Monitor on Psychology - September 2011 - (Page 45)

hygienists were cleaning teeth more quickly and thoroughly healthier workplaces than both comparison groups, Hasson said. A major culprit behind many of those sick days is depression. “The increase in productivity made up for them being at In fact, depression is the single most expensive ailment for work fewer hours,” she said. America’s employers, costing $44 billion in lost productivity That study is just one of many that show that employee every year, according to a study published in the Journal of the wellness initiatives are good for companies as well as employees, American Medical Association (Vol. 289, No. 23). said Nicholson. In fact, one meta-analysis published in Health Mild depression may be particularly costly because it is so Affairs (Vol. 29, No. 2) found that companies recoup $6 for common, said Harris Allen, PhD, an independent consultant every dollar they invest in wellness initiatives — with savings who develops health and wellness programs for companies. In about equally divided between reduced group health-care costs an international survey of 39,097 employees published in April and fewer sick days. in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine Unfortunately, surveys also show that employers aren’t (Vol. 52, No. 4), Allen and his colleagues found that 16 percent convinced that their programs would be as effective as the ones exhibited mild depression and 7 percent showed symptoms of that get studied and written about, he said. moderate to severe depression — a finding that dovetails with “There is a lot of skepticism that a typical employer could results from other populations. Because of its high frequency, just pull off the shelf some wellness program, implement it at mild depression accounted for the most lost productivity — their firm and get back $6 for every dollar they invest in it,” 33 percent more than the cost of moderate to severe groups Nicholson said. “If they did believe that, they would be tripping combined. The researchers also found that a predisposition over themselves to run these programs.” toward stress and stress on the job were among the most potent predictors of mild depression. The results, said Allen, strengthen the business case for employer-funded interventions. “More employer-sponsored stress reduction programs are needed to manage the surprisingly predominant contribution of mild depression to the overall impact of the condition,” he said. Decreasing workplace stress would also improve worker health and decrease healthcare costs, according to a study presented by Douglas Roblin, PhD, a senior investigator for Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Health Research in Atlanta. His survey of 2,224 Kaiser subscribers found that employees with better work climates, where people felt they had the freedom to manage their own time and support from their supervisors, were less likely to visit their primarycare providers. The 25 percent of employees reporting the least stressful work climates incurred lower primary care visit costs of about $830 per 1,000 employees, on average. “It’s just a moderate savings for a year,” said Roblin, “but it could make a big difference in the long run.” A more direct way to improve worker health may be simply giving them time to exercise, according to a study presented by Henna Hasson, PhD, an economist at Lund University. She and her colleagues randomly assigned Swedish dentist offices to one of three conditions: some employees were given 2.5 hours a week of time off work to exercise, some were provided 2.5 hours a week to do whatever they wanted and some APA’s Dr. Gwen Keita welcomed attendees to the ninth Work, Stress and continued with their usual work schedules. A year Health Conference, co-sponsored by APA, the national Institute for occupaafter the program began, the exercising dental tional Safety and Health, and the Society for occupational Health Psychology. septeMber 2011 • Monitor on psychology Silver Image Photo Agency 45

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Monitor on Psychology - September 2011

Monitor on Psychology - September 2011
Letters
President’s Column
Contents
From the CEO
Supreme Court hears psychologists on prison and video game cases
Antipsychotics are overprescribed in nursing homes
New MCAT likely to recognize the mind-body connection
A $2 million boost for military and families
In Brief
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS UPDATE
On Your Behalf
Judicial Notebook
Random Sample
TIME CAPSULE
QUESTIONNAIRE
Speaking of Education
SCIENCE WATCH
An uncertain future for American workers
Advocating for psychotherapy
PRACTICE PROFILE
ETHICALLY SPEAKING
Seared in our memories
Helping kids cope in an uncertain world
APA and Nickelodeon team up
Muslims in America, post 9/11
Bin Laden’s death
‘They expect us to be there’
Answering the call of public policy
Candidates answer final questions
APA News
Division Spotlight
New leaders
AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATION
Disaster relief training
Honoring teaching excellence
Personalities

Monitor on Psychology - September 2011

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