Workplace autonomy and mental health

Joe Spearing

Economics & Human Biology, 2025, vol. 56, issue C

Abstract: This paper explores the relationship between work-related autonomy and mental health. Using Understanding Society data from the United Kingdom, I assess the association between mental health and autonomy, defined across five different dimensions, using a range of different controls, including person and occupation fixed effects. I find low work-related autonomy consistently associates with poor mental health. The degree of selection bias on observable controls is small. Finally, I bound causal effects under assumptions about the degree of confoundedness of unobservables, and assess the possibility of reverse causality.

Keywords: Mental health; Working conditions; Health inequality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ehbiol:v:56:y:2025:i:c:s1570677x25000024

DOI: 10.1016/j.ehb.2025.101469

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