Psychosocial work conditions

Workers who feel their workplaces are not committed to their mental wellbeing have more than twice the risk of work-related physical or mental health injuries compared to workers who feel the opposite. That’s according to an IWH study that asked workers about the psychosocial safety of their workplace—that is, whether an organization prioritizes mental health and wellbeing, and takes action to prevent psychosocial hazards. The study found that poor psychosocial safety and poor physical safety both increase the risk of work-related mental and physical injuries.

Published: February 2026

Published: American Journal of Industrial Medicine , January 2026

Published: American Journal of Preventive Cardiology, November 2025

Children whose parents work low-quality, precarious jobs are more likely to experience mental health problems and perform poorly at school. That’s according to a pair of studies, co-led by the Institute for Work & Health (IWH), that drew on two large-scale surveys of children and parents from Ontario and across Canada.

Published: September 2025

Published: Journal of Public Health, August 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 2025

An IWH study is using general population surveys in Canada to better understand the role of parental employment quality as a social determinant of child mental health.

Status: Ongoing

In the fall of 2020, Ontario educators who taught in a virtual environment felt isolated and unsupported, while those working in-person experienced anxiety related to the risk of COVID transmission. That’s according a study of Ontario teachers, conducted by OHCOW and IWH.

Published: October 2022

The Guarding Minds @ Work survey is designed to measure 13 dimensions of the psychosocial work environment. But a study of its measurement properties, carried out by IWH and OHCOW, finds it unable to measure each dimension in isolation.

Published: May 2022

Research is starting to show that psychosocial work conditions can lead to burnout. But can burnout in turn influence a person’s relationship to their work? A new study at IWH examines whether a negative feedback loop exists between work stressors and burnout.

Published: February 2022