Unpleasant work experience can impact mental health, researchers find

By Staff Writer

A new report in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine reveals that a poor job environment can negatively affect an individual's mental health.

Researchers based their findings on a survey of 7,000 people in Australia. They measured their mental health by using a validated inventory (MHI). Not surprisingly, people who were unemployed, on average, exhibited worse mental health than those who had jobs.

However, the team concluded that some individuals who had low-quality work environments experienced poor mental health as well. Some of the employment problems that contributed to emotional turmoil included inadequate wages, little to no job security and demanding schedules.

The study's authors said that these findings dispel the notion that any job is better than none, in terms of personal well-being. Having a high-quality job after being unemployed improved the MHI score by an average of three points, while getting a poor-quality position was more detrimental than remaining unemployed, which resulted in an average drop of 5.6 points.

Adolescents who suffer from mental health disorders may benefit from boarding schools, many of which provide help for troubled teens.