Influence of social support among employees on mental health and work ability-a prospective cohort study in 2013-15

The study examined the association of social support with mental health, subjective work ability and psychological consultation. The cohort study included 1886 German employees (40-54 years) with sickness absence exceeding six weeks in 2012. Postal surveys were carried out in 2013 and 2015. After ad...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of public health 2018-10, Vol.28 (5), p.819-823
Main Authors: Peters, Elke, Spanier, Katja, Radoschewski, Friedrich Michael, Bethge, Matthias
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cohort analysis
Leaves of absence
Mental health
Occupational health
Personality
Public health
Social interactions
Social support
Work
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The study examined the association of social support with mental health, subjective work ability and psychological consultation. The cohort study included 1886 German employees (40-54 years) with sickness absence exceeding six weeks in 2012. Postal surveys were carried out in 2013 and 2015. After adjustment for socio-demographic data, work-related characteristics and personality factors, persons with low social support compared to high social support had poorer mental health (b=-4.96; 95% CI: -7.11 to -2.81) and a lower work ability index (b=-1.10; 95% CI -2.00 to -0.21). Low social support was not associated with increased odds of consulting a psychologist (OR =1.30; 95% CI: 0.86-1.96). Low social support is an independent predictor of poorer mental health and lower work ability. This study highlights the importance of identifying people who have limited access to social support.
ISSN:1101-1262
1464-360X
DOI:10.1093/eurpub/cky067