Techno-Stress Creators, Burnout and Psychological Health among Remote Workers during the Pandemic: The Moderating Role of E-Work Self-Efficacy.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, remote working was pervasively implemented, causing an increase in technology-related job demands. Concurrently, there was an increase in psychological problems in the occupational population. This study on remote workers tested a moderated mediation model positing burnout, conceptualized according to the Burnout Assessment Tool, as the mediator between techno-stressors and psychological health outcomes and e-work self-efficacy as a protective personal resource. A sample of 225 remote workers filled out anonymous questionnaires measuring techno-stressors, e-work self-efficacy, burnout, and psychological health symptoms (i.e., depressive mood and anxiety symptoms). The data were analyzed using structural equation mediation and moderated mediation models, adopting a parceling technique. The results showed that burnout totally mediated the relationship between techno-stressors and depressive mood, while partially mediating the association between techno-stressors and anxiety symptoms. Moreover, e-work self-efficacy buffered the positive effects of techno-stressors on depressive mood and anxiety symptoms through burnout. The present research attested to the relevance of techno-stressors for the psychological health of remote workers and supported burnout as a mediator of this process, although anxiety symptoms were also directly related to techno-stressors. Moreover, the protective role of domain-specific self-efficacy was confirmed in the realm of remote working. Limitations and practical implications are discussed.

Work out of office: how and when does employees' self-control influence their remote work effectiveness?

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to understand the positive effects of employees' self-control on their self-efficacy and work effectiveness in the context of remote work, as well as social support (organizational support, interaction with supervisors, and family support) moderating role on such positive effects. Methods: Based on social cognitive theory, this study collects two-phase data with a sample of 240 remote workers. Results: The results show that employees' self-control positively influences their remote work self-efficacy, which in turn positively increases their remote work effectiveness. Moreover, perceived organizational support, interaction with supervisors, and family support strengthen the effect of self-control on remote work self-efficacy. Discussion: First, this study explores the mechanism of self-control on remote work effectiveness, highlights the importance of self-control in remote work, and provides guidance for employees to improve remote work effectiveness. Second, this study discusses the mediating role of remote work self-efficacy between self-control and remote work effectiveness and reveals the psychological mechanism of employees' self-control in remote work. Finally, this study comprehensively considers three types of support from work and family and analyzes the interaction between internal control and external support on remote work self-efficacy, which provides suggestions for enhancing employees' confidence in remote work.

Healing the wounds of workplace bullying: Evaluating mental health and workplace participation among victims seeking treatment for common mental disorders.

BACKGROUND: Victims of workplace bullying represent a group characterised by severe negative health complaints at risk of losing their foothold in working life. To date, very few studies have investigated the effect of psychological treatment of the health-related problems often facing victims of bullying. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to investigate if victims of workplace bullying suffering from common mental disorders (CMD) benefit from clinical treatment for their mental health problems at an outpatient clinic treating patients using Metacognitive or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy with work-focus. Criteria were symptom reduction and change in workplace participation. Comparisons were made between the victims of workplace bullying with CMD, a wait-list control group consisting of patients who had also been exposed to bullying yet now awaiting treatment, and other patients not exposed to bullying. METHODS: The sample comprised of 405 patients from an outpatient clinic in Norway. The study used a naturalistic observational design and data was collected pre-treatment and post-treatment. RESULTS: The results showed the treatment to be effective in symptom reduction for victims of bullying to a similar degree as patients otherwise not exposed to bullying. Even more, victims receiving treatment had a larger improvement compared to the wait-list control group (p < 0.001). Yet, among patients on sick leave pre-treatment, fewer victims of bullying were fully working by the end of treatment compared to the patients not exposed to workplace bullying. CONCLUSION: The findings provide ground for optimism for this treatment as an efficient way of dealing with the aftermath of workplace bullying.

The protective role of work self-efficacy on wellbeing during COVID-19 pandemic: Results from a longitudinal year-long study.

In this study, we focused on four work self-efficacy dimensions and their relationship with wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic. We adopted a person-centered approach and investigated whether individuals with different work self-efficacy profiles would have different wellbeing experiences at 6 and 12 months from the beginning of the pandemic. Data were collected in the UK across three waves (January 2020, October 2020 and January 2021) on a sample of 393 full-time employees. Results showed that being in two at-risk profiles significantly increases the likelihood of experiencing lower wellbeing during the pandemic. In particular, the probability of belonging to the Profile 3 "low self-efficacy but high empathic" significantly increased the risk of lower wellbeing in the shorter and longer timeframe. In addition, the probability of belonging to the Profile 2 "high assertive and task self-efficacy but low emotional" also significantly increased the risk of lower wellbeing in the longer timeframe.

Identifying Return to Work Self-Efficacy Trajectories in Employees with Mental Health Problems.

Purpose Return to work self-efficacy (RTW-SE) is a strong predictor of return to work (RTW) in employees with mental health problems (MHPs). However, little is known about the development of RTW-SE during the RTW process. In this study, we aimed to identify RTW-SE trajectories in the year following sick leave in employees with MHPs and provided a description of the trajectories in terms of personal and work characteristics, and RTW status. Methods This multi-wave study included 111 employees with MHPs. RTW-SE was measured at baseline, and at 3, 6, and 12 months follow-up with the RTW-SE scale for employees with MHPs. Results Latent class growth analysis revealed six trajectories. In three trajectories employees had increasing RTW-SE scores, namely (class 1) low start, moderate increase, (class 3) moderate start, small increase and (class 5) moderate start, steep increase. The other trajectories were defined by (class 2) persistently high, (class 6) persistently low, and (class 4) decreasing RTW-SE scores over time. Employees across the various trajectories differed significantly with respect to RTW status, and personal and work characteristics measured at baseline, including age, gender, and type of MHP. Less favorable trajectories (class 4 and 6) were characterized by higher age, a higher prevalence of anxiety disorder and lower RTW rates. The most favorable trajectory (class 2) was characterized by a higher proportion of stress-related disorders and less major depression diagnoses. Conclusions Large heterogeneity exists in terms of RTW-SE trajectories in employees with MHPs and significant differences were found across the trajectories regarding personal and work characteristics, and RTW status. Insights into RTW-SE trajectories and their attributes are important to advance more effective and personalized RTW treatment for employees with MHPs.

Lifestyle and Work-Related Factors Associated with Work Ability and Work Participation for People with Obesity: A Prospective Observational Study After Vocational Rehabilitation.

PURPOSE: We aimed to investigate which changes in the explanatory factors that were associated with positive change in the work ability score (WAS) and degree of work participation (DWP) for participants in a new 1-year vocational rehabilitation (VR) program for people on or at risk of sick leave due to obesity or obesity-related problems. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This prospective observational study included 95 participants with a body mass index (BMI) above 30 kg/m2. The 1-year multidisciplinary VR program with an integrated work and lifestyle intervention included 4 weeks of inpatient stay followed-up by five meetings. Differences between baseline and 12-month follow-up data were analyzed for the change in explanatory variables WAS, DWP, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), BMI, and return-to-work self-efficacy (RTWSE). The primary outcome was measured by multiple linear regression for predicting WAS and DWP. RESULTS: We found significant changes in WAS (1.51, 95% CI: 0.83 to 2.20, p<0.001), DWP (18.69, 95% CI: 8.35 to 29.02, p<0.001), HRQoL (2.57, 95% CI: 1.35 to 3.79, p<0.001), BMI (-2.33, 95% CI: -3.10 to -1.56, p<0.001), and in RTWSE (15.89, 95% CI: 4.07 to 27.71, p = 0.009). Regression analysis yielded a strong association between WAS at 12-month follow-up with an increase in HRQoL (ß=0.27, 95% CI: 0.16 to 0.38, p<0.001) and WAS baseline (ß=0.49, 95% CI: 0.28 to 0.71, p<0.001). Further, regression analysis demonstrated a strong association between DWP at 12-month follow-up with return-to-work expectancy (RTWEXP) (ß=-10.62, 95% CI: -15.25 to -6.03, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The results indicate positive changes in WAS, DWP, HRQoL, BMI, and RTWSE from baseline to 12-month follow-up. For people with BMI above 30 kg/m2, changes in HRQoL are important for an increase in WAS, and a high RTWEXP is essential to achieve work participation. Future studies examining VR programs with lifestyle interventions for people with obesity are recommended.

Analisando a autoeficácia e o engajamento no trabalho de psicólogos escolares / Analyzing school psychologists' self-efficacy and engagement / Análisis de la autoeficacia y del compromiso de los psicólogos escolares en su trabajo

Este artigo tem como objetivo entender a relação entre a autoeficácia e o engajamento de psicólogos escolares. A autoeficácia laboral se refere à competência que os funcionários sentem em relação à capacidade de concluir com êxito as tarefas e persistir, enquanto o engajamento é um fenômeno físico, cognitivo e emocional durante a execução do trabalho. Os participantes foram 205 psicólogos, com representação dos estados brasileiros. Utilizou-se uma escala de autoeficácia para psicólogos escolares (AEPsi) e a escala UWES-09 (Utrecht Work Engagement Scale). Por meio deste estudo, foi possível reunir evidências de que a autoeficácia permite predizer os níveis de engajamento dos psicólogos escolares, constatando que a autoeficácia relacional é a que influencia com mais força as três dimensões do engajamento: vigor, dedicação e absorção. Esses achados reforçam a literatura, considerando a autoeficácia e o engajamento no trabalho como variáveis que contribuem para o sucesso da organização.

This article aims to understand the relationship between the self-efficacy and the engagement of Brazilian school psychologists. Work self-efficacy refers to the competence that employees feel in relation to the ability to successfully complete their tasks and persist, while engagement is a physical, cognitive, and emotional phenomenon experienced whilst working. The participants were 205 psychologists, with representation from all Brazilian states. A self-efficacy scale for school psychologists (AEPsi) and the UWES-09 scale (Utrecht Work Engagement Scale) were used. Through this study, it was possible to gather evidence that self-efficacy makes it possible to predict the levels of engagement of school psychologists, noting that relational self-efficacy is the one that most strongly influences the three dimensions of the engagement: vigor, dedication, and absorption. These findings corroborate with the literature considering self-efficacy and engagement at work as variables that contribute to the organization's success.

Este artículo tiene como objetivo establecer la relación entre la autoeficacia y el compromiso en el trabajo de los psicólogos brasileños. La autoeficacia laboral se refiere a la competencia que los empleados sienten con relación a la capacidad de ejecutar con éxito sus tareas y persistir; a su vez, el compromiso es un fenómeno físico, cognitivo y emocional durante la realización del trabajo. Los participantes fueron 205 psicólogos, con representantes de todos los estados brasileños. Se utilizaron una escala de autoeficacia para psicólogos escolares (AEPsi) y la escala UWES-09 (Escala de Compromiso Laboral de Utrecht). Con este estudio, fue posible reunir evidencias de que la autoeficacia permite la predicción de los niveles de compromiso de los psicólogos escolares y verificar que la autoeficacia relacional es la que más influye en las tres dimensiones del compromiso: vigor, dedicación y absorción. Esos hallazgos corroboran la literatura, considerando la autoeficacia y el compromiso en el trabajo como variables que contribuyen al éxito de la organización.

Changes to body mass index, work self-efficacy, health-related quality of life, and work participation in people with obesity after vocational rehabilitation: a prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: People on or at risk of sick leave from work due to obesity or obesity-related problems participated in a new vocational rehabilitation (VR). The study aimed to examine the outcome changes in the participants' health-related quality of life (HRQoL), body mass index (BMI), return to work self-efficacy (RTWSE), work ability scale (WAS) and degree of work participation (DWP) after their participation in the 12-month VR programme. The secondary aim was to examine associations between the outcome changes and HRQoL at 12-month follow-up, measured with the HRQoL 15D instrument (15D). METHODS: This prospective observational study included 95 participants. The one-year multidisciplinary VR programme with an integrated work and lifestyle intervention included 4 weeks of inpatient stay followed-up by 5 meetings. A paired sample t-test was used to examine changes in HRQoL, BMI, RTWSE, WAS, and DWP between baseline and the 12-month follow-up. Multiple linear regression analyses explored associations between changes in HRQoL and the outcome variables. RESULTS: The participants achieved statistically significant changes in HRQoL (2.57, 95% CI: 1.35 to 3.79), BMI (- 2.33, 95% CI: - 3.10 to - 1.56), RTWSE (15.89, 95% CI: 4.07 to 27.71), WAS (1.51, 95% CI: 0.83 to 2.20) and DWP (18.69, 95% CI: 8.35 to 29.02). At 12 months, a significant association was found between HRQoL and BMI (B = - 0.34, 95% CI: - 0.65 to - 0.04), RTWSE (B = 0.02, 95% CI: 0.004 to 0.04), WAS (B = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.55 to 1.28), DWP (B = - 0.02, 95% CI: - 0.04 to 0.001) and work absence (B = - 0.01, 95% CI: - 0.02 to - 0.002). The regression model explained 71.8% of the HRQoL variance. CONCLUSION: The results indicated positive changes in HRQoL, BMI, RTWSE, WAS and DWP from baseline to the 12-month follow-up. Factors associated with HRQoL at the 12-month follow-up were decreased BMI, increased RTWSE, improved WAS and reduced work absence. Future studies examining VR programmes with lifestyle interventions for people with obesity are recommended. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Norwegian Regional Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics (REC) 2017/573, Clinical Trials NCT03286374 , registered 18. September 2017. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?cond=Obesity&term=Anita+Dyb+Linge&cntry=NO&state=&city=&dist=.

The Return-to-Work Self-efficacy Questionnaire (RTW-SE): A Validation Study of Predictive Abilities and Cut-off Values for Patients on Sick Leave Due to Anxiety or Depression.

Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the validity of the Return-to-Work Self-efficacy Questionnaire (RTW-SE) in a Norwegian sample of patients with common mental disorders. The secondary aim was to provide validated cut-off scores for the RTW-SE. Methods Among patients receiving work-focused therapy (N = 626), the RTW-SE was measured pre-and post-treatment, and work status was assessed up to one-year post-treatment. The factor structure, internal consistency and construct validity were assessed. Furthermore, post-treatment cut-off scores were calculated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis for patients on sick leave at baseline (n = 314) and at the end of treatment (n = 145). The predictive ability of the suggested RTW-SE cut-off scores were investigated longitudinally. Results Exploratory principal component analysis identified a one-factor solution with high internal consistency (0.91). RTW-SE exhibited small to moderate negative correlations with measures of depression and anxiety, and was significantly different between subgroups of patients with different work status, supporting construct validity. Pre- and post-treatment RTW-SE scores significantly predicted full return to work at 3, 6 and 12 months post-treatment. ROC analysis suggested an upper cut-off score of 4.6, associated with full RTW, and lower cut-off score of 3.7, associated with partial RTW. These cut-offs showed acceptable discriminative ability and significant longitudinal predictive ability. Conclusion The RTW-SE possesses good psychometric properties and the suggested cut-off scores have significant predictive ability in a clinical setting.

Exposure to bullying behaviours, resilience, and return to work self-efficacy in patients on or at risk of sick leave.

The study investigated relationships between exposure to bullying behaviours, return to work self-efficacy (RTW-SE) and resilience, and if resilience moderates the bullying-RTW-SE relationship among patients on sick leave or at risk of sick leave due to common mental disorders (CMD). A sample of 675 patients treated in an outpatient clinic was analysed using regressions and moderation analyses by employing SPSS and the Process macro SPSS supplement. The results showed a negative relationship between exposure to bullying behaviours and RTW-SE. There was also a positive main effect for resilience, as patients with high resilience score significantly higher on RTW-SE than patients with low resilience irrespective of levels of bullying. Further, the resilience sub-dimension personal resilience moderated the bullying-RTW-SE relationship, while the sub-dimension interpersonal resilience did not. Patients high on personal resilience showed relatively lower RTW-SE scores when exposed to bullying behaviours, compared to those that were not bullied with high personal resilience levels. Hence, one should take note of the fact that even if resilience may strengthen RTW-SE, bullying is an adverse event which particularly affects individuals who present with relatively high levels of resilience resources, at least when it comes to RTW-SE.

Training GPs to improve their management of work-related problems: results of a cluster randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Paying attention to their patients' work and recognizing work-related problems is challenging for many general practitioners (GPs). OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of training designed to improve the care for patients with work-related problems in general practice. METHODS: A cluster randomized controlled trial among 32 Dutch GPs. GPs in the intervention group received five-hour training. GPs in the control group were not trained. Included patients (age 18-63, working ≥12 h per week) completed baseline questionnaires and follow-up questionnaires planned after one year. Primary outcome at patient level was patients' expectations about their ability to work, measured using the return-to-work self-efficacy scale (RTW-SE). Primary outcomes on GP level were their use of ICPC-code Z05 ('work-related problem') per 1000 working-age patients and percentage of the electronic medical files of working-age patients in which information about occupation had been recorded. RESULTS: A total of 640 patients completed the baseline questionnaire and 281 the follow-up questionnaire. We found no statistically significant differences in patients' RTW-SE scores: intervention 4.6 (95%CI: 4.2-5.0); control 4.5 (95%CI: 4.1-4.9). Twenty-nine GPs provided data about the GP-level outcomes, which showed no statistically significant differences: use of ICPC code Z05 11.6 (95%CI: 4.7-18.6) versus 6.0 (95%CI: -1.2 to 13.2) per 1000 working-age patients; recording of occupation 28.8% (95%CI: 25.8-31.7) versus 28.6% (95%CI: 25.6-31.6). CONCLUSION: Training GPs did not improve patients' work-related self-efficacy or GPs' registration of work-related problems and occupation.

Escala de autoeficácia no trabalho: evidências de validade e precisão / Work self-efficacy scale: validity and accuracy evidence / Escala de autoeficácia no trabalho: evidencia de validez y precisión

O artigo apresenta estudos de qualidades psicométricas para a Escala de Autoeficácia no Trabalho (EAE-T), sendo um de validade com base na estrutura interna (Análise Fatorial Exploratória- AFE e Análise Fatorial Confirmatória- AFC) e o outro de precisão por meio de consistência interna. No estudo de validade com base na AFE e precisão, a EAE-T foi aplicada em 525 trabalhadores e, como resultados, foi reduzida a 23 itens, distribuídos em dois fatores (fator 1, Execução no Trabalho, com cargas fatoriais variando entre 0,47 e 0,89, e o fator 2, Relações Interpessoais Trabalhistas, com cargas entre 0,56 e 0,85). Os coeficientes de precisão Orion foram de 0,96 (fator 1) e 0,95 (fator 2). Já na análise AFC, a EAE-T com 23 itens foi aplicada em 200 trabalhadores e verificou-se que todos os indicadores utilizados se mostraram com valores adequados, sendo que a estrutura (dois fatores) da EAE-T também foi confirmada. (AU)

The article presents psychometric quality studies for the Work Self-Efficacy Scale (WSES): one is a validity study based on the internal structure (Exploratory Factor Analysis, EFA, and Confirmatory Factor Analysis, CFA), and the other an accuracy study through internal consistency. In the validity study based on the EFA and accuracy, the WSES was applied in a sample of 525 workers, resulting in a reduction to 23 items, distributed in two factors (factor 1, Work Execution, with factorial loads varying between 0, 47 and 0.89, and factor 2, Interpersonal Labor Relations, with loads between 0.56 and 0.85). The Orion accuracy coefficients were 0.96 (factor 1) and 0.95 (factor 2). In the CFA, the WSES with 23 items was applied to a sample of 200 workers, and it was verified that all the indicators presented adequate values, and the structure (two factors) of the WSES was also confirmed. (AU)

El artículo presenta estudios de calidad psicométrica en la Escala de Autoeficacia en el Trabajo (EAE-T), siendo uno de ellos, de validez con base en la estructura interna (Análisis Factorial Exploratorio - AFE y Análisis Factorial Confirmatorio - AFC) y el otro de precisión por medio de consistencia interna. En el estudio de validez basado en la AFE y precisión, la EAE-T fue aplicada en 525 trabajadores, y como resultado, se redujo a 23 ítems, distribuídos en dos factores (factor 1, Ejecución en el Trabajo, con cargas factoriales variando entre 0,47 y 0,89, y factor 2, Relaciones Interpersonales Laborales, con cargas entre 0,56 y 0,85). Los coeficientes de precisión Orion fueron de 0,96 (factor 1) y 0,95 (factor 2). En el análisis AFC, la EAE-T con 23 ítems fue aplicada en 200 trabajadores, y se verificó que todos los indicadores utilizados se mostraron con valores adecuados, y la estructura (dos factores) de la EAE-T también fue confirmada. (AU)

Burnout Disrupts Anxiety Buffer Functioning Among Nurses: A Three-Way Interaction Model.

Over the last 40 years, job burnout has attracted a great deal of attention among researchers and practitioners and, after decades of research and interventions, it is still regarded as an important issue. With the aim of extending the Anxiety Buffer Disruption Theory (ABDT), in this paper we argue that high levels of burnout may disrupt the anxiety buffer functioning that protects people from death concerns. ABDT was developed from Terror Management Theory (TMT). According to TMT, reminders of one's mortality are an essential part of humans' daily experience and have the potential to awake paralyzing fear and anxiety. In order to cope with death concerns, people typically activate an anxiety-buffering system centered on their cultural worldview and self-esteem. Recent ABDT research shows that individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder are unable to activate such anxiety buffering defenses. In line with these results, we hypothesized that the burnout syndrome may have similar effects, and that individuals with higher levels of burnout will be less likely to activate an anxiety buffering response when their mortality is made salient. Participants were 418 nurses, who completed a questionnaire including: a mortality salience (MS) manipulation, a delay manipulation, and measures of burnout, work-related self-efficacy, and representation of oneself as a valuable caregiver. Nurses are daily exposed both to the risk of burnout and to mortality reminders, and thus constituted an ideal population for this study. In line with an anxiety buffer disruption hypothesis, we found a significant three-way interaction between burnout, MS and delay. Participants with lower levels of burnout reported higher levels of self-efficacy and a more positive representation as caregivers in the MS condition compared to the control condition, when there was a delay between MS manipulation and the assessment of the dependent measures. The difference was non-significant for participants with higher levels of burnout. Theoretical and practical implications of findings are discussed.

Relationships Between Career Indecision, Search for Work Self-Efficacy, and Psychological Well-Being in Italian Never-Employed Young Adults.

Although different studies have investigated career choices as cognitive acts of decision-making, non-cognitive components also play an important role. The study tries to develop an empirically based model of career decision-making process linking cognitive (search for work self-efficacy - SWSE) and non-cognitive (psychological well-being - PWB) components. In particular, the study investigates, among 148 never-employed Italian young adults, to what extent the relationship between SWSE and career indecision in terms of lack of readiness (LoR) can be explained by their common relationship with PWB. Results highlighted that SWSE is negatively associated with LoR when considered in absence of PWB. However, when PWB was included in one comprehensive model, it was positively associated with SWSE and negatively related to LoR. Moreover, the presence of PWB nullified the negative association between SWSE and LoR, meaning that PWB shares a large extent of variance with these variables. Implications are discussed in the light of theoretical expectations and limitations.

"Yes, I Can": the protective role of personal self-efficacy in hindering counterproductive work behavior under stressful conditions.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Within the stressor-emotion model, counterproductive work behavior (CWB) is considered a possible result of stress. It is well-known that self-efficacy mitigates the detrimental effects of stress and the stressor-strain relation. We aim to extend the stressor-emotion model of CWB by examining the additive and moderating role of work and regulatory emotional self-efficacy dimensions. DESIGN AND METHODS: A structural equation model and a set of hierarchical regressions were conducted on a convenience sample of 1147 Italian workers. RESULTS: Individuals who believed in their capabilities to manage work activities had a lower propensity to act counterproductively. Workers who believed in their capabilities to cope with negative feelings had a lower propensity to react with negative emotions under stressful conditions. Finally, results showed that self-efficacy moderates at least some of the relationships between stressors and negative emotions, and also between stressors and CWB, but did not moderate the relationship between negative emotions and these types of conduct. CONCLUSIONS: Self-efficacy beliefs proved to be a protective factor that can reduce the impact of stressful working conditions.

Depression and its Relationship to Work Status and Income Among HIV Clients in Uganda.

PURPOSE: Despite high levels of depression among persons living with HIV (PLWHIV), little research has investigated the relationship of depression to work status and income in PLWHIV in sub-Saharan Africa, which was the focus of this analysis. METHODS: Baseline data from a prospective longitudinal cohort of 798 HIV patients starting antiretroviral therapy in Kampala, Uganda were examined. In separate multivariate analyses, we examined whether depressive severity and symptom type [as measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)] and major depression [diagnosed with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI)] were associated with work status and income, controlling for demographics, physical health functioning, work self-efficacy, social support and internalized HIV stigma. RESULTS: 14% of the sample had Major Depression and 66% were currently working. Each measure of depression (PHQ-9 total score, somatic and cognitive subscales; Major Depression diagnosis) was associated with not working and lower average weekly income in bivariate analysis. However, none of the depression measures remained associated with work and income in multivariate analyses that controlled for other variables associated with these economic outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that while depression is related to work and income, its influence may only be indirect through its relationship to other factors such as work self-efficacy and physical health functioning.