Psychosocial factors and economic recession: the Stormont Study

BACKGROUND: Little research has explored changes in workers' psychosocial hazard exposures, work-related stress and stress-related absence associated with the onset of unprecedented severe economic recession. Knowledge of these could inform psychosocial risk management measures appropriate to austere economic times. AIMS: To examine civil servants' psychosocial hazard exposures, work-related stress and stress-related absence during a period of economic recession, relative to levels prior to the onset of this period. METHODS: Analyses compared the findings of two surveys of employees of the Northern Ireland Civil Service conducted in 2005 (n = 17,124), prior to the onset of recession, and in 2009 (n = 9913), during a period of economic recession. RESULTS: Psychosocial hazard exposures were significantly worse during the recession than prior to it. These results are considered in relation to UK government exposure targets. Work-related stress and absence ascribed to work-related stress were significantly greater during recession than prior to it. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates adverse changes in psychosocial hazard exposures, work-related stress prevalence and stress-related sickness absence associated with the onset of an unprecedented economic recession. Its findings indicate the need for a concerted focus on psychosocial risk management activities during austere economic times as a means by which to promote worker health and minimize sickness absence.