Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40685920›Full record

ArticleBJPsych open2025

Work stress and its association with suicidal ideation, health and presenteeism during the COVID-19 pandemic: cross-sectional study in the UK health and university workforce.

Christina van der Feltz-Cornelis, Jennifer Sweetman, Dorota Merecz-Kot, Carlota de Miquel, Fidan Turk, Beatriz Olaya

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BJPsych open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Christina van der Feltz-CornelisDepartment of Health Sciences, University of York, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6925-8956
Jennifer SweetmanDepartment of Health Sciences, University of York, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1969-4586
Dorota Merecz-KotInstitute of Psychology, University of Lodz, Poland.
Carlota de MiquelEpidemiologia dels trastorns mentals i de l'envelliment, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IRSJD), Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain.
Fidan TurkDepartment of Health Sciences, University of York, UK.
Beatriz OlayaEpidemiologia dels trastorns mentals i de l'envelliment, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IRSJD), Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2046-3929

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWork stress levels rose among health and educational workforces during the COVID-19 pandemic, and can affect employee well-being and organisational efficiency.

aimsTo explore the association of work stress with mental health, including suicidal ideation and physical health, as well as presenteeism, as aspects of organisational efficiency in UK healthcare and university workers.

methodA total of 328 UK participants completed self-report questionnaires between April 2022 and September 2023 in the context of the European Platform to Promote Wellbeing and Health in the Workplace (EMPOWER) study. Cross-sectional analyses were conducted.

resultsTwo hundred and ninety-two (90%) employees reported work-related stress (Mini-Psychosocial Stressors at Work Scale). Depressive, anxiety and somatic symptoms were reported (61, 55 and 75%, respectively); 11% of the participants reported suicidal ideation (Patient Health Questionnaire 9) and 56% reported presenteeism (iMTA Productivity Cost Questionnaire). Psychological and somatic symptoms were worse when suicidal ideation or presenteeism was reported. Stressful work factors included having too much work to do (63%), a bad working atmosphere (28%), poor work-home balance (32%) and working hours hindering private life (35%). Spearman correlations showed significant associations between work stress and suicidal ideation (0.225), depressive (0.290), anxiety (0.299) and somatic symptoms (0.245) and presenteeism (0.311), but not with having a chronic medical condition.

conclusionGiven the association between work stress, suicidal ideation and presenteeism, research should explore how psychosocial risk factors linked to work stress could be reduced for healthcare and higher education employees. The findings warrant the development of policies to address work stress, and to provide employee support for suicidal ideation and presenteeism in the work setting.

Indexed as

mental healthphysical healthpresenteeismsuicidal ideationWork stress

Identifiers

PMID40685920
PMCPMC12303827

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.