Status of Mental Health and Working Conditions Among Workers Employed in Small Businesses in 2018 and 2022

Details

• Journal Article:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• Personal Author:
  Hudson, Heidi L. ; Davis, Jonathan A.
• Description:
  Objective: The aim of this study was to assess psychosocial working conditions and mental health status among US workers in small businesses. Methods: Data from the 2018 and 2022 General Social Survey's Quality of Worklife module were used to examine mental health and psychosocial working conditions among US adults employed by businesses with 1 to 49 employees. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses were conducted, adjusting for race, education, marital status, age, and job tenure. Results: Using combined data, workers reporting low job satisfaction, lack of management priority for safety, high work-family conflict, unfair wages, and limited promotion opportunities had significantly higher odds of reporting one or more poor mental health days in the past 30 days, compared with those reporting more favorable working conditions. Conclusions: Findings highlight modifiable workplace factors that may lead to improved mental health among small business workers.
• Subjects:
  Mental Health Occupational Health Safety Stress, Psychological
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Small Business; Mental Health; Quality Of Worklife; Worker Wellbeing; Workplace Health; Work-related Stress Mental Health; Small Businesses; Psychosocial Factors; Employee Satisfaction; Work-family Conflict; Wellbeing; Job Stress; Quality Of Work Life; QWL;
• Source:
  J Occup Environ Med 2026 Apr; 68(4):320-326
• ISSN:
  1076-2752
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; Iowa ; Chicago Region [OSHA] ; Kansas City Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSI - Division of Science Integration
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  7 pdf pages
• Volume:
  68
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071252
• Contact Point Address:
  Heidi L. Hudson, DrPH, Division of Science Integration, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1090 Tusculum Ave, MS C-10, Cincinnati, OH 45226
• Email:
  hlhudson@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2026
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:797c354e071fd982a8e783fe7374a163e644dd5fc5abc6dd395f4640dbd105d61bc99915915beadd3de12ae2b6082b111f870bbc67b45c0ac3582d508c696e51
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/258730/cdc_258730_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 174.30 KB ]