Skip to main content

One in Five Adults Say Their Workplace Is Toxic, Harming Mental Health

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, July 17, 2023 -- Nearly one in five U.S. adults say their workplace is toxic, according to the results of an American Psychological Association survey.

The 2023 Work in America Survey, conducted online (April 17 to April 27, 2023) by The Harris Poll, included 2,515 employed adults nationwide.

The poll revealed that more than one in five workers (22 percent) reported experiencing harm to their mental health at work, including experiencing harassment at work in the past 12 months -- up from 14 percent in 2022. Verbal abuse was more common among participants reporting work in customer/client/patient service jobs (31 percent) compared with manual laborers (23 percent) and office workers (22 percent). In contrast, physical violence was higher among manual laborers (12 percent) compared with office workers and customer/client/patient service workers (5 and 6 percent, respectively). More than one in five participants reported witnessing discrimination in their current workplace and 15 percent reported they experienced discrimination. Despite this, most workers (77 percent) reported being very (36 percent) or somewhat (41 percent) satisfied with the support for mental health and well-being they receive from their employers, with more than half (59 percent) saying that their employer regularly provides information about available mental health resources.

"Our survey data confirm that employees prioritize both physical and psychological support at work, and that the practices employers are putting in place are heading in the right direction," Arthur C. Evans Jr., Ph.D., chief executive officer of the American Psychological Association, said in a statement. "However, it is clear there are many areas that require improvement."

More Information

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

BMI Cutoff of 30 for Obesity May Be Too High for Middle-Aged, Older Adults

FRIDAY, May 31, 2024 -- The optimal body mass index (BMI) cutoff point appears to be 27 kg/m2 for detecting obesity in middle-aged and older adults, according to a study presented...

Emergency Inguinal Hernia Surgery Rates Increased With Lower Country Income

FRIDAY, May 31, 2024 -- For patients undergoing inguinal hernia surgery, emergency surgery rates increase from high- to low-income countries, according to a study published online...

Maternal Serum Alpha-Fetoprotein Levels Higher in Black Than White Women

FRIDAY, May 31, 2024 -- Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels are higher in Black than White pregnant women, supporting the use of accounting for these differences in...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.