Mental health in the workplace

Researchers and knowledge transfer and exchange (KTE) staff at the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) put a lot of focus on how to tap into partner expertise to refine research goals and facilitate the sharing and uptake of research findings. What does that look like in practice? This article illustrates how a seven-year partnership project used IWH’s approach to KTE to develop and share usable outputs from the research findings.

Published: September 2025

Published: Social Science & Medicine, August 2025

First responders commonly experience occupational injuries, particularly post-traumatic stress injuries (PTSIs), which encompass symptoms of anxiety-, mood- or trauma-related disorders. PTSI can negatively affect the lives of first responders, including reducing work performance; increasing absence at work; raising the likelihood of burnout, sleep difficulties, poorer relationships with others, feelings of hopelessness, self-harm and suicidal behaviors; and leading to higher risks of disability and early mortality. This summary is based on an Institute for Work & Health study that focused on organizational policies and practices in first responder organizations that can help prevent PTSI work disability.

Published: June 2025

Published: Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, May 2025

Workers with a work-related physical injury that takes them off the job can have a wide range of mental health experiences, beyond diagnosable conditions. That’s according to an IWH study which also found that differences in workers’ mental health after an injury were linked to return-to-work outcomes. Those reporting both a mental health condition and the poorest wellbeing had longer, more expensive compensation claims.

Published: April 2025

Published: Mental Health & Prevention, April 2025

There is currently little research evidence on differences and similarities in systems-level approaches to reducing the number and impact of work-related psychological injuries. This study addresses this gap by mapping the approaches used by regulators, prevention agencies and workers’ compensation organizations to prevent and manage psychological injury in jurisdictions in Canada and Australia.

Status: Completed

Work-related post-traumatic stress injuries (PTSI) are complex and highly prevalent among public safety workers such as those in police and fire services. Faced with the challenges of supporting employees who have experienced such an injury, public safety employers have developed strategies to improve return to work (RTW) after PTSI. These strategies were highlighted in a recent IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Published: March 2025

Public safety personnel—i.e., people who work in police, fire, paramedics and corrections services—experience higher rates of post-traumatic stress injuries (PTSI) than the general public. These injuries often take them off the job for long periods as part of their recovery. Employers in public safety can play an important role in supporting the return to work of employees who’ve experienced PTSI, but limited information is available on employer experiences, needs and challenges. In this presentation, Dr. Basak Yanar and Dr. Cameron Mustard share the findings of a qualitative study conducted with representatives of public safety employers, unions and associations in Ontario. The study examines employer experiences supporting the return to work of public safety personnel with PTSI. It also highlights perspectives on best practices and innovations in PTSI prevention and disability management.  

Published: February 2025

Public safety personnel—police, fire, paramedics, and corrections officers—face high risks of post-traumatic stress injuries (PTSI), often leading to extended work absences. Shane Mercer reports on new research from the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) on how Ontario’s public safety employers are supporting their return to work (RTW).

Published: Canadian Occupational Safety, February 2025