Depression and the Impact on Productivity in the Workplace: Findings from a South African Survey on Depression in the Workplace

St, Marthinus Petrus; er,; Korb, Frans A.; Necker, Margreet de; Beer, Janetta Catharina de; Miller-Janson, Helen; Moont, Ruth

doi:10.4172/2167-1044.s2-012

Cited by 8 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…South Africa experiences an estimated total of R3.6 billion in loss of earnings as a result of MDD 2 . Recent studies by Stander et al 2 and Welthagen and Els 3 have revealed that almost 30% of South African workers have experienced diagnosed depression episodes which significantly reduced their performance and productivity. Recurrent major depressive disorder is associated with prolonged work disability and job loss 4 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Major depressive disorder (MDD) is considered the leading cause of disability in the world as measured by years living with a disability (YLD) 1,2 . Living with a disability implies working with a disability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Living with a disability implies working with a disability. Unrecognised and untreated MDD leads to high rates of absenteeism and presenteeism, which can cause reduced productivity and strained interpersonal relationships in the workplace as well as financial losses for employers 2 . South Africa experiences an estimated total of R3.6 billion in loss of earnings as a result of MDD 2 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Occupational therapists' views and perceptions of functional capacity evaluations of employees suffering from major depressive disorders

Ramano¹,

Buys²

2018

S. Afr. j. occup. ther

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Key words: Major Depressive Disorder, Functional Capacity Evaluation, occupational therapy, return-to-work, vocational rehabilitation Introduction: Major depressive disorders (MDD) cause work disability and work loss, often resulting in unemployment. Employees with MDD are often referred to occupational therapists (OTs) to assist with functional capacity evaluation (FCE). Functional Capacity Evaluation forms a part of the return-to-work decision making process. This study describes the views and perceptions of occupational therapists regarding the requirements needed to conduct reliable FCEs of employees suffering from MDD.Methods: This study employed a descriptive, qualitative study design. Data were collected in three phases using open-ended questions, focus groups and member checking groups. Thematic content data analysis was used.Findings: In total, 78 occupational therapists were recruited and 39 participated, with response rates of (28) 47%, (11) 61% and (9) 82% respectively across the three phases. Nine participants took part in the focus groups and member checking groups. Three themes emerged, namely: (1) occupational therapists' competencies in performing functional capacity evaluations (2) the process of functional capacity evaluation and (3) comprehensive functional capacity evaluation.Conclusion: The views and perceptions of occupational therapists of performing FCEs is to formulate return-to-work decisions. Occupational therapists should be competent in the use of standardised measurement tools, non-standardised assessment and clinical reasoning.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Occupational therapists' views and perceptions of functional capacity evaluations of employees suffering from major depressive disorders

Ramano¹,

Buys²

2018

S. Afr. j. occup. ther

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“…It has recently been reported that MDD affects about 5%-10% of the world's population 8 . The lifetime prevalence of MDD is estimated at 9.8% in South Africa 11 ; with 18.3% of the South African population receiving treatment for depression at any given time 12 . The typical onset of MDD is between 20 and 30 2 with an average age of onset at 26 years in South Africa 11 which usually coincides with the beginning stages of a person's working life 3 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experiences and perceptions of Return to Work (RTW) by clients with major depressive disorder in an extended sick leave period

Saonatse¹,

Witt²,

Niekerk³

2019

S. Afr. j. occup. ther.

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Introduction: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) may cause difficulties that can influence employment. Although clients with MDD are typically expected to return to work (RTW) early, most are given the maximum duration of sick leave subsidised by their medical aid scheme, to recover. This study explored the lived perceptions and experiences of clients with MDD whilst on extended sick leave. Methods: The study used a descriptive phenomenological qualitative study design. Data were collected through informant interviews. An inductive content analysis was used to analyse the data. Findings: Eight participants were included in the study, of which 75% (n=6) were females and 25% (n=2) were males. One theme emerged from the data, namely 'waiting to RTW' with three categories (1) 'ruminating about RTW', (2) 'fears about RTW' and (3) 'social pressures to RTW'. Conclusion: The period of waiting to RTW after hospitalisation was found to be stressful due to perceived work issues and rumination about work politics that were perceived to contribute to the illness. However, social pressures also play a vital role as a facilitator to RTW. These findings have implications for vocational preparation by occupational therapists during this extended sick leave period. LITERATURE REVIEW Mental illnesses contribute to the global burden of disease and are reported to affect 10% of the global adult population 7, 8. Despite this, relatively few studies have been reported on this topic in developing countries such as South Africa 9,10. This indicates a gap in the knowledge about how mental illness is viewed in African countries and particularly how clients perceive and experience mental illness in relation to their state of employment mainly because the majority of literature described mental illness from Western perspectives. However, there are African concepts and understandings of mental

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“…TB incidence progressively increased from 300 per 100,000 individuals in the early 1990s to 600 per 100,000 in the early 2000s and to 950 per 100,000 people in 2012 (Rensburg et al, 2005;Katz et al, 2013). Furthermore, in 2017, the country was home to 0.7% of the global population but suffered disproportionately from the world burden of diseases such as, depression, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS (Stander et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Productivity effects of human capital: an empirical investigation of health and higher education in South Africa

Mbonigaba¹,

Akinola²

2019

Zb. rad. Ekon. fak. Rij.

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The huge burden of diseases, poor higher educational outcomes in South Africa and their interaction on affecting productivity of human capital requires investigation for a context-specific policy advice. To this effect, the purpose of this paper is to investigate this relationship, alongside other factors, viewing human capital from the perspective of health, higher education enrolment (HEE) and higher education graduates (HEG). The study adopts time series autoregressive distributive lag (ARDL) with data covering the period 1980-2015. The study has found that, while GDP grows, employment rates and HEE have a positive impact on productivity in South Africa; capital stock and life expectancy exhibited an inverse relationship with productivity. These findings support the hypothesis that widespread antiretroviral therapy and resulting survival, without corresponding school sector focus on needed skills, relate negatively to productivity. The findings further support that enrolments affect positively productivity because they comprise individuals who are partly skilled in programs needed by the economy. Finally, they support the hypothesis that graduate outputs relate negatively to productivity because of mismatch of graduation skills and the economy's need. As a policy suggestion, combined effort at school and health sector is needed in South Africa for increased productivity.

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Depression and the Impact on Productivity in the Workplace: Findings from a South African Survey on Depression in the Workplace

Cited by 8 publications

References 19 publications

Occupational therapists' views and perceptions of functional capacity evaluations of employees suffering from major depressive disorders

Occupational therapists' views and perceptions of functional capacity evaluations of employees suffering from major depressive disorders

Experiences and perceptions of Return to Work (RTW) by clients with major depressive disorder in an extended sick leave period

Productivity effects of human capital: an empirical investigation of health and higher education in South Africa

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