Relationships between stress, depression, and health behavior factors among U.S. employees

An increase in the prevalence of stress and depression among employees has been identified as a factor in the rising health costs for U.S. companies. Some research has shown that stressed or depressed employees are also more likely to engage in negative health behaviors such as substance use, compounding the potential for poor health outcomes and reduced productivity. To further explore these health behavior factors, this study analyzed health risk assessment responses of 27,121 workers collected across 23 U.S. companies to examine the relationship between employees' self-reported indicators of stress and depression, and their behaviors related to alcohol use, smoking, exercise, and diet. In addition, their responses regarding personal activities that have been shown in other studies to ameliorate stress and depression – social involvement, pursuit of a hobby, relaxation techniques, and time management – were also evaluated for their relationship to employees' stress/depression status. The results indicate that stressed employees were more likely to use alcohol, smoke, not exercise, and eat a high-fat diet; they were less likely to be involved in a social group or hobby, or to practice deep relaxation or time management. Similar results were found for employees experiencing depression, except that they were less likely to use alcohol and more likely to pursue deep relaxation. These findings support the need for worksite-based strategies to facilitate and support positive coping mechanisms by employees suffering from stress or depression, which should result in improved health outcomes for the employees and reduced health care and lost-productivity costs for the company.