Associations between Psychosocial Working Conditions and Work-Specific Self-Efficacy Beliefs Among Employees Receiving Psychotherapeutic Consultation at Work

Jeannette Weber; Marieke Hansmann; Meike Heming; Regina Herold; Yesim Erim; Nicole Hander; Eva Rothermund; Nadine Mulfinger; Christoph Kröger; Manuel Feißt; Jolanda Brezinski; Fiona Kohl; Peter Angerer

doi:10.1007/s10926-024-10256-1

Associations between Psychosocial Working Conditions and Work-Specific Self-Efficacy Beliefs Among Employees Receiving Psychotherapeutic Consultation at Work

J Occup Rehabil. 2024 Nov 22. doi: 10.1007/s10926-024-10256-1. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Centre for Health and Society, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Moorenstraße 5, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany. jeannette.weber@uni-duesseldorf.de.
² Institute of Psychology, University of Hildesheim, Hildesheim, Germany.
³ Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Centre for Health and Society, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Moorenstraße 5, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
⁴ Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany.
⁵ Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany.
⁶ Department of Psychiatry II, Ulm University and BKH Günzburg, Günzburg, Germany.
⁷ Institute of Medical Biometry, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.

PMID: 39578319
DOI: 10.1007/s10926-024-10256-1

Abstract

Purpose: By considering work-related aspects during early intervention and treatment of employees with (subclinical) symptoms of common mental disorders, psychotherapeutic consultation at work (PT-W) aims to increase work-specific self-efficacy (SE) to finally reduce sickness absence and contribute to successful return to work. This study, thus, aims to investigate interrelations between working conditions and work-specific SE among employees before receiving PT-W.

Methods: The study uses baseline data of a randomized controlled trial testing the efficacy of PT-W in Germany (n = 535). Working conditions were assessed by six scales of the validated Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ). SE was assessed by the validated general short occupational self-efficacy (OSE) scale and return-to-work self-efficacy (RTW-SE) scale, two specific forms of self-efficacy. Multiple linear regression models were calculated using working conditions as independent and self-efficacy as dependent variables. Interactions between working conditions and age, gender and current extent of work were added to those models.

Results: Results suggest that quantitative job demands are negatively and development opportunities are positively related to OSE and RTW-SE. Age did not moderate those relationships. The association between development opportunities and OSE was stronger among employees indicating working less number of hours than specified in their contract compared to employees indicating working their full contract hours. Furthermore, interactions with gender were found with social support being only (positively) associated with OSE among male and decision authority being only (positively) associated with OSE among female employees.

Conclusions: The associations between working conditions and work-specific SE support the usefulness of addressing potential reciprocal relationships between those two variables during PT-W to improve mental health of employees.

Trial registration number: Registered at the German Clinical Trial Register (DRKS) at 01.03.2021-DRKS00023049.

Keywords: Mental health; Occupational health; Occupational stress; Psychotherapeutic care; Self-efficacy; Workplace.

Abstract

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