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. 2024 May 21;17(1):144.
doi: 10.1186/s13104-024-06750-7.

Managers' attitudes to depression and the association with their rating of how work capacity is affected in employees with common mental disorders

Jenny Hultqvist  1 , Gunnel Hensing  2 , Lisa Björk  3   4 , Monica Bertilsson  2
Affiliations

Managers' attitudes to depression and the association with their rating of how work capacity is affected in employees with common mental disorders

Jenny Hultqvist et al. BMC Res Notes. .

Abstract

Objective: This explorative, cross-sectional study assessed the association between managers' attitudes to employee depression and their rating of how common mental disorders (CMDs) affect employee work capacity.

Results: A principal component analysis was performed for the nine variables concerning managers' rating of how CMDs can affect work capacity among employees. The analysis resulted in two factors: task-oriented- and relational work capacity. The result of the multivariate analysis of covariance showed a p value of 0.014 (Pillai's trace) indicating a statistically significant association between managers' attitudes towards employee depression and managers' rating of how CMDs affect work capacity. The association was significant for both factors as indicated by the p value of 0.024 for task-oriented work capacity and the p value of 0.007 for relational work capacity. The R2 value was 0.022 for task-oriented work capacity and 0.017 for relational work capacity. We assumed that negative attitudes towards employee depression would be associated with a perception of decreased work capacity among employees with CMDs. The results showed a significant association; however, the effect (~ 2%) was small. Further studies of manager's attitudes and other possible determinants of managers' rating of CMD-related work capacity are needed to better understand these factors.

Keywords: Attitudes; Common mental disorder; Employee; Manager; Work capacity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flowchart for selection of the study population of Swedish managers. Data was collected in 2017
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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