Context
Depressive symptoms are highly prevalent and cause substantive morbidities and loss
of functioning among employees. Depression may be prevented at its early stages. However,
there is a paucity of information regarding indicated preventive interventions for
depression among employees. The objective of this review is to examine the effectiveness
of indicated interventions for the reduction of depressive symptoms in the workplace.
Evidence acquisition
A systematic review and meta-analysis of articles published between January 2000 and
September 2017 was conducted using major electronic databases, including PubMed/MEDLINE,
PsycINFO, EMBASE, SOCINDEX, and ABI/ProQuest. Studies were selected based on a set
of predefined inclusion criteria. Primary outcome measures were depressive symptomatology,
and the interventions were preventive in nature. Studies were pooled based on the
intervention type and the effect size was measured using the standardized mean difference.
Evidence synthesis
A computer and hand search of the literature yielded 4,462 papers, from which 16 trials
were identified to be suitable for meta-analysis. Eight of 16 studies reported significant
effects for workplace preventive interventions targeting depressive symptoms in which
six were cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)–based interventions and two were non–CBT-based
interventions. Small to medium effect sizes were found for both CBT- and non–CBT-based
interventions (standardized mean difference= –0.44, 95% CI= –0.61, –0.26, I2=62.1% and standardized mean difference= –0.32, 95% CI= –0.59, –0.06, I2=58%, respectively).
Conclusions
This review demonstrates that indicated interventions can significantly reduce the
level of depressive symptoms among workers. The implementation of evidence-based workplace
interventions should consequently be considered to prevent the development of depressive
symptoms among employees.
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© 2018 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
