Occupational e-mental health: Current approaches and promising perspectives for promoting mental health in workers

Dirk Lehr, Anna Geraedts, Robert Persson Asplund, Zarnie Khadjesari, Elena Heber, Jessica de Bloom, David Daniel Ebert, Peter Angerer, Burkhardt Funk

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

34 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

During the past few years, the Internet has started to change lifestyles and affect all life domains, including working life. It is also increasingly used for targeting mental health issues. The "application of information technology in mental and behavioral health"? (Andersson G, Riper H, Carlbring P (2014) Editorial: Introducing Internet interventions-a new open access journal. Internet Intervent 1:1-2) is becoming common in health-care; interventions have already been incorporated into routine care in countries such as the Netherlands, Sweden, the UK, Australia, and the USA. As a next step, Internet interventions in the area of occupational health are progressively emerging. They may offer an evidence-based, cost-effective, and convenient way of promoting workers’ mental health on a large scale. Currently, Internet interventions for workers are the most promising approach in the field of occupational e-mental health. The evolution of occupational e-mental health is embedded in interdisciplinary research, practice, and policy. In the first section of this chapter, the origins of occupational e-mental health will be outlined and a definition proposed. Following this, different approaches to occupational e-mental health will be described and their potentials elucidated. A comparison between Internet interventions and traditional stress-management trainings will provide further insights into the design and characteristics of the most elaborated approach in occupational e-mental health. Subsequently, various Internet training programs will be introduced and the evidence for their efficacy summarized. Finally, important topics for further research and implementation will be outlined.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationHealthy at Work
Subtitle of host publicationInterdisciplinary Perspectives
PublisherSpringer
Pages257-281
Number of pages25
ISBN (Electronic)9783319323312
ISBN (Print)9783319323299
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2016

Keywords

  • Health risk assessment
  • Internet intervention
  • Occupational stress
  • Traditional training
  • Work engagement

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