A study on the prevalence of mental health challenges & drivers for mental wellness

1. STATE OF MENTAL WELLNESS
A study on the prevalence of mental health challenges & drivers for mental wellness

2. INTRODUCTION
Why this study
01
IMPLICATIONS FOR
EMPLOYERS
What does this mean for organizations today?
KEY FINDINGS
Insights from the data
STUDY DEMOGRAPHICS
Respondent profile
03
02
04
CONTENTS

3. INTRODUCTION Well-being has been defined by World
Health Organization as a state of
complete physical, mental, and social
wellness, and not merely the absence of
disease or infirmity. Good mental health
is essential for our overall well-being. It
enables productive working and healthy
personal and social lives.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic,
mental health had become an area of
concern with increasing levels of social
isolation, anxiety, fear of the unknown
and related issues. The pandemic has
served to further exacerbate these.
Through this study, we aimed to:
• Estimate the prevalence of mental
health concerns
• Understand the drivers for holistic
mental well-being – for the individual
and at the workplace

4. KEY FINDINGS

5. PREVALENCE
OF
MENTAL
HEALTH
CONCERNS
53% are men
42% are women
Disproportionately high (80%)
amongst respondents not
identifying as man or woman
37%
study respondents indicate
a mental health concern
65% are aged 21-40
yrs, out of which 45%
are 21-30 yrs old
51% have a Masters’ degree &
above (PG/ Professional
Qualification/ PhD)
This exceeds the combined
prevalence of diabetes &
hypertension in the world

6. Anxiety, Depression
and Sleeping Disorder
have come up as the most
common mental health
conditions in the study
27%
25%
19%
7%
4% 3%
Anxiety Depression Sleeping Disorder Eating Disorder Phobias Obsessive
Compulsive
Disorder (OCD)
71%

7. SWOT
ANALYSIS
HEALTH, SAFETY,
SECURITY
Physical health, financial
security & environmental
safety-hygiene
Sense of purpose,
happiness, resilience &
optimism
INTELLECTUAL
GROWTH
Opportunity to learn,
grow personally and
professionally
SOCIAL
CONNECTEDNESS
Interpersonal bonding,
relationships & sense of
belonging
PSYCHOLOGICAL
RESILIENCE
MENTAL WELLNESS DIMENSIONS COVERED IN THE STUDY

8. RESPONDENTS FACING MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS…
Are often reporting a
sedentary work profile,
followed by concerns for
financial security
Struggle to build rapport
socially & maintain
healthy relationships at
the workplace
Often feel the need for
greater opportunities for
building new skills & a
higher sense of
professional growth &
achievement
Tend to blame
circumstances in times of
difficulty, feel judged by
others & struggle to
meaningfully connect
with their work

9. SOCIAL
CONNECTEDNESS
HEALTH, SAFETY,
SECURITY
The Non-binary cohort scored
lowest, followed closely by Men.
31-40 yrs scored lowest on
thematic areas such as
sedentary lifestyle, sleeping
habits & fitness
The 21-30 yrs cohort scored lowest
on thematic elements like sense of
community, participation in social
activities, integration in work teams
On average, Men scored
lower than Women & Non-
binary cohorts

10. INTELLECTUAL
GROWTH
PSYCHOLOGICAL
RESILIENCE
The above-50 yrs cohort has scored
highest on thematic elements like
dealing with stress & anxiety, sense of
optimism and ability to recover from
setbacks
The 21-40 yrs cohort
has scored lower than
other cohorts
The 31-40 yrs cohort have scored
lowest on many work-centric
elements like workplace monotony,
inadequate developmental support
& restricted growth opportunities
The 41-50 yrs cohort experiencing
mental health concerns has scored
lowest on the orientation to challenge
themselves with new experiences

11. Tend to rate their home
environment & infrastructure
(incl. Personal space, hygiene,
lighting, ventilation, etc.)
higher
Often feel supported &
respected by friends &
family, and are able to
engage positively with
communities within &
outside work
Tend to take ownership
for their development,
proactively exploring
new ideas & hobbies &
actively seeking out
opportunities for
intellectual growth
RESPONDENTS REPORTING GOOD MENTAL HEALTH…
See themselves as
optimists, align better
with workplace values
and avoid addictions/
dependence on
substances

12. INTELLECTUAL
GROWTH
• Ownership of own growth
• Opportunities to explore
new ideas at work
• Interests and hobbies
outside of work
• Sense of growth and
achievement
SOCIAL
CONNECTEDNESS
• Supportive network of
friends and family
• Healthy relationships with
work colleagues
• Ability to build rapport/
engage with the community
• Sense of belonging and
respect from friends and
family
SYNTHESIZING ALL RESPONSES,
THE STRONGEST PREDICTORS OF MENTAL WELLNESS ARE

13. WORK-CENTRIC MENTAL
WELLNESS IMPLICATIONS

14. This study has shown that work-centric
factors have a crucial impact on many
dimensions of mental wellness.
It is important for employers to
understand these factors and take
steps to strengthen them. This will lead
to greater employee mental wellness, in
turn contributing to enhanced
productivity and engagement.
This section presents the work-centric
findings from the study and highlights
some organizational practices which
support employee mental wellness.

15. THE WORKPLACE SEEMS TO HAVE A DEFINING IMPACT ON
MENTAL WELLNESS
Work-centric factors have been consistently rated lower than non
work-centric factors by respondents (those facing mental wellness concerns
as well as those reporting good mental health)
Within the workplace ‘Intellectual Growth’ & ‘Psychological Resilience’
have the strongest impact on individual mental wellness
Value alignment, team cohesion and opportunity for
intellectual growth are highly rated by respondents
reporting good mental health
Lack of good quality training support & non-dynamic, sedentary work profiles
have been rated lowest by respondents reporting mental health concerns

16. Good mental health
1. My belief system & values align
with that of my workplace
2. I love my job because it helps me
grow intellectually
3. My work environment is well
organized ergonomically (lighting,
ventilation, comfortable seating,
space, etc.)
4. I engage socially with my work
colleagues and participate in
team activities
5. I get enough opportunities to
explore and discuss new concepts
and ideas at my workplace
Poor mental health
1. My job is sedentary in nature
(without movement for long periods
or working long hours/ days without
breaks)
2. I do not get adequate training in my
workplace to upgrade my knowledge
& skills
3. I struggle to maintain healthy
relationships with my work
colleagues/seniors
4. I do not feel a sense of growth and
achievement with my work
5. I do not get adequate support at
work when I feel anxious/ stressed
WORK-CENTRIC STUDY QUESTIONS WITH THE HIGHEST IMPACT ON…

17. 10 ORGANIZATIONAL PRACTICES THAT WILL ENABLE
EMPLOYEE MENTAL WELLNESS
EMPLOYEE
AUTONOMY &
CONTROL OVER
OWN WORK
POLICIES ADAPTIVE
TO INDIVIDUAL
NEEDS
FLEXIBLE WORK
ARRANGEMENTS
ORG-EMPLOYEE
VALUE
ALIGNMENT
PERSONALIZED
LEARNING
PATHWAYS
TEAM COHESION &
COMMUNITY
BUILDING
HEALTH & WELL-
BEING SERVICES
GOOD
ERGONOMICS
OPTIMAL STAFFING
TO BALANCE WORK
LOAD
MANAGER
SENSITIZATION FOR
EMPLOYEE WELL-
BEING

18. STUDY DEMOGRAPHICS

19. 54%
44%
2%
AGE
High School/ Diploma 21%
Graduation 25%
Professional Qualification 15%
Post Graduation 37%
Doctorate/ higher 2%
< 21 yrs 14%
21 – 30 yrs 39%
31 – 40 yrs 20%
41 – 50 yrs 20%
> 50 yrs 7%

20. THANK YOU