Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Impact of lifetime compared to adolescent-onset mental illness on psychosocial employment quality in adulthood: analysis of a nationally representative French cohort

  • Original Article
  • Published:
International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

We investigated prospective associations between mental illness and psychosocial employment quality using a nationally representative sample of the French working population by gender, primary diagnosis, and age of onset.

Methods

6234 employed French adults (aged 20–74 years) were followed from 2006 to 2010. All respondents provided data on 26 indicators of psychosocial employment quality drawn from the Job-Strain Model, other job stressors, and indicators of working time stressors (i.e., shift work, night work, and long working hours).

Results

We performed 272 statistical tests, of which 37 were significant following adjustment for age, poor socio-economic position during childhood, unemployment status at wave one, and anxiety or depression at wave two. Females with a lifetime diagnosis of any mental illness reported higher psychological and emotional demands at work, whilst males reported low decision latitude, tensions with the public, and work-life imbalance. In both genders a lifetime diagnosis of any mental illness was associated with role and ethical conflict. A lifetime diagnosis of major depression appeared to have stronger associations for females, whilst substance use disorder was associated with poorer psychosocial employment quality in males. Adolescent-onset mental illness might be associated with poorer psychosocial employment quality among men more so than among women.

Conclusions

Results suggest that people with a history of mental illness who obtain employment tend to be employed in jobs characterized by poor psychosocial quality. Employment quality should be considered in vocational rehabilitation policies and practices aimed at optimizing employment participation in this population.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Baldwin M, Marcus S (2011) Stigma, discrimination, and employment outcomes among persons with mental health disabilities. In: Schultz I, Rogers E (eds) Work accommodation and retention in mental health. Springer, New York, pp 53–69

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Bender R, Lange S (2001) Adjusting for multiple testing—when and how? J Clin Epidemiol 54:343–349

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bonde J (2008) Psychosocial factors at work and risk of depression: a systematic review of the epidemiological evidence. Occup Environ Med 65:438–445

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Butterworth P, Leach L, Strazdins L, Olesen S, Rodgers B, Broom D (2011) The psychosocial quality of work determines whether employment has benefits for mental health: results from a longitudinal national household panel survey. Occup Environ Med 68:806–812

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chazelle E, Chastang J-F, Niedhammer I (2016) Psychosocial work factors and sleep problems: findings from the French national SIP survey. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 89:485–495

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Copeland W, Wolke D, Shanahan L, Costello J (2015) Adult functional outcomes of common childhood psychiatric problems: a prospective, longitudinal study. JAMA Psychiatry 72:892–899

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crowther R, Marshall M, Bond G, Huxley P (2001) Helping people with severe mental illness to obtain work: systematic review. BMJ 322:204

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • De Riccardis N (2012) Traitements de la non-réponse et calages pour l’enquête Santé et Itinéraire Professionnel de 2010: Direction de la recherche, des études, de l’évaluation et des statistiques. Direction de Recherche, Etudes, Evaluation et Statistiques, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • Endo M, Muto T, Haruyama Y, Yuhara M, Sairenchi T, Kato R (2015) Risk factors of recurrent sickness absence due to depression: a two-year cohort study among Japanese employees. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 88:75–83

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ford E, Stansfeld S, McManus S, Harris J, Clark C (2010) Common mental disorder, unemployment and welfare benefits in England. J Public Health 124:675–681

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Karasek R (1979) Job demands, job decision latitude, and mental strain: implications for job redesign. Adm Sci Q 24:285

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler R et al (2007) Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of mental disorders in the World Health Organization’s World Mental Health Survey Initative. World Psychiatry 6:168–176

    Google Scholar 

  • Kinoshita Y et al (2013) Supported employment for adults with severe mental illness. Cochrane Database Sys Rev 9:CD008297

    Google Scholar 

  • LaMontagne A, Krnjacki L, Kavanagh A, Bentley R (2013) Psychosocial working conditions in a representative sample of working Australians 2001–2008: an analysis of changes in inequalities over time. Occup Environ Med 70:639–647

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lassalle M, Chastang J-F, Niedhammer I (2015) Working conditions and psychotropic drug use: cross-sectional and prospective results from the French national SIP study. J Psychiatr Res 63:50–57

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leach L, Butterworth P, Strazdins L, Rodgers B, Broom D, Olesen S (2010) The limitations of employment as a tool for social inclusion. BMC Public Health 10:621

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lesuffleur T, Chastang J, Sandret N, Niedhammer I (2014) Psychosocial factors at work and sickness absence: results from the French national SUMER survey. Am J Ind Med 57:695–708

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Madsen I et al (2017) Job strain as a risk factor for clinical depression: systematic review and meta-analysis with additional individual participant data. Psychol Med 47:1342–1356

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Malard L, Chastang J-F, Niedhammer I (2015a) Changes in depressive and generalized anxiety disorders in the national French working population between 2006 and 2010. J Affect Disord 178:52–59

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malard L, Chastang J-F, Niedhammer I (2015b) Changes in psychosocial work factors in the French working population between 2006 and 2010. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 88:235–246

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Modini M et al (2016a) The mental health benefits for employment: results of a systematic meta-review. Australas Psychiatry 24:331–336

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Modini M et al (2016b) Supported employment for people with severe mental illnesses: systematic review and meta-analysis of the international literature. Br J Psychiatry 209:14–22

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murcia M, Chastang J-F, Niedhammer I (2013) Psychosocial work factors, major depressive and generalised anxiety disorders: results from the French national SIP study. J Affect Disord 146:319–327

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murcia M, Chastang J-F, Niedhammer I (2015) Educational inequalities in major depressive and generalized anxiety disorders: results from the French national SIP study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 50:919–928

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Netterstrøm B et al (2008) The relation between work-related psychosocial factors and the development of depression. Epidemiol Rev 30:118–132

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Niedhammer I, Chastang J-F (2015) Psychosocial work factors and first depressive episode: retrospective results from the French national SIP survey. Int J Arch Occup Environ Health 88:835–847

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Niedhammer I, Saurel-Cubizolles M, Piciotti M, Bonenfant S (2000) How is sex considered in the recent epidemiological literature on occupational risks? Occup Environ Med 57:521–527

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Niedhammer I, Chastang J, David S, Kelleher C (2008) The contribution of occupational factors to social inequalities in health: findings from the national French SUMER survey. Soc Sci Med 67:1870–1881

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Niedhammer I, Lesuffleur T, Algava E, Chastang J-F (2015a) Classic and emergent psychosocial work factors and mental health. Occup Med 65:126–134

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Niedhammer I, Malard L, Chastang J-F (2015b) Occupational factors and subsequent major depressive and generalized anxiety disorders in the prospective French national SIP survey. BMC Public Health 15:200

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rao J, Scott A (1987) On simple adjustments to Chi-square tests with sample survey data. Ann Stat 15:385–397

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • SAS Institute (2013) SAS/STAT statistical software: release 9.4. SAS Institute Inc., Cary

    Google Scholar 

  • Schuring M, Robroek S, Burdorf A (2017) The benefits of paid employment among persons with common mental health problems: evidence for the selection and causation mechanism. Scand J Work Environ Health 43:540–549

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheehan D et al (1998) The Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.): the development and validation of a structured diagnostic psychiatric interview for DSM-IV and ICD-10. J Clin Psychiatry 59:s22–33

    Google Scholar 

  • Siegrist J (2008) Chronic psychosocial stress at work and risk of depression: evidence from prospective studies. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 258:115–119

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stansfeld S, Candy B (2006) Psychosocial work environment and mental health—a meta-analytic review. Scand J Work Environ Health 32:443–462

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stansfeld S, Clark C, Caldwell T, Rodgers B, Power C (2008) Psychosocial work characteristics and anxiety and depressive disorders in midlife: the effects of prior psychological distress. Occup Environ Med 65:634–642

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Suijkerbuijk Y, Schaafsma F, van Mechelen J, Ojajärvi O, Corbière M, Anema J (2017) Interventions for obtaining and maintaining employment in adults with severe mental illness: a network meta-analysis. Cochrane Database Sys Rev 9:CD011867

    Google Scholar 

  • Theorell T et al (2015) A systematic review including meta-analysis of work environment and depressive symptoms. BMC Public Health 15:738

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Rijn R, Robroek S, Brouwer S, Burdorf A (2014) Influence of poor health on exit from paid employment: a systematic review. Occup Environ Med 71:295–301

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

This work was supported by the French Ministry of Labour (DARES, Grant number 2200727156) awarded to IN and an Australian Rotary Health Grant (RM 31643) awarded to ADL, KW, and AM. Individual authors also wish to acknowledge the following funding sources: KW was supported by a Rod Rickards Fellowship awarded by the Australian Academy of Science and the France-Australia Science Innovation Collaboration (FASIC), AM was funded by a Victorian Health and Medical Research Fellowship.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

KW, IN, AM, and ADL had the idea for the paper. KW, IN, and J-FC extracted and analysed the data. All authors contributed to the interpretation of results and to the writing of the manuscript. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript for publication.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Katrina Witt.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Informed consent

All participants provided written informed consent for the Santé et Itinéraire Professionnel (SIP) Survey.

Ethical approval

The research protocol for this study was approved by the French Ethics Committees (the Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés [CNIL] and the National Council for Statistical Information [CNIS]).

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (DOCX 13 KB)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Witt, K., Milner, A., Chastang, JF. et al. Impact of lifetime compared to adolescent-onset mental illness on psychosocial employment quality in adulthood: analysis of a nationally representative French cohort. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 91, 887–900 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-018-1331-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-018-1331-6

Keywords

Navigation