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Review
. 2016 Dec;7(4):268-283.
doi: 10.1016/j.shaw.2016.04.005. Epub 2016 Apr 29.

Men, Work, and Mental Health: A Systematic Review of Depression in Male-dominated Industries and Occupations

Ann M Roche  1 , Ken Pidd  1 , Jane A Fischer  1 , Nicole Lee  1 , Anje Scarfe  1 , Victoria Kostadinov  1
Affiliations
Review

Men, Work, and Mental Health: A Systematic Review of Depression in Male-dominated Industries and Occupations

Ann M Roche et al. Saf Health Work. 2016 Dec.

Abstract

Among men, depression is often unrecognised and untreated. Men employed in male-dominated industries and occupations may be particularly vulnerable. However, efforts to develop tailored workplace interventions are hampered by lack of prevalence data. A systematic review of studies reporting prevalence rates for depression in male dominated workforce groups was undertaken. Studies were included if they were published between 1990 - June 2012 in English, examined adult workers in male-dominated industries or occupations (> 70% male workforce), and used clinically relevant indicators of depression. Twenty studies met these criteria. Prevalence of depression ranged from 0.0% to 28.0%. Five studies reported significantly lower prevalence rates for mental disorders among male-dominated workforce groups than comparison populations, while six reported significantly higher rates. Eight studies additionally found significantly higher levels of depression in male-dominated groups than comparable national data. Overall, the majority of studies found higher levels of depression among workers in male-dominated workforce groups. There is a need to address the mental health of workers in male-dominated groups. The workplace provides an important but often overlooked setting to develop tailored strategies for vulnerable groups.

Keywords: depression; male-dominated industries; males; prevalence; systematic review.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow diagram of study selection for systematic review of published research on the prevalence of depression in male-dominated industries and occupations.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Prevalence of depression in agriculture. AVI, Mean of three occupations; CA, Canada; FI, Finland; FR, France; JA, Japan; LT, long term; M, moderate strength; NCP, no comparison population; NO, Norway; S, strong strength; ST, short term; US, United States; W, weak strength. * Significant at 0.05. † Not significant. ‡ Not able to be tested.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Prevalence of depression in construction. AVII, Mean of nine occupations; CA, Canada; LT, long term; M, moderate strength; S, strong strength; ST, short term; US, United States. * Significant at 0.05. † Not significant. ‡ Not able to be tested.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Prevalence of depression in manufacturing. AV, Mean of 10 occupations; CA, Canada; JA, Japan; LT, long term; M, moderate strength; NCP, no comparison population; S, strong strength; ST, short term; US, United States; W, weak strength. * Significant at 0.05. † Not significant. ‡ Not able to be tested.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Prevalence of depression in transportation. AU, Australia; AVIV, mean of six occupations; CA, Canada; LT, long term; M, moderate strength; S, strong strength; ST, short term; US, United States; W, weak strength. * Significant at 0.05. † Not significant. ‡ Not able to be tested.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Prevalence of depression in manual occupations. AVV, mean of two occupations; CA, Canada; FR, France; LT, long term; M, moderate strength; NCP, no comparison population; S, strong strength; ST, short term; US, United States; W, weak strength. * Significant at 0.05. † Not significant. ‡ Not able to be tested.
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