title: Depressive and anxiety disorders on-the-job: the importance of job characteristics for good work functioning in persons with depressive and anxiety disorders.
abstract: This study examines the importance of job characteristics on absence and on-the-job performance in a large group of employees with diagnosed depressive and anxiety disorders. In a sample of 1522 employees (1129 persons with and 393 persons without psychopathology) participating in Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA, n=2981) we examined associations between job characteristics and work functioning (absenteeism and work performance) in multinominal logistic regression models. Job characteristics were working hours, psychosocial working conditions and occupational status. As expected, depressed and anxious patients were at significantly elevated risk for absenteeism and poor work performance. In analyses adjusted for psychopathology, absenteeism and poor performance were significantly lower among persons reporting high job support, high job control, less working hours, self-employed and high skilled jobs. Associations were comparable between persons with and without psychopathology. High job support, high job control and reduced working hours were partially related to work functioning in both workers with- and without-psychopathology. Since depressed and anxious employees are at a substantially increased risk for absenteeism and poor work performance, strategies that improve job support and feelings of control at work may be especially helpful to prevent poor work functioning in this at-risk group of employees.
authors.affiliation: Department Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, VU University, De Boelelaan 1081, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands. I.Plaisier@vu.nl
authors.forename: Inger
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Plaisier
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de Graaf
authors.forename: Jeanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de Bruijn
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Smit
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van Dyck
authors.forename: Aartjan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Beekman
authors.forename: Brenda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Penninx
mesh_terms: D000041:Absenteeism; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014937:Work / Q000523:psychology; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology*