Juliet Hassard

Investigating the impact of psychosocial risks and occupational stress on psychiatric hospital nurses' mental well-being in Japan

A cross-sectional survey was conducted, with the aim to examine what stressors in the workplace and demographic factors were associated with signs and symptoms of poor well-being among psychiatric nurses. A structured questionnaire was distributed to nurses within six psychiatric hospitals in Japan. Information was collected on demographic information, work characteristics and two dimensions of well-being: feeling uptight and emotional exhaustion. Three hundred and sixty-one questionnaires were completed by participants. High rates of emotional exhaustion in psychiatric nurses were found to be predicted by young age, high psychological demands paired with low social support in the workplace, job strain (a proxy to occupational stress) and job strain paired with low social support. In addition, high rates of being tense/uptight were associated with high psychological job demand, low psychological job control, low social support in the workplace, high job strain and high job strain paired with low social support. The current study has found evidence of significant relationships between demographic factors and several work and organizational stressors and poor mental health among Japanese psychiatric nurses.

Calculating the cost of work-related stress and psychosocial risks

Work-related stress is expensive. Tackling stress and psychosocial risks can be viewed as too costly, but the reality is that it costs more to ignore them. Stress affects performance and leads to absence from work. If prolonged it may result in serious health problems such as cardiovascular or musculoskeletal diseases. All this comes at a cost. This report summarises the studies focusing on calculating costs of work-related stress and psychosocial risks. The main costs for individuals relate to health impairment, lower income and reduced quality of life. Organisations are affected by costs related to absenteeism, presenteeism, reduced productivity or high staff turnover. Health care costs and poorer business outcomes ultimately affect national economies and society.

Mental health promotion in the workplace – a good practice report

Promotion of mental health at work is one of the Community OSH Strategy’s priorities13. In 2009, a case study collection on mental health at work was conducted for the EU-OSHA. The present report is based on this collection of good practice examples. The aim of the report was to review the collatedcase studies for equipping practitioners, policy makers and employers to draw conclusions from these studies and take these into account when implementing programmes that target mental health in the workplace. Organisations involved were situated in Europe and varied across occupational sectors. Specific aspects of each organisation’s MHP programme were examined to determine and identify commonly observed success factors and practical approaches and strategies to overcome challenges across the thirteen case studies. Additionally approaches and strategies used in the case studies that were particularly innovative or original were highlighted and discussed.

The cost of work-related stress to society: a systematic review

A systematic review of the available evidence examining the cost of work-related stress (WRS) would yield important insights into the magnitude of this social phenomenon. The objective of this review was to collate, extract, and synthesize economic evaluations of the cost of WRS to society. A research protocol was developed. Included cost-of-illness (COI) studies estimated the cost of WRS at a societal level, and were published in English, French or German. Searches were carried out in ingentaconnect, EBSCO, JSTOR, Science Direct, Web of Knowledge, Google, and Google scholar. Included studies were assessed against 10 COI quality assessment criteria. Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed. These originated from Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the EU-15. The total estimated cost of WRS was observed to be considerable and ranged substantially from US

Motivation for employers to carry out workplace health promotion: literature review

221.13 million to

The financial burden of psychosocial workplace aggression: a systematic review of cost-of-illness studies

187 billion. Productivity related losses were observed to proportionally contribute the majority of the total cost of WRS (between 70 to 90%), with health care and medical costs constituting the remaining 10 to 30%. The evidence reviewed here suggests a sizable financial burden imposed by WRS on society. The observed range of cost estimates was understood to be attributable to variations in definitions of WRS; the number and type of costs estimated; and, in how production loss was estimated. It is postulated that the cost estimates identified by this review are likely conservative because of narrow definitions of WRS and the exclusion of diverse range of cost components.

New directions in intervention: cyber-bullying, schools and teachers

Workplace health promotion (WHP) is the combined efforts of employers, workers and society to improve the health and wellbeing of people at work. This can be achieved by: improving the work organisation and the work environment; promoting the active participation of all stakeholders in the process, and encouraging personal development. It is important to note that WHP aims to be a complementary support for, but not a replacement of, workplace risk management. Proper risk management is an essential foundation for a successful WHP programme. Developing and sustaining a healthy work environment and workforce has clear benefits for companies and employees, but can also lead to an improvement in social and economic development at local, regional, national and European level. This report presents the findings of a literature review that aims to identify the key reasons, arguments and motivation for employers to carry out workplace health promotion initiatives, and discusses some of the associated challenges and obstacles. This knowledge can be used to encourage and motivate employers to start WHP.

Motivation for employees to participate in workplace health promotion: literature review

ABSTRACT Understanding the economic impact of psychological and social forms of workplace aggression to society could yield important insights into the magnitude of this occupational phenomenon. The objective of this systematic review was to collate, summarise, review and critique, and synthesise the cost of psychosocial workplace aggression at the individual- and societal-level. A peer-reviewed research protocol detailing the search strategy, study selection procedures and data extraction process was developed a priori. Both the academic and grey literatures were examined. To allow for basic comparison, all costs were converted and adjusted to reflect 2014 US dollars. Twelve studies, from 5 national contexts, met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed: Australia (n = 2), Italy (n = 1), Spain (n = 1), the United Kingdom (n = 3) and the United States (n = 5). The annual cost of psychosocial workplace aggression varied substantially, ranging between

Psychosocial risks in Europe: prevalence and strategies for prevention

114.64 million and

Guidance on the European Framework for Psychosocial Risk Management: a resource for employers and worker representatives

35.9 billion. Heterogeneity across studies was found, with noted variations in stated study aims, utilised prevalence statistics and included costs. The review concludes that existing evidence attests to the substantial cost of psychosocial workplace aggression to both the individual and society, albeit such derived estimates are likely gross under-estimates. The findings highlight the importance of interpreting such figures within their conceptual and methodological contexts.