Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Working conditions and psychotropic medication: a prospective cohort study

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

To examine whether work arrangements, physical working conditions and psychosocial working conditions are associated with subsequent mental health problems, measured by prescribed psychotropic drugs.

Methods

Data on working conditions collected among 40–60-year-old employees of the City of Helsinki, Finland (N = 6,498) were linked with the register of prescribed medication. Purchases of antidepressants (ATC class N06A), sleeping pills and sedatives (N05B and N05C), and any psychotropic drugs during a 5-year follow-up were examined. Current users and those with regular use of psychotropic drugs during the past 3 years were excluded, leaving 5,786 respondents for analysis.

Results

Working overtime was associated with purchases of sleeping pills among men but otherwise the associations between work arrangements and psychotropic medication were negligible. Desktop work was associated with purchases of sleeping pills among women. Among psychosocial working conditions, high self-assessed mental strenuousness and job dissatisfaction were consistently associated with purchases of antidepressants, sleeping pills and any psychotropic drugs. The strongest association was found for job dissatisfaction, which increased the risk of antidepressant purchases by 24% per one standard deviation increase in job dissatisfaction. The results for men were largely similar, with high mental strenuousness and job dissatisfaction, and poor workplace climate showing the strongest associations, particularly with antidepressant purchases.

Conclusions

Adjustment of work environments by reducing mental strenuousness and improving job satisfaction might help in prevention of mental health problems that account for a major part of the disease burden among employees.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Sobocki P, Lekander I, Borgström F, Ström O, Runeson B (2007) The economic burden of depression in Sweden from 1997 to 2005. Eur Psychiatry 22:146–152

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Mykletun A, Overland S, Dahl AA et al (2006) A population-based cohort study of the effect of common mental disorders on disability pension awards. Trends in the incidence of sickness absence due to common mental disorders between 2001 and 2007 in the Netherlands. Am J Psychiatry 163:1412–1418

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Roelen CA, Koopmans PC, Hoedeman R, Bultmann U, Groothoff JW, van der Klink JJ (2009) Trends in the incidence of sickness absence due to common mental disorders between 2001 and 2007 in the Netherlands. Eur J Public Health 19:625–630

    Google Scholar 

  4. Kompier MA (2006) New systems of work organization and workers’ health. Scand J Work Environ Health 32:421–430

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Tennant C (2001) Work-related stress and depressive disorders. J Psychosom Res 51:697–704

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Clays E, De Bacquer D, Leynen F, Kornitzer M, Kittel F, De Backer G (2007) Job stress and depression symptoms in middle-aged workers–prospective results from the Belstress study. Scand J Work Environ Health 33:252–259

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Siegrist J (2008) Chronic psychosocial stress at work and risk of depression: evidence from prospective studies. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 258(5):115–119

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Kleppa E, Sanne B, Tell GS (2008) Working overtime is associated with anxiety and depression: the Hordaland Health Study. J Occup Environ Med 50:658–666

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Virtanen M, Kivimäki M, Ferrie JE et al (2008) Temporary employment and antidepressant medication: a register linkage study. J Psychiatr Res 42:221–229

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Lorant V, Deliege D, Eaton W, Robert A, Philippot P, Ansseau M (2003) Socioeconomic inequalities in depression: a meta-analysis. Am J Epidemiol 157:98–112

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Madsen IE, Diderichsen F, Burr H, Rugulies R (2010) Person-related work and incident use of antidepressants: relations and mediating factors from the Danish work environment cohort study. Scand J Work Environ Health 36:435–444

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Stansfeld SA, Rasul FR, Head J, Singleton N (2011) Occupation and mental health in a national UK survey. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 46:101–110

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Wieclaw J, Agerbo E, Mortensen PB, Bonde JP (2006) Risk of affective and stress related disorders among employees in human service professions. Occup Environ Med 63:314–319

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Stansfeld S, Candy B (2006) Psychosocial work environment and mental health–a meta-analytic review. Scand J Work Environ Health 32:443–462

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Bonde JP (2008) Psychosocial factors at work and risk of depression: a systematic review of the epidemiological evidence. Occup Environ Med 65:438–445

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Netterström B, Conrad N, Bech P et al (2008) The relation between work-related psychosocial factors and the development of depression. Epidemiol Rev 30:118–132

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Wilhelm K, Kovess V, Rios-Seidel C, Finch A (2004) Work and mental health. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 39:866–873

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Laaksonen M, Aittomäki A, Lallukka T et al (2008) Register-based study among employees showed small nonparticipation bias in health surveys and check-ups. J Clin Epidemiol 61:900–906

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology (2009) Guidelines for ATC classification and DDD assignment, 2010. WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics, Oslo

    Google Scholar 

  20. Piirainen H, Hirvonen M, Elo AL (2003) The work and health interview study 2003. Basic report. Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki

  21. Karasek RA (1985) Job content questionnaire and user’s guide. Revision 1.1. University of Massachusetts, Department of Work Environment, Lowell

  22. Sarason IG, Sarason BR, Shearin EN, Pierce GR (1987) A brief measure of social support: practical and theoretical implications. J Soc Pers Relatsh 4:497–510

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Bara AC, Arber S (2009) Working shifts and mental health—findings from the British Household Panel Survey (1995–2005). Scand J Work Environ Health 35:361–367

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Virtanen M, Honkonen T, Kivimäki M et al (2007) Work stress, mental health and antidepressant medication findings from the Health 2000 Study. J Affect Disord 98:189–197

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Bonde JP, Munch-Hansen T, Wieclaw J, Westergaard-Nielsen N, Agerbo E (2009) Psychosocial work environment and antidepressant medication: a prospective cohort study. BMC Public Health 9:262

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Pirkola SP, Isometsä E, Suvisaari J et al (2005) DSM-IV mood-, anxiety- and alcohol use disorders and their comorbidity in the Finnish general population—results from the Health 2000 Study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 40:1–10

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Sihvo S, Hämäläinen J, Kiviruusu O, Pirkola S, Isometsä E (2006) Treatment of anxiety disorders in the Finnish general population. J Affect Disord 96:31–38

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Cohidon C, Santin G, Imbernon E, Goldberg M (2010) Working conditions and depressive symptoms in the 2003 decennial health survey: the role of the occupational category. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 45:1135–1147

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

ML, TL and EL are supported by the Academy of Finland. TL is further supported by the Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation and the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hjelt Institute, Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 41, 00014, Helsinki, Finland

    Mikko Laaksonen, Tea Lallukka & Eero Lahelma

  2. National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Helsinki, Finland

    Timo Partonen

Authors
  1. Mikko Laaksonen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tea Lallukka
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Eero Lahelma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Timo Partonen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mikko Laaksonen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Laaksonen, M., Lallukka, T., Lahelma, E. et al. Working conditions and psychotropic medication: a prospective cohort study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 47, 663–670 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-011-0372-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-011-0372-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation