Good mental health in Denmark is associated with a reduction of between USD 900 and 1.3 billion per year in lost productivity for the economy, according to a study new studio published in the Journal of Mental Health and Prevention.
It finds that people with good mental health take less time off work due to illness compared to others. This translates into lower productivity losses for the economy.
The study was carried out by researchers from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), the University of Copenhagen, the University of Warwick, the University of Barcelona and the Research Institute of Happiness in Copenhagen.
Several international studies have specifically examined the costs associated with poor mental health, such as mental illness, depression, or stress. But only a few studies have focused on reducing the costs associated with good mental health, that is, a high level of mental well-being.
This new study shows that there is a connection between good mental health and lower costs in the form of lost productivity. Productivity loss means the economic value to society of the work that people could have done if they had not been absent due to illness.
Commenting on the findings, lead author Ziggi Santini of the National Institute of Public Health, SDU, said: “People with high levels of mental well-being, characterized, for example, as being optimistic and having energy to spare, have significantly fewer sick days per year than others. This has implications for societal costs.”
The study is based on data from 1,959 employed Danes aged 16 to 64, who answered questions about their mental well-being in 2019. The responses were then linked to data from surveys and records related to information on sickness absence from the workplace. in 2020.
The participants were divided into three groups based on their level of mental health: poor, moderate and good.
Twelve percent had poor mental health, 67 percent had moderate mental health, and 21 percent had good mental health.
Ziggi Santini added: “Compared with poor mental health, moderate mental health is associated with five to six fewer annual sick days, while good mental health is associated with six to nine fewer annual sick days.”
In the study, adjustments were made for previous sick days over the course of a year, as well as for several other factors, including whether study participants had a psychiatric diagnosis.
Productivity loss, that is, economic loss to society, was then calculated based on the number of sick days and average wage rates in the general population.
Calculations showed that for every person with moderate mental health in 2019, lost productivity was $1,300-1,600 less the following year, compared to lost productivity for people with poor mental health.
The number was even higher when it came to good mental health. For every person with good mental health in 2019, the productivity loss was $1,800-2,400 less the following year.
Finally, the total productivity loss for the Danish population in 2020 was calculated, and these estimates were substantial.
Ziggi Santini explained: “When compared to the proportion of people with poor mental health in the Danish population, our results show that good mental health in the total population is associated with less annual productivity loss totaling $0.9- 1.3 billion. Overall, our results suggest that productivity losses will be lowest when mental well-being is at the highest possible level. In other words, the better mental health, the smaller the productivity loss.” .
Commenting on the findings, co-author David McDaid of the London School of Economics and Political Science added: “The study provides further evidence of the importance of taking action to ensure that the work environment helps promote better well-being in the UK, Denmark and other countries. This will bring benefits to employers and the economy in general.
“Making work more attractive, not only financially, but also in terms of well-being, can be essential given the high inflationary pressures and hiring challenges that employers face. Even before the cost-of-living crisis, UK employers were already grappling with costs of up to £56 billion a year due to poor mental health among staff, while the number of working-age people who left The labor force and are considered to be economically inactive has now increased to 9 million people”.
To obtain a copy of the study, visit: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212657022000198?via%3Dihub
