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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mental disorders are among the leading causes of disability. Observational studies have found inconsistent results on the effects of some personal and occupational factors on mental disorders. Moreover, the effectiveness of some preventive measures against mental disorders remains uncertain. This Special Issue aims to publish original studies and reviews of controlled clinical trials examining preventive measures for mental disorders and original studies or reviews of observational studies identifying personal or occupational risk and protective factors for mental disorders. We would consider narrative, systematic, and umbrella reviews examining specific review questions. Original studies and reviews on sickness absence or disability retirement due to mental disorders are also welcome.

Dr. Rahman Shiri
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

depression
anxiety
sickness absence
disability retirement
risk factors
occupational factors
prevention

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 922 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Depression Risk Factors for Knowledge Workers in the Post-Capitalist Society of Taiwan

by Hui-Li Lin, Fang-Suey Lin, Ling-Chen Liu and Wen-Hsin Liu

Healthcare 2022, 10(1), 137; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/healthcare10010137 - 11 Jan 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1427

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the depression risk factors for knowledge workers aged 20–64 in the post-capitalist society of Taiwan. Interview data from 2014 and 2019 were adopted for quantitative analysis of the depression risk by demographic and individual characteristics. The results showed that the depression risks of knowledge workers were not affected by demographic variables in a single period. From 2014 to 2019, the prevalence of high depression risk in knowledge workers aged 20–64 years increased over time. The more attention is paid to gender equality in society, the less the change in the gender depression index gap may be seen. Positive psychological state and family relationships are both depression risk factors and depression protective factors. Being male, married, religious, and aged 45–49 years old were found to be critical risk factors. Variables of individual characteristics could effectively predict depression risk. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Risk and Protective Factors for Developing Mental Disorders)

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Review

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14 pages, 610 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Effect of Employee-Oriented Flexible Work on Mental Health: A Systematic Review

by Rahman Shiri, Jarno Turunen, Johanna Kausto, Päivi Leino-Arjas, Pekka Varje, Ari Väänänen and Jenni Ervasti

Healthcare 2022, 10(5), 883; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/healthcare10050883 - 10 May 2022

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 6702

Abstract

The effect of flexible work on mental health is not well known. The aim of this systematic review was to assess the effects of employee-oriented flexible work on mental health problems and associated disability. Literature searches were conducted in the PubMed, Scopus, Web of Sciences, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, ProQuest and EconPapers databases from their inception through October-November 2020. Sixteen studies on the associations of worktime control, working from home, or flexible working arrangements with mental health related outcomes were included in the review: one cluster randomized controlled trial, two non-randomized controlled trials, two cross-over studies, and 11 prospective cohort studies. Three reviewers independently assessed the met-hodological quality of the included studies and extracted the data. The included studies differed in design, intervention/exposure, and outcome, so meta-analysis was not carried out and qualitative results were reported. A few prospective cohort studies found that low employees’ control over worktime increases the risk of depressive symptoms, psychological distress, burnout, and accumulated fatigue. One cross-over and a few cohort studies found small beneficial effects of working partly from home on depressive symptoms, stress, and emotional exhaustion. A small number of controlled trials, cross-over or cohort studies found that flexible working arrangements increase employees’ control over working hours, but have only modest beneficial effects on psychological distress, burnout, and emotional exhaustion. This systematic review suggests that employee-oriented flexible work may have small beneficial effects on mental health. However, randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies are needed to identify the health effects of flexible work. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Risk and Protective Factors for Developing Mental Disorders)

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