IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/aphecp/v21y2023i2d10.1007_s40258-022-00761-w.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Role of Mental Health on Workplace Productivity: A Critical Review of the Literature

Author

Listed:
  • Claire Oliveira

    (University of York
    Hull York Medical School
    Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
    University of Toronto)

  • Makeila Saka

    (Hull York Medical School)

  • Lauren Bone

    (Hull York Medical School)

  • Rowena Jacobs

    (University of York)

Abstract

Background Mental health disorders in the workplace have increasingly been recognised as a problem in most countries given their high economic burden. However, few reviews have examined the relationship between mental health and worker productivity. Objective To review the relationship between mental health and lost productivity and undertake a critical review of the published literature. Methods A critical review was undertaken to identify relevant studies published in MEDLINE and EconLit from 1 January 2008 to 31 May 2020, and to examine the type of data and methods employed, study findings and limitations, and existing gaps in the literature. Studies were critically appraised, namely whether they recognised and/or addressed endogeneity and unobserved heterogeneity, and a narrative synthesis of the existing evidence was undertaken. Results Thirty-eight (38) relevant studies were found. There was clear evidence that poor mental health (mostly measured as depression and/or anxiety) was associated with lost productivity (i.e., absenteeism and presenteeism). However, only the most common mental disorders were typically examined. Studies employed questionnaires/surveys and administrative data and regression analysis. Few studies used longitudinal data, controlled for unobserved heterogeneity or addressed endogeneity; therefore, few studies were considered high quality. Conclusion Despite consistent findings, more high-quality, longitudinal and causal inference studies are needed to provide clear policy recommendations. Moreover, future research should seek to understand how working conditions and work arrangements as well as workplace policies impact presenteeism.

Suggested Citation

  • Claire Oliveira & Makeila Saka & Lauren Bone & Rowena Jacobs, 2023. "The Role of Mental Health on Workplace Productivity: A Critical Review of the Literature," Applied Health Economics and Health Policy, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 167-193, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:aphecp:v:21:y:2023:i:2:d:10.1007_s40258-022-00761-w
    DOI: 10.1007/s40258-022-00761-w
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s40258-022-00761-w
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s40258-022-00761-w?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Souvik Banerjee & Pinka Chatterji & Kajal Lahiri, 2017. "Effects of Psychiatric Disorders on Labor Market Outcomes: A Latent Variable Approach Using Multiple Clinical Indicators," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(2), pages 184-205, February.
    2. Mark L. Bryan & Andrew M. Bryce & Jennifer Roberts, 2020. "Presenteeism in the UK: Effects of physical and mental health on worker productivity," Working Papers 2020005, The University of Sheffield, Department of Economics.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Baek, Seong-Uk & Yoon, Jin-Ha & Won, Jong-Uk, 2023. "Reciprocal longitudinal associations of supportive workplace relationships with depressive symptoms and self-rated health: A study of Korean women," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 333(C).
    2. Xuelin Chen & Mohammad Masukujjaman & Abdullah Al Mamun & Jingzu Gao & Zafir Khan Mohamed Makhbul, 2023. "Modeling the significance of work culture on burnout, satisfaction, and psychological distress among the Gen-Z workforce in an emerging country," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-12, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Thomas Barnay, 2016. "Health, work and working conditions: a review of the European economic literature," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 17(6), pages 693-709, July.
    2. Menta, Giorgia & Lepinteur, Anthony & Clark, Andrew E. & Ghislandi, Simone & D'Ambrosio, Conchita, 2023. "Maternal genetic risk for depression and child human capital," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    3. Buyi Wang & Richard Frank & Sherry Glied, 2023. "Lasting scars: The impact of depression in early adulthood on subsequent labor market outcomes," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(12), pages 2694-2708, December.
    4. Rellstab, Sara & Bakx, Pieter & García-Gómez, Pilar & van Doorslaer, Eddy, 2020. "The kids are alright - labour market effects of unexpected parental hospitalisations in the Netherlands," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    5. Nancy Reichman & Hope Corman & Kelly Noonan, 2015. "Effects of maternal depression on couple relationship status," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 13(4), pages 929-973, December.
    6. Ashley C. Bradford & Johanna Catherine Maclean, 2024. "Evictions and psychiatric treatment," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(1), pages 87-125, January.
    7. Angelo Leogrande & Alberto Costantiello, 2023. "The Labor Force Participation Rate in the Context of ESG Models at World Level," Working Papers hal-04114330, HAL.
    8. Henri Salokangas, 2021. "Exploring the labor market consequences of psychiatric disorders: An event study approach," Discussion Papers 148, Aboa Centre for Economics.
    9. Mark L Bryan & Nigel Rice & Jennifer Roberts & Cristina Sechel, 2022. "Mental Health and Employment: A Bounding Approach Using Panel Data," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 84(5), pages 1018-1051, October.
    10. Ilke Onur & Bedri Kamil Onur Tas, 2019. "Optimal bidder participation in public procurement auctions," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 26(3), pages 595-617, June.
    11. Everding, Jakob, 2019. "Heterogeneous spillover effects of children's education on parental mental health," hche Research Papers 18, University of Hamburg, Hamburg Center for Health Economics (hche).
    12. Andrew E. Clark & Conchita D'Ambrosio & Simone Ghislandi & Anthony Lepinteur & Giorgia Menta, 2021. "Maternal depression and child human capital: a genetic instrumental-variable approach," CEP Discussion Papers dp1749, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    13. Monica Deza & Johanna Catherine Maclean & Keisha T. Solomon, 2020. "Local Access to Mental Healthcare and Crime," NBER Working Papers 27619, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    14. Moscone, F. & Tosetti, E. & Vittadini, G., 2016. "The impact of precarious employment on mental health: The case of Italy," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 86-95.
    15. Ringdal, Charlotte & Rootjes, Frank, 2022. "Depression and labor supply: Evidence from the Netherlands," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 45(C).
    16. Noonan, Kelly & Corman, Hope & Reichman, Nancy E., 2016. "Effects of maternal depression on family food insecurity," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 201-215.
    17. Gail Kinman & Andrew J. Clements, 2022. "Sickness Presenteeism in Prison Officers: Risk Factors and Implications for Wellbeing and Productivity," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-10, March.
    18. Ntuli, Herbert & Mukong, Alfred Kechia & Kimengsi, Jude Ndzifon, 2022. "Institutions and environmental resource extraction within local communities in Mozambique," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    19. Diby, Akissi S. & Lengagne, Pascale & Regaert, Camille, 2021. "Employment Vulnerability of People With Severe Mental Illness," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(2), pages 269-275.
    20. Lebenbaum, Michael & Laporte, Audrey & de Oliveira, Claire, 2021. "The effect of mental health on social capital: An instrumental variable analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 272(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:aphecp:v:21:y:2023:i:2:d:10.1007_s40258-022-00761-w. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.