caa a22 4500 46319392X CHVBK 20180406164917.0 cr unu---uuuuu 170326e20071101xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s00420-007-0196-x doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s00420-007-0196-x A 2-year cohort study on the impact of an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) on depression and suicidal thoughts in male Japanese workers [Elektronische Daten] [Mutsuhiro Nakao, Mariko Nishikitani, Satoru Shima, Eiji Yano] Objective: Depression and suicide-related behaviours are important issues for workers, and the number of Japanese companies contracting with the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to promote employees' mental health has recently increased. However, no longitudinal studies have reported that the EAP maintains or improves the overall level of depression among employees qualitatively. Thus, we attempted to assess the impact of the EAP on depression and suicide-related behaviours in the workplace. Methods: A cohort study was conducted on 283 male Japanese employees aged 22-38years at a Japanese information-technology company introducing the EAP. Because the privacy policy of the EAP service made it difficult to perform a randomised design in the workplace, 22 men working at an affiliated company without the EAP were used as a reference group. All the subjects completed the 17-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-D) and Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) consisting of job demands, control, and social support before the EAP was introduced to establish a baseline and after 2years. Results: In the EAP group, the total HAM-D scores significantly decreased after the 2-year study period (P=0.0011); the changes in the scores of the five HAM-D items (i.e., suicidal thoughts, agitation, psychomotor retardation, guilt, and depressed mood) were significant. Specifically, 19 (86%) of the 22 workers with a positive response to the suicidal thoughts item (i.e., score≥1) at baseline reported that they no longer had suicidal thoughts (i.e., score=0) after the 2year study period. No significant changes were observed in the reference group. The three JCQ scores were not significantly different between the baseline and after the 2year study period in both groups. Conclusion: Although further studies are needed, EAPs may be a promising strategy for maintaining the good mental health of workers. Springer-Verlag, 2007 Depression nationallicence Employee Assistance Programme nationallicence Job demands nationallicence Suicide nationallicence Worker's health examination nationallicence Nakao Mutsuhiro Department of Hygiene and Public Health, Teikyo University School of Medicine, 2-11-1 Kaga, Itabashi-ku, 173-8605, Tokyo, Japan aut Nishikitani Mariko Department of Hygiene and Public Health, Teikyo University School of Medicine, 2-11-1 Kaga, Itabashi-ku, 173-8605, Tokyo, Japan aut Shima Satoru Industrial Mental Health Institute, Tokyo, Japan aut Yano Eiji Department of Hygiene and Public Health, Teikyo University School of Medicine, 2-11-1 Kaga, Itabashi-ku, 173-8605, Tokyo, Japan aut International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health Springer-Verlag 81/2(2007-11-01), 151-157 0340-0131 81:2<151 2007 81 420 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-007-0196-x text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-007-0196-x text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Nakao Mutsuhiro Department of Hygiene and Public Health, Teikyo University School of Medicine, 2-11-1 Kaga, Itabashi-ku, 173-8605, Tokyo, Japan aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Nishikitani Mariko Department of Hygiene and Public Health, Teikyo University School of Medicine, 2-11-1 Kaga, Itabashi-ku, 173-8605, Tokyo, Japan aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Shima Satoru Industrial Mental Health Institute, Tokyo, Japan aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Yano Eiji Department of Hygiene and Public Health, Teikyo University School of Medicine, 2-11-1 Kaga, Itabashi-ku, 173-8605, Tokyo, Japan aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health Springer-Verlag 81/2(2007-11-01), 151-157 0340-0131 81:2<151 2007 81 420 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer