Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

HSR&D Citation Abstract

Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title

Relationships between mood and employment over time among depressed VA primary care patients.

Zivin K, Campbell DG, Lanto AB, Chaney EF, Bolkan C, Bonner LM, Miller EM, Valenstein M, Waltz TJ, Rubenstein LV. Relationships between mood and employment over time among depressed VA primary care patients. General hospital psychiatry. 2012 Sep 1; 34(5):468-77.

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.
   Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions



Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: Associations between depression, productivity and work loss have been reported, yet few studies have examined relationships between longitudinal depression status and employment continuity. We assessed these relationships among Veterans of conventional working ages. METHODS: We used longitudinal survey data from Veterans receiving primary care in 1 of 10 Veterans Health Administration primary care practices in five states. Our sample included 516 participants with nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) scores indicating probable major depression (PHQ-9 = 10) at baseline and who completed either the 7-month follow-up survey or follow-up surveys at both 7 and 18 months postbaseline. We examined relationships between depression persistence and employment status using multinomial logistic regression models. RESULTS: Although general employment rates remained stable (21%-23%), improved depression status was associated with an increased likelihood of becoming employed over 7 months among those who were both depressed and nonemployed at baseline. Improvements in depression status starting at 7 months and continuing through 18 months were associated with remaining employed over the 18-month period, relative to those who were depressed throughout the same time frame. CONCLUSIONS: Given the pressing need to prevent socioeconomic deterioration in the increasing population of conventional working-aged Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom Veterans, further attention to the depression/employment relationship is urgently needed.





Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.