Abstract
Purpose : To clarify workers' depression in small and medium-sized workplaces and relationships between depression and various relevant factors. Method : A survey involving a self-administered questionnaire was conducted of 1,129 workers working in 28 workplaces with less than 100 workers. The questionnaire items covered demographic data and working conditions, depression, and social support. Results : The 146 (12.9%) questionnaires analyzed revealed that 65.1% of the respondents were men and 34.9% women with an average age of 40.6 ± 11.9, 63.0% of whom reported they could not make a reasonable living, and 25.3% rated themselves subjectively as unhealthy. Working time averaged 47.8 hours ± 13.1. The SDS (Self-Rating Depression Scale) responses showed 45.2% of the respondents rated themselves as not depressed, 39.0% as slightly depressed, 11.6% as moderately depressed and 4.1% as seriously depressed. Multiple logistic regression analysis disclosed that the factors significantly associated with depression were: female gender and inability to make a reasonable living, subjective self-rating as unhealthy, working time of 41 hours or more, and a lack of emotional support. Conclusion : More than half of the workers at small and medium-sized workplaces were in some state of depression. Relationships between depression and subjective self-rating as unhealthy, long working hours, and poor economic conditions were clarified, indicating that the municipal government and community occupational health centers must cooperate to deal with the urgent task of enhancing mental health measures available in small and medium-sized workplaces.
