Adverse psychosocial work factors are recognized as a significant source of psychological distress, resulting in a considerable socioeconomic burden. The impact of occupational health standards that aim to reduce these adverse work factors, such as the Quebec Healthy Enterprise Standard (QHES), is of great interest for public health. The aim of this study was to evaluate, for the first time, the effect of QHES interventions targeting adverse psychosocial work factors on the prevalence of these factors and of psychological distress among ten Quebec organizations. These outcomes were assessed by questionnaire using validated instruments before (T1, n = 2849) and 2–3 years following (T2, n = 2560) QHES implementation. Beneficial effects of interventions were observed for two adverse psychosocial work factors: low rewards (ratio of prevalence ratios (PRs) = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.66–0.91) and low social support at work (ratio of PRs = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.77–1.03). Moreover, beneficial effects of interventions were also observed on the prevalence of high psychological distress (ratio of PRs = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.75–0.998). Psychosocial interventions implemented in the context of this standard improved the psychosocial work environment and had beneficial effects on workers’ mental health.

Objectives Women have a higher incidence of mental health problems compared with men. Psychosocial stressors at work are associated with mental health problems. However, few prospective studies have examined the association between these stressors and objectively measured outcomes of mental health. Moreover, evidence regarding potential differences between women and men in this association is scarce and inconsistent. This study investigates whether psychosocial stressors at work are associated with the 7.5-year incidence of medically certified work absence due to a mental health problem, separately for women and men. Methods Data from a prospective cohort of white-collar workers in Canada (n=7138; 47.3% women) were used. We performed Cox regression models to examine the prospective association between self-reported psychosocial stressors at work (job strain model) at baseline and the 7.5-year HR of medically certified work absence of ≥5 days due to a mental health problem. Results During follow-up, 11.9% of participants had a certified work absence, with a twofold higher incidence among women. Women (HR 1.40, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.93) and men (HR 1.41, 95% CI 0.97 to 2.05) exposed to high strain (high demands and low control) had a higher incidence of work absence compared with those unexposed. Among women only, those exposed to an active job situation (high demands and high control) also had a higher risk (HR 1.82, 95% CI 1.29 to 2.56). Conclusions Prevention efforts aimed at reducing psychosocial stressors at work could help lower the risk of work absence for both women and men. However, important differences between women and men need to be further studied in order to orient these efforts.

Objective: We estimated, for women and men (1) the associations between psychological distress and the prevalences of presenteeism and absenteeism, (2) average hours lost annually per person, and (3) costs from the employers' economic perspective. Methods: Participants were 1292 Canadian white-collar workers. Psychological distress, presenteeism, and absenteeism were assessed with validated questionnaires. The average annual hours of productivity loss and related costs were estimated using generalized linear models with a negative binomial distribution and a log link. Results: High psychological distress in women and men was associated with presenteeism costs ($6944 and $8432) and absenteeism costs ($2337 and $2796 per person). The association between psychological distress and annual hours lost to presenteeism was twice stronger for men than women. Conclusions: Productivity losses associated with psychological distress are high in women and men older workers.

Evaluate the effect of the Quebec Healthy Enterprise Standard (QHES) on adverse physical and psychosocial work factors and work-related musculoskeletal problems (WMSP). Workers of ten organizations completed questionnaires before (n = 2849) and 2-3 years following (n = 2560) QHES implementation. Outcomes were assessed using validated instruments. Workers exposed to adverse physical and psychosocial work factors had a higher prevalence of WMSP. After interventions, the prevalences of one adverse physical and three adverse psychosocial work factors were lower among workers exposed to interventions. Among men exposed to physical and psychosocial interventions, the lower prevalence of neck WMSP is compatible with a beneficial intervention effect. Other results generally showed few effects on WMSP. Results suggest that QHES implementation lead to a decrease in some adverse physical and psychosocial factors. Few effects were observed on WMSP.

Objectives This study assesses the validity of a self-reported mental health problem (MHP) diagnosis as the reason for a work absence of 5 days or more compared with a physician-certified MHP diagnosis related to the same work absence. The potential modifying effect of absence duration on validity is also examined. Methods A total of 709 participants (1031 sickness absence episodes) were selected and interviewed. Total per cent agreement, Cohen’s kappa, sensitivity and specificity values were calculated using the physician-certified MHP diagnosis related to a given work absence as the reference standard. Stratified analyses of total agreement, sensitivity and specificity values were also examined by duration of work absence (5–20 workdays,>20 workdays). Results Total agreement value for self-reported MHP was 90%. Cohen’s kappa value was substantial (0.74). Sensitivity was 77% and specificity was 95%. Absences of more than 20 workdays had a better sensitivity than absences of shorter duration. A high specificity was observed for both short and longer absence episodes. Conclusion This study showed high specificity and good sensitivity of self-reported MHP diagnosis compared with physician-certified MHP diagnosis for the same work absence. Absences of longer durations had a better sensitivity.

Psychosocial risks at work (PRW) are major determinants of workers’ well-being and health, yet comprehensive, accessible, and scientifically rigorous instruments to assess both PRW and related outcomes remain limited. This study introduces the open-access Questionnaire on Psychosocial Risks, Well-being, and Health at Work (QRBEST; Questionnaire sur les Risques psychosociaux, le Bien-Être et la Santé au Travail), developed and validated through a three-phase process including 1) questionnaire development, 2) item and scale refinement, and 3) psychometric evaluation. The French version of the questionnaire was administered to three heterogeneous samples: a population-based panel representative of Québec’s working population (n = 3000), healthcare workers (n = 708), and workers from eight small and medium-sized enterprises (n = 705). The resulting questionnaire comprises 127 items assessing 26 PRW alongside 12 indicators of well-being, health, and productivity and activity impairment. A psychometric evaluation—including analyses of internal consistency, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, test-retest reliability, concurrent criterion-related validity, and discriminant validity—indicated that all assessed properties ranged from adequate to excellent. Findings support the QRBEST as a reliable instrument for assessing PRW and associated outcomes across diverse organizational contexts, offering researchers and practitioners a decision-support tool to guide risk assessment and inform PRW prevention and intervention efforts.