Supporting employees with mental illness and reducing mental illness-related stigma in the workplace: an expert survey

Hogg, Bridget; Moreno‐Alcázar, Ana; Tóth, Mónika Ditta; Serbanescu, Ilinca; Aust, Birgit; Leduc, Caleb; Paterson, Charlotte; Tsantilla, Fotini; Abdulla, Kahar; Cerga-Pashoja, Arlinda; Cresswell‐Smith, Johanna; Fanaj, Naim; Meksi, Andia; Dhálaigh, Doireann Ní; Reich, Hanna; Ross, Victoria; Sanches, Sarita A.; Thomson, Katherine; Audenhove, Chantal Van; Pérez, Ví­ctor; Arensman, Ella; Purebl, György; Amann, Benedikt L.; O’Connor, Ainslie; Székely, András; LaMontagne, Anthony D.; Çomo, Ariel; Dushaj, Arilda; Doukani, Asmae; Justicia, Azucena; Greiner, Birgit A.; Lockwood, Chris; O’Connor, Clíodhna; McDaid, David; Kim, Dooyoung; Williamson, Eileen; Griffin, Eve; Coppens, Evelien; Burazeri, Genc; Qirjako, Gentiana; Davey, Grace; Weeghel, Jaap van; Eustace, J.A.; Kilroy, Joseph P.; Hug, Juliane; Kõlves, Kairi; Mulcahy, Karen; Michell, Karen; Wahlbeck, Kristian; Winter, Lars de; D’Alessandro, Luigia; Maxwell, Margaret; Reavley, Nicola; Trembeczky, Peter; Corcoran, Paul; Rugulies, Reiner; Benson, Ruth A.; Rapeli, Saara; Ihinonvien, Sarah; Mustafa, Sevim; Mathieu, Sharna; Hackel, Stefan; King, Tanya; Hegerl, Ulrich; Scott, Vera; Orchard, Wendy

doi:10.1007/s00406-022-01443-3

Cited by 15 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 60 publications

(69 reference statements)

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“…The substantial influence of stigma and related concerns are consistent with the findings of an expert survey conducted in Europe and Australia, which found that workers are frequently reluctant to speak openly about mental health [ 30 ]. Our findings show that concerns about experiencing discrimination and other negative repercussions related to being open about or seeking support for mental health at work suggests the potential value of targeted anti-stigma campaigns and interventions to promote a culture of openness and promote help-seeking at work.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Values and preferences related to workplace mental health programs and interventions: An international survey

Murphy,

Noble,

Chakraborty

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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Introduction This study explores the perspectives of workers and managers on workplace programs and interventions that seek to promote mental wellbeing, and prevent and treat mental health conditions The results contributed supporting evidence for the development of the WHO’s first global guidelines for mental health and work, which provide evidence-based recommendations to support the implementation of workplace mental health programs and supports, to improve their acceptability, appropriateness, and uptake. Methods An international online survey was used to examine the values and preferences among workers and managers related to workplace mental health prevention, protection, promotion, and support programs and services. The survey was made available in English, French, and Spanish and recruitment consisted of convenience sampling. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the survey data. Rapid thematic qualitative analysis was used to analyse the results of open-ended questions. Results N = 451 responses representing all WHO regions were included in the analysis. These results provide a unique international perspective on programs and supports for mental health at work, from the standpoint of workers and managers. Results suggest that workers value interventions developed in consultation with workers (including indicated, selective and universal interventions), increased training and capacity building among managers, and targeted interventions to address the pervasive impact of stigma on perceptions about mental health at work and help-seeking. Conclusion The findings of this study seek to reflect the perspectives of workers and their managers, and therein to promote improved access, availability and uptake of mental health programs and supports at work and–ultimately- to support the potential of workplaces as environments that promote and support mental health.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Values and preferences related to workplace mental health programs and interventions: An international survey

Murphy,

Noble,

Chakraborty

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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“…The results are also consistent with other findings demonstrating that mental health interventions in the workplace are able to induce small improvements in anxiety and depression (Martin and Cocker 2009 ). Tentative evidence is also available reporting that anti-stigma components should be integrated in workplace interventions as they can have a positive impact on employees’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviour towards mental illness (Hanisch et al 2016 ; Bridget Hogg et al 2022 ) and eventually on mental health itself (Kitchener and Jorm 2004 ; Gould et al 2007 ). The obtained results showing that MENTUPP has the potential to reduce personal stigma are congruent with those found by previous research about the effect of workplace mental health interventions on stigmatizing attitudes towards depression and anxiety (Kathleen M. Griffiths et al 2016 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Outcome assessment of a complex mental health intervention in the workplace. Results from the MENTUPP pilot study

Tsantila,

Coppens,

De Witte

et al. 2023

Int Arch Occup Environ Health

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Objective Multicomponent interventions are recommendable to achieve the greatest mental health benefits, but are difficult to evaluate due to their complexity. Defining long-term outcomes, arising from a Theory of Change (ToC) and testing them in a pilot phase, is a useful approach to plan a comprehensive and meaningful evaluation later on. This article reports on the pilot results of an outcome evaluation of a complex mental health intervention and examines whether appropriate evaluation measures and indicators have been selected ahead of a clustered randomised control trial (cRCT). Methods The MENTUPP pilot is an evidence-based intervention for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) active in three work sectors and nine countries. Based on our ToC, we selected the MENTUPP long-term outcomes, which are reported in this article, are measured with seven validated scales assessing mental wellbeing, burnout, depression, anxiety, stigma towards depression and anxiety, absenteeism and presenteeism. The pilot MENTUPP intervention assessment took place at baseline and at 6 months follow-up. Results In total, 25 SMEs were recruited in the MENTUPP pilot and 346 participants completed the validated scales at baseline and 96 at follow-up. Three long-term outcomes significantly improved at follow-up (p < 0.05): mental wellbeing, symptoms of anxiety, and personal stigmatising attitudes towards depression and anxiety. Conclusions The results of this outcome evaluation suggest that MENTUPP has the potential to strengthen employees’ wellbeing and decrease anxiety symptoms and stigmatising attitudes. Additionally, this study demonstrates the utility of conducting pilot workplace interventions to assess whether appropriate measures and indicators have been selected. Based on the results, the intervention and the evaluation strategy have been optimised.

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“…Although multi-level approaches are often recommended, high-quality studies testing multi-level approaches at the workplace are largely missing [ 22 , 84 , 85 ], with even fewer studies focusing specifically on SMEs and on the broad spectrum of mental health concerns from non-clinical mental health difficulties to clinical mental disorders. The MENTUPP intervention has been developed based on theoretical frameworks [ 48 , 84 ], evidenced by recent literature [ 62 – 64 ], an expert questionnaire [ 13 ] and was tested in a pilot study [ 53 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implementation and evaluation of a multi-level mental health promotion intervention for the workplace (MENTUPP): study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial

Arensman,

Leduc,

O’Brien

et al. 2023

Trials

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Background Well-organised and managed workplaces can be a source of wellbeing. The construction, healthcare and information and communication technology sectors are characterised by work-related stressors (e.g. high workloads, tight deadlines) which are associated with poorer mental health and wellbeing. The MENTUPP intervention is a flexibly delivered, multi-level approach to supporting small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in creating mentally healthy workplaces. The online intervention is tailored to each sector and designed to support employees and leaders dealing with mental health difficulties (e.g. stress), clinical level anxiety and depression, and combatting mental health-related stigma. This paper presents the protocol for the cluster randomised controlled trial (cRCT) of the MENTUPP intervention in eight European countries and Australia. Methods Each intervention country will aim to recruit at least two SMEs in each of the three sectors. The design of the cRCT is based on the experiences of a pilot study and guided by a Theory of Change process that describes how the intervention is assumed to work. SMEs will be randomly assigned to the intervention or control conditions. The aim of the cRCT is to assess whether the MENTUPP intervention is effective in improving mental health and wellbeing (primary outcome) and reducing stigma, depression and suicidal behaviour (secondary outcome) in employees. The study will also involve a process and economic evaluation. Conclusions At present, there is no known multi-level, tailored, flexible and accessible workplace-based intervention for the prevention of non-clinical and clinical symptoms of depression, anxiety and burnout, and the promotion of mental wellbeing. The results of this study will provide a comprehensive overview of the implementation and effectiveness of such an intervention in a variety of contexts, languages and cultures leading to the overall goal of delivering an evidence-based intervention for mental health in the workplace. Trial registration Please refer to Item 2a and registration ISRCTN14104664. Registered on 12th July 2022.

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Supporting employees with mental illness and reducing mental illness-related stigma in the workplace: an expert survey

Cited by 15 publications

References 60 publications

Values and preferences related to workplace mental health programs and interventions: An international survey

Values and preferences related to workplace mental health programs and interventions: An international survey

Outcome assessment of a complex mental health intervention in the workplace. Results from the MENTUPP pilot study

Implementation and evaluation of a multi-level mental health promotion intervention for the workplace (MENTUPP): study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial

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