Systematic review of universal and targeted workplace interventions for depression

Abstract

Depression is increasingly being recognised as a significant mental health problem in the workplace contributing to productivity loss and economic burden to organisations. This paper reviews recently published randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of universal and targeted interventions to reduce depression in the workplace. Studies were identified through searches of EMBASE, MEDLINE/PubMed, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES Full Text, and Global Health and Social Policy and Practice databases. Studies were included if they included an RCT of a workplace intervention for employees targeting depression as the primary outcome. Twenty-two published RCTs investigating interventions utilising various therapeutic approaches were identified. The cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) approach is the most frequently used in the workplace, while interventions that combine different therapeutic approaches showed the most promising results. A universal intervention in the workplace that combines CBT and coping flexibility recorded the highest effect size (d=1.45 at 4 months' follow-up). Most interventions were delivered in group format and showed low attrition rates compared with other delivery formats. Although all studies reviewed were RCTs, the quality of reporting is low. Interventions using different therapeutic approaches with different modes of delivery have been used. Most of these interventions were shown to reduce depression levels among employees in the workplace, particularly those that combine more than one therapeutic approaches.

Interpersonal Psychotherapy vs. Treatment as Usual for Major Depression Related to Work Stress: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Study

“…However, those differences did not reach significance, most probably due to the small sample size of this pilot study. The decrease of depressive symptoms with W-IPT is in line with randomized controlled trials that investigated CBT workplace interventions (16,17,34). Compared to a workrelated CBT approach (34) including 24 weekly individual sessions which reached an effect size of d = 1.63 (pre-to posttreatment), W-IPT showed an effect size of d = 0.92 after only 8 weekly group sessions, and d = 2.14 at the 3-months follow-up, respectively.…”

“…While targeted interventions are specifically aimed at employees with acute depressive symptoms, universal interventions include employees broadly at all mental health stages and therefore carry out preventive as well as curative effects in a more heterogeneous group. CBT was the most frequently used method, while approaches combining different therapeutic interventions showed the most promising results in reducing depressive symptoms (17). Most treatments were delivered in group format and resulted in lower attrition rates compared with other delivery formats.…”

Long-Term Attitude Change After a Single-Day Manager Training Addressing Mental Health at the Workplace

“…Trying to address workplace-related risk factors for common mental disorders, a wide range of strategies have been evolved and applied in recent years [24][25][26][27]. The necessity of bringing the topic into the companies was not least underlined by adding an obligatory hazard assessment for mental health risks at the workplace by means of an amendment of the German Working Conditions Act in 2013.…”

“…The necessity of bringing the topic into the companies was not least underlined by adding an obligatory hazard assessment for mental health risks at the workplace by means of an amendment of the German Working Conditions Act in 2013. Several investigations have addressed the efficacy of the attempted approaches [24][25][26][27]. Thus, primary prevention interventions, such as enhancing the employee's control or promoting physical activity, have been found moderately effective [25].…”

Which kinds of work stress are related with which types of depression? Workplace satisfaction and subtypes of depression in rural Australians

“…Thus, a great deal of attention has been given to the role that stress plays in the development of depression [29][30][31], particularly social stress [32], which has been shown to have a physiological infl uence by changing the blood-brain barrier's effectiveness in preventing access of infl ammatory factors to brain regions associated with mood [33]. Although social stress may arise from a variety of sources such as partners, families, and friends, one major venue in which individuals interact socially for most of the day is their workplace [34]. Workplace stress may take the form of interactions with co-workers, as well as the intrinsic aspects of the job itself [35,36].…”