Evaluating the Effectiveness of Return-to-Work Interventions for Individuals with Work-Related Mental Health Conditions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

• Published in: Healthcare (Basel) 2023-05, Vol.11 (10), p.1403
• Main Authors: Nowrouzi-Kia, Behdin, Garrido, Pablo, Gohar, Basem, Yazdani, Amin, Chattu, Vijay Kumar, Bani-Fatemi, Ali, Howe, Aaron, Duncan, Andrea, Riquelme, Maria Paz, Abdullah, Faizah, Jaswal, Sharan, Lo, Joyce, Fayyaz, Yusra, Alam, Bushra
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Absenteeism; Anxiety; Bias; Care and treatment; Clinical trials; Content analysis; Employees; Employment; Intervention; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mental health; Mental illness; Meta-analysis; Methods; Occupational diseases; Occupational health services; Quality of life; Quasi-experimental methods; Sick leave; Stress; Systematic Review; Well being; Workplace accommodation
• ISSN: 2227-9032; 2227-9032
• DOI: 10.3390/healthcare11101403

The workplace is a vital setting to support positive mental health. Mental health conditions in the workforce contribute to decreased work engagement and participation. There is existing literature on return-to-work (RTW) interventions for individuals with work-related mental health conditions, however, there lacks consensus on their effectiveness. Therefore, the primary aim of this systematic review was to synthesize the literature and evaluate the effectiveness of return-to-work interventions on return-to-work rates, quality of life, and psychological wellbeing for individuals with work-related mental health conditions. Selected articles were organized and identified using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and the Population/Intervention/Comparison/Outcome (PICO) framework. Quality assessment of the included studies was completed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme randomized controlled trials checklist and the Joanna Briggs Institute quasi-experimental studies checklist. A random effects meta-analysis model was performed using DerSimonian-Laird weighting to calculate standard mean difference and risk ratios to assess the impact of RTW interventions on return-to-work rates, absenteeism, stress symptoms, depression symptoms, and quality of life. A total of 28 out of 26,153 articles met the inclusion criteria. Diagnoses for participants in the studies ranged from work-related stress to work-related PTSD following exposure to a psychologically traumatizing event in the workplace. No significant differences were found for the meta-analyses examining return-to-work rates, absenteeism, depression, stress, and quality of life. The most effective interventions were found to be a multi-domain intervention (67% of participants RTW full time) and a health-focused intervention (85% RTW rate). Future research may consider establishing effective interventions to develop programs or policies supporting the RTW of employees and promote mental well-being among employees experiencing work-related mental health conditions.