval 1.6-2.0). Poor work ability is associated with a higher incidence of future psychological distress compared to good work ability.
Highlights
Mental health problems are leading causes of years lived with disability in high and middle-income countries
A systematic review of prospective studies and a longitudinal study report that subthreshold depression is associated with future major depressive disorder as well as other psychiatric conditions [3, 4]
This study is based on data obtained from the Stockholm Public Health Cohort (SPHC), a prospective study set within the framework of Stockholm County Council’s public health surveys aiming to assess health, lifestyle and socioeconomic factors
Summary
Mental health problems are leading causes of years lived with disability in high and middle-income countries. Depression and anxiety are most common within this wide scope of diagnoses, with an estimated total global prevalence of 7%, according to the Global Burden of Disease Study [1]. In Sweden, mental health problems are the primary reason for long-term sick leave, which, apart from personal suffering, is associated with a great societal burden and loss of productivity [2]. Psychological distress (PD) is characterised by a continuum of depressive and anxiety symptoms, which may develop into mental illness with greater severity if unrecognised. Working conditions promoting physical and mental health are of importance for a sustainable and long-lasting working career, including prioritising primary prevention of occupational health hazards such as PD. Previous studies have examined the role of psychosocial factors in work environments for
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