Long-term care workers are unlikely to be surprised by new survey data that link certain workplace conditions experienced during the pandemic and increased mental health problems.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday released a report on work conditions and serious psychological distress assessed during 2021 in the United States. Data came from the National Health Interview Survey and study participants included working adults aged 18 to 64 years.
In 2021, serious psychological distress affected 2.7% of working adults, investigators found. Distress was higher among those who performed evening or night shift work (4.8%) or rotating shifts (3.9%) when compared with day shift workers (2.3%).
Other conditions linked to serious psychological distress included difficulties changing one’s work schedule, lack of paid sick leave, variations in monthly earnings and fearing job loss within 12 months. In addition, working while physically ill was tied to a higher (5.8%) likelihood of reporting serious psychological distress in the past 30 days when compared with those who did not work when physically ill (1.9%).
Although the pandemic-era labor market and the nature of work in response to COVID-19 may have affected the study results, research conducted before the pandemic has also tied work conditions to mental health problems, Laryssa Mykyta, PhD, of the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics noted.
The current study’s findings “suggest the role of work conditions, not just occupation and employment status, as social determinants of health,” Mykyta concluded.
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