Psychosocial work conditions
Research has shown that some social and psychological aspects of work and work environments can have an impact on workers’ mental health and well-being. This page pulls together IWH research on psychosocial work conditions such as job demand and control, supervisor/co-worker support, reward and recognition, among others. It also includes IWH research on tools and resources to reduce psychosocial hazards.
Featured
At Work article
Parental job quality linked to children’s mental health, school performance
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 Canadian surveys.
Published: September 10, 2025
Project
Project
Assessing the psychosocial work environment in British Columbia to inform prevention activities
WorkSafeBC is in the initial stages of developing and implementing an Enterprise Mental Health Strategy. As part of its development and evaluation efforts, this project will fill knowledge gaps in the understanding of the psychosocial work environment in British Columbia, as well as workers' awareness of its impact as a workplace hazard.
Status: Ongoing
Project
Project
Validation study of Occupational Stress Injury Resiliency Tool
This project will assess the validity and the performance of the Occupational Stress Injury Resilience tool—created to assess first responders’ occupational stress injury risks.
Status: Ongoing