Effects of workplace measures against COVID-19 and employees' worry about them on the onset of major depressive episodes: A 13-month prospective study of full-time employees

BACKGROUND: Workplace measures against COVID-19 may prevent the onset of major depressive episode (MDE) in the working population. This 13-month prospective study aimed to investigate the association of the number of workplace measures against COVID-19 and employees' worry about the measures on the onset of MDE during COVID-19 outbreaks in Japan. METHODS: Data were collected from employees by using online questionnaires at baseline (May 2020) and the 7th survey (June 2021). The onset of MDE during the follow-up was retrospectively measured at the 7th survey, with a self-report scale based on the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview according to the DSM-IV/DSM-5 criteria. Participants were asked to report the number of workplace measures against COVID-19 in their companies/organizations and their worry about these measures (scored 0–3). Multiple logistic regression was conducted of MDE on the number of workplace measures and worry about these, adjusting for demographic and work-related covariates and psychological distress at baseline. RESULTS: Among 968 respondents employed in May 2020, 827 completed the 7th survey in June 2021 (80%). We excluded 75 respondents who reported they had an MDE in May 2020 or earlier. Worry about workplace measures was significantly associated with the onset of MDE after adjusting for the covariates (OR for 1 score increase, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.02–2.32; p = 0.042). No significant association was found between the number of workplace measures and the onset of MDE. CONCLUSIONS: Worrying about workplace measures taken by company/organization may be a risk factor for the onset of an MDE among employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.