title: Impact of Employee Assistance Services on Depression, Anxiety, and Risky Alcohol Use: A Quasi-Experimental Study.
abstract: To test the impact of Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) on reducing employee depression, anxiety, and risky alcohol use, and whether improvements in clinical symptoms lead to improved work outcomes.
  
  
  
  The study used a prospective, quasi-experimental design with propensity score matching. Participants (n = 344) came from 20 areas of state government. EAP (n = 156) and non-EAP (n = 188) employees were matched on baseline demographic, psychosocial, and work-related characteristics that differentiate EAP from non-EAP users. Follow-up surveys were collected 2 to 12 months later (M = 6.0).
  
  
  
  EAP significantly reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety, but not at-risk alcohol use. EAP reductions in depression and anxiety mediated EAP-based reductions in absenteeism and presenteeism.
  
  
  
  EAPs provide easy-to-access work-based services that are effective at improving employee mental health.
authors.affiliation: OMNI Institute (Richmond, Nunes); University of Colorado Boulder (Pampel); The State of Colorado, Department of Personnel and Administration (Retired from her position in July 2015) (Wood), Denver, Colorado.
authors.forename: Melissa K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Richmond
authors.forename: Fred C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Pampel
authors.forename: Randi C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: Ana P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Nunes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003120:Colorado; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services; D008875:Middle Aged; D009786:Occupational Health Services; D057216:Propensity Score; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult