Workplace social capital and mental health: a cross-sectional study among Iranian workers

Mojgan Firouzbakht,Aram Tirgar,Susan Mouodi,Karimollah Hajian-Tilaki,Ichiro Kawachi,Reza Sadeghian,Tuula Oksanen,Maryam Nikpour

doi:10.1186/s12889-018-5659-3

Abstract

BackgroundThe psychosocial environment of the workplace has received less attention in terms of occupational health. Trust, social network and social cohesion at the workplace (that is, factors related to social capital) may have effects on employee health. Thus, the objective of this study was to examine the association between workplace social capital and mental health among Iranian workers.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, data were obtained from 5 factories in Babol, Northern Iran, in 2016, where 280 workers responded to a survey on social capital at work and psychosocial distress.ResultsApproximately 23.6% of the workers had psychological distress, and 23.4% had low social capital in the workplace. There was a significant relationship between mental health and individual workplace social capital (p = 0.025) and aggregated workplace social capital (p = 0.027). After controlling for each individual’s characteristics, the prevalence ratio of psychological distress was 2.11 (95% CI: 1.43-3.17) times higher among workers with low individual social capital, and low aggregated workplace social capital was associated with 2.64 (95% CI: 1.28–5.45) times higher odds of psychological distress.ConclusionHigher social capital is associated with a reduced risk of psychological distress. The promotion of social capital can be considered as a means to increase workplace mental health among workers.

Highlights

The psychosocial environment of the workplace has received less attention in terms of occupational health
Economic status was associated with mental health (P = 0.004); education was associated with individual workplace social capital (p = 0.012) and aggregate workplace social capital (p = 0.01)
The prevalence ratio (PR) low versus high workplace social capital on low mental health was 2.11 when adjusted for all baseline covariates

Summary

Introduction

The psychosocial environment of the workplace has received less attention in terms of occupational health. Social network and social cohesion at the workplace (that is, factors related to social capital) may have effects on employee health. The objective of this study was to examine the association between workplace social capital and mental health among Iranian workers. Characteristics of workplace social capital, namely, trust, social networks and social cohesion, probably influence employees’ health [8, 13]. A cohort study among 48,592 workers in the public sector in Finland showed that low social capital is related to a 20–50% increased risk for onset of depression [14]. A study on 2000 industrial workers the USA showed that low social capital is related to reduced smoking and job stress [3]. There is a lack of evidence for the effect of social capital at work on mental health in developing countries [10]

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Conclusion