Correlational Analysis Between Depression and Health Behavior Among Employees in the State of Louisiana

Abstract

Depression has become a canker that is eating up the social fabric of the majority of the employees in the State of Louisiana. Depression is a complex condition that requires intervention since it can affect anyone. There are side effects of depression, such as mental, physical, and social behavior, but this study looks at the psychological side effects in the form of mental health. The research is quantitative by nature and utilizes data from County Health Rankings and Roadmaps for the State of Louisiana. Sixty-four counties were used, for a period of 3 years; that is from 2016 to 2018. Correlation analysis and linear regression model were used to analyze the health behaviors of depressed employees. The two variables considered for the study include smoking and obesity. The report was done to observe if depression causes people to exhibit health behaviors such as smoking and excessive eating leading to obesity. As part of the findings, the study underscores that depressed employees’ actions have a higher adverse effect on work outcome. Also, employers’ attitudes are vital in effectively managing depression within the workplace. Above all, the results highlight the need for more considerable attention to an individual with a mental health problem. The study recommends that the early symptoms and notification by the management of an employee who is undergoing a level of unhealthy behavior should be advised to seek medical assistance or possibly be enrolled by the administration for support.

Keywords: Depression, Mentally Unhealthy, Health Behaviors, Employees, Workplace

DOI: 10.7176/PPAR/9-8-06

Publication date: August 31^st 2019