ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Psychology for Clinical Settings
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1536914
Employment and mental health
Provisionally accepted
- 1Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- 2Trondheim Municipality, Health and Welfare, Trondheim, Norway
- 3St. Olavs University Hospital, Nidaros Community Mental Health Centre, Trondheim, Norway
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Previous studies have not investigated psychological profiles across different types of occupations and unemployment in samples seeking mental health treatment. The main aim of the study was to explore associations between employment status, type of occupation, and mental health problems in a clinical sample. The sample consisted of 2014 participants seeking treatment at a community mental health service. Employment status and type of occupation were compared with the general Norwegian population. Logistic regression analyses (adjusting for age, sex, household income, and relationship status) explored associations between mental health (use of psychotropics, alcohol, depression, anxiety, work-and social functioning, and general health), employment status, and type of occupation. Unemployed participants, individuals on work assessment allowance/other benefits, and clerical workers were overrepresented in the sample. People receiving disability benefits or work assessment allowance showed higher use of psychotropic medication, reported more anxiety and depression, and lower functioning and health. There were some significant differences between specific occupations, but these effects were relatively small. The findings suggested that type of occupation was less relevant to mental health outcomes, whereas different types of unemployment was clearly associated with worse mental health. Future research should address treatments integrating mental health focus along with work focus.
Keywords: Depression, Anxiety, Health, Occupation, Employment, Disability
Received: 29 Nov 2024; Accepted: 14 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Lundqvist, Lindberg, Brattmyr, Havnen, Hjemdal and Solem. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Stian Solem, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
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