DEPARTMENTS
BY THE NUMBERS
California Workers and Mental Health, 2020
A recent study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health attempts to describe the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of workers in California. Researchers analyzed the 2013–2020 California Health Interview Survey using statistical techniques to estimate the prevalence of depressed mood and suicidal ideation among certain occupation groups during 2020 compared to 2019. The study population was nearly 13,000 workers. Select data from the study appear below.
From “Increases in Prevalent Depressed Mood and Suicidal Ideation among Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic—Findings from the California Health Interview Survey”:
“Understanding which workers have had increases in adverse mental health outcomes during the pandemic is critical to inform policymaking for the current pandemic response and future pandemic mental health preparedness.”
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Editor's note: The graphic on this page was adjusted on Aug. 8, 2023, to correct an error in the explanation related to workers in the transportation and material moving occupations. The text next to the number "53" has been updated to read, "Among workers that reported ever seriously thinking of suicide, the percentage of workers in transportation and material moving occupations who, in 2020, reported suicidal ideation in the past year."
SOURCE
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health: “Increases in Prevalent Depressed Mood and Suicidal Ideation among Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic—Findings from the California Health Interview Survey” (January 2023).
RELATED
The Synergist: “Mental Health in the Workplace: Tips for Supporting Workers’ Mental Well-Being” (October 2021).