Mental health shame and presenteeism: Results from a German online survey

Abstract

We conducted a survey amongst 5177 German employees asking about current mental well-being, mental health shame, help-seeking and presenteeism likelihood. Low mental well-being was reported in 22.9% of respondent; 65.5% stated that they would feel ashamed for own mental health problems. 54.1% said they were likely to go to work without talking to colleagues and supervisors despite mental health problems. Most participants would rather ask their partners or close family members for support, whereas work-related contacts were rarely endorsed. Since presenteeism is associated with mental health shame, reducing mental illness stigma is essential for improving mental health at the workplace.

Keywords

• Mental health stigma
• Occupational health
• Depression