1. Research priorities

Mental health and work

Awareness is growing about the importance of how the work environment, in particular the psychosocial environment, can impact the mental health of workers. Awareness is also growing about the differing work accommodation and return-to-work needs of workers with mental—versus physical—health conditions. Our research aims to identify and measure psychosocial hazards and explore how dimensions of the psychosocial work environment can promote positive mental health or lead to poorer mental health. Our research also explores workplace and system-level strategies for helping workers with mental health conditions—including post-traumatic stress disorders—stay in and return to work.

Latest findings

A woman with a leg cast and walker walks up a road.

Injured workers face mental health challenges beyond diagnosable conditions

Workers with a work-related physical injury that takes them off the job can have a wide range of mental health experiences, beyond diagnosable conditions. That’s according to an IWH study which also found that differences in injured workers’ mental health were linked to return-to-work outcomes.
A group of firefighters aim a firehose at a building

How employers are improving RTW outcomes for public safety workers with PSTI

Public safety employers face a range of challenges when supporting workers to return to work after experiencing a post-traumatic stress injury. Employers have developed strategies to face these challenges, as outlined in a recent IWH Speaker Series presentation.
A group of firefighters aim a firehose at a building

Employers face challenges in supporting public safety personnel with post-traumatic stress injuries

In Ontario, a pilot program has been developed to help treat public safety workers with post-traumatic stress injuries. To identify any needed changes to the program, IWH researchers asked employers about their experiences helping these workers return to work after a mental health injury.

Featured guide

Evidence-informed guide to supporting people with depression in the workplace

Learn what to do when you, your co-workers or employees experience depressive symptoms at work.

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Featured resource

RTW in policing: time to ACT

This summary of an IWH research project outlines challenges in return to work within police services related to three key themes: accommodation, communication and trust-building, all within the culture and context of policing.

Police sirens at night

Ongoing projects

TIE-C-MI: Trajectories of Income and Employment of Canadians with Mental Illness

This project aims to understand the employment and income experiences of Canadians with mental and substance use disorders during their prime working years. This information is a necessary first step to identifying the most appropriate time to implement health- and labour-related interventions to retain these Canadians in the workforce.

Understanding the role of parental employment quality in child mental health

An IWH study is using general population surveys in Canada to better understand the role of parental employment quality as a social determinant of child mental health.

ECHO PSP: Piloting the use of the ECHO model to promote recovery and return-to-work among public safety personnel in Ontario

This pilot project is evaluating the use of the ECHO model in Ontario to improve return-to-work support for injured firefighters, paramedics, police officers and other public safety personnel.

Implementation of PTSI programs in Alberta first responder organizations

This project examines approaches to implementing post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI) programs in Alberta first responder organizations

First Responder Mental Health Treatment Services: Formative evaluation of a pilot program

IWH is collaborating with the Institute for Better Health to evaluate a WSIB pilot program treating first responders with work-related mental health injuries.

Evidence-informed workplace policies and practices for the prevention of PTSI work disability

An IWH study will add to the guidance available to first responders (police, firefighters, paramedics) in Alberta and beyond on the workplace policies and practices that may help prevent PTSIs.

Developing a Canadian work disability standard for paramedics with post-traumatic stress injury

The Institute for Work & Health and Conestoga College are working with CSA Group to develop a Canadian standard on work disability prevention for paramedics with post-traumatic stress injuries.

Accommodating and Communicating about Episodic Disabilities (ACED): A partnership to deliver workplace resources to sustain employment of people with chronic, episodic conditions

A multi-partner research team led by IWH is seeking to develop evidence-informed resources to facilitate communication and accommodation planning among workers with episodic mental and physical health conditions, supervisors and other workplace parties.

Validation study of Occupational Stress Injury Resiliency Tool

This project will assess the validity and the performance of the Occupational Stress Injury Resilience tool—created to assess first responders’ occupational stress injury risks.

Assessing the psychosocial work environment in British Columbia to inform prevention activities

WorkSafeBC is in the initial stages of developing and implementing an Enterprise Mental Health Strategy. As part of its development and evaluation efforts, this project will fill knowledge gaps in the understanding of the psychosocial work environment in British Columbia, as well as workers' awareness of its impact as a workplace hazard.

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