Associations Between Substance Use, Depression, and Work Outcomes: An Evaluation Study of Screening and Brief Intervention in a Large Employee Assistance Program

Abstract

This study examined associations between behavioral health and workplace outcomes for 1,989 state employees served by a large Employee Assistance Program (EAP) over 19 months. Screening and brief intervention was used to identify and intervene for risky substance use and depression at intake. Employees completed psychometrically sound self-report measures of workplace functioning. About 80% of EAP clients screened positive for depression. There was a strong association between depression and impaired workplace productivity. About 90 days after intake, 438 employees (22.0%) participated in a follow-up interview. Analyses of intake to follow-up indicated significant improvements in depression and workplace productivity, translating to substantial cost savings.

The impact of employee assistance services on workplace outcomes: Results of a prospective, quasi-experimental study.

“…To increase the evidence base for EAP, it is critical to document, as this study did, that employees receiving EAP improve in work functioning compared to similar employees who do not receive services. Prior studies demonstrate high levels of client satisfaction after receiving services (e.g., Selvik et al, 2004), and single-group pre/post studies show that employees served by EAPs have improved work outcomes (e.g., Richmond et al, 2014; Sharar & Lennox, 2014). However, until this study, the field lacked strong data on the counterfactual condition for EA counseling services—what happens to work-related outcomes in the absence of EAP?…”

“…However, so few cases reported using marijuana on any days (9%) that users were combined into a single category to create a binary variable (0 = no use , 1 = any use ). We elected to exclude a longer drug abuse screening tool due to low rates of reported use of illegal substances in prior evaluations of this population (see Richmond et al, 2014).…”

“…However, evidence of EAP efficacy is limited. Although several applied research studies have documented positive associations between workplace counseling services and improvement in work-related outcomes (Attridge et al, 2009; Csiernik, 2011; Hargrave, Hiatt, Alexander, & Shaffer, 2008; McLeod, 2010; Richmond et al, 2014; Selvik, Stephenson, Plaza, & Sugden, 2004; Sharar & Lennox, 2014), the claims often made about the effectiveness of EAPs on improved productivity and absenteeism reductions have lacked consistent and high-quality empirical support. Compared to other fields of study, there is a dearth of research devoted to employee assistance (EA) practice (Attridge et al, 2013; Merrick et al, 2007; Prottas, Diamante, & Sandys, 2011).…”

Integral Organizational Wellness™: An evidence‐based model of socially inspired well‐being

“…Brief screening tools can play a significant part of this integration. For example, alcohol screening is an area of growing interest given evidence‐based guidelines for Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT; McPherson et al., ; Richmond et al., ). Also, recent research shows that the Workplace Outcome Suite (WOS) is an effective tool for assessing the impact of EAP services (e.g., Chestnut Global Partners, ; Sharar & Lennox, ; Sharar, Pompe, & Lennox, ).…”

Depression and Alcohol Use Behaviours among Primary and Secondary School Teachers in Mwanza, Tanzania; A Cross-Sectional Study

“…There has been considerable interest recently in the relationship between depression, substance use and the workplace. This interest is driven by the growing recognition that depressive disorders and substance use are highly prevalent in the workplace and have an enormously negative impact on performance, productivity, absenteeism, and disability costs (1). Currently, depression is the fourth leading cause of disease burden, accounting for 4.4% of total Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) and almost 12% of all total years lived with disability worldwide (2).…”