Relevance of organizational and psychosocial work environment for development of mental health problems across labor force entry

Mental health problems among young people are one of our core health challenges.

However, rigorous evidence on how employment and psychosocial workplace exposures impact young people’s mental health is essentially missing.

The aim of this project is to examine development of mental health problems across labor force entry, examine a number of potential risk- or protective organizational and psychosocial work characteristics, and potential risk groups for a poor mental health development.

The project will be based on data from the Survey of Income and Living Conditions (ULF), and the new Young-Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (Y-SLOSH) study from labor force entrants 16-29-years or age.

A number of self-reported organizational/ psychosocial work characteristics, and concurrent transitions (e.g. marriage and parenthood) will be assessed around the time of labor force entry.

These studies are expected to include sufficient number of representative labor market entrants who can be followed retrospectively and prospectively with regard to mental health problems, primarily indicated by register data on psychotropic medication.

This will allow modelling of trajectories of mental health problems several years before, during as well as after labor force entry by means of latent class growth analyses and of predictors of the trajectories through further regression analyses.

Complementary data from the French CONSTANCES cohort will be used to assess development of mental health problems according to physiological dysfunction across several physiological systems (based on measures of anthropometry, blood pressure and blood-based markers), health behaviors and prior mental health problems.

Primarily, we therefore apply for funding for salary (3-years) to researchers with competence in work stress and health research and statistics, and some funds for data access.

The findings can increase our understanding of work environment predictors of mental health development, especially of common mental disorders -associated with the greatest burden, provide stronger evidence on causality (by focusing on first exposure), and thereby guide and strengthen work-related early interventions and preventive measures.

Especially early interventions that can promote resilience have a great potential to improve the life course trajectory of mental health and reduce associated burden. Identification of risk groups may also facilitate more effective policies and practices.