Highly Educated May Have
Poorer Mental Health
Excerpt By Charnicia E. Huggins, Reuters Health

Contrary to what they expected, a team of California researchers has found that highly educated workers may be more, not less, likely to have mental health problems in comparison to the general public.

"Highly educated employees may be at greater risk for mental health problems than common sense might suggest," lead study author Dr. Cheryl Koopman told Reuters Health.

"This was an unexpected finding," the Stanford University-based researcher said.

And its implications may extend beyond just the health of workers, Koopman suggested. It may also have an effect on their working ability.

"Mental health problems are particularly problematic for highly educated workers because they would tend to be employed in intellectually demanding occupations in which poor mental health could be expected to directly affect their job performance," Koopman said.

Approximately 33 million workers in the United States have a bachelors or higher degree. Previous research has shown that employees' impaired mental health status may lead to higher rates of absenteeism, accidents and injuries, job turnover, and higher employer costs for health and liability insurance. This study was unique in that it focused on highly educated workers, a growing sector of the U.S. workforce.

In the study, Koopman and her colleagues evaluated questionnaire responses from 460 employees at a large northern California worksite. More than half of the employees had a master's or doctoral degree -- a much higher percentage than in the general population. The respondents completed a five-item mental health assessment that asked questions such as "Have you felt so down in the dumps that nothing could cheer you up?" Possible scores ranged from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better mental health.

The respondents' average mental health score was 70, lower than what has previously been reported for the general U.S. population, the authors report in the American Journal of Health Promotion.

What's more, five percent of the workers had symptoms indicative of problem drinking. The study also showed that 10 percent of workers said they used antidepressants at least every week, or more frequently in some cases.

Mental health scores were lowest among those individuals who showed signs of problem drinking or who took antidepressants, as well as among younger respondents, those who reported higher levels of stress at home or work and those who used avoidance as a coping strategy, study findings indicate. Those who reported higher satisfaction with their jobs or their home life, on the other hand, were likely to also report better mental health.

The workers were, as a whole, a highly educated group, and higher educational levels were associated with poorer mental health, but only in men. Among women, advanced degrees were associated with higher mental health scores. The reason for this unexpected finding is unknown, according to the report.

The researchers did not investigate why the study participants' mental health was worse than that found among the general population.

"Perhaps the demands of (their) occupations ... put undue stress on their personal lives," Koopman speculated. Or perhaps these workers were under pressure to "make decisions in the face of high levels of uncertainty and (had) a great deal of responsibility at work," but perceived their job resources as inadequate, she said.

Since the study was conducted at only one worksite, however, the findings may not apply to other worksites with highly educated employees, the researchers note.

Still, Koopman said, "we need to better understand how the work force environment and programs can best support mental health in the highly educated workforce."

"Research and program development are needed to determine whether work-based interventions can improve employees' mental health by helping them cope more effectively with work and home stress, derive greater life satisfaction from work and home and avoid harmful or hazardous drinking," she added.

A grant from the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention funded the study.

SOURCE: American Journal of Health Promotion 2003;17.

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