Emerging and developing Asian economies reflects the region’s rapid transformation from agricultural to manufacturing and services-based industries. The region’s economic growth, however, may have come at cost of its workers’ mental health. Workers in Asia spend, on average, more hours at work per week than workers outside of Asia, leading to reports of increased burnout and mental health issues. Broad, macro-level economic factors such as job insecurity, evolving labor markets and increasing use of technology in modern workplaces explain provide only a partial explanation for the rise of mental health concerns in the region. Psychological factors – particularly the work ethos and cultural acceptance of prolonged work hours may be inadvertently contributing to adverse mental health consequences among Asian workers. Any intervention aimed at addressing mental health concerns in Asian workplaces needs to account for the complex interplay between economic and psychological factors and work toward de-stigmatization of mental health concerns that remain prevalent in this region.
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World Mental Health Day 2020
by Dr. Chua Sook Ning, PhD We celebrate World Mental Health Day on October 10th 2020. This international event offers an important contribution to raising mental health awareness and advocating against the social stigma of mental health. The 2020 World Mental Health campaign encourages us to invest: it calls on society to invest in providing […]
The business costs of mental health
Mental health issues are significant health issues that can negatively affect a person’s relationships, productivity, and physical health. Common signs of poor mental health are feeling down, loss of pleasure or interest, sleeping difficulties, appetite changes, constant worry or feeling numb and empty inside. Consequently, workers with mental health issues are more likely to take […]